American Historical Ephemera & Photography

A possible copy of a landscape-oriented view featuring static heavy ordnance with four anonymous officers posed in proximity. The company grade officer at the far right appears to be wearing crossed cannon insignia on his kepi, while the blurry officer in the left foreground is a regimental staff officer wearing a double breasted 7-button frock coat. The artillery tube, a Rodman Gun, appears to be one of the smaller examples, mounted on an iron barbette carriage and employed in a fixed position in garrison, seacoast or otherwise. The carriage bears bold white text on the side reading, "Gov. Smith." (Image somewhat dark, with soft focus on certain areas, and some surface scratches throughout; unsealed.) Housed in a Rare Union case, American Country Life 1 [Berg 1-11] (chipping and nicking to edges, some discoloration, alignment slightly off). 

The Rodman Gun was characterized by indented rear elevation sockets at the breech end, part of the ratchet and lever mechanism used to raise the barrel. Roughly 1,837 Rodmans were cast between 1861 and 1871, making it a fairly common artillery piece. This particular piece seems to be fixed on a pintle mount set on a concrete base. That detail along with the brickwork parapet suggests an antebellum era fortification rearmed with Rodman guns during the Civil War era. 

As to the significance of the name of this particular piece, both Vermont and Rhode Island had wartime governors with the name Smith - John Gregory Smith (1818-1891) of Vermont 1863-1865, and James Y. Smith (1809-1876) of Rhode Island 1863-1866.  Moreover, both states organized regiments of heavy artillery, including Vermont's 1st Regiment of Heavy Artillery that served exclusively in the various forts of the Washington defenses until being withdrawn and mobilized as infantry reinforcements for Grant's Overland Campaign in the spring of 1864. Rhode Island organized the 3rd and 5th Regiments Heavy Artillery converted from infantry of the same designation. The 3rd Heavy served (by battery) primarily in the Department of the South engaged in Charleston, SC operations and also in Florida, with several batteries reassigned to the south side of the James River during late war siege operations against Petersburg. The 5th Heavy served as garrisons in forts and defenses of New Berne, NC, Washington, D.C., and Roanoke Island, NC by detachments.

A spectacular, likely unpublished, wartime image.