That is true. But the Parrot, I don't believe, would have been described as being a "small english steel gun" or a "small 6 pounder".

Of the two Blakely Guns (the Type 10 and the type 11) I am of the opinion the Type 10 Blakely Gun, which was only a little over 36 inches in lenght, and looked like a miniture 6 pound, 3 inch ordance rifle, would have been the best match for all of the various description used in the official reports to identify these guns.

Another point is that according to Skip Mayorga of the board, and a very well respected resource of found artifacts and locations, the 2,9 inch Blakely shell has been found in at least two site where the 1st Indiana Cavalry were engaged.

Now given that both the Parrot and the Blakely guns were both 2.9 inch caliber, didn't they use different ammunition? Or would a 2.9 inch Blakely shell commonly have been used in a Parrot. Second, I don't believe that the Parrot would have been mounted on a praire carriage. Nor would it have been an easy weapon for a cavalry unit to have carried routinely on raids and scouts where speed was a factor in the units operations.

Again the type 10 Blakely gun would have been a match for these requirements. And oddly there are only 3 known examples of this gun surviving today in the country.