Rodman Gun - Rodmans in Action

Rodmans in Action

Rodman guns saw little, if any, action during the Civil War. Two 10-inch columbiads were used in 1864 and 1865 in Union operation against Fort Sumter (Suter 1891, p. 117). It seems likely, due to the time period in which they were used, that these were Rodman guns rather than earlier model columbiads. Other reports of the use of 8-inch and 10-inch columbiads may refer to Rodman guns. The 15-inch Rodman guns were never fired in anger (Birkhimer 1884, p. 291,fn). The 20-inch Rodmans were only fired eight times in practice (Ripley 1984, p. 80).