In February 1862 Capt. Peter K. Stankiewicz commanded a
battery of one 8-inch howitzer and 2 9-pounder iron guns at this location. This battery helped defend against Union Gen.
C. F. Smith’s attack on Confederate Gen. Simon Buckner’s position about ½-mile
in front of you on February 15. The
cannon here is an original iron gun mounted on a reproduction carriage.
Artillery was essential for both Confederate and Union
armies, supporting infantry and cavalry by terrorizing and demoralizing the
enemy troops. Confederates placed
artillery in fort Donelson and around the town of Dover in an attempt to
control the Cumberland River and prevent a Federal invasion of Tennessee.
Photographs of Confederate artillery are rare, and none of
Stankiewicz’s Battery is known to exist.
This one of the Palmetto Battery was taken near Charleston, South
Carolina, in 1863.
SOURCE: Interpretive Marker at Fort Donelson National Battlefield (pictured at right).
No comments:
Post a Comment