Civil War Artillery Shell Discovered in Downtown Charleston

From the February 7, 2020 Fox News.

Am artillery shell was discovered this past week in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.  It was found by a construction crew at Gillian Street, which is in the heart of the historic district.  Roads were closed for two hours in the area while  a U.S. Air Force Explosive Ordnance team removed the shell.

They exploded the shell elsewhere.

An important Confederate port during the war, the city underwent a lengthy siege by Union forces before surrendering in 1865.

Many comments concerning this, with a lot of people wishing that instead of exploding the shell, it should have been made inert and given to a museum.

Others said they could have called it a Confederate monument and let BLM or antifa take care of it.

Very Funny.  --Old B-Runner

Mackinaw's Dahlgren Cannons-- Part 2: "It Was Almost As Dangerous to Shoot As To Be Shot At"

 The Iron Marsilly carriage was much more durable and safer than wooden carriages to hold the cannons.  Wooden ones were often made of elm wood and  would splinter if his by an enemy shell.  Wounds from these wooden splinters were serious and even fatal for Union gun crews.

Also a danger from Civil War cannons was the possibility of them bursting when fired.  Crews always feared their guns bursting almost more than taking a hit from enemy fire.  It was almost as dangerous to shoot as to be shot at.  No Dahlgren big gun, not the  nine inch or fifteen inch, every burst, even when firing with a full charge.  Quite a few Union Parrott 100-pounders blew up during the bombardments of Fort Fisher.

Appropriately, Mackinaw's three Civil War Dahlgren guns face the waters of the Straits of Mackinac.  Each cannon weighs  approximately 9800 pounds, two or three times the weight of a car.  On the end of the right trunnion is the date in which the cannon was  cast, i.e. 1863; on the left trunnion  is the letter "P" for "proved" with the inspector's initials, i.e., "W.R.T." for William Rogers Taylor.

I looked William Rogers Taylor up and found that he eventually became an admiral in the Navy and had commanded the USS Juanita at the battles of Fort Fisher.  That really makes him an object of interest for me, of course.

--Old B-Runner

Big Civil War Naval Cannon Destroyed in Michigan-- Part 1

From the  July 22, 2020,  K102.5 FM, Kalamazoo, Michigan  "Civil War treasure  destroyed at Battle Creek....100 years ago" by Tim Collins.

And this was not destroyed by BLM rioters running amok.

It was a reminder of the past, revered each Decoration Day that it was around.  And it was destroyed by the city of Battle Creek, Michigan, and the federal government.  It was not a monument, but a huge cannon that was at the city's Oak Hill Cemetery from 1896 until the next big war when it became part of a scrap drive.

Frank J. Kellogg (no relation to  the Kellogg's of cereal fame), was a patent medicine inventor and salesman in Battle Creek and a Civil War veteran.  He was known as a rich man as well as a bit of a scalawag.  It was through his efforts that the cannon came to Battle Creek in 1896.

According to the Daily Journal of the city, on July 22, 1896, he received a letter from  the Inspector of Ordnance at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, saying the cannon had been shipped to Battle Creek's GAR Post.

And, it wasn't just ANY surplus cannon.  It had a a history including participation in the first-ever battle of ironclads and the largest bombardment ever up until the end of the Civil War.

It had been on the USS Minnesota.

--Old B-Runner

Edward Simpson's Career After the Civil War

In 1881, he took command of League Island Navy Yard and in 1884 was appointed President of the Gun Foundry Board.  After that, he left the States again and traveled to Europe for advisory services.

Upon his return, he was promoted to rear admiral and next became President of the Advisory Board, which position he gave up in 1885 for President of the Board of Inspection.  He was regarded as an authority on all matters of ordnance and was author of three books on the subject now used at the Naval Academy.

Throughout his long career he had acted in an advisory capacity on issues dealing with ordnance.  One of his last offices was that of advisory boards which designed the light cruisers USS Boston, Raleigh and Atlanta.  Two of these participated in the Spanish-American War and two of them were in World War I.

At the time of his retirement , he had served in the U.S. Navy for forty-six years.  In 1920, the Navy commissioned the USS Simpson (DD-221).

