James Pattern I, Sub-pattern I
his pattern projectile was an attempt by the Confederates to copy the James
Pattern I, Sub-pattern I, solid shot. Note that this pictured example is unfired with the
lead ring intact. The projectile has a hollow base that allowed the explosive charge of
the cannon to expand the lead ring into the grooves of the rifle. This Confederate James
copy pattern is extremely rare, and is the only attempt made by the Confederates to copy
the Federal James projectile pattern. The majority of the recovered specimens have come
from the 1862 Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee. Leeds and Company of New Orleans, Louisiana,
delivered to the Confederate Ordnance Department a total of seventeen bronze 3.3-inch
caliber rifled cannon between October 1861 and April 1862. A surviving example with five
groove rifling, weighing 877 pounds, can be found at the Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, D.C. To see an example with the sabot click
here.
