Dictator
Sept. 1864: “…the enemy frequently shoot very large shells into Petersburg & do some damage to buildings, but the people are getting used to it, so they don’t mind them….”
- A.I.P. Varin 2nd Mississippi
Famous but militarily ineffective, the “Dictator” fired on Petersburg from this spot during July, August, and September 1864.
The Dictator was a 13-inch seacoast mortar similar to the one in front of you. It was the largest gun used during the siege and could lob a 225-pound explosive shell more than two miles. During its service in the siege lines, the Dictator fired 218 rounds at Petersburg and its defenses.
Marker can be reached from Petersburg Tour Road, on the left when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