He died on December 1, 1888, in Washington, D.C., and is buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Quite the Career.  --Old B-Runner

February 2, 1862: Foote to His Sailors-- Part 1: Aim Well, Don't Waste Ammunition

FEBRUARY 2ND, 1862:  In his battle plan and orders to his gunboats, Flag Officer Foote emphasized the need for coolness and precision of fire:  "Let it be also distinctly impressed upon the mind of every man firing a gun that, while the first shot may be either of too much elevation or too little...

"...there is no excuse for a second wild fire, as the first will indicate the inaccuracy of the aim of the gun, which must be elevated or depressed, or trained, as circumstances require.  Let it be reiterated that random firing is not only a mere waste of ammunition, but, what is far worse, it encourages the enemy when he sees shot and shell falling harmlessly about and beyond him...."

Don't Waste Ammo.  --Old B-Runner

Alexander M. DeBree, CSN-- Part 14: Commander of Richmond Naval Ordnance Works

From Civil War Artillery.

A.M. DeBree joined the U.S. Navy in 1841 and the Confederate Navy August 1862.  Stationed at Tredegar as assistant inspector of ordnance 1862 to 1 October 1863 , when he became commander of the Richmond Naval Ordnance Works.

He apparently used the initials "A.D.B.", generally prefixed by "P" (Proved).

--Old B-R'er

Alexander M. DeBree, CSN-- Part 1: Formerly of U.S.N.

Back on January 27, I wrote about him accepting a 6.4-inch Brooke Rifle at Tredegar Foundry in Richmond, Va., into Confederate service.  This cannon was eventually placed on the CSS Albemarle and today can be seen in Norfolk, Virginia.

I have been spending quite a lot of time since then finding out more about this man.

From Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of USN.  Also Confederate States Navy.

Alexander M. DeBree had been a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy before the Civil War. Born and appointed from Virginia.   On September 15, 1855, he was promoted to 1st Lt.  Also, DeBree taught philosophy at the U.S. Naval Academy as a passed midshipman.

He resigned and was dismissed Dec. 6, 1861.  He was held a prisoner at Fort Warren in Boston Harbor from late 1861 to early 1862 as a result of his disloyalty.

Appointed First Lt. CSN Oct. 5, 1862.  On ordnance duty 1862-1863 and at Ordnance Works in Richmond, Virginia in 1864.

--Ild B-Runner

CSS Georgia's Parting Shot-- Part 2: Disarming the Shells

They referred to it as inerting the shell gunpowder.

The two men would then look through a 5.5-inch thick bulletproof window atop the plate, and an iPad and GoPro camera to monitor and remotely drill a small hole in each projectile.  This hole allowed them to extract the black powder that comprised the bulk of the shell's explosive.

All this work was called for as they found dry black powder in the majority of the shells.

Next each projectile was run through a series of steps that repeatedly soaked and flushed the black powder using MuniRem solution and high-pressure hot water.This was extremely important.

The MuniRem process is a solution that chemically neutralizes explosives, and was invented by Professor Valentine Nzengung at the University of Georgia.  The process is unique, because not only does it chemically degrade or destroy munitions, but also renders left over waste water and sludge as nonhazardous.

Following the inertion process, the projectiles were sent to Texas A&M's Conservation Research Laboratory for further conservation.

--Old -Runner

CSS Georgia's Parting Shot-- Part 1: Don't Drop It!!

From DVIDS by Jeremy Buddemeier.

Life has gotten better for Ben Redmond and Matt Christianson now that the dangerous part of their job is over.  They, along with engineers and technicians have spent the last two months inerting 170 Dahlgren and 6.4-inch Brooke projectiles that Navy divers recovered from the Confederate ironclad CSS Georgia over the summer.

Although they had been submerged for over 150 years, they were still a threat to blow up.

Matt Christiansen, safety officer of the project, a former Navy ordnance disposa; technician said that the shells definitely could have ignited in a fire or even possibly if they were dropped or struck with a heavy object.

