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Okay, time for a funny story.

By The Armorer on December 4, 2004 | | Comments (5)

Besides, I owe ya something more than just Spirit of America stuff (thanks to those readers who have kindly donated, btw). That, and this cellulitis I'm suffering from is kinda slowing me down. So, lets go into obscure Ordnance and funny story related thereto.

The United States wasn't always a military super-power. It wasn't until we found ourselves mired in the Cold War that we maintained a relatively large standing force and a robust R&D capability. Prior to that, we were like most second-tier military states, just getting by, and stretching out the service life of things like cannon as long as we could. Heck, some first tier states, like Britain, did that too.

Such was the life of the 3-inch Ordnance Rifle.

Developed just prior to the Civil War, it was the second most common, and probably the most favored, field piece. Well made (at least the Union examples), tough, and accurate, it provided good service during the war.

After the war, they remained in service for decades. In the 1870-90s the world was shifting over to breech-loaded cannon, and the Army decided we needed to follow suit.

The last gasp of glory for the 3-inch Ordnance rifle was the Spanish-American war, where it served as a training gun, after which it retired to garrison... as a salute gun. Therein lies our tale. After many accidents in using the guns in the muzzle-loading configuration, they were converted to breech-loaders. The gun was converted to breech-loading by extending the bore all the way through, making it a tube open at both ends, and then cutting through from the side a square hole to take a sliding breech block. Voilą! Instant cartridge loaded gun. Several hundred of these guns went through this process between 1901 and 1907.

The guns were spread all over the country, and had a specific mount built for them. Some were maintained on carriages and used as salute batteries for visiting dignitaries, 4th of July "Salutes to the Nation" and such, but most common were the fixed guns on the Main Parade, by the flagpole. While they could be fired for reveille (morning wake up) they were most often fired at noon and at 5PM, when the flag was lowered during a ceremony called Retreat. Many military installations still fire a gun at Retreat, it's one of those things I like about working on-post - Call To Colors and Retreat played at 5PM, and people will stop their cars and get out and stand at Attention and salute as appropriate. Living off post, I miss Taps being played at 10PM, too.

Anyway, at Fort Sill, in the 20's and 30's, the salute gun was on the Main Parade (it's now in front of Post Headquarters). The actual gun we're talking about is by the Field Artillery Museum buildings. Main Parade is surrounded by stately Victorian quarters, characteristic of all Army posts that existed prior to WWI.

The kids played on the Main Parade field all the time (and still do). During that era, croquet was a popular game, played by children and adults. And the Civil War was the last 'romantic' war - especially in comparison to the recently ended WWI. And the kids used to play around the salute gun all the time. And a croquet ball is... 3 inches in diameter. And it's the 3-inch Ordnance Rifle...

One of the things any cannoneer has drummed into them when approaching a gun you haven't been actively servicing - and that you are supposed to do with separate-loading guns after every shot - is check the bore, to make sure it is clear of obstructions, in the case of a 'cold gun' not recently fired, and to ensure that the bore is clear of burning matter after firing before you go tossing more powder bags in.

Well, one fine day, the crew for the salute gun failed to check the bore. And the kids had been playing croquet. And apparently they'd been playing a little Army, too. And a croquet ball, rammed partially down the muzzle, when helped along with a 1-pound charge of black powder, will do a pretty good job of smashing brickwork on a house, even if it wasn't enough to penetrate.

The 3-inch Ordnance Rifle (76.2 millimeters) was replaced with a 75mm gun the next day.

