Also known as: coast defense artillery.
| Role | Defense of harbors and coasts |
|---|---|
| Guns | Heavy columbiads, Rodman guns, and heavy rifles |
| Mounts | Barbette and casemate carriages in permanent works |
Guns against the fleet
Seacoast artillery comprised the heaviest fixed guns, mounted in the permanent forts that guarded harbors and coastlines. Their task was to engage warships attempting to force a channel or bombard a port, and their great weight was no drawback in a fixed emplacement.
The columbiads, the huge Rodman guns, and heavy rifles such as the big Parrotts armed these works, firing from barbette and casemate carriages against the wooden and, increasingly, ironclad ships of the war.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.