From the Earth to the Moon and Round the Moon characters

Appears from the start

The respected president of Baltimore's Gun Club, an association of artillery enthusiasts left without a purpose after the American Civil War. Methodical, ambitious, and persuasive, he proposes firing a projectile to the Moon and directs the enormous engineering effort needed to attempt it.

Appears from the start

The excitable secretary of the Gun Club and one of its most devoted members. An artillery accident has left him with an artificial hook, while an earlier head wound was repaired with a protective plate. He responds to Barbicane's lunar proposal with absolute enthusiasm and remains central to the calculations and public observation of the mission.

First appears in chapter 9

A senior Gun Club member and specialist consulted on the explosive charge required for the lunar cannon. Like his colleagues, he redirects wartime technical knowledge toward Barbicane's unprecedented civilian project.

First appears in chapter 10

A Philadelphia engineer famous for developing armor plate and Barbicane's longstanding technical rival. He publicly challenges every element of the Moon project and backs his objections with a series of wagers, becoming the president's personal as well as professional opponent.

First appears in chapter 13

The practical engineer placed in charge of the immense construction site at Stones Hill, Florida. He oversees the excavation and casting work needed to turn Barbicane's design for the Columbiad into a functioning cannon.

First appears in chapter 18

A daring and theatrical French adventurer who arrives in America after sending a proposal that transforms the experiment: he wants the projectile made hollow so that he can travel inside it. His confidence, curiosity, and gift for winning a crowd force the Gun Club to reconsider the mission as a human voyage.

First appears in chapter 19

A veteran member of the Gun Club who assists with the lunar enterprise and later serves aboard the naval vessel assigned to watch for the returning projectile.

First appears in chapter 24

The director of the huge telescope installed in the Rocky Mountains to track the projectile. He coordinates the observatory's vigil as weather and distance make the fate of the travelers difficult to determine.