Photograph by the Author
Taken at Gettysburg Nat'l. Military Park
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Perhaps the best field piece used during the war, the 3 in. Ordnance Rifle was an advancement over the 10 Pdr Parrott Rifle in that the entire barrel was produced in wrought iron,
rather than merely shrinking a wrought iron sleeve around the breech of a cast iron gun as was done with the Parrott.
The barrel was created by beating sheets of iron around a mandrel rather than by casting.
The barrel weighed approximately 800 pounds, making it extremely lightweight in proportion to its power.
The 3 in. Ordnance Rifle was designed by John Griffen and manufactured by the Phoenix Iron Company.
Sources:
Hazlett, James, Edwin Olmstead, & M. Hume Parks. Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War.
(Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1983).
Thomas, Dean. Cannons: An Introduction to Civil War Artillery.
(Gettysburg: Thomas Publications, 1985).
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