. The photographic history of the Civil War : in ten volumes . 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
. The photographic history of the Civil War : in ten volumes . 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 batteries on Chesterfield Heights. Theactivities of this great war machine were directed by Colonel H. L. Abbot, of the First Connecticut HeavyArtillery. Other photographs of it, with officers and men, are shown on pages 186 and 187, Volume III. [1—4]. CAMP OF HEAVY ARTILLERY ON THE WAY TO PETERSBURG On May 16, 1864, the date of this sweeping photograph, the movement against Petersburg had begun. Theheavy guns whic-li these two regiments were about to serve before Petersburg were sent by steamer and rail,so no ordnance is ^•isible in this peaceful-looking camp on the banks of the beautiful river. The First Massa-chusetts Heavy Artillery had been ordered from the defenses of Washington to join the Army of the Potomacat Belle Plain, Virginia. It was to form part of the .second brigade, third division. Second Army Corps, of the [52]
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidphotographichist05inmill
