Artillery and Armour in the USA: New Hampshire: Peterborough, Pittsburg, Plymouth, Plaistow, Portsmouth, , Rollinsford, Rye, Fort Dearborn, Salem, Seabrook, Tilton, Troy, Weare, Weirs Beach, Wolfeboro

Artillery, Tanks and AFVs in New Hampshire

Peterborough

(silverquill Photo)

32-pounder M1864 (6.2-inch) Dahlgren Shell Gun, 4,500 lbs, No. 1 of 2, mounted on an iron garrison carriage, on display in front of the G.A.R. Hall on a hill in Peterborough.

(Nelson Lawry Photo)

32-pounder M1864 (6.2-inch) Dahlgren Shell Gun, 4,500 lbs, No. 2 of 2, mounted on an iron garrison carriage, on display in front of the G.A.R. Hall on a hill in Peterborough.

(Allen Tanner Photos)

RF 6-pounder Model 1898 Naval Deck Gun, manufactured by Driggs-Seabury Gun and Ammunition Co., New York, NY 1889, on display near the war memorials in downtown Peterborough.  The  QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss (called the Rapid Fire gun in the USA, rather than Quick Firer in the UK), is a light 2.244-inch (57-mm) 6-pounder naval gun and coast defence gun of the late 19th century that was used by many countries.

Pittsburg

(PTCRAZY Photos)

Bronze 12-pounder Napoleon Model 1857 smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun-Howitzer, (Federal Gun with muzzle swell used in the Civil War), mounted on a wheeled gun carriage, located in the Town Common.

Plymouth

(Postcard, 1921)

(1929, Town of Plymouth Photo)

(1921, Town of Plymouth Photo)

Two bronze smoothbore muzzle-loading guns once stood on Burial Hill overlooking Cape Cod Bay in Plymouth.  A plaque on the site states: On the right is a “Minion” of the time of (Queen) Mary, 1554, with a rose and the letters M.R. (Maria Regina) and is inscribed “John and Thomas Mayo, Brethern, made this pece (sic) Anno Dni 1554.” On the left is a “Sakeret” of the time of (King) Edward VI with a shield and three lions passant inscribed "Tomas Owen made this pece for the ye’l of Carnse Vhan Ser Peter Mevtas vas Governor and Captayn, Anno Dni 1550.” They were transmitted through the Honorable Artillery Company of London, chartered 1537, and placed here by the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, chartered 1638 and dedicated 4 October 1921.

According to the Pilgrim Hall Museum staff, Pilgrim separatists brought the initial bronze guns to the New World to protect the colony.  They were positioned at the plantation’s fort on what is now Burial Hill.  Bronze guns like these were named by Bradford and Winslow in the annals of Plymouth as mounted on the first fort, 1621, and were still in use in 1645 when the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts under its Commander Major General Gibbons joined the Plymouth Company under the Command of Captain Myles Standish to fight against the Narrangansett Indians.  

In 1537, King Henry VIII created the Honourable Artillery Company through royal charter to help keep the peace.  It is the second oldest military corps in the world.  Then, in 1637, Massachusetts Bay Colony applied to England for a similar charter, and was granted it in 1638, when the charter was signed by Gov. John Winthrop.  These guns were eventually melted down and transformed into more useful tools during the Revolutionary War.

In 1920, Britain’s Honourable Artillery Company sent another set of bronze guns, a “saker” gun and a “minion” gun, to Plymouth as a gesture of friendship to honour the 300th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower.  These pieces are from the collection in the British National Artillery Museum and were originally mounted in a castle on Guernsey, one of the islands in the English Channel, now known as a “self-governing British Crown dependency.” These two guns dated to the 16th century. In time, the saker was sent back to Guernsey, and its sister gun, the minion, remained behind in Plymouth.  These guns were the only ones of that period of English manufacture in the collection.  They were given “in consideration of the greatness of the occasion, the Tercentenary celebration of the landing of the Pilgrims, and the good will of the English nation, the government, on behalf of the British people have made this gift to the Town of Plymouth Massachusetts.

