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Thomas Jackson Rodman (July 31, 1816 – June 7, 1871) was an American artillerist, inventor,
ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unit ...
specialist, and career
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
officer.Dupuy, p. 636. He served as a
Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
officer during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, in which he was noted for his many improvements and innovations concerning the
artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
used by the Union forces. He is especially remembered for developing the
Rodman gun Drawing comparing Model 1844 8-inch columbiad and Model 1861 10-inch "Rodman" columbiad. The powder chamber on the older columbiad is highlighted by the red box. The Rodman gun is any of a series of American Civil War–era columbiads designed b ...
, which in various sizes saw extensive use in coastal defenses, and was called the "strongest cast iron cannon ever made." General Rodman also discovered the use of shaped gunpowder grains, in which properly compressing and shaping the gunpowder into pre-designed grain shapes allowed the control of gas production by the burning gunpowder. This resulted in increased muzzle velocities with lower maximum pressures when compared to performance with conventional ball powder. The Rodman seven perforation grain was named after Rodman, and similar propellant grain shapes are still in use today in artillery, rockets, and automotive airbag inflators. After the conflict Rodman remained with the U.S. Army in his chosen profession, and is also noted for his alleged controversies while in command of the
Watertown Arsenal The Watertown Arsenal was a major American arsenal located on the northern shore of the Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts. The site is now registered on the ASCE's List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks and on the US Nationa ...
.


Early life and career

Thomas Jackson Rodman was born in 1816 on a farm near Salem in
Washington County, Indiana Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 28,262. The county seat (and the county's only incorporated city) is Salem. Washington County is part of the Louisville metro ...
. He was a son of James Rodman and his wife Elizabeth Burton, who was originally from Virginia. In 1837 Rodman entered the
United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
in
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, and graduated four years later, standing seventh out of 52 cadets. On July 1, 1841, he was appointed a
brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...
second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the U.S. Army Ordnance Department.Eicher, p. 460. On December 13, 1843, Rodman married Martha Ann Black (1823–1908), and the couple would have seven children together. His two daughters were named Florence (born 1849) and Ella Elizabeth (born 1856), and his sons were named: John B. (1844–1909), Edmund B. (born 1846), Thomas Jackson Jr. (1852–1919), Robert S. (born 1855), and Addison B. (born 1858.) Two of Rodman's sons also attended West Point. Addison Burton Rodman was admitted on July 1, 1877, but resigned on December 18 that same year. John Black Rodman was admitted on September 1, 1863, graduated on June 15, 1868, served initially with the 20th U.S. Infantry, and rose to the rank of
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
before retiring. Rodman also saw limited military action in 1846–48 during the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
.


