Battle of Belmont CSA accidental gun explosion

[Jose Jimenez]

Hello: After the Battle of Belmont in November 1861, one of the guns of the CSA exploded accidentally and seven? men were killed and a few wounded, including General Polk. I would like to find the names of those killed. I believe one of them was a Lt. Snowden who was General Polk's aide-de-camp (one of them). JJ

[ole]

Was the gun at Belmont or across the river? Hadn't heard this one. Will be waiting for information.
Ole

[larry_cockerham]

Where, pray tell, was Belmont? (I'm a slow learner.)

[Jose Jimenez]

This battle took place in Missouri and I don't know where the gun was. All I know is that it had been charged but not used so a few days later when it was used, kaboom!

[samgrant]

"During the Battle of Belmont, the guns of Fort DeRussy, situated high on the Columbus bluffs, raked the Union lines under Grant with merciless fire. Among the known large rifled cannon mounted on land at Columbus were two 6.4-inch rifled columbiads (the "Lady Polk" and the "Belmont"), three smaller 5.82-inch rifled columbiads, and 13 rifled 32-pounders (converted smoothbores). The "Lady Polk," named in honor of the wife of the Confederate commander, was the largest breechloading cannon in use at the time. It was an 8-ton, rifled Dahlgren gun, capable of firing 128-pound, cone-shaped projectiles. The heat from firing the gun expanded the barrel, and after the battle it was left loaded with unfired projectiles. Four days later when the Lady Polk was test fired, it exploded into three pieces, killing 11 men and wounding dozens more, and shook up and deafened Polk so badly that he had to give up his command for a month."

from: http://www.nps.gov/archive/vick/camp...ColumbusKY.htm

[samgrant]

here's another version (apparently there is no concensus on the number killed or wounded):



"Lady Polk"

During the Battle of Belmont, Fort DeRussey, situated high on the Columbus bluffs, raked Grant's lines with merciless fire from its 140 cannons. One of the guns, known as the "Lady Polk," in honor of the wife of General Polk, was the largest breech-loading cannon in use at the time. It was an 8-ton, rifled Dahlgren gun, capable of firing 128-pound, cone-shaped projectiles.

The projectiles prepared for this gun had copper saucers attached to the bottom with flanges fashioned to fit the rifles. The flanges were too large and had to be filed to fit the gun.
During the Battle of Belmont, the heat from firing the gun expanded the barrel and after the battle it was left loaded with unfired projectiles. Two days later when the Lady Polk was fired again, it exploded, broke into three pieces, and 18 men were killed and 20 wounded.
from: http://civilwarlandscapes.org/cwla/s.../intro/pre.htm

[samgrant]

Originally Posted by larry_cockerham

Where, pray tell, was Belmont? (I'm a slow learner.)

Larry, You've got to brush up on your Grant.

Sam

[Jose Jimenez]

Thanks everyone. I happened to be searching the Richmond Daily Dispatch online and I found some names of those killed - Capt. Keiter, Lieut. Snowden Polk's aide-de-camp to Polk, and Corporal Hollinger. Six privates were also killed, no names mentioned, and several wounded. Well, now we know some of them.

[larry_cockerham]

Sam, I'm goin' back to the yanks soon as I finish the cornfeds. Half my roots are Union, so it'll happen. Great grandpa Ulysses Grant Cress would be proud of me?

[samgrant]

A bit of trivia: Belmont Avenue in Chicago was named for this battle.