Ridgeway Civil War Research Center,
A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War


Civil War Artillery
by Harry Ridgeway


Research Center: Artillery5881-Tennessee
Rifled artillery projectile, Tennessee design, Confederate manufacture, solid bolt, short pattern with round nose, bourrelet rings, copper disc cupped sabot with 3 studs in the sabot, rifled 32 pounder or Brooke rifle, 6.4in.
Projectile was Confederate manufactured and was originally believed to have been developed by Mullane working with Read and others, however, updated research has not been able to confirm the existence of a man named Mullane. Period literature often refers to work as the "Tennessee" design, cup, or sabot, and is attributed to Captain Lardner Gibbon, although official recognition for his development was never granted. The sabot system utilized was a copper disc held in place by studs and secured with a center bolt, a manufacturing innovation allowing the parts made of different metals, copper and iron, to be prepared independent and assembled at the end. This sabot pattern, referred to as Type II, employed three studs cast into the sabot and fitted into holes cast into the shell body, secured by a bolt in the center. This pattern utilized two bourrelet rings, as a labor saving device, only the rings had to be accurately machined, the rest could be left rough , the top is rounded, it was designed to be used against the Federal ironclads, but was probably judged ineffective, most bolts developed by the Confederacy employed flatter surfaces on top. This relatively short bolt was likely intended for the old 32 pounder smoothbores that had been banded and converted to rifled. Projectile measures: diameter 6.35in., length 11.4in., 10in. without sabot, weight 68lbs.
Research Center: Artillery5881-Tennessee, Ref: Bell, Heavy Ordnance, pg. 412 & 413.

Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery5881-Tennessee.html.


A0817...Rifled artillery projectile, Tennessee design, Confederate manufacture, solid bolt, short pattern with round nose, bourrelet rings, copper disc cupped sabot with 3 studs in the sabot, rifled 32 pounder or Brooke rifle, 6.4in.
Projectile was Confederate manufactured and was originally believed to have been developed by Mullane working with Read and others, however, updated research has not been able to confirm the existence of a man named Mullane. Period literature often refers to work as the "Tennessee" design, cup, or sabot, and is attributed to Captain Lardner Gibbon, although official recognition for his development was never granted. The sabot system utilized was a copper disc held in place by studs and secured with a center bolt, a manufacturing innovation allowing the parts made of different metals, copper and iron, to be prepared independent and assembled at the end. This sabot pattern, referred to as Type II, employed three studs cast into the sabot and fitted into holes cast into the shell body, secured by a bolt in the center. This pattern utilized two bourrelet rings, as a labor saving device, only the rings had to be accurately machined, the rest could be left rough, the top is rounded, it was designed to be used against the Federal ironclads, but was probably judged ineffective, most bolts developed by the Confederacy employed flatter surfaces on top. This relatively short bolt was likely intended for the old 32 pounder smoothbores that had been banded and converted to rifled. Projectile measures: diameter 6.3in., length 10.5in. (excluding fuze), weight 59lbs. no sabot. Sabot separated on firing and is missing. Metal is stable, projectile recovered from wet ground and has been treated. Projectile is disarmed: solid iron casting never had a cavity or bursting charge. Recovered: Charleston, South Carolina.
Ref: Bell, Heavy Ordnance, pg. 412 & 413.

A2812...Rifled artillery projectile, Tennessee design, Confederate manufacture, solid bolt, short pattern with round nose, bourrelet rings, copper disc cupped sabot with 3 studs in the sabot, rifled 32 pounder or Brooke rifle, 6.4in.

Projectile was Confederate manufactured and was originally believed to have been developed by Mullane working with Read and others, however, updated research has not been able to confirm the existence of a man named Mullane. Period literature often refers to work as the "Tennessee" design, cup, or sabot, and is attributed to Captain Lardner Gibbon, although official recognition for his development was never granted. The sabot system utilized was a copper disc held in place by studs and secured with a center bolt, a manufacturing innovation allowing the parts made of different metals, copper and iron, to be prepared independent and assembled at the end. This sabot pattern, referred to as Type II, employed three studs cast into the sabot and fitted into holes cast into the shell body, secured by a bolt in the center. This pattern utilized two bourrelet rings, as a labor saving device, only the rings had to be accurately machined, the rest could be left rough , the top is rounded, it was designed to be used against the Federal ironclads, but was probably judged ineffective, most bolts developed by the Confederacy employed flatter surfaces on top. This relatively short bolt was likely intended for the old 32 pounder smoothbores that had been banded and converted to rifled. Projectile measures: diameter 6.35in., length 11.4in., 10in. without sabot, weight 51lbs., without sabot. Sabot separated on firing and is missing. Metal is stable, projectile recovered from wet ground and has been treated. Projectile is disarmed: solid iron casting never had a cavity or bursting charge. Recovered: Charleston, South Carolina.
Ref: Bell, Heavy Ordnance, pg. 412 & 413.


This is the "Ridgeway Civil War Research Center", a research tool for educational purposes only, and is provided at no cost to the reader. Some of the relics listed are retained in the author's collection, most reside in other collections and are not owned by the author. None of the items listed in this section are for sale, please refer to relicman.com sales listings for items offered for sale. This is a work in progress, I list items as I get to them, there are many patterns that are not listed yet, this list will be regularly updated as I get pictures and descriptions for more items. I will also correct mistakes, so if you see any please tell me. All items listed are believed to be authentic to the Civil War or as otherwise described. This information is available for research purposes, pictures may be used by permission only.
All excavated artifacts have been recovered from private property with owner's permission.
All projectiles listed have been disarmed.

Most information on this page is from:
Field Artillery Projectiles of the American Civil War, 1993 Edition. by Thomas S. Dickey and Peter C. George.
Civil War Heavy Explosive Ordnance, A Guide to Large Artillery Prjectiles, Torpedoes, and Mines, by Jack Bell.
Artillery Fuses of the Civil War, by Charles H. Jones.
Pictures are by the author, unless otherwise indicated.


Ridgeway Civil War Research Center,
A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War.
Artillery
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