Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original U.S. Civil War Federal 10-pounder Read-Parrott artillery projectile, manufactured for the 2.9-inch Parrott rifle and retaining remnants of its original fuze assembly. This early Federal projectile pattern represents an important development in rifled artillery ammunition, combining the wrought iron ring sabot originally patented by Dr. John B. Read with improvements developed by Captain Robert Parker Parrott. The projectile measures approximately 9 inches tall with a 3-inch base diameter and retains its circular fuze cap. There is material loss around the base, although the projectile is still capable of standing upright. This is an interesting example of the early Read-Parrott pattern, closely associated with Federal artillery operations during the opening months of the Civil War, including the First Battle of Manassas in July 1861.

The development of the Read-Parrott projectile began before the outbreak of the Civil War, when Dr. John B. Read patented his innovative wrought iron ring sabot design on October 28, 1856, under U.S. Patent No. 15,999. The sabot was a metal ring or cup attached to the base of an elongated projectile, designed to expand into the rifling grooves of a cannon barrel when fired. This engagement with the rifling imparted rotation to the projectile, improving its stability and accuracy in flight. Before 1861, Robert P. Parrott acquired the rights to manufacture projectiles incorporating Read's design, with an arrangement providing for royalty payments to Read.

Parrott subsequently developed improvements to the original wrought iron sabot, receiving U.S. Patent No. 33,100 on August 20, 1861. His design addressed a weakness in Read's earlier construction, in which the relatively thin edges of the wrought iron cup could break away from the projectile body during firing or become damaged during handling. Parrott increased the thickness of the sabot, particularly around its edges, and introduced a method of forming the cup so that it would more effectively engage the rifling grooves. The objective was to improve the strength and reliability of the sabot while maintaining the rotational advantages of Read's original design.

In his patent, Parrott specifically acknowledged that his invention was an improvement upon the projectile patented by Read in 1856. The revised wrought iron cup was designed to engage the rifling grooves during loading and expand under the pressure generated when the cannon fired, allowing it to conform to the grooves and lands of the barrel without breaking away from the projectile. This development was an important step in improving the performance of rifled artillery ammunition during the early Civil War period.

According to correspondence written by Parrott, this early projectile pattern underwent testing at the Washington Arsenal in June 1861, under the command of Brigadier General George D. Ramsay. Parrott also associated the design with Ricketts' Battery during the First Battle of Manassas, fought on July 21, 1861. This early battlefield association is especially interesting because it places the Read-Parrott pattern among the rifled artillery ammunition employed by Federal forces during the opening stages of the war. The configuration closely corresponds to the design illustrated and described in Parrott's August 1861 patent.

Although these projectiles were manufactured for Federal artillery, their wrought iron ring sabots were based upon Read's original patent. Parrott's contribution was an improvement to that existing design rather than an entirely new sabot principle. For this reason, early projectiles incorporating the wrought iron ring are properly classified as the Read-Parrott pattern, distinguishing them from later Parrott projectiles employing brass ring sabots and different fuze arrangements. These later patterns included designs with threaded fuze openings, reflecting the continued development of Parrott artillery ammunition throughout the Civil War.

This example has material loss at the base but still stands upright. It retains the circular fuze cap and measures roughly 9” tall with a 3” base diameter.

The 10-pounder Read-Parrott projectile represents an important stage in the early development of American rifled artillery ammunition. Its wrought iron sabot design illustrates the relationship between the inventions of Dr. John B. Read and Robert P. Parrott, while the pattern's documented association with early Federal artillery operations provides additional historical significance. This example retains its recognizable elongated form and surviving circular fuze cap, despite the material loss around its base. Its approximately 9-inch height, surviving fuze remnants, and early Federal pattern construction make it a noteworthy example for collectors studying Civil War artillery, particularly the evolution of rifled projectiles during the opening years of the conflict.

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