Existing comment:
Ignoring the fallen tree, this was a gunpit that the Confederate forces had placed here during First Fredericksburg. The sign says: December 13, 1862. In the large gunpit... stood a rifled cannon firing a shell of approximately thirty pounds weight. This heavy siege gun, a copy of the Union Parrott rifle, had been temporarily detached from the defenses of Richmond. Its fire, together with that of nearby smaller pieces, raked the Federal columns attacking Marye's Heights. This gun exploded toward the end of the action. The 30-pounder Parrott now in the gunpit was made in 1864 for the Union Army.
Another sign: Smooth bore cannon had an extreme range of about one mile; rifled cannon up to three miles. Since long range fire was not very effective, defending artillery, protected by earth works, blasted attacking infantry and protected enemy guns from advancing too close. The Confederates made good use of both frontal and crossfire during the battle of Fredericksburg. |