Friends of Raymond Continues Artillery Mission

Friends of Raymond
Continues Artillery Mission

With the acquisition of ten additional cannon carriages, Friends of Raymond has set its sights on attaining the unique status of becoming the only Civil War Battlefield in America where tourists and history enthusiasts may witness replicas of the same sizes, models, numbers, and locations of the artillery used during the May 12, 1863 engagement. Twenty-five cannons blasted their deadly barrage over this hallowed ground—three Confederate and twenty-two Union.

Garry Lee, Tom Akers, and Jerrel Cooper of Vicksburg National Military Park, assisted by Arnold McDowell of Yates Construction of Byram, load a cannon carriage onto a Yates Construction truck as part of an effort to assist Friends of Raymond in the interpretation of the Raymond battlefield. Photo by Parker Hills

In 2002, FOR acquired enough cannon carriages from the Vicksburg National Military Park to reconstruct thirteen complete cannons. The three Confederate units are in place along the ridge near the intersection of Port Gibson Street and Port Gibson Road. Three cannons are part of the walking/interpretive trail. One has been placed on the Raymond Town Square to draw tourist attention to the battlefield, and nine have been in various phases of restoration in a secure outdoor location.

On April 25, FOR obtained ten more carriages from the VNMP and transported them to that location. The man who made this delivery possible is Mac Johnson, a Senior Vice-President of Yates Construction Company in Byram, MS. Supervising the delivery was Cohn Livingston and Richard Smith. The transfer of the carriages from the VNMP to FOR was requested by FOR Past-President Parker Hills and approved by VNMP Superintendent Monika Mayr.

Yates Construction of Byram unloads a cannon carriage at Raymond. The surplus condemned cannon carriages were donated by Vicksburg National Military Park to Friends of Raymond for eventual restoration and placement on the Raymond battlefield, and Yates Construction volunteered to move the 3,500 pound carriages to Raymond. In the foreground are cannon that have been restored by Friends of Raymond and are awaiting placement on the battlefield. Photo by Parker Hills

All the of cannon carriages secured by FOR from the VNMP were made of cast iron in 1900, as exact replicas of the wooden ones used in the Civil War, and placed in the VNMP. They became available to FOR when the National Park Service opted to replace them with newer aluminum ones. Jim Dansby of Richland , a welder and former Civil War re-enactor, will continue his work on restoration of the carriages. Jeff Dickerson, owner and operator of Dickerson Tire & Auto in Vicksburg will continue making the barrels.

One of FOR’s goals is to be able to move one of the three cannons currently adjacent to the walking trail, along with the nineteen awaiting restoration, to appropriate positions along the ridge west of Highway 18 and south of Fourteen-mile Creek. According to FOR President Bobby DeLaughter, “Having all twenty-two Union cannons on the battlefield, with twenty placed in a line along the same ridge as General McPherson’s gunners used will truly be an impressive sight, and certainly will draw the notice of anyone traveling Highway 18, much like I’m sure it drew the surprised attention of General Gregg’s 3,000 Confederate troops 145 years ago, since they were expecting an engagement with a small raiding party of about 1,500 soldiers and not an entire Federal division of over 10,000.”

FOR is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, education, and interpretation of historical properties in and around Raymond. All contributions are tax deductible. Anyone interested in joining these efforts or learning more about FOR is encouraged to visit the FOR website at www.friendsofraymond.org

John Sanders of Yates Construction carefully moves a 108-year-old cannon carriage to the Friends of Raymond cannon restoration area. The cannon park presently has 19 cannon awaiting restoration and/or assembly prior to being placed with six additional cannon on the Raymond battlefield. Photo by Parker Hills

John Sanders and Arnold McDowell of Yates Construction Co. prepare to move a cannon carriage while Bobby DeLaughter, President of Friends of Raymond, waits in the background to show where the carriage should be placed. Photo by Parker Hills

Bobby DeLaughter, President of Friends of Raymond, and Billy Ward of Yates Construction unrig a cannon carriage after placing it in the Friend of Raymond cannon restoration area. Photo by Parker Hills