Artillery and Armour in the USA: Georgia, Savannah

Artillery, Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles preserved in Georgia, City of Savannah

One of the aims of this website is to locate, identify and document every historical piece of artillery and all armoured fighting vehicles preserved in Georgia.  Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these tangible pieces of our military history and the list you see here is constantly being revised as new finds are discovered and the data is updated.  The photos have come from various contributors, but the author likes to "ground truth" the reports, so a good number of the photos are by the author unless otherwise credited.  Any errors found here are by the author.   It often happens that military monuments that are relatively mobile, have been moved for restoration or scrapped, sometimes they are repainted with different markings and serial numbers, or they are replaced with a different piece of kit.  For those reasons, any additions, deletions, corrections or amendments that you may be able to add to this list of Artillery and AFVs in Georgia would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.  The primary aim is preserve our military history and to keep the record accurate.

Artillery preserved in the City of Savannah

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Historical Marker commemorating the Georgia Hussars, organized 13 Feb 1776.  This Troop of Mounted Rangers was raised by General Ogelthorpe to patrol and protect the Colony of Georgia from the Spaniards and Indians.  It fought at Bloody Marsh in 1742 and at the Siege of Savannah in 1779.  Its record during the American Civil War, 1861 to 1865, is unsurpassed as was its service in Mexico, World War I, World War II and Korea.  It remained Horse Cavalry until October 1940.  From Colonial times to Vietnam, Hussars have represented Savannah in all our wars.  It is still an active unit in the Georgia Army National Guard.

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Historical Marker commemorating Chatham Artillery's "Washington Guns".  These bronze cannon were presented to the Chatham Artillery by President Washington after his visit to Savannah in 1791.  Of English and French make, respectively, they are excellent examples of the art of ordnance manufacture in the 18th century.

An inscription on the British 6-pounder states that it was "surrendered by the capitulation of York Town (on 19 October) 1781."  The English cannon was cast in 1758 during the reign of King George II and the royal (cypher), and insignia (monogram) of the Order of the Garter appear on its barrel.

The French gun was manufactured at Strasburg in 1756.  On its elaborately engraved barrel appear the coat of arms of King Louis VIV; the sun, which was the emblem of that monarch, and a Latin inscription (which Louis XIV first ordered placed on French cannon), meaning "Last Argument of Kings".  The dolphins were emblematic of the Dauphin of France.  The gun was individually named "La Populaire."

Reminders of America's hard-won struggle for Independence and of the great man who led the Continental forces in the Revolution, the historic "Washington Guns" were placed on public display here through co-operation of the Chatham Artillery and the City of Savannah.

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Historical Marker commemorating Chatham Artillery's "Washington Guns".  These cannon, which were captured when Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in the American Revolution, were a gift to the Chatham Artillery by President George Washington - a mark of his appreciation for the part the local military company played in the celebration of his visit to Savannah in May 1791.  Washington commended the Chatham Artillery in "warmest terms" and at one of the functions in his honor (which tgook place on the river bluff east of this spot) proposed a toast "to the present dexteroud Corps of Artillery."

The "Washington Guns" have thundered a welcome to many distinguished visitors to Savannay, including James Monroe, the Marquis de Lafayette, James K. Polk, Millard Fillmore, Chester A, Arthur, Jefferson Davis, Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

During the War between the States the historic cannon were buried for safety beneath the Chatham Artillery armory and were not removed until 1872 when the Federal occupation troops had departed.

The "Washington Guns" were taken to Yorktown in 1881 by a contingent of the Chatham Artillery and led the parade at the centennial celebration of Cornwallis' surrender.

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British bronze 6-pounder SBML Gun mounted on a field carriage.

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French bronze 6-pounder SBML Gun mounted on a field carriage.

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Pair of Bronze 6-pounder Model 1841 smoothbore muzzle-loading Field Guns facing Bull Street in Madison Park.

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Bronze 6-pounder Model 1841 smoothbore muzzle-loading Field Gun, Cyrus Alger & Company, weight 1,239 lbs, Serial No. 126, mounted on a concrete pedestal in Madison Park.  No. 1 of 2.

Bronze 6-pounder Model 1841 smoothbore muzzle-loading Field Gun, Cyrus Alger & Company, weight 1,239 lbs, Serial No. 110, mounted on a concrete pedestal in Madison Park.  No. 2 of 2.

The Bronze smoothbore muzzle-loading Model 1841 6-pounder Field Gun had a 3.6-inch diameter smoothbore barrel approximately 5 feet long with a swell at the muzzle.  Most 1841 6-pounders were cast in bronze but a few were cast in iron with a broader taper.  This gun had a range of 1,500 yards although it was likely most effective at 1,000 yards depending on the type of shot being fired.  It was usually mounted on a horse-drawn two-wheeled carriage with a limber attached with ammunition ready to load.  The limber typically carried 30 6.1-lb cannister shots and 15 spherical case shots loaded with 48 cast-iron balls, in three chests.  The 6-pounder was a lightweight mobile piece weighing approximately 880-lbs and usually was operated by an 8-man crew.  The 6-pounder gun was one of a number of guns designed by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department in 1841 (companion pieces were the Model 1841 12-pounder, 24-pounder, and 32-pounder field Howitzers; the Model 1841 12-pounder Gun and the smoothbore muzzle-loading 12-pounder Mountain Howitzer Model 1835).  The effectiveness of the 1841 series had been proven in the Mexican War, during which these guns demonstrated excellent maneuverability and reliability.   The 6-pounder was common to both armies in the early war years.  The piece gradually fell into disfavour at the introduction of the Bronze 12-pounder Napoleon Model 1857 smoothbore muzzle-loading Gun-Howitzer, (Federal Gun with muzzle swell used in the Civil War), because of its bigger bore and hitting power, although in the western theater the 6-pounder remained in service until the end of the war.  (Wikipedia)

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Savannah Volunteer Guards Armoury, now the main entrance to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), flanked by a vertically mounted pair of Cast Iron 24-pounder SBML guns.  340 Bull Street near Madison Park.

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Cast Iron 24-pounder SBML Gun, weight 45-0-0 (5,040 lbs), (Serial No. 83), left side of front entrance.

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Cast Iron 24-pounder SBML Gun, weight 45-1-0 (5,068 lbs), (Serial No. 81), right side of front entrance.

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Cast iron SBML Gun mounted on a concrete stand in a small park near the waterfront.

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