Utilisateur:Alcide talon/Bakaçable7
Article à traduire pour donner : Artillerie de siège durant la Guerre de Sécession « Siege artillery in the American Civil War ».
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L'artillerie de siège est la partie de l'artillerie lourde utilisée pour l'attaque des positions fortifiées. A l'époque de la Guerre de Sécession, l'armée des U.S.A. classait son artillerie en 300 types différents, selon le poids du canon et l’usage attendu. On distinguait l'artillerie de campagne, pièces légères suivant les armées sur le terrain, L'artillerie de siège et de garnison, avec des pièces lourdes destinées à défendre ou attaquer des places fortifiées, l'artillerie côtière, utilisant les pièces d'artillerie les plus lourdes, placées dans des fortifications en bord de mer, et destinées à engager le combat avec les navires ennemis s'approchant des côtes littorales[1]. Ces distinctions sont assez arbitraires en ce que ces différents types de pièces d'artillerie peuvent se retrouver dans l'attaque ou la défense de places fortifiées. Cet article va se concentrer sur l'utilisation de l'artillerie lourde dans la défense ou l'attaque de places fortifiées.
Le poids et les dimensions des pièces d'artillerie de siège ne leur permettaient pas de suivre les armées en campagne. Quand leur présence était requise, une formation appelée « train de siège » était constituée, avec les pièces et le matériel nécessaire à leur mise en œuvre. Cette formation était alors acheminée vers les armées. Pendant la Guerre de Sécession, l'acheminement des « trains de siège » se faisait toujours par voie fluviale.
Les « trains de siège » de cette période comprenaient presque exclusivement des canons lourds et des mortiers. Les canons tiraient des projectiles, obus ou boulets, en tir tendu, contre les fortifications maçonnées, les parapets et les pièces d'artillerie de ces forts. Les mortiers tiraient des projectiles en tir courbe, pour atteindre des cibles, non visibles, à l’arrière des fortifications.
Avant la Guerre de Sécession[modifier | modifier le code]
Avant la guerre, l'U.S. Army disposait d'une panoplie de canons de siège, à âme lisse, de 12, 18 et 24 livres ; elle disposait aussi de mortiers de 24 livres et de 8 pouces[2]. Aucune de ces pièces ne fût utilisée pendant la guerre car rendues obsolètes par le déploiement des canons rayés.
L'artillerie lourde nordiste[modifier | modifier le code]
Canons rayés[modifier | modifier le code]
La Guerre de Sécession est le premier conflit majeur à voir l'utilisation de canons rayés. Les canons rayés offrent une meilleure vélocité, une meilleure portée, précision et force de pénétration, rendant obsolètes les canons à âme lisse. La portée de ces canons est cependant problématique. Le canon Parrott de 100 livres avait une portée maximum de 8 845 yards (8,09 km) [3]. Cependant, l'absence de visée souhaitable[4] et d'un bon système de direction de tir sur des cibles non visibles pour les tireurs, limitait la portée effective de tir des canons à tube rayé.
Le bombardement de Fort Pulaski a mis en évidence l'efficacité des canons rayés contre les fortifications en maçonnerie. La réduction de Fort Macon, quelques semaines plus tard, en apporte confirmation. Les actions contre Charleston puis contre Petersburg montrèrent que les canons rayés n'avaient qu'une action plus limitée contre les retranchements en terre.
Les canons de type James[modifier | modifier le code]
Dans les premiers temps du conflit, l'armée fédérale ne disposait pas de suffisamment de canons de siège de type rayés. Pour contourner le problème, des canons à âme lisse disponibles furent rayés selon le système inventé par Charles T. James. Utilisant des projectiles pleins et des obus de type James, ces canons modifiés furent utilisés lors du bombardement de Fort Pulaski, en avril 1862. Ils disparurent ensuite rapidement de la ligne de front.
Canons lisses rayés type James
| Nom | Calibre | Poids
du projectile |
Poids
du canon |
Longueur
du canon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24-pdr M. 1839, rayé
(48-pdr James rifle) |
5.82 in. | 48 lb.
(shot) |
5,790 lb. | 124 in. |
| 32-pdr M. 1829, rayé
(64-pdr James rifle) |
6.4 in. | 64 lb.
(shot) |
7,531 lb. | 125 in. |
| 42-pdr M. 1841 rayé
(84-pdr James rifle) |
7 in. | 64 lb.
