Friday, April 11, 2014

Heard Of The "Quaker Gun"...?

Now this is one that somehow slipped past my knowledge base. I don't know how that could happen!Must be an sage thing, ya know?

In case of war, strange things can turn the tide in battle. What may seem like a crazy idea may just be the secret to winning the battle. Enter the strange world of Quaker Guns!

A Counterfeit Cannon Convinced The Enemy To Give Up



Quaker guns are logs or other similar materials painted black and made to resemble real artillery pieces. Named after the pacifist Society of Friends, or Quakers, these fake guns have been used in a variety of wars to frighten or fool the enemy. One rare instance of a Quaker gun actually effecting a surrender came during Colonel William Washington’s campaign in South Carolina on December 4, 1780.

The colonel—who also happened to be George Washington’s second cousin—had found 115 Loyalists holed up in a fortified barn. In a show of quick wit, Washington secretly had a pine log painted to look like a cannon and threatened to open fire if the defenders did not yield. His efforts paid off with the unconditional surrender of Colonel Rowland Rugeley and all his men. To add insult to injury, the defeated men later discovered that the cannon was a fake.

Now this is really a cool way to mess with the enemy, as long as they don't call your bluff! I guess that this "weapon" would be popular with the peaceniks of the world!

Coffee out on the patio today! I have some strawberry cake, OK?

8 comments:

Sixbears said...

I love the name.

It's thought that when N. Korea puts on a military parade, many of the missiles are fake.

Chickenmom said...

Good post, Mr. Hermit! That's a another piece of American history that we didn't know about. Save me a piece of that strawberry cake - I'm running a wee bit late with everything today!

Anonymous said...

So smart! I've heard they've made fake tanks when fighting in the middle east and if they put a source of heat in them they are hard to detect with one of those heat sencitive cameras too.

Strawberry cake! I might just jump in a plane and come over for a bite :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.

linda m said...

Very smart. I have heard that armies will use fake stuff. Sure does freak out the enemy. Strawberry cake sounds good but I'll have to pass. Need to lose my vacation pounds.

JO said...

Good post did now that either. The things we learn coming here.

Nice morning for sitting on the patio even here. Pass the pot please.

Dizzy-Dick said...

Now all they have to do is come up with fake soldiers. Wouldn't that be great?!?!

HermitJim said...

Hey Sixbears...
Now I wouldn't doubt that for a minute! Sounds like something they would do.

Thanks, buddy, for coming over today!



Hey Phyllis...
Fun to find out all this stuff, isn't it? I'm a sucker for trivia!

Better late than never! Glad you could make it!



Hey Christer...
You are always welcome at my house, my friend!

I'd send you some cake, but I don't think it would survive thew trip!

Thanks for coming over today!



Hey Linda M...
If you get the chance, look up the "ghost army!" In WW2 they had a complete group that specialised in setting up fakes to fool the enemy! I think there are some videos on YouTube with some of their creations!

Thanks for coming over today!



Hey Jo...
Makes me happy to entertain you, sweetie!

Thanks for dropping by today!

Mamahen said...

Better late than never...very interesting post :))