3.67 & 3.80 15 lands/Groves Selma and Read type Sabots on shells and shot

[Ken knoll]

I am looking for any location or battles where these rounds have been found.I am tracking a rare Bronze cannon made in Mobile,Al that fired both these sizes 3.67 early war battles and 3.8 late war battles 15 lands and groves.thanks for the help Ken

[Pete George]

  Ken, it's good to see you're still active in the civil war artillery field. Your search will be complicated by the fact that the Confederates captured more than just a couple of yankee-made James 3.80" Rifles and Rifled 6-Pounder (3.67"-caliber) Smoothbores which had 15-groove rifling. For example, the Dickey-&-George book shows a fired 15-groove 3.8" Read Long-sabot bolt dug at Charleston SC, and also a 15-groove 3.8" Read percussion shell dug at Chickamauga GA.

  You say the 3.67"/3.8" Rifle you are researching was made at Mobile AL. So, perhaps the following is most relevant to your search. Long ago, I owned a fired 3.8" Read Bolt with superb sharp 15-groove rifling, said to be from either Spanish Fort or Blakely AL. Despite being fired in 1865, that 15-groove rifling was so sharp, the gun was either nearly brand-new, or if it was made years previously, it had done very little firing (perhaps kept in the Artillery Reserve or at a quiet backwater fort).

  Steve Phillips probably knows whether those projectiles came from Blakely, or from Spanish Fort.

  Also long ago, I talked to a Mobile-area digger who knew exactly where the 3.8" Rifle was emplaced in the Confederate lines, meaning, the battery number.  But I cannot now remember the details.  Hopefully somebody else here will know.

Regards,
Pete

[Ken knoll]

Correct me if I am wrong butt according to Hazlett,Olmsteads book there is no 6pdr 3.67 with 15 land made or James converted. only 6,7,8,9,and 10 grooves. The 6pdr 3.80 James converted had 15 grooves. I do have both 3.80 Read shot and shell from Fort Blakely and the Selma 3.67 copper disk sabot with fant 15 groove rifling both fired out of the same Gun. According to captured guns at Spanish fort there was no rifled 6 Pdr. Only eight 6pdr smooth bores. My Gun was manufactured 3.67 w 15 grooves it was shot enough times to wear the rifling out and get returned to be reamed out to its current size of 3.80 15 grooves.

[Woodenhead]

The great Mobile Foundry of Skates & Co. made at least one bronze James Rifle in 1861 and some James projectiles to go with it. I assume it had a lot of lands & grooves to accommodate the lead sabots on the James projectiles they made. Their James gun and projectiles were 3.67 inch caliber. IT caused some confusion. They also made 3.67 and 3.8 inch Read shells with copper cups. Late in the war, Augusta made shells of that caliber. The Skates James RIFLE went to Pensacola, was probably at Shiloh, and belonged to the Army of Tenn. in 1863. Afterwards, it might have been returned to Mobile. I believe the rare James bolt pictured below was one of those made by Skates. The CS western armies did capture quite a few 3.8 inch James rifles (rerifled bronze 6 pdr. smoothbores). They got 4 at Mundsfordville, KY, alone in 1862.

Woodenhead

[Ken knoll]

Thank you for this info where have you found the Skates info. I have copy’s of about 50 invoices but do not have this one.