(shell)
(shot) |
8,465 lb. | 129 in. |
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Deux canons, Modèle 1829, 32-livres de siege garnison, rayé selon la méthode de James (64-livres James rayés). Celui du premier plan est sur un affût de campagne ; celui à l'arrière plan est sur un affût de siège à pivot, en fer, de type barbette. -
Projectile plein, type James. La sorte de « cage à oiseau », visible à la partie inférieure, est normalement recouverte d'une feuille de plomb qui, lors du tir, se déforme pour garnir les rayures du tube.
Canon d'ordonnance de 4,5-pouce s[modifier | modifier le code]
Le canon rayé de 4,5 pouces, est à relier au canon de 3 pouces d'ordonnance, utilisé dans l'artillerie de campagne, et sous le même nom de canon d'ordonnance. Cependant, le canon de siège de 4,5 pouces était en acier coulé et non en acier forgé comme l'était le canon de campagne de 3 pouces. Ce canon de siège tirait des projectiles de 30 livres environ (selon le type de projectile). Le tube du canon pesait 3,450 pounds, avec une longueur de 133 pouces. Le principal défaut de ce canon était à rechercher dans l'usure prématurée de la lumière causée par les gaz brûlants y sortant à chaque tir. La lumière devenait trop large après 400 tirs[5]. Ce problème pouvait être résolu par la mise en place d'une pièce de cuivre pour recalibrer la lumière.
En plus de son utilisation comme artillerie de siège, deux batteries des ces canons (8 pièces) furent rattachées à l'Armée du Potomac, comme artillerie lourde, entre 1862 et 1864. Ce type de pièces d'artillerie était destiné à la contre-batterie à longue distance de l'artillerie confédérée. En dépit de leur mobilité, ces canons ne furent que peu utilisés[6].
Canons rayés de type Parrott[modifier | modifier le code]
Robert Parker Parrott (1804–1877), diplomé en 1824 de l'United States Military Academy, invente un nouveau modèle de pièce d'artillerie rayée à partir d'un tube en fer coulé, renforcé par une bande de fer forgé placée autour de la culasse. Son premier modèle est un 2,9-pouces (10-livres) et un 3.67-pouces (20-livres), canons rayés destinés à l'artillerie de campagne. Ultérieurement, il réalisa quatre types de canons lourds destinés à l'artillerie de siège. Ces canons Parrott devinrent les modèles les plus courants de l'artillerie lourde nordiste.
| Nom | Poids du
projectile |
poids
du canon |
longueur
du canon |
Portée |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2 pouces Parrott rayé
(30-pdr Parrott rayé) |
25 livres.
(obus) |
4,200 livres. | 132 in. | 6,700 yd.
@ 25° |
| 6.4-pouces Parrott rayé
(100-pdr Parrott rayé) |
90 livres.
(obus) |
9,700 livres. | 155 in. | 8,845 yd.
@ 35° |
| 8-pouces Parrott rayé
(200-pdr Parrott rayé) |
150 livres.
(obus) |
16,500 livres. | 162 in. | 8000 yd.
@35° |
| 10-pouces Parrott rayé
(300-pdr Parott rayé) |
250 livres.
(obus) |
26,500 livres. | 177 in. | --- |
Canon rayé Parrott de 4,2 pouces (30 livres)[modifier | modifier le code]
Les 4.2-pouces (30-pounder) rayés furent les plus utilisés dans l'artillerie lourde. Ils étaient montés sur des affûts de campagne. Les premiers modèles disposaient d'une vis d"élévation placée sous la culasse ; les modèles ultérieurs eurent une vis plus longue passant par la cascabelle, plus susceptible de se briser[7]. Ce modèle de pièce eût l'avantage sur ceux de 4.5-pouces siege rayés par la qualité des projectiles disponibles par rapport à ceux de 4.5-pouces. Les 4.2-pouces Parrott rayés étaient moins concernés par les éclatements de tube que les modèles de plus gros calibre. Lors du siège de Petersburg, 44 pièces de 4.2-pouces Parrott rayés tirèrent 12,209 coups[8], avec un seul éclatement de tube recensé[9]. Un autre 4.2-pouces Parrott rayé est reporté avoir éclaté lors de la campagne contre Charleston, mais après le tir de 4 606 coups[9].
Lors de la bataille de Fredericksburg, deux exemplaires de la variante sudiste du 30 livres Parrott participèrent à la défense. Les deux pièces éclatèrent, l'un lors de son 39e tir, l'autre au 59e[10].
