Confederate Steam Gun by weesel

Photography • Military • posted on Mar 06, 2005

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Description

I've been seeing this thing off and on for some years now in the town of Elkridge Landing, MD. (t's not too far from the Thomas Viaduct I posted earlier.) Anyhow, there was a sign by it, at times, explaining that it is a best-guess reproduction of the original. Since last seeing it, it's picked up some decorative paint showing 'it' being hauled by a team of horses. OK, what the heck IS it? You ask. Here's the best explanation I've found yet. See this link.

http://www.adamspat.com/chapter_3.htm

Real quick: it's a boiler driven gun supposed to be capable of firing 200 bullets per minute. Could also handle a 100 # cannon ball. Captured by Union forces before it could fire a shot in anger. No account I've found ever claims it ever fired a shot even in testing... Not in those words anyhow. I'm sure it was test fired, but what were the results??? Seeing how it's the only one built. . . Hmmmm. Anyhow, a bit of arcane ACW history for you military buffs. I'm sure someone out there knows more about this than I've found. Probably has a full-size working model in the family room. ;-D Wasn't sure if the GENRE would be military, history, or weird. ... Enjoy; thanks for viewing.

Comments (9)

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Tore13

5:50PM | Sun, 06 March 2005

favoloso

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Vik9740

9:40PM | Sun, 06 March 2005

well it's an original that's for sure! lol

cynlee

10:21PM | Sun, 06 March 2005

pretty darn interesting!! :]

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sossy

1:16PM | Mon, 07 March 2005

what an impressive find! stunning! thought at first it is the first locomotive! LOL very interesting capture! thanks a lot! ;o)

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KingPtolemy

3:13PM | Mon, 07 March 2005

Cool shot!!! Very interesting!!!

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MeredithWilson

3:48PM | Mon, 07 March 2005

Dear TW, aniother excellent photograph, but presents a bit of an enigma. I think their firepower claims might have been puffed up a great deal. Even with superheat (which I don't think was around at the time,) it would be hard to get a very rapid muzzle velocity with steam - or a high rate of fire. If I ever get in that area, I'd like to stop by for a close inspection. Very interesting - very Excellent work! Love, Meredith

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weesel

9:59PM | Thu, 03 January 2008

Well. Mythbusters took on this gun and built a steam gun/cannon of their own based on what most likely this thing could do. ... mostly irritate the folks it was aimed at while endangering its own operators. A rotating barrel used centrifugal force to shoot the ammo out of the big slot, thus it had a wide field of fire. The impact was found to be not to different from that of a paintball... gonna hurt, but then those folks gonna shoot back with real guns. It's main 'contribution' seems to have been the hype over how effective its designer claimed it would be. Thus it was used mostly as a propaganda gun after Union troops captured it. It was stationed near the Thomas Viaduct, about a mile from this site, mostly to scare Confederates away.... The original seems to have ended up in Massachusetts and fallen apart from neglect.

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