Railroad Battery Mortar 'Dictator'
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Photograph
Railroad Battery Mortar 'Dictator'
ca. 1863
Albumen silver print
Image: 18 x 22.5 cm
Mount: 23.5 x 27 cm
Inscriptions verso (pencil): Railroad Battery Mortar 'Dictator' / This large Seacoast mortar is mounted on a special flat car. Car made very strong for this purpose. The car is readily moved along the line and the mortar is fired whenever required; it is thus made very effective and annoying to the enemy, for it is something like the Irishman's flea, when they put their hand on it 'ít ain't there,' in other words, when they turn the fire of their batteries on the 'Dictator' our boys hitch on to the car and run it along out of the line of fire and commence pegging away again. By the time the 'Johnnies" find out, [where] the Dictator is and get in range to smash it 'it ain't there,' the boys [have] run it along to a new 'stand for business.'
