This Augusta sabot deserves a little more discussion. It was developed after much study and testing during the winter of 1863-64. The performance of the CS field artillery projectiles had been abysmal just recently at Chattanooga and Knoxville. Concerned officers like Olandowski and E. P. Alexander turned to Augusta rather than Richmond for assistance. A Board of Artillery Officers was convened at Augusta to test the current crop of projectiles and they published the results for all the Southern arsenals to benefit from. A single page excerpt is the first image, below. Note the 2nd paragraph describes this new shaped sabot with holes as pictured in the previous posting and seen on Carl's cut 3.3 inch shell. It should have been adopted across the entire South. It actually might have been picked up by a couple of Deep South arsenals. I do not know yet. But, of course, this improved copper sabot was completely ignored in Richmond. Below are pictured two 10 pdr. Parrotts dug at Cold Harbor which might give the appearance of Virginia production - but don't be fooled. Know-it-all Col. Broun ignored Augusta's fine research and development, and instead came out with the "Tredegar Read" as a replacement for the 10 pdr. Parrott ammo, and the long rounded-nose 3 inch Broun shell with a copper band sabot to replace the Reads with the copper cups. Both were deeply flawed designs. The first Read-Parrott, pictured below, was found by Mac Mason, the second by Charles Burnette. Both clearly have Augusta's high-band copper sabot machined on the inside as described on the published page below. All of the Read-Parrott ammo made in Richmond used wrought iron. So, where did these variant shells come from? There are two possible explanations.
1) Maybe they arrived at Cold Harbor in the limbers of the artillery of the Army of Southern Virginia and North Carolina which had been hurried to Cold Harbor to reinforce the Army of Northern Virginia. This small army was regularly supplied by Augusta and the Charleston Arsenal.
2) During the spring 1864, the Richmond Arsenal begged the Deep South arsenals to forward all the field ammunition they could spare. Contemporary invoices show somebody sending "Fixed" 10 pdr. Parrott ammo to the Salisbury, NC, Depot for distribution in Virginia. Only Augusta was fixing their field ammo at that time.
This is the kind of in-depth info I am seeking for Lee's Thunderbolts. Its not good enough to just say... "another copper-saboted Read-Parrott from VA." Tom knew there was more to the story and encouraged Pete and I to pursue it. Another interesting feature of the two 10 pdrs. pictured below is the overall length of their iron bodies. An important conclusion of Augusta's Board of Artillery Officers was that the current 10 pdr. Parrott ammunition was too long causing many of them to tumble end-over-end even when the sabots took the rifling perfectly. The shells had to be shortened as you might notice were the two pictured below. Eventually, Col. Broun got the message causing him to shorten his 3 inch Broun ammunition and many of Richmond's 20 and 30 pounder Parrotts. I don't know if Richmond's 10 pdrs. were ever shortened but clearly Augusta shortened theirs, as seen below.
As an interesting aside, read the last paragraph on the printed page below. It discusses the "lubricating ring" i.e., the space between the copper cup and the iron bottom of the shell. It was definitely not a "safety groove," as it is described in current publications. I have found at least one other contemporary letter that also used the "lubrication ring" terminology. "Safety groove" is strictly a modern term based on the mistaken assumption that the Ordnance authorities (other then Augusta) carefully studied their sabots. Most did not.
I hope you find all this detail interesting.
Woodenhead
