Volcano, Calif and Old Abe.

[crow-feather]

During the Civil War, Volcano's gold served the Union. The Volcano Blues smuggled the cannon "Old Abe," into the town by hearse, to intimidate rebel sympathizers. The cannon was cast by Cyrus Alger & Co. in Boston in 1837 and is the first of two 6-pounders made on the same day to be stamped with serial number 4. This 800 lb cannon held by the Volcano Blues was only fired once during the Civil War. The Confederate faction known as Knights of the Golden Circle owned many of the Main Street business. "Old Abe" was fired down Main Street causing windows to break in all the shops that had not been warned – the ones sympathetic to the South.[8] The other cannon still survives at Shiloh Battlefield and is called "Shiloh Sam". Abe is the only cannon of that age in the U.S. still on a nineteenth century wooden carriage, and has had an interesting history all on its own.

 

[TomP]

Unfortunately, the cannon at Shiloh is not "Shiloh Sam."

According to Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War by Hazlett, Olmstead and Parks, (Revised edition p. 247), the cannon associated with Volcano and known as "Old Abe" had a registry marking of "4" and weighed 737 pounds.
The piece in the Shiloh collection is also a Model 1835 bronze 6-pounder Alger with an identical registry of "4" but weighs in at 717 pounds.

The Shiloh gun can be seen at the location of Schwartz's Battery on Grant's Last Line along the modern Pittsburg Landing Road.

There are several websites that claim this gun has the name of "Shiloh Sam," but this may be better discussed on the thread on Persistent Civil War Myths. I can assure you, there is no nick-name associated with this artillery piece at Shiloh. Nothing is known about this gun other than the origins which can be determined through the different stamps which were added at the time of its casting. The records which would have connected the gun to a specific unit or battery no longer exist. Of the entire Shiloh collection only three guns can be connected with their CW battery. This is not one of them.

"Old Abe" is still on display in Volcano behind the Old Sing Kee Store on Charleston Street.

Tom (Park Ranger, Shiloh NMP)

 

[crow-feather]

Unfortunately, the cannon at Shiloh is not "Shiloh Sam."

According to Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War by Hazlett, Olmstead and Parks, (Revised edition p. 247), the cannon associated with Volcano and known as "Old Abe" had a registry marking of "4" and weighed 737 pounds.
The piece in the Shiloh collection is also a Model 1835 bronze 6-pounder Alger with an identical registry of "4" but weighs in at 717 pounds.

The Shiloh gun can be seen at the location of Schwartz's Battery on Grant's Last Line along the modern Pittsburg Landing Road.

There are several websites that claim this gun has the name of "Shiloh Sam," but this may be better discussed on the thread on Persistent Civil War Myths. I can assure you, there is no nick-name associated with this artillery piece at Shiloh. Nothing is known about this gun other than the origins which can be determined through the different stamps which were added at the time of its casting. The records which would have connected the gun to a specific unit or battery no longer exist. Of the entire Shiloh collection only three guns can be connected with their CW battery. This is not one of them.

"Old Abe" is still on display in Volcano behind the Old Sing Kee Store on Charleston Street.

Tom (Park Ranger, Shiloh NMP)

Unfortunately, the cannon at Shiloh is not "Shiloh Sam."

According to Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War by Hazlett, Olmstead and Parks, (Revised edition p. 247), the cannon associated with Volcano and known as "Old Abe" had a registry marking of "4" and weighed 737 pounds.
The piece in the Shiloh collection is also a Model 1835 bronze 6-pounder Alger with an identical registry of "4" but weighs in at 717 pounds.

The Shiloh gun can be seen at the location of Schwartz's Battery on Grant's Last Line along the modern Pittsburg Landing Road.

There are several websites that claim this gun has the name of "Shiloh Sam," but this may be better discussed on the thread on Persistent Civil War Myths. I can assure you, there is no nick-name associated with this artillery piece at Shiloh. Nothing is known about this gun other than the origins which can be determined through the different stamps which were added at the time of its casting. The records which would have connected the gun to a specific unit or battery no longer exist. Of the entire Shiloh collection only three guns can be connected with their CW battery. This is not one of them.

"Old Abe" is still on display in Volcano behind the Old Sing Kee Store on Charleston Street.

Tom (Park Ranger, Shiloh NMP)

Thank you for your addition to the post. It is depressing that historical records have been lost. Hopefully we have learned from the past.

 

[TomP]

Thank you for your addition to the post. It is depressing that historical records have been lost. Hopefully we have learned from the past.

crow-feather,

Though we do not know the back story of that 6-pounder Alger, the three artillery pieces we can match to units have fascinating history.

There is a 12-pounder bronze howitzer, the "Edenton" cast from the court-house bell at Chowan County, NC and part of the "Edenton Bell Battery" 3rd Battalion, North Carolina Light Artillery. It is on display on the battlefield at Ruggles Battery.

A 12-pounder bronze howitzer of Co. A, 1st Illinois Light Artillery "Chicago Light Artillery". This piece has all of the battery's engagements engraved on the breech and a bronze plaque attached by the veterans to the reinforce with info on the units participation at Shiloh. It is on display in the Shiloh visitor center.

And last, a 3.8 inch James pattern rifle which was captured by the Confederates at Shiloh and given to Hoxton's (Tobin's) Tennessee Battery. The gun was recaptured by the Union during the Battle of Corinth. There is an engraving on the top of the barrel, "Captured Oct. 4, 1862, Corinth Miss, by 1 U S Inf." It is on display in the lobby of the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center, just yards from where it was re-captured.

Tom

 

[Youngblood]

The story of Old Abe and the Battle of Volcano
I cant find this on the net but i did read this once. From memory...

The miners of the Volcano Blues tripple charged that cannon with who knows what.(explosives?) Confederate raiders came to town from the Eldorado County side of the river to cause trouble and the Blues put Abe at the end of main street. When the Confederates came riding down main street and saw the Blues pointing the cannon at them with a lit torch hovering over the vent, they went back the way they came without a fight.

The Blues then requested instruction from the Army and an artillery officer was sent from the Presidio in San Fransisco. When he looked at their cannon he was shocked. He told them if they had touched it off they all would have been killed in the explosion.

 

[crow-feather]

The story of Old Abe and the Battle of Volcano
I cant find this on the net but i did read this once. From memory...

The miners of the Volcano Blues tripple charged that cannon with who knows what.(explosives?) Confederate raiders came to town from the Eldorado County side of the river to cause trouble and the Blues put Abe at the end of main street. When the Confederates came riding down main street and saw the Blues pointing the cannon at them with a lit torch hovering over the vent, they went back the way they came without a fight.

The Blues then requested instruction from the Army and an artillery officer was sent from the Presidio in San Fransisco. When he looked at their cannon he was shocked. He told them if they had touched it off they all would have been killed in the explosion.

Look up Volcano, CA in Wikepedia.

 

[Youngblood]

I did, its pretty much what you guys already posted.
The story i posted was written in the local Volcano Cable company phone book. The cover has a pic of the cannon and inside is the story i paraphrased.

 

[crow-feather]

I did, its pretty much what you guys already posted.
The story i posted was written in the local Volcano Cable company phone book. The cover has a pic of the cannon and inside is the story i paraphrased.

My 4th grade teacher was born in Volcano in about 1890. She related pretty much the same story.