Canon rayé Parrott de 6,4 pouces (100 livres)[modifier | modifier le code]
Le canon Parrott de 6,4 pouces (100-livres), rayé, était un canon de siège puissant, capable d'une bonne précision et d'envoyer des projectiles lourds à bonne distance. En utilisation statique, il était monté sur un affût à pivot. Il était aussi sujet à éclater. Sur les 300 6,4-pouces Parrott en service dans la marine nordiste, 19 furent victime d'éclatement[11]. Durant les opérations contre Charleston Harbor, l'un de ces canons éclata au 122e tir, un autre après son 1 151e[12]. L'armée garda cependant confiance dans ces canons ; le général Quincy A. Gilmore, commandant les forces nordistes à Charleston, affirma « il n'y a probablement pas de meilleurs canons que les Parrotts ; aucun n'est plus simple à construire, plus facile à mettre en œuvre, ou pouvant être mis en toute sécurité entre les mains d'artilleurs inexpérimentés »[13].
Canon rayé Parrott de 8 pouces (200 livres)[modifier | modifier le code]
The 8-pouces (200-pounder) Parrott rayé was essentially an enlarged 6.4-pouces Parrott rayé with the same vices and virtues. The most famous 8-pouces Parrott rayé was the "Swamp Angel" used for the bombardment of the city of Charleston. It burst at the 36th discharge.
Canon rayé Parrott de 10 pouces (300 livres)[modifier | modifier le code]
Only three 10-pouces (300-pounder) Parrotts saw service during the war; all placed on Morris Island during the campaign against Charleston harbor. It was mounted on a center pintle, barbette carriage. It was essentially an enlarged 8-pouces Parrott rayé, although it was believed to be somewhat more accurate than the 8-pouces rayé [14]. One 10-pouces Parrott rayé on Morris Island was disabled soon after it first opened fire by the premature detonation of a shell, which blew about 18 pouceses off its muzzle. The ragged end of the muzzle was trimmed even by soldiers working with cold chisels, and the gun fired another 370 times without any appreciable difference in range or accuracy. The gun was subsequently permanently disabled by additional premature detonation of shells.
Illustrations pour les canons Parrott[modifier | modifier le code]
-
Two 4.2-pouces (30-pounder) Parrott rayés and stacks of shells inside Fort Putnam on Morris Island during the campaign against Charleston harbor. -
Older model 4.2-pouces Parrott rayé with breech resting on elevating screw. Shackle on cascabel may indicate gun was originally intended for naval use. -
Photograph of 6.4-pouces Parrott rayé showing elevating screw running through cascabel. This is the same design used in newer model 4.2-pouces Parrott rayés. -
Two 6.4-pouces (100-pounder) and two 4.2-pouces Parrott rayés inside Fort Brady during the siege of Petersburg. The 6.4-pouces rayés are on iron, front pintle, barbette carriages and the 4.2-pouces rayés are on siege carriages. -
An 8-pouces (200-pounder) Parrott rayé at Battery Rodgers Alexandria, Virginia mounted on a front pintle, barbette carriage. The gun in the background is a Rodman gun mounted on a center pintle, barbette carriage. -
8-pouces Parrott rayé "Swamp Angel" thrown forward on parapet after busting. -
Engraving showing damage to 8-pouces Parrott rayé "Swamp Angel." -
A 10-pouces (300-pounder) Parrott rayé on Morris Island that burst in the campaign against Charleston harbor. The front sight for the gun is visible on the trunnion. -
15-pouces Rodman gun at Battery Rodgers, Alexandria, Virginia, mounted to defend the Potomac River as part of the Defenses of Washington. An 8-pouces Parrott rayé is visible in the background.
Canons rayés Whitworth[modifier | modifier le code]
The Federal forces at Charleston used two British 5-inch Whitworth muzzleloading rifles that had been captured aboard a blockade runner. Served by sailors of the blockading squadron, the guns proved to be entirely unsuccessful. Shells failed to take the rifling, exploded prematurely, and solid shot could not reach their target [15]. They could only be loaded by heavy blows with a handspike (a heavy wooden bar used to move a gun). One of them became disabled when the barrel slipped within the reinforcing sleeve, blocking the vent. This caused the navy to stop using the other Whitworth also [16].
[modifier | modifier le code]
The navy has traditionally provided siege artillery to the army when needed. The Civil War was no exception to this rule. Seamen from the USS Wabash manned the Whitworth rifles and two 8-inch Parrott rifles during the campaign against Charleston harbor. Seamen also manned 5 navy XI-inch Dahlgren guns emplaced on Morris Island in 1864. In the siege of Vicksburg, the Federal Army of the Tennessee had no siege artillery, so the U.S. Navy placed at least two of their 8-inch guns into batteries ashore [17].
