The Athens Double-Barrelled Cannon, the only known cannon of its kind, was designed by John Gilleland, a private in the Mitchell Thunderbolts, an elite home guard unit of business and professional men ineligible because of age or disability for service in the Confederate army. Cast in the Athens foundry, it was intended to fire simultaneously two balls connected by a chain that would mow down the enemy somewhat as a scythe cuts wheat. It failed because there was no means of firing both barrels at the exact instant. In a test in a field on the Newton’s Bridge road against upright poles, both balls were rammed home and the chain dangled from the twin muzzles, but uneven explosion of the propelling charges snapped the chain and sent each ball on an erratic and unpredictable trajectory. Without a workable firing device, the gun was a failure. It was later presented to the City of Athens, where for almost a century it was preserved as an object of curiosity and also performed sturdy service for many years in celebrating political victories.