(Emily Clark Photo)

The bronze minion gun is currently preserved behind glass in the Pilgrim Hall Museum in Plymouth.  The minion was cast in 1545, and is embossed with a Tudor rose and the initials “MR” for Maria Regina, to honour Queen Mary.  There are plans for a second gun to be cast in London to commemorate Plymouth’s 400th Anniversary in 2020.

(Allen Tanner Photos)

Cast-iron 3-pounder smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun, weight 11-1-26 (1,286 lbs), broad arrow over King George III cypher, M No. 613 on the left trunnion, L12 on the right trunnion, Z, mounted on a wheeled gun carriage, standing in front of the courthouse.  This gun was captured from British General John Burgoyne's forces at the Battle of Bennington, near Vermont, during the Revolutionary War on 16 Aug 1777.  A rebel force of 2,000 men, primarily New Hampshire and Massachusetts militiamen, led by General John Stark, and reinforced by Vermont militiamen led by Colonel Seth Warner and members of the Green Mountain Boys, decisively defeated a detachment of General John Burgoyne's army led by Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum, and supported by additional men under Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich von Breymann.

Baum's detachment was a mixed force of 700 men composed primarily of Hessians, but also including small numbers of dismounted Brunswick dragoons, Canadians, Loyalists and Indians.   He was sent by Burgoyne to raid Bennington in the disputed New Hampshire Grants area for horses, draft animals, provisions, and other supplies.  Believing the town to be only lightly defended, Burgoyne and Baum were unaware that Stark and 1,500 militiamen were stationed there.  After a rain-caused standoff, Stark's men enveloped Baum's position, taking many prisoners, and killing Baum.  Reinforcements for both sides arrived as Stark and his men were mopping up, and the battle restarted, with Warner and Stark driving away Breymann's reinforcements with heavy casualties.

The battle was a major strategic success for the American cause and is considered part of the turning point of the Revolutionary War; it reduced Burgoyne's army in size by almost 1,000 men, led his Native-American support to largely abandon him, and deprived him of much-needed supplies, such as mounts for his cavalry regiments, draft animals and provisions, all factors that contributed to Burgoyne's eventual defeat at Saratoga.  The victory galvanized colonial support for the independence movement, and played a key role in bringing France into the war on the rebel side.  The battle's anniversary is celebrated in the state of Vermont as Bennington Battle Day.

(New York Public Library Digital Collection)

Print of the Battle of Bennington, Vermont, 1777.

(Allen Tanner Photos)

155-mm M114 Medium Towed Howitzer, NATO Stock No. (NSN) 1025-01-025-9857.  May 1986, Serial No. 1077.  Weight 12,700 lbs.

Plaistow

(Allen Tanner Photos)

3-inch Model 1861 Ordnance Rifle, mounted on a wheeled wooden carriage, TTSL Serial No. 69, P.I. Co., 1861, 819 lbs on the muzzle, standing in front of the war memorial on the Town Common, No. 1 of 2.

(Allen Tanner Photos)

3-inch Model 1861 Ordnance Rifle, mounted on a wheeled wooden carriage, JHVF Serial No. 688, P.I. Co., 1864, 816 lbs, on the muzzle, standing in front of the war memorial on the Town Common, No. 2 of 2.

(Allen Tanner Photos)

Cast-iron 3-pounder 3-cwt smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun, weight 3-1-9 (373 lbs), no other markings, mounted on a wheeled gun carriage, standing in front of the Police Station.

(Army Heritage and Education Center Photo)

8-mm Hotchkiss Model 1914 Machine Gun being operated on a range near Froissy, Oise, France, by a US Army Machine Gun Team from Company 1, 2nd Brigade, Machine Gun Battalion, 1st Division, 10  May 1918.

(Allen Tanner Photos)

8-mm Hotchkiss Model 1914 Machine Gun, mounted on tripod beside the war memorial.  The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in France purchased 7,000 Mle 1914 Hotchkiss machine guns in 8-mm Lebel, and used them extensively at the front in 1917 and 1918.