Mortiers[modifier | modifier le code]
Three primary types of mortars were used during the war: siege & garrison (light), seacoast (heavy), and Coehorns are also classified as siege & garrison. [18] While guns were intended to batter down the walls of a fortification during a siege, mortars were designed to fire explosive shells over the walls of the fortification, killing the men inside, and forcing others to stay in bombproof shelters, or preventing the gunners from serving their guns and repairing damage caused by the bombardment. Mortars could also destroy structures inside the fortification such as barracks and kitchens which would normally stay unharmed from standard guns. Heavier mortar shells could penetrate magazines and many bombproof shelters.
In defense of fortifications, siege and garrison mortars could harass work parties constructing siege batteries and trenches. Their fire could also suppress hostile siege batteries. Seacoast mortars could penetrate the decks of wooden ships and even threaten the deck plating of ironclad vessels. [19] Lastly, these could also kill men where other guns couldn't reach them
The 8-inch and 10-inch siege mortars had maximum ranges of 2,225 and 2,064 yards, respectively, [20] and the 13-inch seacoast mortar had a maximum range of 4,300 yards, but their effective ranges were much shorter. For the 8-inch siege mortar at a range of 800 yards, about 50% of the shells would fall within a 50-yard radius of the target. With the 10-inch siege mortars at 875 yards, about 60% of the shells would fall within a 40-yard radius of the target. The 13-inch seacoast mortar could be expected to be more accurate. [21]
Coehorn mortars were lighter mortars, designed to be brought well forward in the trenches.
With the replacement of masonry fortifications with earthen works, mortars became more important. Works that could resist the horizontal fire of guns were still vulnerable to the vertical fire of mortars.
| Name | Weight of shell | Weight of mortar | weight of bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coehorn mortar M. 1841
(5.82-inch) |
17 lb. | 164 lb. | 132 lb. |
| 8-inch siege mortar M.1841 | 44 lb. | 930 lb. | 920 lb. |
| 10-inch siege mortar M. 1841 | 88 lb. | 1,852 lb. | 1,830 lb. |
| 10-inch seacoast mortar M. 1841 | 88 lb. | 5,775 lb. | --- |
| 13-inch seacoast mortar M. 1861 | 197 lb. | 17,120 lb. | --- |
Mortiers en bois[modifier | modifier le code]
The Union Army of the Tennessee, not having a proper siege train at the siege of Vicksburg, was forced to improvise. The artillerymen took short sections of gum-tree logs, bored them out to accept six or twelve pound shells, and hooped the logs with iron bands. These wooden mortars reportedly served well [17]. Edward Porter Alexander reported that Confederate experiments with wooden mortars were not successful [22].
Illustrations sur les mortiers[modifier | modifier le code]
-
mortier Coehorn, modèle 1841. -
mortier de siège de 8 pouces, modèle 1841. -
Federal batterie fédérale avec mortiers de 10 pouces de défense côtière, modèle 1841, sur Morris Island, durant le siège de Charleston. -
mortier de défense côtière de 10 pouces, modèle 1841, en place près de Butler's Crows Nest dans les environs de Dutch Gap, Virginie. -
mortier de défense côtière de 13 pouces, modèle 1861, "The Dictator", sur voie ferrée lors du siège de Petersburg.
Artillerie de siège confédérée[modifier | modifier le code]
The Confederate Army had no siege train per se, as they did not engage in regular sieges. In defending the works that were the objects of Federal siege operations, the Confederates used a hodge-podge of weapons seized from Federal arsenals and fortifications, naval guns, Confederate-made versions of pre-war designs, and imported rifled guns, such as the Whitworth and Armstrong rifles.
The Confederate equivalents to the heavy Parrott rifles were the Brooke rifles, developed by John Mercer Brooke. They were cast iron guns with wrought iron breech bands like the Parrott rifles. They generally had a bore of 6.4 or 7 inches, and had single, double, and even triple bands.
During the siege of Petersburg the Confederate Army developed iron 12-pounder and 24-pounder Coehorn mortars. The rough iron pieces served very well.
-
A Confederate iron 24-pounder Coehorn mortar. -
A double-banded Brooke rifle of undetermined caliber. -
English 8-inch (150-pdr) Armstrong Rifled Muzzle Loader at Fort Fisher, North Carolina.
