Back to Grant Park in Galena. I had scoped it out earlier on Saturday when I had driven into Galena looking for the street rods. Like I said, I had never been to the park before.
The Napoleon is a 12-Pounder field gun Model 1857 bronze smoothbore made in 1862 at Miles Greenwood's "Eagle Foundry" in Cincinnati, Ohio. I get this information from a plaque mounted by the cannon.
Forty percent of the artillery batteries in both Union and Confederate armies consisted of these guns.
It was presented to Galena by the US War Department and arrived in April 1865, and, in May, it was fired in honor of the capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. It was on display at the Galena Fairgrounds until 1882 when it was moved to the "Soldier's Monument" lot on the west side of the river.
In 1891, Grant Park was created and both the cannon and the monument were moved there. The cannon was restored in 2000 and remounted.
I'm sure I read somewhere that it was captured by the Confederates then recaptured by Union forces, but there was nothing about it on the plaque.
A Cannon is a Cannon is a Cannon. --Old B-Runner
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