The Front LineWhich Way Did They Go?Posted: 10/4/19BY: The Civil War Monitor Library of Congress Union soldiers find dummy defenders and wooden cannon after storming a Confederate trench in Julian Scott’s 1872 painting “Sold.” Both sides used such phony weapons—known as Quaker guns—during the conflict as a means to mislead the enemy. Scott, who served as a fifer in the 3rd Vermont Infantry during the Civil War, may have had first-hand knowledge of such fakery. At the siege of Yorktown in 1862—where outnumbered Confederates employed Quaker guns to deceive Union forces as to their true strength and numbers—Scott braved Rebel fire to rescue wounded comrades from the battlefield, an act for which he’d later be awarded the Medal of Honor.
You May Also LikeHonoring Civil War Women for Women’s History MonthBy: Laura June DavisToday marks the first day of Women’s History Month. To celebrate, The Front Line will have a month-long series of women’s history posts including images, quotes, writings, and biographies. We…