Utilisation de l'artillerie de siège durant la Guerre de Sécession[modifier | modifier le code]
Bombardement de Fort Pulaski[modifier | modifier le code]
Erreur : La version française équivalente de {{Main}} est {{Article détaillé}}. U.S. Army command decided to block Savannah, Georgia's access to the Atlantic Ocean by capturing Fort Pulaski downstream from Savannah on the Savannah River. Federal forces made an unopposed landing on Tybee Island December 24, 1861. Guns and supplies for the reduction of Fort Pulaski were landed on Tybee Island on February 21. The siege batteries were ready by April 9. Fort Pulaski was then armed with 48 guns, 20 of which bore on the batteries on Tybee Island- 14 smoothbore guns and columbiads, one 24-pounder Blakely rifle, and four mortars. The garrison was 385 men.
At sunrise April 10, 1862, the Federal forces formally demanded the surrender of Fort Pulaski, the demand was refused and at 8:15 AM the first shot was fired. Confederate return fire was vigorous, but not very accurate and Fort Pulaski was breached that afternoon. The James rifles and 4.2-inch Parrott rifles did most of the damage to the fort. The Federal mortar fire was very inaccurate. After nightfall, a desultory fire was kept up, to prevent the Confederates from repairing the breach. After sunrise on April 11, firing resumed, and the breach was rapidly enlarged and eleven Confederate guns dismounted or otherwise rendered unserviceable. At 2:00 PM, Fort Pulaski surrendered. Remarkably, only one man on each side was killed in the lengthy artillery engagement.
The fall of Fort Pulaski demonstrated that masonry fortifications were obsolete in the era of rifled artillery. General Gilmore, senior Federal engineer officer at Fort Pulaski, quoted a military treatise of the period as saying an "exposed wall may be breached with certainty at distances from 500 to 700 yards ... and it will take from four to seven days firing ...." [23]. That had been with smoothbore guns; with rifled guns firing at distances of over 1,600 yards, the breach had been made in a day and a half.
Les batteries de siège nordistes au Fort Pulaski[modifier | modifier le code]
| Armament | Range to
Fort Pulaski | |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Totten | 4 10-inch siege mortars | 1,650 yd. |
| Battery McClellan | 2 42-pounders rifled (84-pounder James rifles)
2 32-pounders rifled (64-pounder James rifles) |
1,650 yd. |
| Battery Sigel | 5 4.2-inch (30-pounder) Parrott rifles
1 24-pounder rifled (48-pounder James rifle) |
1,670 yd. |
| Battery Scott | 3 10-inch and 1 8-inch columbiads | 1,740 yd. |
| Battery Halleck | 2 seacoast 13-inch mortars | 2,400 yd |
| Battery Sherman | 3 seacoast 13-inch mortars | 2,650 yd |
| Battery Burnside | 1 seacoast 13-inch mortar | 2,750 yd |
| Battery Lincoln | 3 heavy 8-inch columbiads | 3,045 yd. |
| Battery Lyon | 3 heavy 10-inch columbiads | 3,100 yd. |
| Battery Grant | 3 seacoast 13-inch mortars | 3,200 yd. |
| Battery Stanton | 3 seacoast 13-inch mortars | 3,400 yd. |
Campagne contre Charleston[modifier | modifier le code]
In 1863, the Union Army began operations designed to reduce Fort Sumter, so that the U.S. Navy could enter Charleston harbor and capture the city. On July 10, Federal forces on Folly Island, South Carolina, crossed Light House Inlet and landed by boats on the southern tip of Morris Island. Two unsuccessful infantry assaults were made against Fort Wagner, the second assault being led by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. On July 21, General Quincy Adams Gillmore began laying down batteries for the bombardment of Fort Sumter and Fort Wagner. Later a battery was created for guns to bombard the city of Charleston.
The campaign against Charleston Harbor was successful by many measurements. Morris Island was occupied, Fort Sumter was reduced, and the presence of Federal batteries sweeping the main channel into the harbor, effectively closed Charleston as a port for blockade runners. However, the long struggle on Morris Island gave the Confederates time to strengthen the harbor's other defensive works, and the U.S. Navy did not enter Charleston Harbor until after General William T. Sherman's advance through South Carolina finally forced the Confederates to evacuate the city on February 17, 1865.
