The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate batteries opened fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, leading to its capitulation the next day, and by the final action at Palmito Ranch, Texas, on May 12, 1865, about 620,000 soldiers had died, two-thirds of them from disease. The cannon here was one of about 320 3-inch ordinance rifles made by the Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, for Civil War use, and these guns took part in most major battles of the conflict. This specific gun, serial number 283, was manufactured on February 5, 1862. Most surviving guns remain on the East Coast, though at least four reached farther west, including examples in Brazil, Indiana, Fort Huron, Michigan, and Memphis, Tennessee. In Wells County, local skilled people carried out all restoration on this cannon except for the wheels, with much of their time and additional project funding donated by local businesses and individuals.