450 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



one which bears his name b}'^ banding' a cast-iron gun at the breech with 

 massive wrought iron rings, and thus has succeeded in making the strong- 

 est and best gun in use. At the foundry at West Point they have 

 now a thousand men at work, and generally turn out large g-uns at the rate 

 of one a week, and smaller ones one a day. The development of this branch 

 of manufacture in this country within the last two years, has astonished 

 the world. 



Mr. Dawson, in corroboration of the Chairman's remarks, read the follow- 

 ing extract: 



Astonishing Revolution in Ordnance — New Cannon with a 

 Range of Nine Miles. 



The recent work of our siege artillery on Morris Island is without a par- 

 allel in the history of warfare. The fact that field artillery and heavy ord- 

 nance have reached such perfection is almost incredible. If any one three 

 years since had ventured to assert that guns would be constructed capable 

 of throwing a projectile of three hundred pounds weight a distance of six 

 miles, he would have been considered a maniac, and would probably have 

 been consigned to a lunatic asylum. 



Before the first bombardment of Fort Sumter, when Beauregard had 

 been permitted to encircle that fortification, without molestation from its 

 guns, with a series of powerful batteries, mounted with the heaviest guns 

 then used by the army, the ^N orthern people were in doubt as to the ability 

 of Major Anderson to throw shot or shell from his position into the city of 

 Charleston. At this time a letter was addressed to one of the best autho- 

 rities upon the subject in this country — a person who is now engaged in 

 the present operations against the great rebel stronghold — and the follow- 

 ing is an extract from his reply: 



Washington, January 28, 1861, 



Yours of the 25th instant has been received. I am unable to enter into 

 the reasons on which the opinion is based, but believe that a bombardment 

 of Charleston from Fort Sumter by any ordnance now there, is out of the 

 question. 



The armament of Fort Sumter at that time consisted of the ordinary 

 smooth-bored thirty-two and twenty-four-pounder siege guns, a few eight 

 and ten inch columbiads, and mortars. The fifteen-inch Rodman gun had 

 been constructed at that period, but only for experiment. They had not 

 been placed in position on any fortification except in the experimental bat- 

 tery at Fortress Monroe. 



In the first bombardment of Sumter a small rifled gun, of English mann- 

 facture, was used by the rebels with much efiect. It was in position on 

 Gumming' s Point, near the present locality of Battery Gregg, and is said 

 to have done excellent work against the gorge wall of Sumtei", although of 

 small calibre. During the fall of 1860, the state of Virginia was furnished 

 with several field batteries of ten-pounder Parrot guns for State defence. 

 These guns were first used against us at Sewali's Point and Acquia Creek, 

 in May and June, 1861, and at that time gave sufficient proof of their im- 

 mense power and range by far excelling the long thirty-two-pounder and 

 Bine-inch Dahlgren gun in use on board our vessels. At the last engage. 



