Double-barreled cannon facts for kids
The double-barreled cannon is a special weapon from the American Civil War era. It was an experiment that never actually saw battle. Today, it's a famous landmark in Athens, Georgia.
Contents
History of the Double-Barreled Cannon
How the Idea Started
The idea for a double-barreled cannon goes way back to 1642. An Italian gun maker named Antonio Petrini first thought of it. He wanted to make a cannon that could fire two cannonballs at the same time. These cannonballs would be connected by a chain. The goal was for the chain to swing through enemy soldiers like a giant scythe cutting wheat. However, it was very hard to make both sides fire at the exact same moment. This meant the idea usually didn't work well.
In 1862, during the Civil War, a dentist, builder, and mechanic named John Gilleland from Athens, Georgia, decided to try this idea again. He gathered $350 from people in Athens to build his own chain-shot gun.
Building the Cannon
Gilleland's cannon was made from one single piece of metal. It had two barrels side-by-side, each a little over 3 inches wide. The barrels were angled slightly outward, about 3 degrees apart. This was so the two cannonballs, connected by a chain, would spread out and make the chain tight as they flew. The idea was to "mow down the enemy" just like a scythe cuts wheat.
During its first tests, Gilleland's cannon did manage to cut down trees and tear up a cornfield. It even knocked down a chimney and killed a cow! But none of these were its intended targets.
Antonio Petrini's original cannon plans are kept in London. Gilleland's cannon, however, is on display in Athens, Georgia.
Testing the Cannon
John Gilleland's invention didn't work as planned. The first time it was tested, on April 22, 1862, it was aimed at two poles. But the gunpowder didn't burn evenly, and the barrels weren't perfectly made. This made the connected cannonballs spin wildly. Witnesses said it "plowed up about an acre of ground" and "tore up a cornfield." Then the chain broke, and the two balls flew off in different directions.
The second time it was fired, the chain shot into a thick group of pine trees. Someone watching said the trees looked "as if a narrow cyclone or a giant mowing machine had passed through."
On its third try, the chain broke right away. One cannonball crashed into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney. The other ball flew off and hit a cow, killing it instantly. Even with these strange results, Gilleland thought his tests were a success!
What Happened During the Civil War
Gilleland tried to show his invention to the Confederate States Army in Augusta, Georgia. But they decided it wasn't good enough for fighting. He kept trying to get other military leaders interested, but no one wanted it. In the end, his special cannon was used only as a signal gun in Athens. It would be fired to warn people if Union soldiers were getting close.
On July 27, 1864, the cannon was fired because there was a report that thousands of Union soldiers were coming towards Monroe, Georgia. But it turned out to be a false alarm. The cannon disappeared in 1891 but was found again twelve years later.
The Cannon Today
Today, the double-barreled cannon is on the front lawn of the City Hall in Athens, Georgia. It's a very important part of the Downtown Athens Historic District. It's a local landmark and a popular sight for visitors. The cannon still points north, which is a symbolic way of showing defiance against the North it was built to fight.
Other Cannons with Many Barrels
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The cannon in Athens is the most famous double-barreled cannon, but it's not the only one ever made. Another well-known example was called Elizabeth-Henry. It was named after the youngest children of Charles I of England. This cannon was used during the English Civil War. It could fire small charges or even grapeshot, which is like a shotgun blast for cannons. Its barrels were wrapped in leather to stop them from rusting.
Cannons with multiple barrels have also been built in India. There's an example with 6 barrels, similar to old weapons called ribauldequins, kept in the Nehru Scientific Center.
In Poland, cannons with as many as seven barrels were used in the 1500s. These were like the volley guns and organ battery of the 1800s, but they fired much larger cannonballs.
In 2012, a slightly updated version of a double-barreled cannon was built. This happened on a TV show called American Guns. The people on the show used a more modern way to ignite the gunpowder. This helped them fire both barrels more accurately at the same time. The cannon for the show was actually built by another company and then sold to Gunsmoke for the TV episode.
Images for kids
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A frontal view of the double-barreled cannon.
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The sign at the cannon's location.
See also
In Spanish: Cañón doble para niños
