Dictator

Sept. 1864: <i>&#8220;…the enemy frequently shoot very large shells into Petersburg & do some damage to buildings, but the people are getting used to it, so they don’t mind them….&#8221;</i><br>- A.I.P. Varin 2nd Mississippi<br><br>Famous but militarily ineffective, the &#8220;Dictator&#8221; fired on Petersburg from this spot during July, August, and September 1864.<br><br>The Dictator was a 13-inch seacoast mortar similar to the one in front of you. It was the largest gun used during the siege and could lob a 225-pound explosive shell more than two miles. During its service in the siege lines, the Dictator fired 218 rounds at Petersburg and its defenses.