June 12, 2002
June 12, 2002Hi Bob:
I have had an interest in this "lost howitzer" from the Fremont
expedition since a bit part role I had in the mini-series Dream West
starring Richard Chamberlain. Briefly, here is my input:
a.) The birth of the short barreled howitzer is from the French, and was used extensively in the Napoleonic wars, and was so effective the British even made an identical piece dubbed the 5.5 inch (the French piece being about 6inch caliber). The French piece had handles (dolphins) and, incidentally, the term "dolphin" came from two dolphins actually cast on the tube of earlier pieces. The piece was the System Gribeauval Howitzer named after the French Chief of artillery who modernized and consolidated calibers to but a few in that day.
b.) The French Model 1827 Mountain Howitzer was actually adopted by the U.S., having purchased same from the French, but I do not know if the U.S. actually made this model.
c.)
The original drawing or sketch of the "Fremont Howitzer" [at
right], which was painfully ridiculed by one of your submitters,
showed handles on the French-styled tube--after all, handles would be
a prominent and notable feature to any artist who is not necessarily
a big gun aficionado.The artist [Preuss] or the engraver may
have drawn the howitzer in a cartoon-like manner, but the handles
were drawn simply because they were part of this howitzer.
d.) Gen. Custer apparently had two 1827 mountain howitzers, along with the two Gatling Guns, both of which he left behind in his haste to corner the thousands of Sioux and Cheyenne like flies.
Sincerely,
Jiggs Caudron,
Wrightwood, CA.
Mr. Caudron sends this drawing of the 6" bore French mountain
howitzer.
I have added the 2X blow-up of the tube so that the dolphins show
well on this web image.
"I went to Paris and saw their collection of 1828 French Mountain Howitzers that the US howitzer was copied off of? And as suspected, they are dolphinless and look almost exactly like ours or more accurately, ours looks almost exactly like theirs. I am totally unconvinced with the other info you have on the short barrelled howitzer you have on the webpage. It they existed, they were around on the north american continent but we have no proof they were ever issued to forces and were anything other than relics of earlier wars." Col. Paul Rosewitz
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