07-16-14, 09:30 PM
|
#15
|
Gefallen Engel U-666
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy
Posts: 30,023
Downloads: 24
Uploads: 0
|
How not to "see the elephant" ca 1863
Absolutely correct! I was referring more to the common battlefield aspects of the senseless carnage more than focusing on the actual size of the nonstandard field artillery. Of similar interest would be of one the most famous Parrott rifles: the Swamp Angel, an 8-inch (200 mm) gun used by federals to bombard Charleston SC. It was manned by the 11th Maine...blowing up after 36 rounds, a common shortcoming at the dawn of iron artillery metallurgy.
Two gunboats: USS Lexington and Tyler saved Grant's surprised backside in the terrible slaughter of Shiloh and stymied the Confederate attack, giving Grant time to organize and counter-attack the following day. USS Lexington, armed with four 8" Dahlgrens and two 32 pounder smoothbores and the side wheeler Tyler with 6 8" guns and one 32 pounder fired throughout the long night both shells and "stands of cannister'. They served well at Ft. Donelson, Belmont and other river battles of the Western Theater often exchanging fire with infantry units ( direct fire as opposed to shell indirect fire)- but none so critically as at Shiloh. Walking Pickett's charge style into canister double-shotted bronze Napoleons (4.62 in bore dia.) with your 'gleaming' bayonette cannot have been morale boosting...at less than 400- 50 yards <USS Tyler <USS Lexington Amazingly, both survived the war and were sold in 1865!
Last edited by Aktungbby; 07-17-14 at 02:14 AM.
|
|
|