Portsmouth

(Allen Tanner Photos)

3-inch/23 caliber Mk. XIV Naval Deck Gun, standing in a park near Parrot Ave on the edge of the South Mill Pond.

(USN Photo)

3-inch 23-caliber gun being fired from the deck of USN submarine chaser USS SC-291, ca 1920,

(Lawrence Mirsky Photos)

Cast-iron (possibly 3-pounder) smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun mounted barrel down as a bollard, downtown Portsmouth.  No. 1 of 2, both guns have a plaque stating "Taken from the British by Commodore Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie, 10 Sep 1812".

(Lawrence Mirsky Photo)

Cast-iron (possibly 3-pounder) smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun mounted barrel down as a bollard, downtown Portsmouth.  No. 2 of 2, both guns have a plaque stating "Taken from the British by Commodore Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie, 10 Sep 1812".

1st New Hampshire Heavy Artillery Volunteer Regiment

The First New Hampshire Heavy Artillery Regiment was  first raised in 1863 for the defenses of Portsmouth harbor in New hampshire and Maine during the Civil War.  The regiment was later transferred to garrison the numerous fortifications of Washington, DC.  

Lieutenant Colonel Charles H. Long was commissioned captain of the First Company NH Heavy Artillery Volunteers, ordered by the War Department for use in the defenses of Portsmouth harbor.  The men were mustered into service on 22 July 1863, and stationed at Fort Constitutionin New Castle.  On 17 September 1863, the Second Company was mustered in, and garrisoned at Fort McClary, Kittery Point, Maine.  They remained at these posts until the following spring when, on 6 May 1864, both companies were ordered to Washington, DC, for the defense of the capital, with detachments of them being spread between a dozen forts and batteries.   Shortly after this, a third company began recruiting in Manchester.

In August 1864, Ira McL. Barton, the captain of Company B, requested further recruits and, with authorization granted to organize a battalion-sized unit, he returned to New Hampshire to take part in the raising of an additional four companies.  Recruiting within the cities of Nashua, Concord, Laconia and Dover, the number of volunteers exceeded what was needed.  The state adjutant applied to the War Department for authority to continue the formation of companies, and by November 1864 nearly had the required number of men to be organized into a proper regiment.  To do so, the 1st New Hampshire Light Battery, which had just gone through its r-eenlistment following the end of a three-year term of service, became "Company M" of the 1st NH Heavy Artillery on 9 November.  However, they were soon detached and returned as light artillery in Hancock's II Corps.

As soon as each unit was organized, they were sent to Washington and assigned to different divisions, though seven companies remained together under Lt Col Barton in DeRussey's Division, 3rd Brigade.  Col Long was mustered in as the regiment's commander on 16 November and took command of the 1st Brigade, Hardin's Division, XXII Corps, on the 21st.  While Company A returned to Portsmouth Harbor in November 1864 and Company B did the same the following February, the remainder of the regiment stayed in the vicinity of Washington.  On 15 June 1865, the regiment was mustered out, arriving in New Hampshire on the 19th for final pay and discharge.  (Waite, Otis Frederick Reed (1870). New Hampshire in the Great Rebellion. Claremont, NH: Tracy,Chase & Co.)

Rollinsford

(Santee1821 Photo)

Two IX-inch Dahlgren Shell Guns are mounted on iron stands in front ot the Rollinsford Civil War Memorial.

(Santee1821 Photos)

IX-inch Dahlgren Shell Gun Number 167, manufactured by Bellona Foundry in 1858.  It is marked as weighing 9,280 pounds as originally manufactured.  It is mounted on an original iron Marsilly carriage which is missing its wheels.  The carriage is marked as weighing 1,215 pounds.  In the appendix to The Big Guns, it is listed as the only 9-Inch Dahlgren cast by Bellona Foundry known to survive.  The same appendix notes that it is recorded as being carried abord the Steam Sloop of War USS Richmond.  USS Richmond saw a very active career at New Orleans, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, and Mobile Bay. Thirty-three of her crew received the Medal of Honor for actions during the American Civil War.  USS Richmond would go on to have a long postwar career - seeing service as a cruising warship until 1890.   She served as a training ship and receiving ship until 1919 before being burned in 1920. No. 1 of 2, mounted on an iron stand in front of the Civil War Memorial. (Santee1821)

(US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo)

USS Richmond photographed at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on 30 March 1863 in her original configuration.

