700414

Field Mortar Marked ABR & Co Vicksburg Miss

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:4,000.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Field Mortar Marked ABR & Co Vicksburg Miss
Field Mortar Marked A.B.R. & Co. Vicksburg Miss. Marked "A B R & CO MISS" on top of mortar, marked "NO 4, 156, W.K." on front of barrel. Comes with base. Mortar measures 12 1/2" long x 6 3/4" diameter, opening measures 2 3/4" diameter. Base measures 24" long x 10" wide x 7 1/2" tall. The number 4 marking indicates it is the 4th of its pattern. Abram Breech Reading was a large Vicksburg landowner in the early 1830's. Besides the foundry, he owned a large plantation, a brick-making plant, and a 1/2 interest in a saw mill. The Whig reported in late December the facility was geared to produce smoothbore and rifled cannons at the rate of eight to ten per week. Actual production was far below that level. A.B. Reading & Brother was located near the waterfront at Washington and First Streets in Vicksburg, Mississippi. From April 1861 to April 1865, AB. Reading & Brother manufactured between 45 and 57 field cannons for the Confederate Army and only a small number of small mortars, iron being scarce in the south.