. The photographic history of the Civil War : in ten volumes . ?i. •DICTATOR—THE TRAVELING MORTAR IX FRONT OFPETERSBURG, 1864 This is the 13-inch mortar, a 200-pound exploding shell from which threw a Confederate field-piece and itscarriage above its parapet, at a range of nearly two miles. The 17,000 pounds of this mortar made it difficultto move, so it was mounted on an ordinary railroad-car strengthened by additional beams, and plated on topwith iron. This engine of destruction was run down on the Petersburg & City Point Railroad to a point nearthe Union lines, where a curve in the track ma
. The photographic history of the Civil War : in ten volumes . ?i. •DICTATOR—THE TRAVELING MORTAR IX FRONT OFPETERSBURG, 1864 This is the 13-inch mortar, a 200-pound exploding shell from which threw a Confederate field-piece and itscarriage above its parapet, at a range of nearly two miles. The 17,000 pounds of this mortar made it difficultto move, so it was mounted on an ordinary railroad-car strengthened by additional beams, and plated on topwith iron. This engine of destruction was run down on the Petersburg & City Point Railroad to a point nearthe Union lines, where a curve in the track made it easy to change the direction of the fire. The recoil from acharge of fourteen pounds of powder shifted the mortar less than two feet on the car, which moved a dozenfeet on the track. Even the full charge of twentj- pounds of powder could be used ■without damage to theaxles of the car. This mortar, whose shell would crush and explode any ordinary field-magazine, terrorizedthe Confederate gvmners, and succeeded in silencing their enfilading batteri
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