The following is a bibliography of our sources on the history of ordnance. It is not a complete list of the collection; many early works on specific types of ordnance have been omitted. These can be found under “Ordnance”, “Ordnance, Naval” and “Gunnery” in the library catalog. This bibliography concentrates on historical treatments of the subject.
Bathe, Greville. Ship of Destiny: A Record of the U.S. Steam Frigate Merrimac 1855-1862, With an Appendix on the Development of the U.S. Naval Cannon from 1812-1865. St. Augustine, Florida, 1951. VA65, M5B3
Baxter, James Finney. The Introduction of the Ironclad Warship. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1933. V799, B3, 1933.
Brewington, M. V. “American Naval Guns, 1775-1785.” The American Neptune 3 (January and April 1943): 11-18 and 148-158.
Brewington, M. V. “The Constitution’s 1812 Guns.” The American Neptune 7 (July 1947): 240-241.
Bruce, Robert V. Lincoln and the Tools of War. Indianapolis: Bobbs- Merrill, 1956. E491, B7
Callender, Geoffrey. “Miches, Capsquares and Trunnion-Bands.” The Mariner’s Mirror 5 (August 1919): 34-45. (16th century gun fittings)
Canfield, Eugene G. “Civil War Naval Ordnance.” In Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Washington, D.C.: Naval History Division, 1968. S/R, VA, 61, A5.3, V. 3
Cipolla, Carlo M. Guns, Sails and Empires: Technological Innovation and the Early Phases of European Expansion 1400-1700. New York: Pantheon, 1965. UF, 565, E9C5
Eardley-Wilmot, Sydney Marow. The Development of Navies During the Last Half-Century. London: Seeley & Co., 1892. V51, E2.8
The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed. “Ordnance,” 189-235.
Falconer, William. A New Universal Dictionary of the Marine. . .modernized and enlarged by William gurney. London: Printed for T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1815. “Cannon,” 67-69; “Gun,” 173- 181; “Mortar,” 287-289; “Ordnance,” 327-328. Ref, V, 23, F3, 1815
Fisher, Charles R. “The Great Guns of the Navy, 1797-1843.” The American Neptune 36 (October 1976): 276-295.
“Gun Carriages.” The American Neptune 7 (October 1947): 319-321.
Hall, A. R. “Military Technology: Cannon.” In Charles Singer, ed., A History of Technology. New York and London: Oxford University Press, 1954. Ref, T, 15, S5.3, V. 3
Hornsby, Thomas. “Oregon and Peacemaker: 12 Inch Wrought Iron Guns.” The American Neptune 6 (July 1946): 212-222.
Isard, Arthur Percival. The Model Shipbuilder’s Manual of Fittings and Guns. Philadelphia: David McKay Company, 1939. VM298, I7
Kemp, Peter, ed. The Oxford Companion to Ships & the Sea. London: Oxford University Press, 1976. “Guns, Naval,” 362-364. Ref, V, 23, 09.7
Lewis, Michael. “Armada Guns: A Comparative Study of English and Spanish Armaments.” The Mariner’s Mirror 28 (1942): 41-73, 104-147, 231-245, 259-280; 29 (1943): 3-39, 100-121, 163-178, 203-231.
Lyle, D. A. Report on Life-Saving Ordnance and Appurtenances. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1878. UF, 523, L8
Manucy, Albert C. Artillery Through the Ages; A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1949. UF15, M4.2
Middlebrook, Louis F. Salisbury Connecticut Cannon. Salem, Mass.: Newcomb & Gauss, 1935. UF534, C8M5.
A Naval Encyclopaedia: A Dictionary of Nautical Words and Phrases. . . Philadelphia: L. R. Hamersly & Co., 1881. “Gun,” 328-330; “Ordnance,” 617-627. Ref, V, 23, N3
Peck, Taylor. Round-Shot to Rockets: A History of the Washington Navy Yard and U.S. Naval Gun Factory. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute, 1949. VA70, W3, P4
Pratt, Winthrop. “Pre-Revolutionary Gun-Founding in America.” The American Neptune 11 (April 1959): 145.
Robertson, F. L. “A Transformation in Armament.” The Mariner’s Mirror 9 (June 1923): 173-179. (Change in naval gun armament in first half of 16th century)
Tucker, Spencer C. “The Carronade.” United States Naval Institute Proceedings 99 (August 1973), 65-70.
Very, Edward W. Navies of the World; Giving Concise Descriptions of the Plans, Armament and Armor of the Naval Vessels of Twenty of the Principal Nations… New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1880. VA40, V5
Compiled by Lisa Halttunen, Readers Services Librarian.