Artillery in the USA: Connecticut: Guilford, Hartford, Hebron, Higganum, Litchfield, Middletown, Milford, Mystic Seaport, New Canaan, New Haven, New London, New Preston, North Haven, Norwalk, Norwich, Plainville, Portland, Preston, Redding, Rowayton

Artillery in Connecticut

Guilford, Hartford, Hebron, Higganum, Litchfield, Middletown, Milford, Mystic Seaport, New Canaan, New Haven, New London, New Preston, North Haven, Norwalk, Norwich, Plainville, Portland, Preston, Redding, Rowayton

One of the aims of this website is to locate, identify and document every historical piece of artillery and all armoured fighting vehicles preserved in New England.  Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these tangible pieces of our military history and the list you see here is constantly being revised as new finds are discovered and the data is updated.  The photos have come from various contributors, but the author likes to "ground truth" the reports, so a good number of the photos are by the author unless otherwise credited.  Any errors found here are by the author.   It often happens that military monuments that are relatively mobile, have been moved for restoration or scrapped.  Sometimes they are repainted with different markings and serial numbers, or they are replaced with a different piece of kit.  For those reasons, any additions, deletions, corrections or amendments that you may be able to add to this list of Artillery and AFVs in New England would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at [email protected].  The primary aim is preserve our military history and to keep the record accurate.

Guilford

(David Pelland Photos)

6.4-inch 100-pounder Parrott rifle (Parrott, 6.4-inch, rifle, seacoast, Model 1861), weight 9,672-lbs, manufactured in 1863, dedicated in 1902 to honour veterans buried in a section near the gun.

The gun points southeast, and has been mounted on a stone platform inscribed with the initials G-A-R to honour the Grand Army of the Republic, the Civil War veterans’ organization.  A plaque on the southwest face bears the dedication “To the memory of those who fought for the preservation of the Union 1861-1865”

Hartford

(Library of Congress Photos)

13-inch Seacoast Mortar M1861.  

(Dave Pelland Photos)

13-inch Seacoast Mortar, Model 1861, weight 17,196-lbs, Reg. No. 97, Fdy No. 900, 1862, mounted on a stone memorial, nick-named “The Petersburg Express" and "The Dictator”.

This  mortar was used by the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery (Civil War) during the campaign at Petersburg, Virginia (1864-1865).  The First Connecticut Heavy Artillery, originally the Fourth Connecticut Infantry, was the first volunteer organization that was mustered for three years into the service of the United States (May 22, 1861-September 25, 1865).  The mortar stands on a stone monument with three cannon balls in the front and another three in the back.  It honours Connecticut's first volunteers of the Civil War.  Three inscriptions fastened onto the stone base read: "1st Conn. Heavy Artillery Originally 4th Conn. Infantry Mustered in May 22, 1861. Mustered out Sept. 25 1865.  Total enrollment officers and men 3802"; and, "Erected by the survivors and friends of the regiment and the veteran and active companies Hartford City Guard to the first volunteer organization that was mustered for three years into the service of the United States in the War of 1861-1866."; and, "This 13-inch sea coast mortar was in actual use by the regiment during the campaign in front of Petersburg 1864-65 and widely known as the Petersburg Express".  It is located on the Hartford-State Capitol Grounds, part of the 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery Monument.

Although the monument was authorized in 1895 the mortar was not placed here until 1902.  The monument was dedicated on September 25th of that year.  At the time of donation this mortar was at Fort Monroe, VA.  A newspaper article from 13 Nov 1902 states that this mortar is the gun known as the “Petersburg Express”.  Another article from the National Tribune of 25 Dec 1902 confirms this and states that the mortar was identified at Fort Monroe by a former crew member by a broken bolt and registration number.  It was mounted on a rail car at Petersburg.  This gun was long thought to be the “Dictator” used at the siege of Petersburg, VA.  Based on the recorded weight of 17,186 lbs for the “Dictator” this has proven not to be the case.

(Jack Photo)

(James Photo)

(Perries Photo )

Quick Firing (QF) Hotchkiss 3-pounder 47-mm Revolving Cannon, 1879, mounted on a wheeled carriage.

This weapon is an early hand-cranked machine gun which could fire exploding shells.  It had a Gatling-type revolving barrel machine gun with five barrels, invented in 1872 by Benjamin B. Hotchkiss s(1826–1885), founder of Hotchkiss et Cie.  It was a built-up, rifled, rapid-fire gun of oil-tempered steel, having a rectangular breechblock which moved in a mortise cut completely through the jacket.  It was designed to be light enough to travel with cavalry, and had an effective range beyond that of rifled small-arms.

The Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon on display inside the Capitol building iwas captured from the wreck of the Spanish armored cruiser Vizcaya after the Battle of Santiago Bay in 1898.  The gun was sent back to the States by a Connecticut naval captain, and it was mounted on a Gattling mount for display.  Is it missing a few pieces, but is in good shape (having been refurbished by the Colt factory in 1898).  It stands in the Hall of Flags.

Hartford, Trinity College

Two 9-Inch Dahlgren cannon which served aboard USS Hartford are displayed at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.  

(Santee1821 Photos)

9-Inch Dahlgren, Number 247, cast by Cyrus Alger & Company in 1859.  Weight: 9,025 pounds,  displayed on a Marsilly carriage which was built in 2006.

(Santee1821 Photos)

9-Inch Dahlgren, Number 248, cast by Cyrus Alger & Company in 1859.  Weight: 9,070 pounds,  displayed on a Marsilly carriage which was built in 2006.

Both Dahlgrens are recorded as serving aboard the Steam Sloop USS Hartford.   USS Hartford was one of several steam sloops of war built just before the American Civil War.  These ships were smaller, lighter, and could steam into shallower water than the large steam frigates of the Merrimac class.  However, they carried the same main battery of 9-Inch Dahlgrens.  They lacked the upper deck battery of the larger frigates, but they were very powerful ships for their size.  Their 9-Inch Dahlgrens were carried on an open gun deck.

(US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo)

USS Hartford.

USS Hartford’s record during the American Civil War was one of the most significant of the conflict.   Hartford was Admiral Farragut’s flagship from the Battle of New Orleans through the Battle of Mobile Bay.  After the war, she served on active duty in the Pacific before returning to the Atlantic at the end of the century to serve as a training ship.  Despite plans to preserve her as a museum ship, she was allowed to deteriorate and sink at Norfolk in 1956.  (Santee1821)

Hebron

(Dave Pelland Photos)

Cast-iron smoothbore muzzle-loading 6-pounder Gun mounted on a concrete stand, Memorial Green.

Higganum

(Nelson Lawry Photos)

Vickers QF 18-pounder Mk. II, weight 8-2-25 (977 lbs), VSM, King's Arrow, 1918, No. L7765, located on the village green.

Litchfield

(David Pelland Photo)

8-inch Rodman Gun (Columbiad, 8-inch, smoothbore, seacoast, Model 1844), weight 9,240-lbs, mounted on a concrete stand beside the Civil War memorial in the Town Square.

Cast-iron smoothbore muzzle-loading Mortar, mounted in front of the American Legion post.

Middletown

(Joe Mabel Photo)

Bronze 12-pounder Napoleon Model 1857 smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun-Howitzer, (Confederate Gun with straight muzzle used in the Civil War), No. 1 of 4. Soldier's Monument in the Town Square.

(Dave Pelland Photo)

Bronze 12-pounder Napoleon Model 1857 smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun-Howitzer, (Confederate Gun with straight muzzle used in the Civil War), No. 2 of 4. Town Square.  

Bronze 12-pounder Napoleon Model 1857 smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun-Howitzer, (Confederate Gun with straight muzzle used in the Civil War), No. 3 of 4. Town Square.

(Metals - Conserve Art Photo)

Bronze 12-pounder Napoleon Model 1857 smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun-Howitzer, (Confederate Gun with straight muzzle used in the Civil War), No. 4 of 4. Town Square.

(Dave Pelland Photo)

8-inch Siege and Garrison Mortar, No. 1 of 2. Veterans Memorial Hall.

8-inch Siege and Garrison Mortar, No. 2 of 2. Veterans Memorial Hall.

Milford

(Town of Milford Photo)

Civil War Gun mounted on a wheeled carriage in front of the Taylor building.

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Mystic Seaport

(Library of Congress Photo)

4.2-inch 30-pounder Parrot Rifle, 1st Connecticut Artillery, Civil War era.

(Jean B. Evans Photo)

(Ad Meskens Photo)

4.2-inch 30-pounder Parrot Rifle, mounted on a concrete stand at the Denison Burial Ground on Route 1.