The Rodman gun and Civil War service

Starting in 1844, Rodman began running experiments to overcome the size limitations of
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...
cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...
due to the way they were made. Up to that time, all cannon
barrels A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, u ...
made of iron were cast solid and then cooled only on their outside, resulting in uneven cooling when the metal contracted toward the barrel's outer surface. This process also "created internal strains and structural irregularities," and these problems were even more prevalent in large bore castings, especially on any actual openings in the cannon that were designed. Made in this way, the cannons could crack during the cooling process, break apart during shipment, or worse burst as they were fired. Although it took him years, Rodman developed a way to solve these drawbacks. He found that if he cast the iron around a hollow core and then applied a steady stream of water within the barrel for cooling, a much more reliable and stronger product was made. His method, and the result, has been described as: "Water circulating through the tube cooled the bore while coals were piled against the mold to keep the outer surface hot. Rodman's manufacturing method, now known as the 'wet chill process', forced the impurities outward while the outer metal shrank against the hardened interior." Doing this forced the thickest material toward the center of the barrel, and Rodman would then
patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
this invention. On March 3, 1847, Rodman was promoted to
first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
, and was promoted to the rank of
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
on July 1, 1855. Rodman experimented for almost a decade at the
Fort Pitt Foundry The Fort Pitt Foundry was a nineteenth-century iron foundry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was originally established at Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street in 1804 by Joseph McClurg, grandfather of Joseph W. McClurg, and his son Alex McClurg, ...
in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, testing his theory and performing trial runs of his cannon barrels. After viewing the results, the
U.S. War Department The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...
approved construction of a fifteen-inch
smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...
columbiad The columbiad was a large-caliber, smoothbore, muzzle-loading cannon able to fire heavy projectiles at both high and low trajectories. This feature enabled the columbiad to fire solid shot or shell to long ranges, making it an excellent seacoas ...
of Rodman's design in 1859. On December 23 a prototype was cast, and it test fired 509 times without incident. The following year he supervised its construction at the foundry, and once complete it was shipped for testing to
Fortress Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virg ...
at
Old Point Comfort Old Point Comfort is a point of land located in the independent city of Hampton, Virginia. Previously known as Point Comfort, it lies at the extreme tip of the Virginia Peninsula at the mouth of Hampton Roads in the United States. It was renamed ...
on the
Virginia Peninsula The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay. It is sometimes known as the ''Lower Peninsula'' to distinguish it from two other peninsulas to the n ...
. It tested successfully there in March 1861, but due to its size and weight it would be destined for permanent, fixed positions, and not suitable for field service nor naval use. The specifications of this gun were: overall length of fifteen feet, ten inches long; and a bore length of thirteen feet, nine inches; total weight around 50,000 pounds. This design, capable of firing either
shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...
or
shot Shot may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard *''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck *'' Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy * "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus * ''Shot'' (2017 f ...
, would be the base for most of the Rodman guns that followed. Rodman also addressed the effectiveness of the
gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...
used in cannons. During 1856 his experiments showed that using powder compressed into
hexagon In geometry, a hexagon (from Ancient Greek, Greek , , meaning "six", and , , meaning "corner, angle") is a six-sided polygon. The total of the internal angles of any simple polygon, simple (non-self-intersecting) hexagon is 720°. Regular hexa ...
al-shaped
grains A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legumes ...
with several holes cut lengthwise into them caused the grains to burn outside as well as in, unlike their predecessors. This resulted in a longer and more consistent burn time in the bore, increasing the muzzle velocity of the round fired, thereby increasing the range of the weapon. As a result of his work, on April 17, 1861, Rodman reported to the U.S. War Department that he could now produce reliable cannon in almost any size using the methods he had developed. In November 1861 the first U.S. Government order was made for Rodman's fifteen-inch cannon, "...the largest in the U.S. arsenal." During the conflict around 130 fifteen-inch, 445 ten-inch, and 213 eight-inch Rodman guns were purchased by the U.S. Government, and an unknown number made after the conflict. Another innovation Rodman developed was a replacement for the rear knob of cannons (a part of the area called a
cascabel Cascabel may refer to: * Cascabel (artillery), a subassembly of a muzzle-loading cannon * Cascabel chili, a small, round chili pepper * Cascabel, a Shuttle Loop roller coaster at Chapultepec Park in Mexico City * Spanish common name for ''Crotalu ...
) which is used for fitting the gear that lifted and lowered the gun. Older designs had a knob that was small and round, which were found to easily break on the larger barrels being cast at the Fort Pitt Foundry. Rodman gave his cannon a short knob nearly as wide as the base of the barrel, a distinctive and easily recognizable feature of Rodman's guns. He also created instruments capable of measuring the internal pressure of his cannons. Rodman's contributions and the extent his work was utilized had been described as: Throughout the American Civil War, Rodman was commander and superintendent of the
Watertown Arsenal The Watertown Arsenal was a major American arsenal located on the northern shore of the Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts. The site is now registered on the ASCE's List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks and on the US Nationa ...
, located along the
Charles River The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...
in
Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
. He also served on the army's Fortification Board during the war, and on June 1, 1863, Rodman was promoted to the rank of
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
. He would spend about three years designing a twenty-inch cannon (the largest he would create) and the work finally began on February 11, 1864. Using several of the arsenal's furnaces, about 160,000 pounds of molten iron were cast into four separate molds, then a week of cooling followed, and the cannon was finished on a huge
lathe A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, and turning, with tools that are applied to the workpiece to c ...
specially built for this task. A railroad flatcar capable of holding the gun, and its large carriage weighing 36,000 pounds itself, were also made under Rodman's supervision at the arsenal. While awaiting shipment to
Fort Hamilton Fort Hamilton is a United States Army installation in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights. It is one of several posts that are part of the region which is ...
in New York Harbor, the large cannon drew spectators. On July 23, 1864, the ''
Pittsburgh Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the Alle ...
'' newspaper reported "Juveniles, aged from ten to fifteen years, were amusing themselves today in crawling into the bore on their hands and knees. A good sized family including ma and pa, could find shelter in the gun and it would be a capital place to hide in case of a bombardment...." As the American Civil War ended in 1865, Rodman was rewarded for his service with three
brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...
promotions in the U.S. Army, all occurring on March 13, making him a brevet
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
.Eicher, p. 460. Advanced to the ranks of Brevet Lt. Col. USA, Brevet Col. USA, and Brevet Brig. Gen. USA, on March 13, 1865.


