The Cherry cannon (, ; , ) is a

wooden cannon Wooden cannons have been manufactured and used in wars in many countries. The wooden parts were invariably strengthened with metal fittings or even rope. Expedient technique The use of wood for cannon-making could be dictated either by the lack ...

and

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...

whose body is made entirely from

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

. It has no significant combat value, as the wood shatters under

explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...

after only a few shots, but it is very easy to make a cannon from cherry wood in a very short time, and easy to transport from one place to another.

History

It was first used by Bulgarian anti- Ottoman revolutionaries in the

April Uprising The April Uprising () was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876. The rebellion was suppressed by irregular Ottoman bashi-bazouk units that engaged in indiscriminate slaughter of both rebels ...

. It was used to arm the under-equipped Bulgarian rebels against the Ottoman army. Balance scale masses and pieces of metal were used as

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

for the cherry cannon. The first cherry guns were created in the spring of 1876. Later cherry guns were used by the Bulgarian anti-Ottoman revolutionaries in the

Kruševo Republic The Kruševo Republic ( Bulgarian and Macedonian: Крушевска Република, ''Kruševska Republika''; ) was a short-lived political entity proclaimed in 1903 by rebels from the Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organizat ...

and at other places of insurgency during the

Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising (), consisting of the Ilinden Uprising (; ) and Preobrazhenie Uprising,Keith Brown (2013). Loyal Unto Death Trust and Terror in Revolutionary Macedonia. Indiana University Press. pp. 15-18. . was an organi ...

in 1903. In practice, this uprising was designed as a belated replica of the

April Uprising of 1876 The April Uprising () was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876. The rebellion was suppressed by irregular military, irregular Ottoman bashi-bazouk units that engaged in indiscriminate slaught ...

Legacy

The only original cherry cannon from the

is kept in the museum of

Bratsigovo Bratsigovo ( ) is a town in Southern Bulgaria. It is located in the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains, on the banks of the Umishka River in Pazardzhik oblast, and is close to the towns of Peshtera and Krichim. Bratsigovo Hills on Trinity Penin ...

, Bulgaria. The only cherry cannon that survived the

is the one captured in 1903 by the Ottoman army after the battle with the insurgents near

Kruševo Kruševo ( ; "Crușuva") is a town in North Macedonia. In Macedonian language, Macedonian the name means the 'place of pear trees'. It is the highest town in North Macedonia and one of the highest in the Balkans, situated at an altitude of over ...

, after an entire insurgent company died defending the concession in the escape of the population from Kruševo. That cherry cannon was then transferred by the Turks to the

Istanbul Military Museum Istanbul Military Museum () is dedicated to one thousand years of Military of Turkey, Turkish military history. It is one of the leading museums of its kind in the world. The museum is open to the public everyday except on Mondays. History ...

. In 2003, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Ilinden Uprising, a cherry cannon from the museum in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

was loaned for three months for an exhibition in the

national museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

in then

Republic of Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. In 2014,

Macedonian historians Historiography in North Macedonia is the methodology of historical studies developed and employed by Macedonian historians. It traces its origins to the 1940s, when SR Macedonia became part of Yugoslavia. The first generation of Macedonian hist ...

visited the Istanbul military museum for research purposes and discovered that two cherry guns from the Ilinden Uprising have been stored there. The exhibits from the beginning of the 20th century appeared as being from the " Bulgar millet". After an official protest from the Macedonian delegation, the origin of the guns was changed to "Makedon millet". However, from a historical perspective a ''Macedonian

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

'' never existed.Проф. Драги Георгиев: Да признаем, че е имало и фалшифициране - вместо "българин" са писали "македонец"- това е истината
Faktor.bg. 21 Март, 2020 г.
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Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cherry Cannon April Uprising of 1876 Macedonia under the Ottoman Empire