There is a discussion on page 39 of Thomas' little, softback book (72 pages in all) of the 3-Inch Ordnance Rifle invented by John Griffen who obtained a patent in 1855 for it. These 3-inch guns were made by Phoenix Iron Company of Phoenixville, PA; they were sturdy, accurate, and superior even to the 10-pounder Parrott, so common in Civil War photos and text. Thomas wrote that at Gettysburg 146 or 41 % of Meade's 360 guns or cannon were 3-inch Ordnance Rifles, and that the North purchased over 1,000 of them. The South acquired them primarily by capture, and I read another source that said some southern artillerymen in the West preferred the 3-inch Ordnance Rifle to any other field piece. (Most folks acquire Thomas' cannon book in the Gettysburg area, if you want to locate a copy, but perhaps Amazon.com or Abebooks may have it, too.)

The 3-inch Ordnance Rifle fired the Hotchkiss shell with percussion fuse or time fuse, it could also fire Schenkl patented shells or even case shot. This piece could also fire 10-pounder Parrott ammunition if it had to, and it could fire canister (like a giant shotgun shell) but was less effective firing canister than smoothbore cannon. The Hotchkiss shell looked like a large bottle, and the percussion fuse type had a smooth bottle appearance while the time fuse type of ammunition was also bottle shaped but had large grooves longitudinally from the bottle-cap like top along the side to the bottle-bottom shaped end of the shell.

The brass fuses for the Hotchkiss time fuse shell were in two sizes and looked like a cap on top with the threads for securing in the projectile just below and below that a pipe-looking, smaller diameter body. Frankly, it looks like something that would screw into a barrel, like a big stopper. The key, if you were to see one, is that the whole fuse is made of brass. In the high desert climate where you are going, it will not be badly corroded (unless if has been in water logged ground) because of that climate. I know this from personal experience in east Wyoming recovering military and pioneer relics long ago.

I wish you well in your quest, and I hope somebody can answer your Spencer ammunition question.

If I had known you wanted info on the 3-inch field piece and its ammo I could have given you that back in the Missouri Message Board. Oh, well, whatever gets it done.

Bruce Nichols