How Many Cannon Did Washington Have in 1775?
At the bottom of that sheet was a section headed “Ordnance, Shot, and Shells, now in Camp.” That listed:
Cannon:That was more than a month before Capt. John Manley captured the British ordnance ship Nancy with brass cannon and mortars aboard, and three months before Col. Henry Knox, Gridley’s successor, returned from Lake Champlain with more heavy cannon.
24 pounders, 5; shot, 449.
18 pounders, 6; shot, 260.
12 pounders, 2; shot, 149.
9 pounders, 3; shot, 1,175.
8 pounder, 1.
6 pounders, 2.
5 1/4 pounders, 4; shot, 1,134.
4 pounders, 7; shot, 1,475.
3 pounders, 9; shot, 3,079.
2 1/2 pounders, 2; shot, 1,009.
Total number of cannon, 41.
Total number of shot, 8,730.
Carriages, ladles, rammers and sponges, &c., complete.
Mortars:
10 inch mortars, 3; shells, 374.
8 inch mortars 2; 8 inch howitzers, 3; shells, 452.
7 inch brass mortars, 2; shells, 641.
Total number of mortars, 10.
Total number of shells, 1,467.
With beds, carriages, and implements, complet.
I quote this inventory to refute the common idea that Washington’s army had no artillery until Knox came back. It had dozens of cannon, including some that shot balls as large as any from Crown Point and Fort Ticonderoga. Of course, like any good general, Washington wanted more.
5 comments:
If I recall correctly the Continentals were critically short of gunpowder which made those cannon next to useless. I don't have my Ferling text for the exact details and while going through your gunpowder references here on this site I see the shortage didn't last too long. It does show how ill prepared American colonists were for a war and really gives an idea as to just how crucial French aid would be in the upcoming years.
The problem for Washington was not that he didn't have cannon but that he was short of gunpowder and had little confidence in his army. The army was also deficient in large mortars. Washington had to put his artillery into a position where they threatened the British Navy in the harbor and the British Army gun emplacements in the city; and he could only do that if he took Dorchester Heights. Once the colonists occupied the heights and put cannon and mortars in fortified positions,the fleet had to withdraw. Without the British fleet, Howe couldn't sustain his army.
Knox brought with him lead flints and, most importantly, 14 mortars, to include a couple of 13 inch mortars, which matched the best the British had.
Washington's anxiety about his army and their capabilities were displayed during the diversionary bombardment to take Dorchester Heights. Colonial artillerymen managed to burst 2 13 inch and 3 ten inch mortars through "inexperience."
So the questions that pop up for me are:
How many cannon did the Continentals have at the time of Dorchester Heights / March '76 (after Knox etc)
And how many cannon did the British have in Boston not including naval?
The shortage of gunpowder is well known -- continentals prepared wooden harpoons during early stage of siege just in case of another British massed attack over the neck ala Breed's Hill pushback potentially repeating the reason for retreat at the battle of Bunker Hill over the entire area. Of course British were exceedingly hesitant to mount another massed assault after Breed's Hill carnage -- what a surprise for them, the Continental “rabble” being so committed -- one of the bravest and most harrowing episodes in American history.
Yes, the real bottleneck for the American army was gunpowder. The colonial governments and smuggling gradually built the supply up from the low point in early August 1775.
There were two infusions of ordnance for the Americans: the Nancy capture in December 1775 and Knox’s return in January 1776. As a result, the Continentals had more than twice as many cannon and mortars in March 1776 than six months before.
The British had many more guns, especially if we add in the Royal Navy’s warships. Indeed, the royal troops left dozens of cannons behind, spiked or otherwise damaged, they had so many to spare.
Just an aside: after the 13-inch mortar called the Congress burst, it was repaired, the barrel reinforced with metal hoops. Peter Mackintosh -- the subject of the first short biography in my e-book "Don't Tread on Me: Photographs and Life Stories of American Revolutionaries" -- was proud all his life of his work to repair it. His pension application says, "The general circumstances of this app.t's service were as follows viz during the first term thereof he worked all night at Cambridge hooping a brass mortar which had been taken from the enemy by Capt Manly. Gen. Washington himself came to the shop to give direction about the work." -- Joe Bauman
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