3in Ordnance Rifle

Rifled 76mm Towed Field Gun [ 1861 ]

The 3in Ordnance Rifle proved one of the best during the American Civil War - as showcased by its accurate performance at the Battle of Atlanta.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 12/17/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War (1861-1865), engineer John Griffen designed a new, all-modern field gun in 3" (76mm) caliber that went on to become one of the best field artillery pieces of the entire conflict. The gun was the muzzle-loaded 3" Ordnance Rifle and utilized a reinforced barrel of wrought iron which limited fracturing of barrels often seen in cast iron types. The weapon became popular with its gunnery crews and a well-respected battlefield piece for its relative light weight-yet-strong construction and long engagement ranges when compared to contemporary smoothbore types of similar form and function. Once it became available in the numbers required, Federal gunnery crews could outrange their Confederate counterparts with lethality by way of firepower and accuracy.

A prototype, known then as the "Griffen Gun" after its creator, was showcased in 1854 and over the next several years the design was improved in subtle ways. Griffen applied for a patent covering the iron construction method for the gun in December of 1855. It was then tested at Fort Monroe in Virginia by the U.S. Ordnance Department - and found to be both reliable and accurate - but not ordered in number until the war seemed all but certain. In February of 1861, the first batch order for the Griffen Gun was placed and another agreement was signed in July of that year.

Its outward appearance was consistent with the times: A heavily-spoked, two-wheeled carriage was used (towed by horse or other beast-of-burden) that included both gun tube and mounting hardware as well as the tow arm. The gun tube was a slender, unbroken single piece of iron made up of layers of wrought iron rods surrounding a cylindrical iron spindle. The spindle was drilled out and rifled, the rifling helping to increase ranged accuracy considerably - up to 1,900 yards depending on ammunition used. The result was a reliable gun tube that was less prone to fracturing yet lighter than competing designs of the period - indeed the overall piece was light enough for gunnery crews to reposition the gun without too much effort.

Over 1,000 of these guns were made for the war effort by the North and most of the lot came from the Phoenix Iron Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Its accuracy was on full display during the Battle of Atlanta, a major Federal victory, taking place on July 22nd, 1864 in Georgia. Confederate accounts backed the accuracy of the gun in their writings and witness reports and the South respected this new piece enough to attempted to recreate it - though their limited manufacturing capabilities were never able to match its quality resulting in rather poor copies of the original (further hindered by poor quality ammunition).

The guns were also featured in the earlier Battle of Gettysburg of 1863 where nearly half of the Federal guns on hand were 3" Ordnance Rifles. other notable combat exposure included Antietam Fredericksburg.

The 3"Ordnance Rifle managed a long, healthy career in the post-war world, up until the late 1880s at which point more modern breech-loading alternatives of all-steel construction replaced it. It was directly succeeded by the 3.2" Model 1885 rifled field gun (detailed elsewhere on this site) in U.S. Army service and remaining 3" Ordnance Rifles ended their days converted to saluting guns or as breech-loaded 3.2" field guns to help keep them viable battlefield instruments for the foreseeable future.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1861

Origin

United States

Crew

8
CREWMEN

Production

1,025
UNITS

Phoenix Iron Company (Pennsylvania) - USA

(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)

United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Fire Support / Assault / Breaching
Support allied forces through direct / in-direct fire, assault forward positions, and / or breach fortified areas of the battlefield.

Length

6.6 ft
2 m

Weight

1,720 lb
780 kg

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base 3in Ordnance Rifle production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)

Powerplant: None. This is a towed artillery piece.

Range

1.0 mi
(1.7 km)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base 3in Ordnance Rifle production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)

1 x 3" main gun tube.

Supported Types

Graphical image of a tank cannon armament

Graphical image of an artillery gun tube/barrel

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

Dependent upon ammunition supply. Shell, shot and canister available.

3" Ordnance Rifle - Base Series Designation / Name.

Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.

Images Gallery

1 / 3

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

2 / 3

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

3 / 3

Image from the Public Domain.

❮ ❯

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)