Brief letter I found is goldmine of info on early USN boat ordnance

[cannonmn]

Found this letter yesterday while looking for something else in the Library of Congress.  Rather than explain its importance to all you cannon-cockers, I'll let you explore it yourselves.  There are many facts in it that I've never heard before, most amazingly that the Navy took Army M1841 6-pounders with them aboard boats (!!!!) through the surf, into Mexico during the Mexican War.  You wouldn't get me on any boat with a 6-pounder!  The letter is basically Lt. Fairfax's objections to Dahlgren's proposed boat howitzers.  Fairfax, among other objections, doesn't want to get rid of either trunnions or the tulip-shaped muzzle on cannons more familiar to him.

Notes on the brief slideshow:  There are 4 pages or so that are unavoidably duplicated in the main screen since the minumum slideshow is 9 frames.  I may fix that in future by puttiing blank photos in them.  Mouse over a thumbnail, then click on it to enlarge, then click again for larger so you can read it.

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b62/cannonmn/miscforumsetc/forums25/?action=view&current=ad8de818.pbw

[navygunner]

  Thanks for the info. I knew about the 6 pounders, also used some smaller swivels and carronades as boat guns during the  conflict. I forwarded the reference to the USNLP/NMLHA.

geo