Bombardement de Fort Sumter[modifier | modifier le code]
Work on most of the batteries for the pieces that were to bombard Fort Sumter was completed by August 16, 1863, and firing began the next day. By August 23, Fort Sumter was a ruin. 5,009 projectiles had been fired, with about half striking the fort. All of the parapet gun were dismounted or seriously damaged and the fort was no longer an effective part of the defenses of Charleston Harbor [24]. From August 23–30, a desultory fire was directed on Fort Sumter to hinder repairs and the remounting of guns. On August 30–31, Fort Sumter was bombarded again, completing the destruction of the parapet [25]. U.S. Navy forces attempted a landing against Fort Sumter on the night of September 8–9, 1863. It was defeated by Confederate infantry forces who had occupied the ruins.
Batteries for Bombardment of Fort Sumter
| Location | Armament | Range to Ft. Sumter | Range to Ft Wagner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Brown | right of 2nd parallel | 2 8-inch Parrott rifles | 3,560 yd. | 830 yd. |
| Battery Rosecrans | center of 2nd parallel | 3 6.4-inch Parrott rifles | 3,500 yd. | 830 yd. |
| Battery Meade | center of 2nd parallel | 2 6.4-inch Parrott rifles | 3,475 yd. | 820 yd. |
| Naval Battery | center of 1st parallel | 2 8-inch Parrott rifles
2 5-inch Whitworth rifles |
3,980 yd. | 1,335 yd. |
| Battery Hays
(East section) |
Left Batteries | 1 8-inch Parrott rifle | 4,225 yd. | 1,710 yd. |
| Battery Reno | Left Batteries | 1 8-inch Parrott rifle
2 6.4-inch Parrott rifles |
4,320 yd. | 1,860 yd. |
| Battery Stevens | Left Batteries | 2 6.4-inch Parrott rifles | 4,320 yd. | 1,860 yd. |
| Battery Strong | Left Batteries | 1 10-inch Parrott rifle | 4,345 yd. | 1,900 yd. |
| Battery Kirby | Left Batteries | 2 10-inch seacoast mortars | 4,400 yd. | 1,960 yd. |
Bombardement de Fort Wagner[modifier | modifier le code]
After the failed infantry assaults, Gilmore decided to attack Fort Wagner by regular approaches using saps and parallels. On July 19, 1863, the first parallel was dug near the pre-existing Federal lines. Saps were driven forward and a second parallel was established by July 23. The second parallel contained batteries directed against both Fort Wagner and Fort Sumter. The Atlantic Ocean flank of the second parallel was anchored by "Surf Battery" built below the high tide line. The "Surf Battery" was armed with field howitzers and Requa volley guns (proto-machine guns capable of firing 175 rounds per minute) to defend the Federal trenches from Confederates sorties up the beach. Coehorn, 8-inch, and 10-inch mortars were used by the Federal troops as their trenches approached Fort Wagner and field artillery was placed in the trenches to defend against possible Confederate sorties.
While Fort Wagner was subject to near constant bombardment from the batteries listed in the table below, as approaches neared the fort's ditch the bombardment increased. Fire from U.S. Navy ships, particularly the USS New Ironsides, proved very effective. The navy were able to skip the round shells from their XI-inch Dahlgren guns off the water, over the ramparts, and into the fort. Several heavy Parrott rifles that had been directed against Fort Sumter shelled Fort Wagner on September 5 and 6, 1863. Over 1,400 shells from 6.4-inch (100-pounder) Parrott rifles, 8-inch (200-pounder) Parrott rifles, and a 10-inch (300-pounder) Parrott rifle were fired into Fort Wagner [26]. The destructive bombardment and the imminent Federal assault forced the Confederate garrison to evacuate both Fort Wagner and Fort Gregg during the night of September 7–8, 1863. A Federal officer inspecting the fort after its occupation said "Notwithstanding the heavy fire of this bombardment, together with all the fire Fort Wagner had been subjected to since the commencement of our attack, from land and naval batteries, its defenses were not materially injured; that is to say, the parapets, bomb-proofs, and traverses of sand still remained and would have afforded shelter to infantry behind them, though greatly tossed about and torn up by our projectiles, but, under our fire, it was impossible to serve their artillery, nor could they expose themselves outside of their bomb-proof for an instant" [27].
