The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-10-02
Weapons of War.
An Hour Among the Curious Things in
the War Department Museum
Washington Republican,

| washington Repubncan'l
| One of the most interesting government
exhibits in this city is, perhaps, that in the
ordnance museum, on Seventeenth street
northwest. The long room is conveniently
arranged, and the display consists OF many
instruments of war, both ancient and mod
ern. At one end Of the hall stand two fig-
ures representing ancient japanese soldiers.
They are clad in the original suits of armor,
| OF steel, brass, and gutta percha, which
were worn hundreds of years ago, and are
| accompanied by long and desperate looking
| spears The face of the soldier is half con-
cealed by a hideous looking mask, while the
whole effect is horrible in the extreme. The
Japanese believed in those days that the
more hideous they could make themselves
| appear the less fighting they would have to
do; that frightening the enemy was better
| than lighting him. There were other Japa-
nese curiosities on exhibition, consisting of
| heavy copper hats, terrible looking masks,
decorated spears, swords, &c. In the same
portion of the room was a curiosity OF more
modern use, but Of no less interest. It was
one OF the mule battery guns used during
tne late rebellion in this country, and which
| provoked an American poet to write the
song beginning:
/ Bring on your jackass battery"
! The gun is about four feet long and is at
| tached to queer looking saddle. The mule
battery gun never did any serious damage to
the enemy. 1t was fired from the backs of
those high kicking animals, and many lud-
crous scenes are reported TO have occurred
shortly after the command to begin firing
| was given. The battlefield of Petersburg,
Va, contributes two bullets, union and con
federate, which met and fused in midair In
the same case with the war-wedded bullets
is box of beautifully carved dominoes,
made by French prisoner of war who was
incarcerated during the wars of Napoleon l.
in the Pennycuick prison in Scotland from
| the beef bones of his rations, with no tools
save blade made by himself from piece
| of iron. The other articles are ssgorget,"
| or queer shaped silver decoration, supposed
to have been worn by British officer at the
battle of Bloody Run, in 1868. It was found
| by Gen. Poe, in Michigan, several years ago.
steel cuirass and heavy brass helmet worn
| by French curiasseurs at the battle of Sedan,
during the FrancO-Germa war, are also
| kept here. These articles we're considered
| proof against bullet and saber. but they
| were evidently no match for the penetrating
Prussian needle gun or the strong arm of
the German cavaryman. The cuirass was
| pierced by bullet from the former killing
its wearer, and the helmet shows deep
saber cut dlagonally across it, which frac-
| tured the dashing cuirasseur's skull. Since
| France has become a republic the above
| articles are no longer used. During her
monarchical days they were worn by the
flower OF the French cavalry. Another ar
| NOR of more ancient origin reposes quietly
| against the wall near the above. 1t is com
| plete, and is composed of a series of steel
scales. 1t was worn by some stern old
knight early in the seventeenth century, and
bears date of 1910 engraved upon the breast
in queer looking hieroglyphics.
| There is also collection of old cannon.
| Some OF them were presented to the young
| republic by Gen. Lafayette and others, Of
brass finish, which were captured from the
| English works at Yorktown and Saratoga.
| Then there are several experimental breech
loading cannon made by the confederates at
| jackson, Miss, and pair of confederate
| Williams or "long Tom" cannon used upon
| small boats during expeditions up the bay
| GUS and through the marshes of the gulf
states. jeff Davis's rife is another item of
| interest. II was carried by him during the
closing days of the war, and finally captured
| with him and his petticoats. There is also
an old English mortar howitzer, made dur
| ing the reign OF George III, and captured at
| the battle of Saratoga by the provincials.
| and musket from the British man of war,
| Somerset. The Somerset was wrecked off
| Point Race, Cape Cod, during the war of
| 1912. The crew were taken prisoners by
the inhabitants of the cape, and the musket
was found IN the water not many years ago
by fisherman. 1t was rusted through and
| through, and has growth of shells and
stone upon its long, grim barrel. Here is
an ancient form of a matchbox gun, cap
tured by Japanese troops In 1874, aud sup
| posed to be hundreds of years DID, This
| piece was presented to the United States
government by Col. James r. WATSON, the
| defaulting paymaster, who was at the
time of its capture second lieutenant
| 4th United States cavalry, and in Japan
on visit. A small Arab musket of
antique origin, which was fred by
means of a slow match and powder pan. A
| large bombshell from the battle of New Or
leans in 1916, and steel cross bows and ar
| rows used 10 Spain, many years ago, are al
| so objects of interest. A section OF an oak
| tree, three feet in circumference, cut down
| by minnie balls at the battle of Spottsyva-
! mia Court House, during the late war, al
| ways attracts the attention of everybody.
| The oak stood behind earthworks which had
| been captured by the union troops. The
| confederates made desperate ATTEMPT to
| recapture their works, during which the tree
was cut down by their bullets. The pow
| der horn used by Capt. Jack, the Modoe
| chief, during the lava bed war; a rusty bayo-
net and large English horse pistol from the
| battlefield of Waterloo; the bullet which de-
| stroyed Col. R. L. Kilpatrick's right arm at
the battle of Charlottesville; samples of
| confederate explosive bullets, which were
| calculated to blow man into smithereens;
| smoking pipe made in the trenches before
Sebastopol during the siege by an English
| soldier, and a section of confederate whist
| ling shot which shrieked through the air at
Gettysburgh like aerial demons, are also OBJ
| jects of interest
| Apropos to the visit of the Corean embas-
| sy to this country, there is on exhibition in
the ordnance museum the spear by which
Lieut.. Mckee, U. S. N, lost his life during
| the Corean raid. 1t is long and desperate
looking weapon, with a soiled piece of white
rag .-ttached to the staff, just below the
| spear head. The rag was displayed by the
| Coreans as a flag of truce, and when Lieut.
Mckee responded to it by approaching the
| party he was stabbed repeatedly by its bear
er. The razor-like spear still bears the stain
of the gallant lieutenants life blood.
Another article of equal interest is the
battle flag of South Carolina confederate
regiment, captured by Pennsylvania bri-
gade at Malvern Hill. This tattered relic
was found standing upright in a breastwork
composed of the dead bodies of South Caro-
| lima soldiers. The regiment, in its deeper
alton to hold the position, and having dwin-
died down to a mere handful of men under
| the effects of severe enflading fire of ar
tillery and musketry, piled their dead in long
| rows and delivered their fire from behind
| the CHASTITY works.
| Indian ingenuity is shown by carbine
shell reloaded by an Apache brave in Arizo-
ma. 1t is supposed that the Indian possessed
carbine. and his ammunition having given
out, he reloaded several empty shells. The
bullet was evidently Clipped out with
knife and the cap was ingeniously placed in
| position.
Among the shots are sections of chilled
iron conical shaped projectiles weighing $50
pounds each. They were manufactured for
the English government by a Boston firm,
and afterward split open to exhibit the grain
of1the metal and theirge quality. These
shots, it is said, were intended to penetrate
| 10-inch steel armor.
| An assortment of mitrailleuses and Gatlin
| oung attract rnuoh atfantinp. olco t.ro laroo