Civil War Soldier Posing Inside a Cannon

Zack

First Sergeant
Joined
Aug 20, 2017
Location
Los Angeles, California
I remember seeing a photo where a Union soldier had crawled inside a cannon and was posing with his head sticking out but cannot for the life of me seem to find it. Does anyone know what I'm referring to and have the photo they could share?

I FOUND IT
32728v.jpg

https://www.loc.gov/item/2012646720/

- Hand written on verso: 15 inch Rodman smooth bore Battery Rodgers, near Alexandria.
 
People putting small children into the muzzle of large caliber cannons in National Parks for photos sometimes get much more of a memento than they came for. The inside of the bore is covered in a crust of rust. Once the jolly little child is shoved down the barrel, it can be all but impossible to extricate them. As you might imagine, grabbing them by the ears & yanking hard doesn't work all that well. As the poor tyke lies there firmly gripped by the heat soaked cast iron, he or she will begin to swell. NPS Ranger friends of mine who have answered the frantic cries of the parents & participated in an extraction roll their eyes as they tell the tale. In one case, the little girl lost all her clothes as she was extracted. The poor thing came out looking like she had been rubbed all over with a box grater.
 
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Ive always loved this photo and there are several others beside that and the RR car one.
 
I think they had that exact same picture in the first episode of the Ken Burns documentary that was a brief montage of Union troops in camp around Washington before the first battle of Bull Run
 
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My favorite cannon story was that of Brigadier General Charles Garrison Harker (1837-1864) when he fought under General Philip Sheridan during the Battle of Chattanooga. As the Army of the Cumberland climbed and forced Confederate General Braxton Bragg off Missionary Ridge; his commander Sheridan was so happy he climbed atop a cannon (like he was riding a horse) to encourage his men forward. Harker seeing what his commander had done decided it was a good idea so climbed aboard another cannon. Unfortunately his cannon had been very recently fired and he received severe burns on those related body parts to the point he was unable to ride a horse for several weeks. Sadly for Harker he was shot from his horse and mortally wounded during a failed attack on Kennesaw Mountain, June 27, 1864, at the age of 25.
https://civilwartalk.com/threads/1-9-18-little-ditty.142048/#post-1729572

The moral of the story: hopefully any soldier that desired to pose for a unique picture of himself with a cannon made sure it was “cool to the touch”.
 
People putting small children into the muzzle of large caliber cannons in National Parks for photos sometimes get much more of a memento than they came for. The inside of the bore is covered in a crust of rust. Once the jolly little child is shoved down the barrel, it can be all but impossible to extricate them. As you might imagine, grabbing them by the ears & yanking hard doesn't work all that well. As the poor tyke lies there firmly gripped by the heat soaked cast iron, he or she will begin to swell. NPS Ranger friends of mine who have answered the frantic cries of the parents & participated in an extraction roll their eyes as they tell the tale. In one case, the little girl lost all her clothes as she was extracted. The poor thing came out looking like she had been rubbed all over with a box grater.
I would guess many tubes are also home to wasps and spiders. Little girls love those.
 
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