Civil War Cannon or An Earlier Piece?

[Shane K. Bernard]

Hi! I'm wondering if anyone can identify this cannon (or cannon barrel anyway) -- that is, who made it and when.

http://www.fotothing.com/photos/2f4/2f4828e66028fc055f1284714c1a7537.jpg?ts=1307120184

http://www.fotothing.com/photos/2b2/2b2fbd9d744ea36f5304590e7d69ca7a.jpg?ts=1307120292

http://www.fotothing.com/photos/d48/d48d54623794ed231f71c8f112d09f45.jpg?ts=1307121038

http://www.fotothing.com/photos/691/6912cb6595d209824f71a1abf9708c05.jpg?ts=1307120889

It comes from Avery Island, Louisiana, which was the location of a small battle (technically an "affair") in November 1862. The island had been lightly fortified prior to the attack and remained so for months afterwards. (I don't mean there was an actual fort there, but there were rifle pits, breastworks, etc.)

However, it could very well be that the cannon is colonial in origin, as this region and vicinity were at one time held by the French, Spanish, and (on the other [i.e., east] side of the Mississippi River) British.

The cannon is approximately 36 inches long; it's 9 inches wide (i.e., in diameter) at its widest point (near the breach); it's about 6.5 inches wide in the middle; and the muzzle is 3.5 inches wide (I refer to the hole itself).

Thanks!

P.S. I should add that there are no visible markings on the cannon.

 

[Jack]

I am no expert on artillery, but since no one else has answered. . .
If the bore diameter is 3.5 inches, that's pretty close to the bore diameter of a 6 pounder cannon (I believe a 6 pounder has a bore diameter of about 3.67 inches). Allowing for some rust and corrosion, etc, I'd call it a 6 pounder. Six pounders were used in the Civil War, as well as earlier, so, that's not definitive of the gun's age.

 

[Shane K. Bernard]

Thanks for your reply.

I showed the cannon and its measurements to an artillery expert in New Orleans, and he suggested that the cannon is British in origin, ca. 1780 or earlier. This would make sense, because the place where it was dug up was held by the British for a time during the Revolutionary War.