Batteries for Bombardment of Fort Wagner
| Location | Armament | Range to Ft Wagner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Hays
(west section) |
Left Batteries | 7 4.2-inch Parrott rifles | 1,830 yd. |
| Battery Weed | Rear of 1st parallel | 5 10-inch siege mortars | 1,460 yd. |
| Battery Reynolds | Right of 1st parallel | 5 10-inch siege mortars | 1,335 yd. |
| Battery Kearny | Extreme left of 2nd parallel | 3 4.2-inch Parrott rifles | 720 yd. |
| Surf Battery | Extreme right of 2nd parallel | 3 field howitzers
3 Requa volley guns |
--- |
Bombardement de la ville de Charleston[modifier | modifier le code]
Gilmore determined to bombard the city of Charleston. Under the existing rules of warfare, Charleston was a legitimate target. It was fortified. It contained weapons factories, and it was a port for blockade runners who carried contraband of war. But more importantly, Charleston was the symbol of rebellion. It was there that South Carolina became the first state to secede. The firing on Fort Sumter in 1861, which started the war, only increased the North's belief that Charleston's destruction seemed just retribution. [28].
Using tremendous skills and ingenuity, Gilmore's engineers constructed the "Marsh Battery" in the marsh between James Island and Morris Island. An 8-inch Parrott Rifle, nicknamed the "Swamp Angel," was mounted in the battery, and began firing at the city at 1:30 AM, August 22, 1863. At a range of 7,900 yards, the gun was aimed by taking compass bearings off St. Michael’s church’s steeple. The first night, 10 incendiary and 6 explosive shells were fired into the city. The gun was not fired on the 23rd. On August 24, firing its 36th round the Swamp Angel burst. In its short life the Swamp Angel made artillery history as it was the longest-ranged artillery bombardment up to that date, and it was the first time artillery had been aimed by compass bearing [29]. The Swamp Angel was not replaced in the Marsh Battery, but after the fall of Fort Wagner and Fort Gregg Federal batteries located in and near Fort Gregg (renamed Fort Putnam) resumed fire on the city of Charleston, continuing until the city was evacuated.
Siège de Petersburg[modifier | modifier le code]
During the siege of Petersburg, no attempts were made by Federal artillery to level the Confederate works. Attempts to clear the abatis in front of the works by gunfire were unsuccessful. The rifled guns were therefore used to keep down the Confederate fire, annoy their working parties, interfere with traffic on the Petersburg bridges, and to repel or support assaults. Rifled guns in Federal batteries on the James River were used against the Confederate James River Flotilla [30].
With rifled guns unable to harm opposing forces behind earthen field works, mortars became more important. Federal forces fired over 40,000 mortar rounds during the siege, and the Confederates returned a nearly equal fire [31].
The Federal forces mounted a 13-inch Coehorn mortar on a railroad flatcar. This mortar was nicknamed the Dictator. The car was fired from a section of the Petersburg and City Point Railroad where moving the car along a curve in the track trained the gun on different targets along the Confederate lines. When charged with 14 pounds of powder the mortar would recoil less than two feet on the flatcar, but the flatcar would recoil 10 to 12 feet on the tracks. The plane of fire had to be nearly parallel to the tracks, to allow the flatcar to recoil and avoid dismounting the mortar, but by using a curved section of track a wide traverse could be achieved. Fire from the Dictator was very effective. At a range of 3,600 yards, one round was reported as having blown a Confederate field gun and carriage above the parapet of the Confederate works [32]. The Dictator silenced the Confederate guns on Chesterfield Heights to prevent them from enfilading the right end of the Union line.[33]
Federal Siege Train at the Siege of Petersburg April 2, 1865
| Name | Total | In Depot |
|---|---|---|
| 8-inch siege howitzers | 12 | 4 |
| Coehorn mortars | 36 | 20 |
| 8-inch siege mortars | 20 | 4 |
| 10-inch siege mortars | 10 | 6 |
| 10-inch seacoast mortars | 6 | 3 |
| 13-inch seacoast mortars | 1 | 1 |
| 4.2-inch Parrott rifles | 44 | 24 |
| 4.5-inch siege rifles | 17 | 10 |
| 4.6-inch Brooke rifle | 1 | 0 |
| 6.4-inch Parrott rifles | 13 | 1 |
Source Abbot[34]
Notes: The 8-inch siege howitzer is not reported to have been fired[35].
The presence of the Confederate 4.6-inch Brooke rifle in the Federal siege train is unexplained. It was emplaced in Fort Cummings and could presumably have fired ammunition designed for the 4.5-inch siege rifle. It is also confusingly reported as being of English manufacture [36].
Notes & références[modifier | modifier le code]
Notes[modifier | modifier le code]
Références[modifier | modifier le code]
- Gibbon 1863, p. 54.
