Whistling Dick (cannon)
Whistling Dick | |
---|---|
Type | Model 1839 18-pounder (presumed) |
Place of origin | United States of America |
Service history | |
In service | 1863 |
Used by | Confederate States of America |
Wars | American Civil War |
Specifications (based on Ripley's identification as an 18-pounder) | |
Mass | c. 4,913 pounds (2,228 kg) |
Length | 123.25 inches (313.1 cm) |
Caliber | c. 5.3 inches (13 cm) |
References | [1] |
Whistling Dick was a cannon used by
Description and use
Historian Ed Bearss notes that the history of Whistling Dick is filled with "legends, inaccuracies, and contradictions".[2] A cannon used by Confederate troops during the Siege of Vicksburg in the American Civil War, the name "Whistling Dick" was used by both Confederate and Union soldiers. The name originated with the sound the cannon made when it fired.[3] The Union references to Whistling Dick probably refer to multiple pieces,[4] with those references relating to gun positions located across a 3-mile (4.8 km) stretch. Bearss describes the Union usage of the name as "a collective designation to a number of Confederate guns".[5]
Memoirs written by Confederate soldier Lamar Fontaine imply the existence of two guns the Confederates called Whistling Dick, but Bearss notes that Fontaine's writings include a number of improbable claims and factual inaccuracies related to the alleged cannon. This leads Bearss to conclude that there was only one cannon that the Confederates actually referred to as Whistling Dick.[5]
Confederate officers
In 1935, a Confederate veteran claimed that the gun had first entered Confederate service after it was captured in
References
- ^ Ripley 1970, p. 366.
- ^ Bearss 1957, p. 21.
- ^ a b c d e Dougherty 2010, p. 104.
- ^ a b c d e Ripley 1970, p. 30.
- ^ a b Bearss 1957, pp. 27–30.
- ^ Ripley 1970, pp. 31–32.
- ^ Bearss 1957, pp. 24–26, 29.
- ^ a b Bearss 1957, pp. 25–26.
- ^ Ripley 1970, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Ripley 1970, p. 32.
- ^ Bearss 1957, p. 26.
- ^ Bearss 1957, p. 27.
- ^ a b Presson 2023.
- ^ Bearss 1957, p. 30.
Sources
- The Journal of Mississippi History. XIX (1): 21–30.
- Dougherty, Kevin (2010). Weapons of Mississippi. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-60473-452-2.
- Presson, Tommy (February 25, 2023). "Whistling Dick: The Legend of a 'Tortured Thing'". The Vicksburg Post. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- Ripley, Warren (1970). Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War. New York, New York: Promontory Press. ISBN 0-88394-003-5.