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R. McAuley 3014V
05-26-2010, 10:36 PM
We're always hearing about how accurate Whitworth rifles and breechloading cannon were during the American Civil War, here is an interesting article from the New York Times, on March 21, 1860:

http://www.nytimes.com/1860/03/21/news/ ... ading.html (http://www.nytimes.com/1860/03/21/news/new-rifled-cannon-experiments-with-mr-whitworth-s-newly-invented-breach-loading.html)

The New Rifled Cannon.; EXPERIMENTS WITH MR. WHITWORTH'S NEWLY INVENTED BREACH-LOADING CANNON.
From the London Times. SOUTHPORT, Friday, Feb. 17, 1860.

During the greater part of yesterday the experiments to test the range and accuracy of these admirabel pieces of ordinance were continued, in the presence of a number of military and scientific gentlemen and others interested in witnessing the great results for which Mr. WHITWORTH has tolled so long and indefatigably. The [???] commenced soon after 11, but, in order to give the visitors time to go, if they chose, to the extremity of the long range, (six miles and a half distant,) the practice was begun with the three-pounder at its greatest angle of elevation, and therefore, longest range. The day, though dull, was mild, and the wind, every now and then, came in sudden gusts from diverse points of the compass, and threatened at times to interfere materially with the correctness of the long range aim. The termination of the day's trials, however, gave, on the whole, even better and more astonishing results than those of Wednesday last.

With Mr. WHITWORTH's guns the pitch varies; thus the 80-pounder has one turn in 8 feet 4 inches, the 12-pounder one in 5 feet, the 3-pounder one in 3 feet 4 inches. The extreme length of the 80-pounder is 9 feet 10 inches, its weight 4 tons, and its diameter of bore at muzzle 5 inches. The length of the 12-pounder is 7 feet 9 inches, and its bore 3 1/4 inches, and its weight 8 cwt. The length of the 3-pounder is 6 feet, its weight 208 lbs, and its bore 1 1/2 inches. With this latter the greatest results have been obtained -- a striking commentary on the opposition on the part, of all our artillery officers to a rapid pitch of rifling in gun or firearm of any kind.

The practice of yesterday then commenced at 35 degrees of elevation with the three-pounder, loaded this time with 8 ounces of powder instead of 7 1/4, and pointed, as near as could be calculated by the distance-posts, in line with a mark on the low shore, which was far out of sight of the best telescopes. The first shot touched the ground at 9,688 yards distance, (more than 5 1/2 miles,) and only 34 yards to the right of the true line. The second lodged in the sand (of course without ricocheting) at 9,645 yards, and 31 to the right of the mark; the third, at 9,611 yards, and 89 yards to the right of the mark; the fourth fell at 9,503 yards, and 72 yards to the right, and the fifth and last at 9,458 yards, and only 55 to the right. The difference between the shot which fell nearest and that which was widest was only 57 yards, and this at a range of more than five miles and a quarter. The constant deviation to the right arose from those working the gun allowing too much for the influence of the wind, which came in gusts from the left, or rather crossing diagonally the line of the flight of the projectile. As a matter of course, at such an immense distance there are no means at Southport of signaling to those in charge of the piece whether the shots at the 5 1/2-mile range fall either to the right or left of the true line, and the gun once laid is not, therefore, altered till another degree of elevation is chosen for nearer practice. One shot was next fired at an elevation of 33 degrees, and attained a range of 9,547 yards, failing 57 yards to the right of the mark. The third trial was at an elevation of 20 degrees, and at this angle the most wonderful practice, both as regards range and accuracy, which has yet been witnessed with any artillery in the world was effected. The gun was laid by one of Mr. WHITWORTH's people, who it must be remembered are ordinary mechanics, and before these experiments never laid or loaded a gun in their lives. The first shot, fired with 8oz. of powder, fell at a distance of more than four miles, (7,073 yards,) and only four yards to the right of the true line of fire! The second fell at 6,985 yards, and 4 1/2 yards to the right of the true [???]ne of fire. The third dropped at 6,960 yards -- 4 1/2 yards to the right of the mark; and the fourth and last, at 6,822 yards, but 27 yards right of the line of fire. The unusual degree of divergence in the last shot, we were informed, was purely accidental, and caused by a slight inadvertence in loading the gun, which it is supposed shifted the stand. But even counting this as a fair shot, the greatest amount of divergence from the true line, at a range of 7,000 yards, is only 22 1/2 yards to the right -- a deviation so slight as to appear almost incredible. With a regiment in square at such a distance, or even among a cavalry out picket of a dozen mounted met, nearly every shot would have told, as the line of flight is low beyond all comparison with other projectiles. The angle of elevation was then lowered to 10 degrees, at which four shots were fired The first pitched 16 yards to the right, at 4,269 yards' distance; the second was 10 yards to the right, at 4,281 yards' distance; the third went 29 yards to the right, at 4,193 yards' distance; and the fourth, 18 to the right, at 4,015 yards' range. These shots concluded the experiments with the 3-pounder, the practice of the whole day giving much greater results than have ever been attained with any artillery. It is a curious fact that the first shot at each angle of eluviation always attained the greatest range, and that each round after that point was reached showed a steady diminution in its length of flight of nearly 40 yards. This gradual decrease is worth notice, as our readers can s[???]e by casting their eye over the subjoined table, which gives the order in which each round was fired, the angle of elevation, charge of powder, and lenth of range:

THREE-POUNDER.
No. Powder. Elevation. Range.
1 8oz. 35° 9,688
2 8oz. 35° 9,645
3 8oz. 35° 9,6[???]
4 8oz. 35° 9,503
5 8oz. 35° 9,453
6 8oz. 33° 9,547
7 8oz. 20° 7,07[???]
No. Powder. Elevation. Range.
8 8oz. 20° 6,985
9 8oz. 20° 6,960
10 8oz. 20° 6,822
11 8oz. 10° 4,269
12 8oz. 10° 4,281
13 8oz. 10° 4,193
14 8oz. 10° 4,0[???]5

The 80-pounder gun was tried four times yesterday with a 12 pound charge at 5 degrees, and at 10 degrees elevation, with the following gratifying results:
Angle of Elevation. Yards Range. Deviation from Line of are.
1 5° 2,544 5 yards to the right.
2 5° 2 601 2 yards to the right.
3 10° 4 670 5 yards to the right.
4 16° 4 730 6 yards to the right.

At the last-mentioned angle this surpasses the practice of the armstrong 70 pounder at the same number of degrees by 700 yards. The result of the Long-range practice with ARMSTRONG's 70-pounder at 35 degrees' elevation we are not at liberty to state, beyond that the first graze of the shot was always over the 8,000 yards, though varying from the true line as much as 150 yards between the nearest and wildest. The greatest range ever reached by any Armstrong gun was 9,130 yards; and this was with a 32-pounder fired with 6-lb. charge at an elevation of 35 degrees. The 3-pounder of Mr. WHITWORTH, though both in from of projectile and weight more liable to deviation from the effects of the wind, quite eclipses the performance of its heavier competitor. What Mr. WHITWORTH's 80-pounder will do at a proper degree of elevation it is hard to say now; but, judging of the future by what has already been accomplished, a range of no less than 10,000 yards is confidently anticipated.

cannonmn
06-17-2010, 12:26 PM
Thanks for posting this. I just posted a link to an ARTILLERYMAN article on the 3-pounder Whitworth breechloading rifle, which may be the same one mentioned in your article.