- Gibbon 1863, p. 54–59.
- Parrott 1863, p. 5.
- Abbot 1867, p. 89–90.
- Abbot 1867, p. 89.
- Abbot 1867, p. 149–55.
- Abbot 1867, p. 90.
- Abbot 1867, p. 160,170.
- Abbot 1867, p. 87.
- Dew 1966, p. 187.
- Ripley 1984, p. 117.
- Gilmore 1890, p. 32.
- Gilmore 1890, p. 31.
- Turner 1890, p. 222.
- Wise 1994, p. 157.
- Turner 1890, p. 223.
- Hickenlooper 1888, p. 540.
- Ripley 1984, p. 60–61.
- Ripley 1984, p. 58–59.
- Abbot 1867, p. 39–40.
- Abbot 1867, p. 39.
- Alexander 1883, p. 110.
- Gilmore 1882, p. 161.
- Turner 1890, p. 216.
- Turner 1890, p. 217.
- Gilmore 1890, p. 28.
- Turner 1890, p. 218–219.
- Wise 1994, p. 169.
- Wise 1994, p. 172.
- Abbot 1867, p. 85.
- Abbot 1867, p. 18–9.
- Abbot 1867, p. 23.
- (en) Francis Trevelyan Miller, The Photographic History of The Civil War, vol. Five: Forts and Artillery, New York, Castle Books, , 51 & 54
- Abbot 1867, p. 160.
- Abbot 1867, p. 169–70.
- Hunt 1894, p. 660.
Voir aussi[modifier | modifier le code]
Articles connexes[modifier | modifier le code]
- Civil War Defenses of Washington
- Artillerie de campagne durant la Guerre de Sécession
- Seacoast defense in the United States
Bibliographie[modifier | modifier le code]
- Henry L. Abbot, « Siege artillery in the Campaigns Against Richmond, with Notes on the 15-inch Gun, Including an Algebraic Analysis of the Trajectory of a Shot in its Ricochets Upon Smooth Water », {{Article}} : paramètre «
périodique» manquant, Government Printing Office, vol. 14, (lire en ligne, consulté le ) - Edward Porter Alexander, « Confederate Artillery Service », Southern Historical Society Papers, Southern Historical Society, vol. XI, , p. 98–113 (lire en ligne, consulté le ).
- Charles Dew, « Ironmaker to the Confederacy », {{Article}} : paramètre «
périodique» manquant, Library of Virginia, / - John Gibbon, « The Artillerist's Manual », {{Article}} : paramètre «
périodique» manquant, D. Van Nostrand, - Q.A. Gilmore, « Report from Hilton Head, S.C., October 20, 1865. », The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I., Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, vol. VI, , p. 148–65 (lire en ligne, consulté le )
- Q.A. Gilmore, « Report of Maj. Gen. Quincy A. Gilmore, U.S. Army, Commanding Department of the South with Congratulatory Orders. », The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I., Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, vol. XXVIII, no Part I, , p. 3–40 (lire en ligne, consulté le )
- Andrew Hickenlooper, « The Vicksburg Mine. », Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (Thomas Yoseloff, 1956 Edition)., New York, Century Co., vol. III, , p. 539–542 (lire en ligne, consulté le )
- Henry J. Hunt, « Report of Bvt. Maj. Gen. Henry J. Hunt, U.S. Army, June 1, 1865. », The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I., Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, vol. XLVI, no Part I, , p. 659–662 (lire en ligne, consulté le )
- Albert Mancucy, « Artillery Through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America », {{Article}} : paramètre «
périodique» manquant, Government Printing Office, (lire en ligne, consulté le ) - (en) Edwin Olmstead, Wayne E. Stark et Spencer C. Tucker, The Big Guns: Civil War Siege, Seacoast, and Naval Cannon, Museum Restoration Service, (ISBN 0-888-55012-X)
- Robert P. Parrott, « Ranges of Parrott Guns and Notes for Practice », {{Article}} : paramètre «
périodique» manquant, D. Van Nostrand, . - Warren Ripley, « Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War », {{Article}} : paramètre «
périodique» manquant, The Battery Press, (OCLC 12668104) - John W. Turner, « Reports. », The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I., Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, vol. XXVIII, no Part I, , p. 212–225 (lire en ligne, consulté le )
- Stephen R. Wise, « Gate of Hell: Campaign for Charleston Harbor, 1863 », {{Article}} : paramètre «
périodique» manquant, University of South Carolina Press,
Liens externes[modifier | modifier le code]