Civil War Heavy Explosive Ordnance: A Guide to Large Artillery Projectiles, Torpedoes, and Mines

Archer

117 Archer Credit for the design of the Archer projectiles and the Archer safety fuzes is being changed in this book. Cdr. John Brooke’s papers and Charles Dews’ authoritative book on the Tredegar Foundry clearly indicate that credit for the design of both the Archer projectiles and the Archer safety fuzes should go to Dr. Robert Archer. The confusion that arose in earlier books about whom to credit is the result of three Dr. Archers being associated with Confederate cannon manufacturing: Dr. Junius Archer of Bellona Foundry, near Richmond; Dr. Edward Archer, a superintendent at the Tredegar Foundry; and Dr. Robert Archer, a partner of Joseph Anderson in the Tredegar Foundry. Brooke identified Dr. Robert Archer as the designer of both projectiles and fuzes.1 Charles Dew indicated that Dr. Robert Archer was an inventor of some distinction, having designed rifle shot for Tredegar cannon and a safety device to prevent premature explosion of cannon shell.2 The Archer shells and bolts have a lead band sabot placed just behind the center of the shell body as it tapers towards the base. Used at the very beginning of the war at First Manassas and in at least one large caliber at Island No. 10, Archer projectiles were discredited as ineffective. They are seldom recovered from battlefields dating after 1862. It is likely that Dr. Robert Archer also designed the projectiles identified in this book as “Tredegar.” However, no documentation has been found yet to confirm that these specific designs are attributable to Archer. Archer shells and bolts appear to have been made in several calibers from 3.0-inch through 3.67-inch, and the 6.4-inch caliber. To date, only four 6.4-inch Archer projectiles are known to have been recovered—three bolts and one shell—all from Island No.10. It is not known where the 6.4-inch Archer projectiles were manufactured. According to the Navy Official Records, the Confederates had twelve rifled 32-pounders at Island No.10, so it is likely that eventually more will be recovered. Equally intriguing, the Confederates had two rifled 24-pounders there, and one might wonder if they were supplied with Archer projectiles as well.3 1 Brooke, Ironclads, 47-48. 2 Dew, 97. 3 Navy ORs, series I, vol. 22, 747-48. Ten of the rifled 32-pounders were on the mainland in Batteries #2 (three), #3 (three), #4 (three), and #5 (one). One (the “Belmont”), in Battery #1 on the island, burst early in the action, and one was on the floating battery New Orleans at the northeast corner of the island. The two rifled 24-pounders were in Battery #3 on the island. See also maps facing page 748 in this reference. 118 RIFLED PROJECTILES ARCHER 119 ...