Petersburg Express (Blue Hills, Connecticut)
Union
"Also known as the Dictator, the Petersburg Express mortar monument honours the First Connecticut Heavy Artillery Unit members. The unit used the mortar during the Siege of Petersburg from 1864-65. Weighing in at 7.7 tons, the mortar had to be mounted on a railway car to be used by soldiers. In 1896, the Petersburg Express was brought from Fort Monroe, Virginia, where it was left after the war, to Connecticut to be mounted on a granite pedestal subsequently. In 1958 the mortar's authenticity as the Petersburg Express was called into question by a newspaper in Oneonta, New York, claiming to have the real Petersburg Express within the city. Still today, some historians question the mortar's authenticity as the mortar used at the Siege of Petersburg.
Monument type:
Memorial gun
Artist:
Maslen Monument Works (designed granite pedestal)
Dedication Date:
1902-09-25
Address:
Blue Hills
Hartford
Connecticut
United States
Inscription:
Lower East Side:
CAST BY PAUL E. CABARET NEW YORK
Right Side:
"ERECTED BY THE SURVIVORS AND FRIENDS /
OF THE REGIMENT AND THE VETERAN AND ACTIVE /
COMPANIES HARTFORD CITY GUARD TO THE /
FIRST VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION THAT WAS /
MUSTERED FOR THREE YEARS INTO THE SERVICE /
OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE WAR OF /
1861-1865" /
South Side:
"THIS 13 INCH SEA COAST /
MORTAR WAS IN ACTUAL USE /
BY THE REGIMENT DURING THE /
CAMPAIGN IN FRONT OF /
PETERSBURG 1864-1865 /
AND WIDELY KNOWN AS THE /
"PETERSBURG EXPRESS" /
West Side:
"1ST CONN. HEAVY ARTILLERY /
ORIGINALLY 4TH CONN. INFANTRY /
MUSTERED IN MAY 22, 1861 /
MUSTERED OUT SEPT. 25, 1865 /
TOTAL ENROLLMENT OFFICERS AND MEN /
3802"
Want more Info? Click the Expand button below:
Expand
Conception Date:
Opening Date:
Material:
Seacoast mortar, pedestal: granite
Size:
0m x 0m x m
Creator:
Cost / Value:
$5,500 for the pedestal
Erected by:
Connecticut General Assembly
Funded by:
State and community
Run by:
Connecticut State Capitol
Indigenous Land
Organization/Curator:
Data Sources:
Read below for one of our contributor’s reflections on this monument