Also known as: 3-inch rifle, Ordnance rifle.
| Type | Wrought-iron rifled field gun |
|---|---|
| Bore | 3 inches (about a 10-pounder) |
| Maker | Phoenix Iron Company and others |
| Reputation | Accuracy, strength, and reliability |
A reliable rifle
The 3-inch Ordnance Rifle was built of wrought iron rather than cast iron, its barrel formed of wrought-iron staves and bands welded together and finished to a 3-inch rifled bore. The construction gave it a strength and resistance to bursting that cast-iron rifles could not match.
Firing a projectile of roughly ten pounds, the Ordnance Rifle earned a reputation for accuracy and durability and became the standard rifled field gun of the Federal armies, serving alongside the Parrott and the smoothbore Napoleon.
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.
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: cannon identification pages, manuals, and reports.