Existing comment:
Experimental Cartridges:
Funds for developing new weapons decreased after the Civil War, forcing the Army to upgrade the cannon they already had.
These three 10-inch Rodman gun tubes were probably made during the 1870s, but their carriages are improved versions developed about 1888. A large hydraulic cylinder returned the gun to its forward position after firing and recoil. Another innovation was the use of bumpers made of a material relatively new to gunnery -- rubber.
The automatic return feature eliminated the time-consuming step of cranking the gun back into firing position by hand. |