The barbette tier of the fort has mounts for two 15-inch Rodman cannons, and two 100-pounder Parrot rifles along the rear of the fort, over the half bastions and the guardhouse.
Powder magazines are located beneath the parados (earthen embankments dividing gun emplacements to minimize the impact of a single shell). This is the entrance to the powder magazine, which is several steps down and to one side, and the stairs to the parade of the fort, which are down and to the left. This design prevents a chance hit from going down the stairs and directly into the magazine.
15-inch Rodman guns were the heavy guns of the fort. Not installed until 1874, they could fire a 300 lb round ball approximately three miles. The 50,000 lb guns were lifted to this level using block and tackle, and much patience.Continue
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