(Santee1821 Photo)

IX-inch Dahlgren Shell Gun Number 751, was manufactured by Fort Pitt in 1863.  She is marked as weighing 9,340 pounds as manufactured.  It is not mounted on a carriage but instead a pedestal meant to resemble the other Dahlgren’s carriage.  Presumably Rollinsford received the two cannons but only one carriage and had to order a pedestal which resembled an actual carriage.  It is recorded in The Big Guns as serving aboard the paddle steamer USS Susquehanna.  USS Susquehanna was commissioned in 1850.  She served throughout the American Civil War, undergoing repairs in New York from May of 1863 to July of 1864.  It may be that Number 751 came aboard during this time.  USS Susquehanna participated in the capture of Port Royal in 1861, took part in the blockade off Charleston, and would take part in both expeditions against Fort Fisher.  She was decommissioned in 1868 and finally sold in 1883. No. 2 of 2, mounted on an iron stand in front of the Civil War Memorial.

(US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo)

USS Susquehanna photographed during or soon after the US Civil War.

Rye, Odiorne Point State Park, Fort Dearborn

Odiorne Point State Park is a New Hampshire state park located on the seacoast in Rye near Portsmouth.  The location of the first European settlement in New Hampshire, the point got its name from the Odiorne family, who settled on the land in the mid-1660s. Among the park's features are the Seacoast Science Center and the remains of the Second World War Fort Dearborn.

Prior to 1942, the site of the park was private, expensive oceanfront land.  In 1942, the site was condemned and purchased by the United States government for the construction of Fort Dearborn as part of an across-the-board modernization of US coast defences . In 1961 the site was ceded to the state of New Hampshire.

The fort was named for Henry Dearborn, a colonel in the Revolutionary War and later Commanding General of the United States Army and Secretary of War. The fort was part of the Harbour Defenses of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, along with Fort Stark, Fort Constitution, and Fort Foster.  In 1940-1944 the Harbor Defenses of Portsmouth were garrisoned by the 22nd Coast Artillery Regiment.  The first battery at Fort Dearborn was called Battery Dearborn, and consisted of four 155-mm towed guns on "Panama mounts", which were circular concrete platforms. The platforms remain today.

Fort Dearborn was primarily acquired to build a battery of two 16-inch (406-mm) Mark IIMI ex-Navy guns, heavily protected by concrete and earth casemates. This was completed and test-fired in June 1944, and eventually superseded all other heavy guns in the Harbor Defenses of Portsmouth. It was initially called Battery 103 and later named Battery Seaman in honour of Colonel Claudius M. Seaman.  The battery remains today. A companion battery, Battery 204, consisted of two 6-inch (152-mm) M1 guns in shielded barbette mounts with a large bunker between them containing magazines and fire control facilities.  This was also completed and test-fired in June 1944.  The battery is near the park entrance and parking lot, and today has several 16-inch shells displayed.  A similar 6-inch battery (Battery 205) was built at Fort Foster but not armed.  Near Fort Dearborn at Pulpit Rock, short-range defence was provided by Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat Battery (AMTB) 951, consisting of four 90-mm M1A2 anti-aircraft guns, two on fixed mounts and two on towed mounts. A similar 90-mm M1A2 anti-aircraft gun battery, AMTB 952, was built at Fort Foster, and AMTB 953 was planned for Fort Stark but never built.  In 1948 Fort Dearborn was deactivated and all guns were scrapped. (Wikipedia).

Rye Air Force Station. Part of Fort Dearborn was used as a radar station by the United States Air Force beginning in 1949, and in 1955 this became the Rye Air Force Station. This was an Air Defense Command radar site that also supported the nearby Pease Air Force Base of the Strategic Air Command. In 1957-59 Rye AFS was deactivated, but unmanned "gap filler" radar remained active until 1968. Nothing remains of the Air Force installation. (Wikipedia).