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5 Comments

By SangerM on December 4, 2004 7:23 PM
John wrote: "People will stop their cars and get out and stand at Attention and salute as appropriate." Unless you work on an Air Force Base like the one I am on. First of all, after years and years of hearing Retreat, a BOOM, then the Call to Colors, it sounds just plain WRONG to hear Retreat followed immediately by the National Anthem, as the AF does it. Just wrong. I was on a post honor guard for a couple of months once, and my main responsibility was NCOIC of either Reveille or Retreat. It was not exciting, but it was quite pleasing to have the honor of raising and lowering the flag on an Army post, especially on an old post like Ft. Huachuca, where the main flag pole is directly in front of the Post Cdr's house, which happens to be named The Pershing House. It also makes the music stick in your head forever... Second, not only do people here not get out of their cars during retreat, but I was once told to get back in my car by an SP because "it's a hazard for people to get out of running cars." !?!?!? And finally, to make things even more depressing, many AF people don't even stop and salute if they happen to "get caught" enroute to or from their cars. I have seen a dozen people in the past couple of years just keep walking until they get inside the building or in the car (where they just sit until they see people moving again)--or they happen to notice someone is looking at them. In fact, I once saw a couple of Foreign Officers stop and stand at attention for the National Anthem while guys in flight suits kept right on walking to their car. Certainly this is not the norm, and just as surely this happens in many places, but the Army posts I've visited recently still act as you describe. My last trip to NC was quite refreshing, and frankly made me real nostalgic for Army posts again. -SangerM
 
By Justthisguy on December 4, 2004 11:58 PM
First, sympathy and concern for the infected tootsie. I hope and trust yer taking good care of it. Second, I forgot to wish you a happy St.Babs' day! Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa (chest whacks).I hope you got to shoot something, or blow something up, or at least hear something go boom. Third, the 3" Ordnance rifle is about my favorite muzzle-loading piece in the whole world! I actually drove, and walked, to the place where Bishop Polk had a round from one of those go through him. There's a monument, and a trail to it, but it's in the back yard of someone's private residence, so be nice if you go there. I believe there may still be some dispute over just who laid the piece, and who pulled the lanyard, for that shot. I think maybe it wasn't Dilger.
 
By mundane on December 5, 2004 11:01 PM
One day at Retreat at Fort Knox, I happened to be crossing the street in front of the some of the base housing when it sounded. Being just out of Basic/OSUT, I snapped to attention in the middle of the street. (I had the light to cross.) Anyway, a SFC in a car at he light not only didn't get out but honked at me to get out of the street so he could go through when the light changed. That is when the MG of the base (who I can't rememberhis name...blast these years, but he used to carry around this enormous handcarved "swagger stick") walked over from the car on the opposite corner and proceeded to make things miserable for that sergeant. Thank God I never ran into that SFC on base, but I would have hated to be a part of his command that day.
 
By lvncenturion on December 6, 2004 11:45 AM
John, I can report from personal experience that one does not need croquet balls to eovke havoc with the salute cannon. At Ft. Benning, we miscreants found that range balls from the golf course answered quite well. The boys in the BOQ learned first hand what "give 'em grape" means.
 
By Justthisguy on December 6, 2004 11:29 PM
Which reminds me of some thoughts I had a while back. Understand, people, that I have to live in a Southern Florida county with exactly one shootin' range and over 10 dozen pasture-pool "coarses." You all remember, I trust, the stories of Gerald Ford and Spiro Agnew beaning folks with golf balls. And then there's the current fashion of non-lethal, beanie-babey uh bean-bag projectiles for riot control and suchlike. Well, I got out my Dad's copy of the Rules of Golf and looked up the allowed velocities and masses of golf balls, and whaddaya know, the allowable kinetic energy on a golf ball figured to be about the same as that on the bullet from a .32 S&W, non special. We've all seen how golf balls fly in random directions when badly hit, due to their dimples intended to enhance the Magnus effect and mess with the boundary layer. Golf Balls would make the perfect "less than lethal" projectile! After all, silly geezers are allowed to project them in all directions here in FL, they bounce funny and can go anywhere, and they'll hit hard enough to knock you out, or hurt you, but only very rarely hard enough to kill. I think "GolfGrape" (You should trademark that, or a similar term, sir!) should be used first on golfers, of course. That way we can clear the courses for a long enough time to plant the anti-personnel mines. (Just Kiddin, OK? at this time.)