Also known as: Robert Parker Parrott.
| Born | Lee, New Hampshire, October 4, 1804 |
|---|---|
| Died | 1877 |
| Training | United States Military Academy, 1824 (third in class) |
| Position | Superintendent, West Point Foundry, Cold Spring, New York, from 1836 |
| Known for | The Parrott rifle and Parrott projectile |
Career
Robert Parker Parrott was born in Lee, New Hampshire, on October 4, 1804, and graduated third in his class from the United States Military Academy in 1824. Commissioned in the 3rd United States Artillery, he served in the Creek War and later as an inspector of ordnance at the privately run West Point Foundry at Cold Spring, New York.
In 1836 Parrott resigned his captaincy to become the civilian superintendent of the foundry. There he developed the cast-iron rifle with a wrought-iron reinforcing band shrunk over the breech that became known as the Parrott rifle, together with the family of Parrott projectiles. Made in field and heavy calibers, they were among the most widely used rifled ordnance in Federal service.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- Melton, Jack W., Jr. Civil War Artillery Projectiles: The Half Shell Book. Blue Ridge, GA: Historical Publications LLC, 2018.
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: inventor biographies, manuals, reports, and patent files.
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.