Ron, Art, and Jim. Thanks to you all for the reply and information. I knew that from the specific mentioning of a weapon identified by a specific name, there had to be something about the weapon that was special. The author mentions being shell by long range artillery and it seemed to be a point of pride that this gun was captured because the crew abandoned the weapon in their rush to get back to Washington. I understand now that a 30 pd Parrot rifle would not have been easily handled and hitched up quickly.