Relic Discussion > Artillery

Lathed Atlanta Reads

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Woodenhead:
It appears your two Read-Parrotts were made about two years apart. I'm only just now learning about your wood fuzed Atlanta Read-Parrott, but I have been studying that side-loader pattern for some time. It is not a common Virginia pattern. They are primarily found around Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and the Rappahannock River Fords. I believe it was a style made by Tredegar primarily during the second half of 1862. A new official design had been prescribed by the Richmond Arsenal during the summer of 1862 (see the last page below) and Samson & Pae made an exact copy of that improved design which replaced the smooth-sided Read-Parrott. S&P had the most skilled workforce of any of the Richmond foundries. Many trained Europeans. When Cmdr. Brooke wanted a difficult new pattern made like the mill-based bolt, he turned to Samson & Pae. The first three shells below were Tredegar's version of this new "sleeved" pattern. It has the same indented base but they didn't bother to reduce the nose as S & P did. The first of this style were probably made in August 1862. That corresponds with Tredegar's production of its last 3 inch Rifle shells - the flush-bolt Mullanes with copper fuze plugs. Tredegar would soon halt production of 10 pounder Read-Parrotts which helps explain their rarity. The day before Pete George dug seven of the rarest side-loaders including several of this pattern at Bank's Ford, I dug one with a recessed bottom and a wood fuze plug which shows the switch to this new design predated the use of copper fuze plugs during the summer of 1862. Note that one of the side-loaders below has the flange of its fuze set into the shell body. That reinforces the dating of this pattern because it is obvious that practice to seat the McEvoy fuze igniter lasted only a couple of weeks during late 1862. We know this from the similarly fuzed Reads.

I could be wrong with my attribution but I'm fairly certain Tredegar was responsible for the first three shell seen below. Why?

1) No lathe key. [dog, knob, or whatever] On all the shells, big and small, that I have reason to believe Tredegar made, I have never seen a lathe key on the ogive. No key slots in their cone-shaped mandrells. This includes about 20,000 3 inch Archers, 4,000 3.35 Archers for the rifled 4 pounders, 13,000 Mullanes and the Bormann-fuzed 10 pounders from early war sites.
2) The quality of the wrought iron sabots is very good. Tredegar had the best rolling mill in the South. The competing foundries usually had to hammer their iron into shape. Tredegar did not share.
3) It is obvious that these first three shells have swedged sabots. It would make sense for Tredegar to be the first to employ that superior method. Look at the final S & P shell below for an example of the hammered and hand-punched sabot. Sometime in early 1863, the other foundries adopted the swedging technique. This is backed up by documents and excavated examples. By that time, Tredegar had completely stopped the production of 10 pounders and they made no more for the Army for the remainder of the war.

I will have more to say about your other Read-Parrott.

Woodenhead

Woodenhead:
About that "Atlanta Works" Read-Parrott, I question whether any of the foundries associated with the Atlanta Arsenal was making any Read-Parrotts. If a pile of Reads happened to be bulldozed up near Gettysburg, would they then be known as "Gettysburg Reads"? There is so much research available now that was not so easy to find when Tom and Pete put the big red book together. I haven't found any evidence that Atlanta was making 10 pounders. Has anyone else? Because I do have documentation of Augusta sending more than 1,000 with copper sabots - and while the city was besieged, Macon was sending 100 or more per day (copper sabots) - and Columbus sent a limited number. Prior to the start of the Atlanta Campaign, the Salisbury Arsenal in NC was tasked with supplying all the field artillery projectiles needed by Polk's Corps, i.e., iron sabots on 10 & 20 pounder Parrotts just like those dug around Petersburg. I strongly suspect your 10 pounder, pictured above, was among the thousands sent from Macon, and the lathing flaws were due to their great hurry to rush them to the front. Remember that 10 pounder with the miscast nose? I think it came from the same source. Production values were very low.
 The use of a wooden fuze plug likely dates its production from the summer of 1864. The sabot is an important clue. It is the style Augusta adopted in early 1864 similar to their new high-band Read sabots. Macon copied Augusta's sabot design. This is important to me because both Augusta and Macon sent many hundreds of 10 pounders to Virginia during early 1864. I'm trying to figure out who made what.
The two shells I show below are examples I photographed of items dug in the Western Theater or Deep South with recessed areas on the bearing surfaces. I am almost positive the first was a lubrication groove while the second was the sleeved pattern adopted during the summer of 1862.
Woodenhead

CarlS:
Here is another one I have.  Unfortunately I don't have any provenance on it.  Condition is superb as you can see.   It has a nearly flat base knob within the copper ring sabot and is fitted with the CS copper time fuse.  The fuse has a slight gap under it indicating it might have had a leather washer.  Just above the sabot is a very short recessed area where it was lathed down presumably as part of the sabot lathing.  Also note the mark where a short lathe lug was removed. 

Woodenhead:
Carl - the last 10 pounder you posted has a wrought iron sabot, right? Do you know where it came from?

Below are three projectiles dug in Virginia like the "Atlanta Works" shell you posted at the start of this thread. Again, is there any evidence that Atlanta was making any 10 pounders? I believe the nice example you show was an Augusta Arsenal 10 pounder. After Augusta sent a quantity to Virginia in early 1864, they limited themselves to supplying the Army of Tennessee for the Atlanta Campaign. Invoices and other records suggest they sent a couple of thousand. Augusta was the only arsenal I'm aware of in the Deep South that was allowed to experiment with their field ammunition. The wood fuze plug in your "Atlanta Works" Parrott would match the late spring or summer of 1864 date when the copper plugs were abandoned in Georgia. Note the base knobs are nearly identical on yours and the three I show below.
 
Woodenhead

CarlS:
Woodenhead,

Sorry for delay in replying.  I've been busy getting ready for the show along with cleaning and flushing some shells to deliver to Gettysburg.  Really great info.  Thanks for taking the time to share.

Yes, it does have an iron sabot.  I confirmed it with a magnet.  I have no provenance on it.

I guess I'm going to ask a dumb or embarrassing question:  Did they actually cast any shells at the Atlanta Works?  Or did they serve as a central arsenal to collect shells made at Augusta, Macon, etc. and send them to the armies in the field?  As I live in the area I know I should know that answer but I don't.

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