In 1862 John Gilleland, dentist, builder and mechanic, designed a double barreled cannon. This cannon is the only known double barreled cannon in existence. The cannon was cast in Athens, Georgia for a cost of $350. The two barrels have a divergence of 3 degrees, and the cannon was designed to shoot two cannon balls simultaneously connected with a chain to "mow the enemy down like scythe cuts wheat". Shooting cannon balls connected with a chain was commonly done in naval warfare, but these chain shots were fired from a single barrel.
Gillelands invention, however, was a spectacular failure. Firing the cannons at exactly the same time was difficult due to the speed of the burning powder. On 22 April 1862 the cannon was tested for the first time. The cannon was aimed at a target of two upright poles, but the uneven explosion gave the connected balls a spinning movement in an off-center direction, destroying a cornfield and damaging some trees before the chain broke and one ball damaged a chimney and the other one killed a cow. It was reported that "the observers scattered as though the entire Yankee Army had been turned loose in that vicinity"
Gilleland tried to promote his invention to the Confederate Army's arsenal in Augusta, Georgia, where it was found unfit for its purpose. Gilleland continued to try to promote his invention to other military leaders around Augusta, but failed to get anybody interested. Finally his contraption was used as a signal gun in Athens to warn against advancing Yankees in the American Civil War. On 27 July 1864 the cannon was fired after reports of several thousand Union soldiers approaching Monroe, Georgia. However, this report turned out to be false. The cannon disappeared in 1891 and was found again ten years later under a rock pile by a boy looking for lizards.
Currently, the cannon is on display in front of the City Hall of Athens.