Bronze 6-pounder James Rifle, dated 1864 (TBC), No. 1 of 2.

Bronze 6-pounder James Rifle, dated 1864 (TBC), No. 2 of 2.

The James Rifle is a generic term to describe any artillery gun rifled to the James pattern for use in the American Civil War. Charles T. James developed a rifled projectile and rifling system. Early in the war there were many 6-pounder bronze guns in service with the field artillery and few rifled pieces available. A number of these guns were rifled to fire the 3.67" caliber James projectile. These are classified as "rifled 6-pounder guns" or alternately as 12-pounder James rifles. James worked with Ames Manufacturing Company, Chicopee, Massachusetts to produce 3.80" bore rifled cannon in at least six known variants. Collectively these are referred to as 14-pounder James rifles. The initial type was reaming of existing 6-pounder Model 1841 guns to 3.80", then rifling.  This eliminated any deviations from tube wear--a common problem with bronze cannon that had already seen service. The other five types were new pieces all using the smooth curves of the Ordnance profile. The first five variants were bronze, while the final type was iron.

(Sara Photo)

Cast-iron smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun mounted on a wood naval gun carriage, No. 1 of 3 in a small park near the harbour.

Cast-iron smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun mounted on a wood naval gun carriage, No. 2 of 3 in a small park near the harbour.

Cast-iron smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun mounted on a wood naval gun carriage, No. 3 of 3 in a small park near the harbour.

New Canaan

(Valerie Bueti Photos)

4.5-inch Blakely siege and naval rifle, Serial No. 162. (Register of Surviving Civil War Artillery, Jim Bender via John L. Morris). Blakely PATENT 1862.

In a newspaper article published on 24 May 1923 to mark the day of the dedication, the writer noted, "The parade will then be reformed, and will march to the Town Hall, near which building the formal presentation will be made by the Veterans of Foreign Wars to the members of the Grand Army of the Republic, of a gun that was in service during the war for the Union. This relic of a great conflict that nearly tore the country asunder will be a constant reminder to the present and future generations of the Civil War, and especially of New Canaan's sons who were fighting under the Stars and Stripes three-score years ago."

The Blakely rifle or gun is the name of a series of rifled muzzle-loading cannon designed by British army officer Captain Theophilus Alexander Blakely in the 1850s and 1860s.  Blakely was a pioneer in the banding and rifling of cannon but the British army declined to use Blakely's design. The guns were mostly sold to Russia and the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Blakely rifles were imported by the Confederacy in larger numbers than other Imported English cannon. The State of Massachusetts bought eight 9 in (23 cm) and four 11 in (28 cm) models. Blakely rifles had innovative design features using two layer construction and layers of rings which allowed rifling of larger cannons. Blakely's manufacturing innovations allowed larger guns of lighter weight and greater resistance to explosion. The Confederacy used the Blakely rifles in seacoast fortifications, fortifications at Vicksburg, as naval guns and, in the smaller sizes, as artillery in land battles.

New Haven

(Dave Pelland Photos)

Bronze 12-pounder Dahlgren light boat howitzer, No. 1 of 4.  6th Street and Howard.

Bronze 12-pounder Dahlgren light boat howitzer, No. 2 of 4.  6th Street and Howard.

Bronze 12-pounder Dahlgren light boat howitzer, No. 3 of 4.  6th Street and Howard.

Bronze 12-pounder Dahlgren light boat howitzer, No. 4 of 4.  6th Street and Howard.

New London, Fort Trumbull

(Michael Hotaling Photo)

Fort Trumbull is currently a state park. In 1775 Governor Jonathan Trumbull recommended the building of a fortification at the port of New London to protect the seat of the government of Connecticut.  Built on a rocky point of land near the mouth of the Thames River on Long Island Sound, the fort was completed in 1777 and named for Governor Trumbull, who served from 1769 to 1784.  On 6 September 1781 during the American Revolutionary War, the fort was attacked and captured by British forces under the command of Benedict Arnold, then serving as a brigadier general in the British Army, led a raid on Groton and New London, Connecticut.  Two bodies of troops were landed on either side of the mouth of the Thames River and marched towards Fort Trumbull and Fort Griswold in Groton.  Fort Trumbull fell after little resistance but about 150 Connecticut militiamen made a gallant stand at Fort Griswold.  The British were able to enter the fort and the militia commander, Lieutenant Colonel William Ledyard, offered Major Bromfield, the British commander on the scene, his sword as a token of surrender.  According to contemporary accounts, the Bromfield then killed Ledyard with his own sword and the British proceeded to massacre the surviving defenders.  Eighty five of the militiamen were killed and the others were either severely wounded, taken prisoner or managed to escape.  After the capture of both forts, the British proceed to burn New London and Groton and returned to their ships.

