The Picatinny Arsenal
New Jersey
The Voice
Newsletter of the Picatinny Arsenal, Picatinny, NJ
Castle Clinton
From the National Park Service
Fort Wadsworth
National Lighthouse Center and Museum
Staten Island NY
(site only works with Internet Explorer)
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Berger Preservation Projects
19th Century Cannon at Castle Clinton
The Louis Berger group is internationally known as experts and innovators in archaeological conservation techniques. A cannon excavated from the Marine Inspection Office of the Coast Guard Facility near Castle Clinton National Monument in Manhattan, New York, was recently treated by Berger conservators.
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On June 14, 1996, The Voice, the authorized newsletter of the Picatinny, New Jersey Arsenal, ran this picture of the soil-encrusted gun. Photo courtesy The Voice.
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The cannon was first inspected by the Picatinny Arsenal's 25 million volt betatron to ensure it did not yet contain munitions. Then, the Louis Berger Group's conservation team restored the cannon, using electrolytic reduction and a preservative to prevent future oxidation. Cleaning the cannon revealed that the cannon is a pre-Civil War era Tredegar 18-pound cannon, cast at the Tredegar Foundry in Richmond, Virginia, by Joseph Reid Anderson between 1848 and 1859. The gun is a smooth bore garrison and siege gun, measuring nine and a half feet long, and weighing two and a half tons.
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Above, a view of the fully-conserved cannon.
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At left is the maker's mark embossed on the trunnion, "J.R.A. T.F.", which stands for Joseph R. Anderson, Tredegar Foundry. This mark was used from April 4, 1848 and March 18, 1859.
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After conservation, the cannon was turned over to the National Park Service and can be seen at Fort Wadsworth, on Staten Island NY.
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This page is based on information from the Voice, the official newsletter of the Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey.
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