Relic Discussion > Artillery
Lathed Atlanta Reads
Selma Hunter:
Carl et al,
As most of you know I am no expert on projectiles but your question, Carl, prompts me to respond as follows. As best I can tell from my personal experience researching the subject most projectiles were manufactured wholly or in part by contractors. Civilian companies contracted to manufacture various products for the government. The pattern is repeated throughout the Trans-Chattahoochee & for the purposes of this posting I am including Atlanta in this group. Take a look at the Gullatt invoice in this image. Further in this regard I am looking at a letter dated February 6, 1862 from John Reed to the Prescott & Cummings firm in Columbus, Mississippi ordering 1,000 32lbr Reed shot & 1,500 shells made to Reed's specifications incorporating the famed copper/brass cup sabot. Further exposing my lack of knowledge on the topic I am convinced that the vast majority of CS ordnance was produced by private contractors. Tredegar, technically, was a "contractor" although the lines between Anderson & the government were heavily blurred as compared to others. Charlotte made large projectiles and carriages, etc. and as I recall the Atlanta works also made carriages.
I leave it to you experts to sort out my errors and omissions!
Travel Safe all.
Woodenhead:
Carl - about that 10 pounder you posted. It has a few noteworthy features that suggest when and by whom it was made. The first thing that attracted my attention was it short thick wrought iron sabot. This was the exact sabot introduced by Broun in early 1864 when he tried to upgrade the traditional smooth-sided design of the 10 pounders with the "Tredegar Read" (Tredegar did not make any at this time) with large and small bourreletts. It was not pre-rifled or swedged and Pete George agrees, it was the worst wartime sabot developed by the CS Ordnance authorities. They quickly returned to the smooth-sided pattern with some foundries continuing to employ that terrible sabot. This would be around April/May 1864. That's what you have. A similar Read-Parrott is the first item pictured below. Your shell is further identified and dated by its use of a copper fuze plug. It puts your shell production into a fairly narrow period of April/May because by May 1864 the rifled field artillery projectiles in VA had switched to wooden plugs. Maybe Samson & Pae, one of the only foundries that made their on fuzes, kept up the practice a little longer? Also the spanner holes in the flange appear to go all the was thru. Only S & P made these fuze plugs. Maybe not all, but there are many documented examples. Also, there's the deep-cut lathing typical of S & P products although this is not 100% depending upon ground action. Your shell is in very good condition.
So, you have a Samson & Pae 10 pounder made during April or May 1864. Probably was dug at Cold Harbor or shortly before.
Woodenhead
CarlS:
Woodenhead: You underestimate your knowledge. I tip my hat to people like yourself who have a knack for finding all these details and tying them together to tell the history. For that I thank you. What you have contributed in the areas of artillery, buckles, canteens, etc. is nothing short of amazing.
So that makes perfect sense regarding the manufacturing. It would also explain why there are so many variances in Reads, archers, etc. They just don't look like they were made by the same place.
Excellent info on my Read. I don't recall seeing another with that nose profile though I'm sure I have at some point. However, the fuse spanner holes do not go through the fuse. They are deep but not through. I searched for markings but no luck. The lathing is quite crisp on it which I really like.
Many thanks.
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