What is sticking out of his pants leg?

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The headline sure made me think what the heck is going on around here after I go to bed, I always miss the entertainment. Can't stay awake that long.
I swear it started out normal. Wavered a little. *pinches her finger and thumb together* Teeny tiny bit.
 
I am. I admit it. :redface:

For punishment, I will ban myself from wonderful Mike Serpa threads for 48 hours.
No, no. Don't be too hard on yourself! Confession is good for the soul. I just wanted you to take responsibility for your actions.

Or... I'll be away from my computer for a couple days next month. You can start your self-banishment then!
 
First of all, YES, he is standing just behind a small tree stump with two broken or cut off trunks--rather like standing behind a slingshot with very short arms. The white object is one of the cut off faces of the stump.

Second, I am not certain what everyone is seeing as a snake or a fold in the loose pants, but I see a bright highlight, long and narrow, slightly curving to the right as it descends. It is a highlight on the inner rim of the cannon wheel, showing between the man's legs.

Third, this thread has given me a few chuckles.
 
Thanks for the larger size.
Being a little less "adult" than a certain lady (looking at you @LoriAnn :D) I was nevertheless wondering if the guy in the left background has let his pants down and bared his knee, fiddling with a stick ... now still I don't know what he does, but there are no naked knee at least. Coming to think of it, though, his neighbour to the right, the one standing with one knee bent also has something strange for a lower limb ...

What a strange gathering of strange legs...
I think he's resting his lower leg across a pole, wouldn't have thought it was very comfortable.
 
Four of the guys are looking at the photographer, the other four appear to be looking at something to his right. I reckon it's a carefully staged scene - which hasn't quite come off !
 
Officers posing with a new cannon which was probably picked out for the occasion for its newness and dragged into camp.
Well, either fairly new or the tube was polished, carriage painted, and new sponges for the photograph.
 
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As to the original question, I also say tree stump, but more accurately a cut-off sapling, and crudely cut.

Why was it cut? Well, notice the other cut-off sapling to the right in the image. The cannon sits somewhat centered between the two cut-off saplings (were you to view the scene directly in front of the muzzle, but don't do that :unsure:). At times such fall-back markers were used, one on each side of the wheel, as reference points from which to pace out the distance to a pre-determined (pre-ranged) firing line position. Those sapling stumps could be intended for that.

Why fall-back markers then? Well, being able to deploy quickly to a pre-ranged forward position is a huge advantage compared to having to range the gun from an untested forward position. From fall back markers the gun would have already been serviced and ranged in a drill, say, the previous day. (There would also be markers near the wheels at the forward firing line position to enable rolling the gun back to aim position after each firing up there, but to avoid tripping up there they would be small holes or twigs -- hence the fall-back markers to pace from).


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As an aside but to the same point, if you've watched the modern U.S. Army (national guard) demonstrate their modern field artillery, the first thing they do is to post markers (posts) some yards from the gun, and as in the CW, these are reference points for ranging the gun. Today however the markers are a digital "zero point" in a GPS grid addressable on a CRT on the gun itself, and/or on a ruggedized laptop nearby. Such guns are able to fire well over the horizon with GPS grid-point accuracy.

Unbelievably to me, such field artillery is still fired by tugging a lanyard! (I would have thought a push button!)
 
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Yes, I agree with the fall back markers yet in this case the small sapling would be obstructing the intended view when it was in the center of the photograph.
And it was crudely cut, just for the pose and I suspect it was further removed after the photographer was done as it was a trip hazard.
 
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..yet in this case the small sapling would be obstructing the intended view when it was in the center of the photograph.

I'm not seeing any sapling that would obstruct an on-center view from either the gun's side or the photographer's side. Isn't the field between the two cut-off saplings ("stumps") totally clear?
 
I'm referring to the little stump that was the topic of the OP. If that sapling were left, would it not be obstructive ?

I see what you mean. It would not obstruct the gun & carriage itself from being brought forward, but it would have obstructed the crew on that side that was bringing the gun forward. The stump remains a trip hazard but at least could be easily stepped over.
 
This thread was showing as the latest posted in the category, and the title was cut off as "What is sticking out of his pants...". I half expected the infamous Antietam photograph.
 
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