James “Bird Cage” Shell
James “Bird Cage” Shell - Inventory Number: ART 457
James design, Federal manufacture, bursting shell, "common" (standard), open base with slots, 3.67”. Projectile was manufactured in the Federal arsenals following the invention of Charles James. The pattern utilized a hollow caged cavity (called a "birdcage") covered by a thin sleeve of lead, tin, and canvass, the thin sabot would expand into the rifling and then be discharged after the projectile left the bore. This meant that there would always be flying metal debris from the sabot, which could be a problem for forward troops. Four small holes were drilled into the base, these are thought to have been vent holes, however they are often lead filled. Shell is common shot (does not contain balls) and with percussion fuze was designed to be used against opposing cannon by striking the equipment. Fuze employed was the James brass anvil percussion fuze.
A common weapon that was re-bored was the bronze Model 1841, also known as a 3.67-inch gun or a 6-pounder. This cannon was converted from a smoothbore to a rifled weapon by the James system of rifling, developed by General Charles T. James to accommodate his new shell, which required special rifling. Because the rifling allowed a larger shell to be fired, about 12 pounds, these guns were incorrectly referred to as 12-pounders. In some reports these guns were also referred to as “James Rifles,” which is also misleading since there was also a 14-pounder (3.8-inch) bronze field piece manufactured for General James in 1861, which carried the “James Rifle” nomenclature.
The 3.67- and 3.8-inch bronze Model 1841 pattern had a bore length of 57.5 inches and fired a projectile with a powder charge of 1.25 pounds. The ammunition was short and light, usually of the James and Schenkl pattern. The 900-pound U.S. Model No. 1 carriage common with these tubes could not withstand the violent recoil a higher charge for heavier projectiles produced. The carriage and tube together weighed 1,785 pounds. Even with the lightweight tube, many of these carriages failed in the field and, in 1864, the carriage was redesigned to make it stronger.
It should be noted that many of the 3.67-inch smoothbore guns were re-bored to 3.8-inches to make the bore interior completely smooth before rifling. As a result, most of the true 3.67-inch rifles in existence today, were manufactured as rifles instead of being converted. Guns made by Ames Company in Massachusetts, Miles Greenwood of Ohio (Eagle Iron Works), and William Marshall and Company of St. Louis, Missouri, are examples of this type. The image to your right is an example of a Miles Greenwood manufactured Model 1841 6-pounder (3.67-inch caliber) smoothbore bronze cannon that was re-bored to 3.80-inches with James rifling.
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Inventory Number: ART 457