My travels from Indy brought me to Vicksburg, Mississippi and the Civil War battlefield that played an important turn in the war. As part of the park, they have preserved the USS Cairo, a Union ironclad and the contents of the ship. There are several sites but here is a link with the history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cairo
Part of the articles recovered are several hand and leg irons.
Ron
THANKS RON, they look a lot heavier made then the one's we encounter most of the time !
found the statement about them on another site:
On board, a landsman (present-day Marine) was responsible for guarding prisoners. According to crewman George Yost, these wrist and leg irons were used not just for enemy prisoners but for members of the Cairo's crew as well. An excerpt from his diary reads,
"Tuesday Oct 21,1862 William Smith confined in Irons by order of Captain."
LK D~D
My travels from Indy brought me to Vicksburg, Mississippi and the Civil War battlefield that played an important turn in the war. As part of the park, they have preserved the USS Cairo, a Union ironclad and the contents of the ship. There are several sites but here is a link with the history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cairo
Part of the articles recovered are several hand and leg irons.
Ron
As with Lilly Hand Irons these are very restrictive. Having your crew in them means they cannot work. Having your prisoners legs in them means they cannot climb the ladder from below deck. Simple and effective with no need for a hot rivet. Combined with a sweat box, on only bread and water, was harsh to say the least but was better than flogging.
Thanks Ron.
Paul
