Robert Parker Parrot, a graduate of the United States Military
Academy and veteran of
the Creek Indian War, best served his nation far from the field of battle. A
native of Lee, New
Hampshire, the Yankee inventor resigned his Army captaincy in 1836
to become the civilian superintendent of the West Point Iron and Canon Foundry
in Cold Spring, New York. For the next 30 years, Robert
Parrot developed artillery systems and patented their designs. His customer,
the U.S. government, would
use these new weapons to help save the Union during
the American Civil War.
Rifling and Wrought
Iron
The artillery that Robert Parker Parrot designed bore his
name and his initials. Known as Parrot guns, Parrot cannons, and Parrot rifles,
these weapons displayed the letters "RPP" on their gun tubes. But these
cast-iron canons were valued for their rifling - not their lettering. Wrought-iron
reinforcing rings were also an important feature.
With rifled weapons, a projectile is forced into spiral
grooves within the gun's bore. The imparted spin causes the projectile to fly
straighter, farther, and with greater power on impact. In the case of cannons,
the resulting kinetic energy can be used to batter enemy gun emplacements and
fortifications. Typically, the
projectile is referred to as a "bolt" and has a cylindrical or spherical shape.
Parrot guns used another of Robert Parrot's inventions, Parrot shells.
Although the basics of rifling had long been understood, the
rifling of large metal guns was problematic. In the case of bronze guns, the
friction of the ammunition would  wear down the rifling in the relatively soft
metal. Replacement rifling was expensive and forced the weapon out of service.
Cast-iron
cannons were more durable, but could burst while firing large charges – often
with catastrophic effects upon artillery crews. The picture at right is a depiction of one such tragedy during the Battle of Wilmington.
For Robert Parker Parrot, the solution was to reinforce the
cast-iron breech, the opening at the rear of a gun where missiles are loaded, with
a band of wrought iron. Tougher and less brittle than cast iron, wrought iron also
has a high tensile strength. Robert Parrot's solution may seem simple, but it
required improvements to the process of melding a cast-iron barrel with a
wrought-iron reinforcing ring. Other inventors had developed similar designs,
but lacked the iron-working expertise.
Patents and War
In 1861, Robert Parrot received patents for both his rifled
cannon and bolt-like projectile. After reviewing these designs, the U.S. War
Department procured numerous Parrot rifles and deployed them as field artillery
and defensive cannons, and aboard the U.S. Navy's new steam-powered
fortifications. Parrot cannons were used during the Battle of Bull Run (First
Manassas) and to defend the federal capital of Washington,
D.C. Parrot guns were also used to defend Washington, D.C.
and Northern harbors.
Editor's Note: Click here for Part 1 of this two-part series.
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