Cherry gun

The Cherry cannon (Bulgarian: Черешово топче, Chereshovo topche; Macedonian: Црешево топче, Creševo topče) is a wooden cannon, artillery weapon the body of which is made entirely of acacia or cherry. It has no significant combat value, as the wood shatters under explosion after only a few shots.

History

It was first used by Bulgarian anti-Ottoman revolutionaries in the April Uprising. 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 for the cherry cannon. The first cherry guns were created in the spring of 1876.^[1] Later cherry guns were used by the Bulgarian anti-Ottoman revolutionaries in the Kruševo Republic and at other places of insurgency during the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising in 1903.^[2]^[3]^[4]

The only original cherry cannon from the April Uprising of 1876 is kept in the museum of Bratsigovo, Bulgaria.^[5] The only cherry cannon that survived the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising is the one captured in 1903 by the Ottoman army after the battle with the insurgents near Kruševo, 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.

Trivia

In 2003, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Ilinden Uprising, a cherry cannon from the museum in Istanbul was loaned for three months for an exhibition in the National museum of recently founded then Republic of Macedonia. In 2014, Macedonian historians 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 "Bulgarian rebel guns". After an official protest from the Macedonian delegation, the guns' description was changed to "Macedonian".^[6]

Sources

Bakalov, Georgi (2007). Military history of Bulgarians from the Antiquity to present day (in Bulgarian). TRUD Publishers. p. 309. ISBN 978-954-621-235-1.

References

^ Пейчев, Атанас; Крумов, Крум; Йотов, Йонко; Христов, Христо; Арнаудов, Михаил; Ганчев, Ганчо (1977). Христов, Христо (ed.). История на българската артилерия (in Bulgarian). Военно издателство.
^ "However, contrary to the impression of researchers who believe that the Internal organization espoused a "Macedonian national consciousness," the local revolutionaries declared their conviction that the "majority" of the Christian population of Macedonia is "Bulgarian." They clearly rejected possible allegations of what they call "national separatism" vis-a-vis the Bulgarians, and even consider it "immoral." Though they declared an equal attitude towards all the "Macedonian populations." Tschavdar Marinov, We the Macedonians, The Paths of Macedonian Supra-Nationalism (1878–1912), in "We, the People: Politics of National Peculiarity in Southeastern Europe" with Mishkova Diana as ed., Central European University Press, 2009, ISBN 963-9776-28-9, pp. 107–137.
^ The political and military leaders of the Slavs of Macedonia at the turn of the century seem not to have heard the call of Misirkov for a separate Macedonian national identity; they continued to identify themselves in a national sense as Bulgarians rather than Macedonians.[...] (They) never seem to have doubted "the predominantly Bulgarian character of the population of Macedonia". "The Macedonian conflict: ethnic nationalism in a transnational world", Princeton University Press, Danforth, Loring M. 1997, ISBN 0-691-04356-6, p. 64.
^ "The last of the significant leaders of the Uprising – Dame Gruev, died one 23 December 1906 in a fight with Turkish soldiers. The Turkish Press described him as the biggest leader of the Bulgarian Revolutionary Committee. French, Austrian, Russian, American and British consuls and ambassadors reported to their governments the preparation and the crushing of the Ilinden Uprising and described it as a Bulgarian event. The Turks themselves described the uprising as a Bulgarian conspiracy." Chris Kostov, Contested Ethnic Identity: The Case of Macedonian Immigrants in Toronto, 1900–1996, Volume 7 of Nationalisms across the globe, Peter Lang, 2010, ISBN 3-0343-0196-0, pp. 87–88.
^ "Historical Museum of Bratsigovo, Gallery" (in Bulgarian).
^ Велика Ивковска, Илинденското црешово топче – дел од македонската историја чувана во Турција. 08.07.2017, COOLTURA.mk.

[1] Пейчев, Атанас; Крумов, Крум; Йотов, Йонко; Христов, Христо; Арнаудов, Михаил; Ганчев, Ганчо (1977). Христов, Христо (ed.). История на българската артилерия (in Bulgarian). Военно издателство.

[2] "However, contrary to the impression of researchers who believe that the Internal organization espoused a "Macedonian national consciousness," the local revolutionaries declared their conviction that the "majority" of the Christian population of Macedonia is "Bulgarian." They clearly rejected possible allegations of what they call "national separatism" vis-a-vis the Bulgarians, and even consider it "immoral." Though they declared an equal attitude towards all the "Macedonian populations." Tschavdar Marinov, We the Macedonians, The Paths of Macedonian Supra-Nationalism (1878–1912), in "We, the People: Politics of National Peculiarity in Southeastern Europe" with Mishkova Diana as ed., Central European University Press, 2009, ISBN 963-9776-28-9, pp. 107–137.

[3] The political and military leaders of the Slavs of Macedonia at the turn of the century seem not to have heard the call of Misirkov for a separate Macedonian national identity; they continued to identify themselves in a national sense as Bulgarians rather than Macedonians.[...] (They) never seem to have doubted "the predominantly Bulgarian character of the population of Macedonia". "The Macedonian conflict: ethnic nationalism in a transnational world", Princeton University Press, Danforth, Loring M. 1997, ISBN 0-691-04356-6, p. 64.

[4] "The last of the significant leaders of the Uprising – Dame Gruev, died one 23 December 1906 in a fight with Turkish soldiers. The Turkish Press described him as the biggest leader of the Bulgarian Revolutionary Committee. French, Austrian, Russian, American and British consuls and ambassadors reported to their governments the preparation and the crushing of the Ilinden Uprising and described it as a Bulgarian event. The Turks themselves described the uprising as a Bulgarian conspiracy." Chris Kostov, Contested Ethnic Identity: The Case of Macedonian Immigrants in Toronto, 1900–1996, Volume 7 of Nationalisms across the globe, Peter Lang, 2010, ISBN 3-0343-0196-0, pp. 87–88.

[5] "Historical Museum of Bratsigovo, Gallery" (in Bulgarian).

[6] Велика Ивковска, Илинденското црешово топче – дел од македонската историја чувана во Турција. 08.07.2017, COOLTURA.mk.

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