6-Pound Cannon

6-Pound Cannon. Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park. , In 1811, the town of Fernandina was platted according to the Spanish Law of the Indies, which prescribed how the site for a Spanish settlement should be selected, and how the town should be laid out in classical grid form. This law also stated that there must be a means of fortification to protect the town and a centrally located plaza for use by all residents. You are standing on the site of the historic plaza grounds that once laid in front of the Spanish Fort., Part of the armament of Fort San Carlos included cannons like this one before you. These iron, 6-pound cannons were used by the Spanish, English and French. At just over 6 feet long and weighing in at over 1200 pounds, it had the ability to fire a 6-pound solid ball or 6-pound exploding shell at a range of 1600 yards using a 1.5 pound cannon powder charge. This distance is well within the range of McClure’s Hill to the southeast, which cannons like this fired upon during the Battle of Amelia in 1817. They were also used to protect the harbor and inlet from invaders., The cannon required a gun crew of six men and could be loaded in about 3.5 - 4 minutes. This particular type of cannon was in service from the mid – 1700’s to the 1830’s. It was mounted on a four wheel truck carriage, as know as a garrison carriage and was in use Fort San Carlos from 1817 to 1821. This authentic cannon was found in the marsh and donated the Florida Park Service.