Quaker Gun

Quaker Gun

A Quaker Gun is a fake cannon made from a wooden log, sometimes painted black, used to deceive an enemy. Misleading the enemy as to the strength of an emplacement was an effective delaying tactic. The name derives from the Religious Society of Friends or "Quakers", who have traditionally held a religious opposition to war and violence in the Peace Testimony.

The "Quaker gun trick" was used by Colonel William Washington's Continentals during the American Revolutionary War. On December 4, 1780 approximately 100 Loyalists under Colonel Rowland Rugeley surrendered rather than face "bombardment." [cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/revwar/revolution_day_by_day/1780_bottom.html| title=December of 1780|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2008-05-26]

Quaker guns were used by both sides in the American Civil War. The Confederate States Army frequently used them to compensate for a shortage of artillery. They were painted black at the "muzzle", and positioned behind fortifications to delay Union attacks on those positions. On occasion, real gun carriages were used to complete the deception. [cite web|url=http://www.civilwarhome.com/terms.htm|title=Definitions of Civil War terms|publisher=www.civilwarhome.com/|accessdate=2008-05-27]

Perhaps the most famous use of Quaker guns was by Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston who placed Quaker guns in his field works around Centreville, Virginia in March 1862, to indicate that the works were still occupied while, in fact, the Confederates were withdrawing to the Rappahannock River. Quaker guns were also used at the Battle of Corinth I and the Siege of Petersburg.

The B-25s used in the Doolittle Raid were "armed" with painted broomsticks in place of machine guns to reduce weight.

Notes

Further reading

*Citation
last =Ripley
first =Warren
year =1984
title =Artillery and Ammunition of the Civil War
place =Charleston, S.C.
publisher =The Battery Press .
*Latimer, Jon (2001), "Deception in War", pp.26-9. London: John Murray. ISBN 0-7195-5605-8.


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  • Quaker gun — Quaker Quak er, n. 1. One who quakes. [1913 Webster] 2. One of a religious sect founded by George {Fox}, of Leicestershire, England, about 1650, the members of which call themselves Friends. They were called Quakers, originally, in derision. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Quaker gun — ☆ Quaker gun n. a dummy gun or cannon, as of wood: so called from the Quakers opposition to war and militarism …   English World dictionary

  • Quaker Gun — Un Quaker Gun près de Centreville (Virginie), durant la guerre de Sécession. Un Quaker Gun est un canon factice simplement constitué d un rondin de bois, généralement peint en noir, couramment utilisé au cours des guerres du XVIIIe et XIXe… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Quaker gun — noun a dummy gun or piece of artillery made usually of wood • Hypernyms: ↑gun * * * noun Usage: usually capitalized Q Etymology: so called from the Friends opposition to war : a dummy piece of artillery that is usually made of wood * * * a dummy… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Quaker gun — /ˈkweɪkə gʌn/ (say kwaykuh gun) noun a dummy gun on a ship or a fort, usually made from wood and painted to appear to be a real gun; used to deceive the enemy. {from the association of Quaker s with pacificism and an unwillingness to fire a gun} …  

  • Quaker gun — Quak′er gun n. a dummy gun, as on a ship or fort: so called in allusion to the Quakers opposition to war • Etymology: 1800–10, amer …   From formal English to slang

  • Quaker gun — noun Etymology: from opposition to war as a basic Quaker tenet Date: 1809 a dummy piece of artillery usually made of wood …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Quaker gun —    American    a decoy cannon    A usage from the Civil War because, like the Quakers, it wouldn t fire in anger:     After a while a whole battery of Quaker guns were discovered at Centreville. (G. C. Ward, 1990) …   How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms

  • Quaker gun — a dummy gun, as on a ship or fort: so called in allusion to the Quakers opposition to war. [1800 10, Amer.] * * * …   Universalium

  • Quaker — Quak er, n. 1. One who quakes. [1913 Webster] 2. One of a religious sect founded by George {Fox}, of Leicestershire, England, about 1650, the members of which call themselves Friends. They were called Quakers, originally, in derision. See… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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