Swivel Gun Tube

This swivel gun tube shot a one-pound ball once mounted on a stationary base with a swivel mechanism.

Swivel guns, like this one, were small and mobile cannon. The tube was easily mounted on a stationary base using a mechanism that swiveled. Once mounted the gun could quickly be pointed in any direction, resulting in a clear field of fire. The projectile was typically a one or two-pound solid shot.

While this particular one-pound cannon was not found within park boundaries, swivel guns were very useful throughout the defense of Ninety Six. The loyalists confiscated 21 swivel guns from the patriots at Ninety Six during June, 1780, a year before the Siege of Ninety Six occurred.