PRESS RELEASE
For additional information:
Chris Sedlak
President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BATTERY G ACQUIRES OLD NO. 8
Civil War showpiece acquired by local re-enactors
Slovan, PA, April 1, 2007… The 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery, Battery G, a Civil War living history organization based out of Slovan, Pennsylvania, recently christened a new reproduction artillery piece. The ceremony culminated with a public firing demonstration and reception in Cochranton, Pennsylvania.
Battery G is affiliated with the Iron City Guards and the National Regiment, non-profit organizations whose mission is to portray the American Civil War through simulated living histories, battle recreations and other public demonstrations.
The gun is an exact replica of the Model 1857 Light 12- pound, Gun-Howitzer, commonly referred to in the Civil War as a "Napoleon”. The cannon was the workhorse for both the Confederate and Federal forces during the war designed to fire explosive shot and devastating shotgun-like canister rounds.
Cast of 1500 pounds of gun bronze, the Napoleon is a fully functioning replica capable of firing 12 pound solid shot to a distance of one mile.
Particular to the reproduction are two pennies cast directly into the gun at the foundry. One penny is dated 1861, the onset of the Civil War, and a 2004 penny marks the purchase year.
The gun’s muzzle markings, No. 8 C. A. & Co. 1861, are the same as the markings of a Civil War cannon on display at the Gettysburg National Military Park. The designation represents the original manufacturer, the Cyrus Alger and Co. of Massachusetts. Battery G’s Napoleon, nicknamed “Old No. 8” as a tribute to the original, was manufactured by Cannon Limited in Coolville, Ohio
Battery G is comprised of 20 dedicated members. The unit prides itself on recreating historically accurate military encampments, functioning field kitchens and firing demonstrations.
In 2007, Battery G, founded in 2005, will appear at many local and national Civil War events including Fort McHenry National Historic Shrine, Gettysburg and Fredericksburg National Military Park.
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