Under the second systems of US fortification, ca 1809, the fort was redesigned and rebuilt to meet changing military needs.  First a redoubt was built at the site to react to threat of British attack.  Secretary of War Henry Dearborn's report on fortifications for December 1811 describes the fort as "an irregular enclosed work of masonry and sod, mounting 18 heavy guns [with] a brick barracks for one company...".  The present fortification replaced the older fort, and was built between 1839 and 1852 as a five-sided, four-bastion coastal defense fort. The new fort could accommodate 42 guns, plus 10 additional guns in two flanking batteries outside the fort.  The new fort was built under the supervision of Army engineer George Washington Cullum, who later served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

During the American Civil War, Fort Trumbull served as an organizational center for Union troops and headquarters for the 14th US Infantry Regiment.  Here, troops were recruited and trained before being sent to war. Fort Trumbull was briefly commanded by John F. Reynolds who rose to rank of major general and was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.

After the Civil War Fort Trumbull was improved by having more modern artillery pieces installed. In the early 1900s several more modern Endicott era fortifications were built to defend Long Island Sound.  Fort Trumbull served as the headquarters of these forts until it was given to the Revenue Cutter Service (later renamed the Coast Guard) in 1910 for use as the Revenue Cutter Academy which was renamed the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1915. The Coast Guard Academy moved to its current location in New London in 1932.  Fort Trumbull served as the Merchant Marine Officers Training School from 1939–1946 and trained most of the Merchant Marine officers who served during the Second World War.  During that war, Fort Trumbull hosted an office of Columbia University's Division of War Research, which developed passive sonar systems.  (Wikipedia)

(Roddy Pfeifer Photo)

8-inch Rodman Gun (Columbiad, 8-inch, smoothbore, seacoast, Model 1844), weight 9,240-lbs, converted rifle mounted on an iron gun carriage, No. 1 of 2.

(Roddy Pfeifer Photo)

8-inch Rodman Gun (Columbiad, 8-inch, smoothbore, seacoast, Model 1844), weight 9,240-lbs, converted rifle mounted on an iron gun carriage, No. 2 of 2.

New London

Bronze 12-Pounder Dahlgren light boat howitzer, Serial No. 176, made at the US Navy Yard Washington.  This gun is located on the corner of Garfield Avenue and Williams Street.

New London, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

4-inch 20-pounder Dahlgren Boat Howitzer.

24-pounder Dahlgren Boat Howitzer.

(HyperWar Foundation Photos)

37-mm 5-barrelled Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon mounted on a USN warship.

37-mm 5-barrelled Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon, No. 1 of 4.

37-mm 5-barrelled Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon, No. 2 of 4.

37-mm 5-barrelled Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon, No. 3 of 4.

37-mm 5-barrelled Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon, No. 4 of 4.

(USCG Photo)

3-pounder saluting gun Model 1904, No. 1 of 2.

3-pounder saluting gun Model 1904, No. 1 of 2.

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New Preston

(Dave Pelland Photos)

Civil War Gun, New Preston Military Cemetery.

North Haven

(David Pelland Photos)

10-inch Rodman Gun, (Columbiad, 10-inch, smoothbore, seacoast, Model 1861), weight 14,980-lbs, 1867, mounted on an iron gun carriage on a stone based monument honoring Civil War veterans.

A dedication on the base’s front (west) face reads, “Erected by the town of North Haven as a tribute to the valor of her sons who on land and sea fought in the Civil War to preserve the Union.”  The east face lists the monument’s 1905 dedication date and honors the battles of Cedar Mountain, Fort Wagner, Fredericksburg, Fort Gregg, and Petersburg (all in Virginia).  The gun and monument is on the green across from its 1886 Memorial Town Hall.  This cannon was manufactured in 1867 at the Fort Pitt Foundry in Pittsburgh, and was one of four installed at Lighthouse Point in New Haven.  Another Lighthouse Point cannon stands as a Civil War monument on the East Haven green.  Another that stood near Milford’s Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was lost to a Second World War scrap drive, and the fate of the fourth cannon is unknown.