Salem

(Robert Burns Photo)

M1 57-mm Anti-tank gun used in the Second World War. Owned by the Salem NH VFW.

(Robert Burns Photo)

1-pounder 37-mm Mk A Model 1 (1-Pdr MA/M1) semi-automatic light Gun mounted on a wheeled carriage with gun shield, one of two in a park (the town common) at the corner of Bridge & Main streets.  Possibly made by the Bethlehem Steel Company, these field pieces were initially designed as a landing light gun for the French Army in 1916.  Both the French and American versions were used as an infantry gun by the US troops on the western front in 1918.  The shells for this gun had a range of 3750 metres.(12,303 feet).  (Canon de 37mm SA - Nr. unknown)

(Lawrence Mirsky Photo)

(Lawrence Mirsky Photo)

(Lawrence Mirsky Photo)

37-mm Gun mounted on a wheeled carriage with gun shield, second of two in a park (the town common) at the corner of Bridge & Main streets.  Salem, New Hampshire lies roughly ten km (6.2 miles) to the west of Haverhill, Massachusetts, the former home of  Sergeant Elijah Estabrooks of the Massachuchetts Provincials (and one of the author's ancestors who came to Canada in 1760.

Sandown

(Allen Tanner Photos)

Replica 2-pounder smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun, weight 2-3-16 (324 lbs), with imitation King George cycpher and L cypher on the barrel, mounted on a wheeled wood carriage.  Located in front of the old Sandown Depot Railroad Museum.

Seabrook

(Allen Tanner Photos)

75-mm M2, M3 pack howitzer, located on Walton Road.  The markings may indicate this pack howitzer came out of an M8 motor gun carriage.  M2 and M3 models were for vehicle use.

Suncook

(Allen Tanner Photos)

USN 3-inch/50Caliber AA Deck Gun, Mk. 22, located on Mills Falls Road.

Tilton

Bronze 6-pounder Model 1841 smoothbore muzzle-loading Field Gun, Cyrus Alger & Company, Serial No. TBC.

(Vic E Photo)

M5 High Speed Tractor.  Similar to this one on display at Fort Lewis, Washington.

(Author Photo)

M29C Weasel.  Similar to this one on display at Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas.

Troy

(Nelson Lawry Photos)

3-pounder Maxim Semi Automatic Quick Firing Gun, central green.

Weirs Beach

(NHVA Photo)

Bronze 6-pounder Model 1841 smoothbore muzzle-loading Field Gun, Cyrus Alger & Company, Serial No. 305, dated 1847, No. 1 of 2.   This gun was previously on display on the lawn of the NHVA headquarters.

Bronze 6-pounder Model 1841 smoothbore muzzle-loading Field Gun, Cyrus Alger & Company, Serial No. TBC, dated 1805, No. 2 of 2.

Wolfeboro

(Allen Tanner Photos)

57-mm M1 Anti-tank Gun, No. 6672, 1942, weight 752 lbs, Wright Museum of WWII History.

(Allen Tanner Photos)

57-mm M1 Anti-tank Gun, No. 2805, 1942, weight 752 lbs, on display at the American Legion Post.

(Author Photo)

M16 Half-track, GMC (Serial No. RN 4050418).  Similar to this one on display at the 3rd Cavalry Museum, Fort Hood, Texas.

(Author Photo)

M20 Light Armoured Car (Serial No. 2446), private owner.  Similar to this M20 on display at the New Orleans National Guard Museum in Louisiana.

(Mark Holloway Photo)

M32B3 Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV), (Serial No. 11619).  Similar to this one on display at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

(Allen Tanner Photos)

M3A1 Stuart Light tank crashing out of the front of the Wright Museum of WWII History, No. 1 of 2.

M3A1 Stuart Light tank, No. 2 of 2, Wright Museum of WWII History.

 (Shaddock.free Photo)

M4A1(76) HVSS Sherman Tank (Serial No. 68264), RN 30161945.  Similar to this one preserved in France.

(Author Photo)

T26E Pershiing Tank (Serial No. 35).  Similar to this M26 Pershing Tank on display at Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas

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