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Picture of the day -
May 5, 2006
Blast From A Civil War Era Cannon
Our granddaughter Olivia invited Cheria and me to accompany her on a school
field trip to witness a re-enactment of a Civil War battle, and I must
say it was a lot of fun. Attending were children from several local elementary
schools as well as a good number of parents and grandparents.
The morning started out with each class visiting several "stations" where
various aspects of the Civil War were discussed. There was also plenty of
show-and-tell featuring many genuine artifacts from the war. At the third
station we visited, two very knowledgeable interpreters gave us a very
interesting lecture on the role of artillery batteries during the "War Between
The States". As you can see in today's picture, they demonstrated all of the
steps required to aim, load and fire a 12 Pound Mountain Howitzer!
A typical confederate army artillery battery consisted of four large artillery
guns, each manned by a crew of eight soldiers. There were quite a number of men
held in reserve as well, so the total roster of each battery was often in excess
of 100 men. And they desperately needed those extra men because the average
lifespan of a Civil War artillery soldier was a mere three weeks!
It was quite a display seeing the two gentlemen at the artillery station doing
all the jobs usually done by eight. They walked us through the steps required to
aim and load the weapon, then they fired a blank round from the steel barrel.
The ear-shattering "boom" could be heard for miles! After a short lunch break,
all of the interpreters assembled to fight a mock battle between about a dozen
Union soldiers and roughly the same number of Confederates. It was quite a show!
I have always been interested in American history - and the Civil War in
particular, so today's field trip was just as much fun for me as it was for the
kids. Perhaps Olivia will ask us to join her for another one some time!
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