The Foot Bridge - Allatoona Pass Battlefield - Bartow Co., GA
Posted by: 
Lat34North
N 34° 06.967 W 084° 43.013
16S E 710574 N 3777384
The Foot Bridge marker is located on the walking path in the pass at the Allatoona Pass Battlefield on Old Allatoona Rd, Allatoona, GA.
Waymark Code: WM91CF
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 06/13/2010
Views: 2
The Foot Bridge
The Foot Bridge
At this point, a crude wooden bridge spanned the cut about 90 feet above the railroad tracks. It was constructed by felling two pine trees across the cut, planking over them and adding a hand rail. During the battle, Private Edwin R. Fullington of the 12th Wisconsin Artillery crossed the bridge three times with grapeshot and canister to replenish the federal ammunition supply in the Star Fort.
Deadly Ammunition
Grapeshot consisted of layered iron balls held together by iron plates and a threaded bolt at the center.. Called a stand, grapeshot contains fewer, usually nine, but larger iron balls then did canister shot.
Canister ammunition consisted in a thin metal container loaded with layers of iron or lead balls packed in sawdust. The layering and sawdust maintained the symmetry of the ammunition during transport and its effectiveness when fire. Canister shot, only effective up to 400 yards, proved highly effective against men and horses, often becoming essential during the last moments of a defensive stand. The lethality of canister rounds resulted from their wide path of destruction and ability to be fired more rapidly than solid shot. Aiming was unnecessary. By 1863, a canister round for a 12 lb. Napoleon held 27 to 72 iron balls.
Georgia State Parks & Historical Sites