Unknown: The dictator at Petersburg (1864)

(Library of Congress, Washington DC, USA)

A photo taken during the siege of Petersburg (June 9, 1864 – March 25, 1865) during the US civil war (1861-1865). The photo shows a massive Union 13-inch (about 32,7 cm) seacoast siege mortar, Model 1861, nicknamed 'Dictator' which was mounted an a railroad flatcar.The boxcar behind the mortar was used by the men to take shelter when the mortar was fired. Photo taken in 1864.