Later career, controversy, and death

After the war ended, Rodman chose to remain in the U.S. Army. His actions while in command of the Watertown Arsenal drew the attention of the powerful Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War, who investigated allegations of Rodman's possible disloyalty, improper management of the facility, and misuse of government resources, among other items. In particular he was charged with the following: Almost 100 witnesses were called to testify before the Committee on this matter, however Rodman was not permitted to cross-examine any of them; instead he was only allowed to refute these charges in a letter to his own commander, Brig. Gen. Alexander B. Dyer, the army's Chief of Ordnance. To the accusations concerning his personal loyalty, Rodman answered "that he had given much attention to the loyalty of his men, and he showed his vigilance in pointing out that there had been no accidents at the Arsenal during his tenure there." To the charge he failed to properly celebrate the Union victory and mourn Lincoln, he stated "that he had not fired a salute in recognition of the end of the war and of the President's death because he had never received official orders to do so." The issue investigated most heavily by the Committee, however, concerned the building of the post commander's residence at the Watertown Arsenal. Speculation and rumor as to its total cost ranged up to $100,000 to $150,000
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
, and that such extravagance was only to benefit Rodman himself. To the second claim Rodman stated that he had received orders to construct the residence (along with specifications and plans for it) by his superiors in the Ordnance Department, but the first claim required further testimony. Rodman stated that "every economy possible was being observed in constructing the house" and other witnesses testified that the cost (estimated to be between $40,000 and $60,000) was reasonable for its completion; the final total would come to $63,478.65. The investigation itself developed its own controversy. Believing the Committee was hearing only "one-sided testimony" the civilians of Watertown wrote
affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or '' deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by law. Such a statemen ...
s praising Rodman's performance, asking he remain commander of the arsenal, and demanding he receive a fair trial. The hearings were described as "More than 90 witnesses were examined by Honorable Mr. Gooch of the Congressional Committee, who appears to have carefully selected for testimony those persons who advocated Rodman's removal; and to have asked
leading question In common law systems that rely on testimony by witnesses, a leading question is a question that suggests a particular answer and contains information the examiner is looking to have confirmed. The use of leading questions in court to elicit test ...
s to any witnesses who may have been in sympathy with the commanding officer." Although the investigation was completed, the results of the charges against him were never revealed, and in July 1865 Rodman was sent to
Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...
, to supervise the construction of a new arsenal. This facility would become the
Rock Island Arsenal The Rock Island Arsenal comprises , located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It lies within the state of Illinois. Rock Island ...
, where Rodman would spend the rest of his life and career, as well as building an even larger commander's residence. On March 7, 1867, Rodman was promoted to the permanent rank of
lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
in the U.S. Army. He died on duty at Rock Island on June 7, 1871, and was buried on June 17 in the arsenal's
National Cemetery The following is a partial list of prominent National Cemeteries: Africa Algeria * El Alia Cemetery, Algiers Burundi * Mausolée des Martyrs de la Démocratie, Bujumbura Ghana * Asomdwee Park, Accra * Burma Camp Military Cemetery, Accra L ...
. Reflecting a pattern of naming many Washington, DC streets in newly developed areas in the Capital after Civil War generals, an east-west street in the Northwest quadrant is named Rodman Street, NW.


Notes


References

* Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, and Bongard, David L., ''Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography'', Castle Books, 1992, 1st Ed., . * Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, .
cwartillery.org
Civil War Artillery site description of Rodman's artillery experiments.

Commander's Mansion site description of possible controversies concerning Rodman.
landen-family.com
Landen Family site entry for Martha Ann Black.

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
article "Mammoth Guns: Rodman's Smoothbore Cannons".
nytimes.com
''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' newspaper obituary of Rodman, originally published June 8, 1871.


Further reading

* Dupuy, Trevor N., ''The Evolution of Weapons and Warfare'', Da Capo Press, 1990, .


External links


britannica.com
Encyclopædia Britannica site entry for Rodman.
nytimes.com
''New York Times'' newspaper February 21, 1864, article on the creation of a 20-inch Rodman gun.

''
Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor, ...
'' magazine November 19, 1864, article about the first of Rodman's 20-inch guns.
visitquadcities.com
Quad Cities site summary of Rodman at Rock Island & Quarters One he designed there. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodman, Thomas J. 1816 births 1871 deaths Articles containing video clips Foundrymen People from Salem, Indiana People of Indiana in the American Civil War Union Army officers United States Army officers United States Military Academy alumni