He designed a meticulous, multi-step process to render the shells inert,  First, each one was lightly cleaned to determine best area for drilling, then placed in a specially designed seawater tank.  Then, Christiansen and Redmond would position themselves 20 feet from the tank behind a half-inch thick 4-by-8 foot steel plate.

And, Then.  --Old b-Runner

Divers Facing Challenges in CSS Georgia Salvage-- Part 2

Continued from July 11.

A 20-man team led by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Potts, commander of MDSC-23, will remove all unexploded ordnance from the Savannah River bed.  Explosive ordnance disposal divers from Mobile Unit 6 Detachment, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, will then place the ordnance (shells) in handling fixtures specially designed for the mission.  The ordnance will then be turned over to Marine Corps EOD technicians.

Potts' team will then salvage the smaller, more manageable artifacts such as the forward and aft armor casements; engine remnants including boilers, shafts and propellers; and four cannons.  It will conclude with the removal of the armor plating.  They expect to finish the salvage work by September.

--Old B-Runner

Divers Facing Challenges in CSS Georgia Salvage-- Part 1

From the July 6, 2015, Navy Times by Lance M. Bacon.

The team of Navy divers operating at the wreck of the Confederate ironclad CSS Georgia has dredged up an even bigger challenge than expected.

Mobile Diving and Salvage Company 23 deployed June 22 to Savannah, Georgia, to free the ship from the bottom of the Savannah River.  That was about there weeks later than originally planned, a delay caused when the Explosive Safety Survey conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers found more unexploded ordnance than expected.

Lt. Liza Dougherty, spokeswoman for Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 said: "The number of projectiles to be recovered and inerted (defused) has significantly increased from six to 72.  The Naval History and Heritage Command desires to conserve as many of these items as possible due to their rarity and intrinsic historical value."

--Old B-R'er

Confederate Defenses on the Red River

JANUARY 15, 1864:

Major Gen. Taylor, CSA, wrote Brig. Gen. William R. Boggs: "At all events, we should be prepared as far as possible, and I trust the remaining 9-inch and the carriages for the two 32-Dahlgrens will soon reach me. 

"For the 9-inch and 32-pound rifle now in position at Fort De Russy, there were sent down only 50 rounds of shot and shell; more should be sent at once. The Missouri, I supppose, will come down on the first rise."

That would be the CSS Missouri.

--Old B-Runner

150 Years Ago-- November 24-29, 1863: Ordnance and Another B-R Gets captured

NOVEMBER 24TH:

 The USS Pawnee and Marblehead protected Union troops sinking piles of obstructions in the Stono River above Legareville, SC.

NOVEMBER 25TH:

The Confederate Navy faced all sorts of problems during the war and one was getting ordnance. Secretary Mallory wrote this day that ordnance workshops had been established at Charlotte, Richmond, Atlanta and Selma, Alabama.

NOVEMBER 26TH:

The USS James Adger seized the British blockade-runner Ella off Masonboro Inlet, NC, with a cargo of salt.

NOVEMBER 28th:

The USS Chipewa escorted two army transports on a recon mission up Skull Creek, SC.

NOVEMBER 29TH:

USS Kanawha captured schooner Albert attempting to run out of Mobile with cargo of cotton, rosin, turpentine and tobacco.

**  Major General Banks got a gun crew from the USS Monongahela ashore to man howitzers to support his attack on Pass Cavallo, Texas.

--Old B-Runner

Watch What You Kick in the Water

From the Jan. 27th Channel 9 CBS WNCT Greenville, NC "Men make Civil War-era discovery in waters near Oriental."

This past Wednesday, two men found a Civil War era explosive device in the water near Oriental, NC.  It is about the size of a soft drink bottle and weighs about five pounds.  They handed it over to the military bomb squad at Cherry Point and was blown up Friday.

Before turning it over, they hit it twice with a hammer and then took to one of their homes in New Bern.  (Smart move.)  Nearby homes were evacuated.

The Jan. 27th WITN reports that it was determined to be a 3.1 to 3.5-inch mortar shell from the Civil War-era.  It was covered with barnacles and oysters.

Don't Go Messing With Civil War Ordnance.  --Old B-Runner