From the May 2, 2022, Hawkeye (Fort Madison, Iowa) by John Gaines.
The firing of Old Fort Madison's ceremonial cannon from the fort's museum courtyard added an exclamation point to the opening event Sunday, May 1.
The original fort operated as a trading post between the U.S. Army and Indians from 1808 to 1813. It survived a four-day siege during a War of 1812 battle and operated for another year. Then, soldiers burned the fort as they withdrew to St. Louis due to a food shortage. and the brutal onset of the winter of 1813-1814.
The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 after Iowa archaeologists excavated the original fort's location site. In 1983, volunteer inmates from the nearby Iowa State built the current replica fort a few blocks away from the original site at Riverview Park.
Like the original fort, the replica museum is near the river.
The cannon fired Sunday is a 6-pound iron field piece on a 9-pound siege carriage.
Back in the early 1800s, the cannon would be used against infantry and would use 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of powder to fire a six-pound ball capable of traveling 800-900 yards and wiping out about 25 soldiers.
--Brock-Perry
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