Library of Congress

The Union mortar known as “the Dictator.”

“This mortar, whose shell would crush and explode any ordinary field magazine, excited dread among the Confederate gunners, and was effective in inducing their enfilading batteries … to discontinue fire upon the right of our line. Its practice was excellent.” So wrote Henry L. Abbot, commander of Union siege artillery during the campaign for Petersburg, Virginia, in 1864–1865, about one of the largest weapons at his disposal—a 13-inch Model 1861 seacoast mortar dubbed “the Dictator” by the troops. The massive mortar was mounted on a reinforced railroad platform car and transported via the Petersburg and City Point Railroad to Union lines outside the Cockade City, where it was used during the first three months of Ulysses S. Grant’s siege operations. Its giant shells could produce breathtaking damage. During the Battle of the Crater, one explosion sent a Confederate field gun and carriage high enough in the air to be seen over the parapet by soldiers along the Union lines. Here we highlight figures associated with the enormous weapon.

The Dictator by the Numbers

Range (in miles) when fired at 45-degree elevation: 2.6

Number of rounds the Dictator fired during the Siege of Petersburg: 218

Weight (in pounds): 17,120

Weight of a loaded shell (in pounds): 227

Weight of a shell’s propellant charge (in pounds): 20

Overall length: 56.6″

Maximum diameter: 43″

Trunnion diameter: 15″

Year cast at the Fort Pitt Foundry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: 1862

The standard crew (one gunner and four assistants) required to work the Dictator: 5

Bore diameter: 13″

Bore length, including chamber: 35″

Related topics: weapons