Norwalk

French de Bange 155-mm long cannon mle. 1877 (155 L de Bange) field gun, captured by the Germans and put into service on the Western Front, captured again, this time by the Canadians.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397890),

French de Bange 155-mm long cannon mle. 1877 (155 L de Bange) field gun, captured by the Germans and put into service on the Western Front, captured again, being examined by Canadians, Amiens, France, Aug 1918.  (Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 35222222)

(David Pelland Photos)

French de Bange 155-mm long cannon mle. 1877 (155 L de Bange) field gun, mounted on top of the First World War monument on the city’s green.

This gun had been captured by German forces in the First World War and recaptured by the French.  It was presented as a gift to the city of Norwalk in 1921.  The gun stood atop the monument until the monument was moved in 1949 from Belden Avenue to its present home at the intersection of East Avenue and Park Street.  At that time, the cannon was shifted to a former VFW building, until it was restored and replaced on the original monument.  The monument has eight bronze plaques bearing the monument’s dedication as well the names of local residents who fought and died in the First World War.

French de Bange 155-mm long cannon mle. 1877 (155 L de Bange) field gun, obsolete by the beginning of the First World War, the 155 L was nonetheless pressed into service and became the main counter-battery piece of the French army in the first two years of the war.

Norwich

(The Distracted Wanderer Photo)

(Connecticut Diaries Photo)

Bronze 6-pounder gun mounted on a wheeled carriage in front of the Buckingham Memorial, Sedgwich Post No. 1, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).

(Dave Pelland Photos)

4.2-inch 30-pounder Parrot Rifle, Civil War Gun marked 4235 ATo. 149, 1862, WPH, AM 42 on the muzzle, mounted on an iron gun stand, Andersonville Memorial, Yantich Cemetery.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3397887)

German First World War 15-cm sFH 02 Howitzer, captured at Amiens, France, Aug 1918.

(Dale Plummer Photo)

German First World War 15-cm sFH 02 Howitzer, originally on display on the Chelsea Parade Green, now in Mohegan Park.

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Plainville

(Dave Pelland Photo)

3-inch Ordnance Rifle, Model 1861, Civil War era, mounted on a concrete stand, Veteran's Memorial Park.

Portland

(Dave Pelland Photos)

3-inch Ordnance Rifle, Model 1861, Civil War era, No. 1 of 2, TTSL, No. 110, PICo, 1861, weight 811 lbs on the muzzle, mounted on a concrete stand on a triangular green at the intersection of Main Street (Route 17) and Bartlett Street.

3-inch Ordnance Rifle, Model 1861, Civil War era, No. 2 of 2, standing on a triangular green at the intersection of Main Street (Route 17) and Bartlett Street.

Preston

(Dave Pelland Photo)

8-inch Siege and Garrison Mortar, No. 1 of 2, Civil War Memorial, Jewett City Road, Route 165.

8-inch Siege and Garrison Mortar, No. 2 of 2, Civil War Memorial, Jewett City Road, Route 165.

Redding, Putnam Memorial State Park

(Valerie Bueti Photos)

14-pounder bronze James Rifle, Serial No. 83, 1862, inside the museum. Designed by General Charles T. James Made in Chicopee, Massachusetts Ames Manufacturing Company. This gun was used by the 2nd Connecticut Light Battery Volunteers, "Sterling's Battery", activated In Bridgeport, Connecticut and consisting of: four 14 Pound James Rifles & two 12 Pound Howitzers. This gun was used in the Battle of Gettysburg (McPherson's Farm & Oak Ridge), Fort Morgan, Gasque, AL Fort Gaines, Gasque, AL & Blakeley, Mobile, Alabama.

(Valerie Bueti Photos)

There are four possibly 32-pounder Model 1864 (6.2-inch) Dahlgren Shell Guns, with a weight of about 4,500 lbs each, on display outside on the grounds of Putnam Memorial State Park.

Rowayton

(David Pelland Photos)

6.4-inch 100-pounder Parrott rifle (Parrott, 6.4-inch, rifle, seacoast, Model 1861), weight 9,672-lbs, dedicated in 1901 to honor local Civil War veterans.  A dedication engraved on the front (north) face of the monument’s base reads, “Memorial gun.  Reminding us of the heroic deeds of our soldiers and sailors of the Republic in the War of the Rebellion for the preservation of the Union. Erected 1901.  This gun came from the USS Tallapoosa.”