| The 3" Ordnance cannon, also know
as the 3-inch Wrought Iron Gun or 3-inch Ordnance Rifle was one of
the most popular artillery pieces in the Civil War. It was developed
by John Griffen and built by Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville,
Pennsylvania in 1855. It was made of wrought iron and had a tube length
on 69 inches and weight on 820 pounds.
The design, of the 3" Ordnance Rifle was highly initiative.
The construction of the barrel was time consuming because strips
of wrought iron were wrapped by a lathe around an iron core. In
all five layers were built before the core was removed and a plug
driven into the breech. This closed the breech and formed the cascabel
(this was the knob on the end of the gun tube). The entire mass
was then heated to a welding temperature and rolled before the bore
was reamed out. The distinguishing exterior features were a sleek
and clean design coupled with a lightweight. This did not reveal
the incredible accuracy due to the 0.5" grooves. The usual
charge for a 9 pound shell was one pound of gunpowder. At 10 degrees
of elevations extreme accuracy was achieved at a range of 2788 yards.
Because of the weight, this gun could be easily transported and
unlimbered for fast use.
Eventually, the Phoenix Iron Company supplied the US Army with 1100
guns by the wars end. Southern copies of the 3" Ordnance Rifle
were made in very limited numbers. Noble Brothers & Company
of Rome, Georgia managed to make 18. Therefore, most of these field
pieces used by the Confederate army were obtained by capture. Artillery
officers on both sided praised the endurance and efficiency of these
cannons. Confederate Artilleryman Col. E. Porter Alexander mentioned
them as "The Beautiful United States Ordnance Rifles."
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