Dahlgren gun

John A. Dahlgren standing next to a 50 lb (22.7 kg) Dahlgren rifle aboard USS *Pawnee* in 1865

Dahlgren guns were muzzle-loading naval gun designed by Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren USN (November 13, 1809 – July 12, 1870), mostly used in the period of the American Civil War. Dahlgren's design philosophy evolved from an accidental explosion in 1849 of a 32 lb (14.5 kg) gun being tested for accuracy, killing a gunner. He believed a safer, more powerful naval cannon could be designed using more scientific design criteria. Dahlgren guns were designed with a smooth curved shape, equalizing strain and concentrating more weight of metal in the gun breech where the greatest pressure of expanding propellant gases needed to be met to keep the gun from bursting. Because of their rounded contours, Dahlgren guns were nicknamed "soda bottles", a shape which became their most identifiable characteristic.^[1]^: 203

^ Tucker, Spencer (1989), Arming the Fleet, U.S. Navy Ordnance in the Muzzle-loading Era, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, ISBN 0-87021-007-6

[tucker-1] Tucker, Spencer (1989), Arming the Fleet, U.S. Navy Ordnance in the Muzzle-loading Era, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, ISBN 0-87021-007-6

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