Battery Stricker

Battery Stricker was a concrete gun emplacement completed in 1899 that housed two 12-inch rifled guns mounted on disappearing carriages. It was named for Brig. Gen. John Stricker, commander of the 3rd Brigade of the Maryland Militia, who fought at the Battle of North Point in 1814. In firing position, a large counterweight in the battery’s lower level raised each gun, and when fired, recoil returned the barrel to its retracted position below the top of the concrete parapet, giving the carriage its name. The concussions from these weapons could break windows, dislodge water pipes in nearby buildings, and frighten mules and horses, leading the fort’s commander to order local households notified before firing so dishes could be removed from shelves, windows opened, and animals corralled. The guns were 36 feet long and weighed 58 tons, and gun crews moved 1,000-pound projectiles on a shell cart from the ammunition hoist to the breech for ramming. Propelled by up to 300 pounds of smokeless powder, the projectiles had a maximum range of 10 miles.

Edgemere, Maryland · United States