Enthusiasts of LBL history are often treated to a realistic demonstration of the firing of a brand new civil war cannon at Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Dover, Tennessee. Reading about history of an area is very important. Being able to experience history with all of your senses is exciting. It allows the observer to participate in the history as if it were happening in the moment.
The hot, dry day was the perfect atmosphere to get an accurate feel for what it was like to be in the midst of summertime battle during the American Civil War. Lots of skirmishes took place in many parts of the Land Between the Lakes area. These skirmishes mostly followed the area’s largest and most famous battles, the Battle of Fort Donelson and the Battle of Fort Henry.
Visitors from the state of Washington, Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee were on had for the cannon firing at Fort Donelson. The bright , shiny cannon now used for firing is almost a brand new weapon. It was recently acquired by Fort Donelson and is a newly minted piece of period ordinance.
Fort Donelson staff were on had during the demonstration to greet visitors and orient them as to what they were about to witness. A perimeter of tape was placed well away from the cannon as an abundance of caution.
Several dozen visitors, including several children, were among the audience gathered at the entrance of Fort Donelson for the firing. Fort Donelson staff provided a vivid overview and description of the process of inspecting, loading and safely firing a period civil war cannon.
The volunteers, braving the heat, went through the paces of firing the cannon and allowing for a brief cool down period. When about ten minutes had passed, the re enactors inspected the barrel of the cannon, loaded it with a charge of gunpowder and fired it again. The hills and hollows of Dover, Tennessee again rang out with the sound, smells and sights of civil war cannon fire!
https://www.nps.gov/fodo/index.htm
