# Impey Barbicane — From the Earth to the Moon character guide > Impey Barbicane in From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne. **Role:** major **Also known as:** President Barbicane, Barbicane, the Barbicane, October President Barbicane, friend Barbicane, the unfortunate Barbicane, the Yankee Barbicane, Friend Barbicane **First appearance:** 0000-the-gun-club ## Snapshot President of the Gun Club who bets the nation's pride on firing a manned projectile at the Moon, and forgets his own duel while sketching the equations to make it survivable. ## Who they are Barbicane is the sober Yankee engineer whose calm authority turns a room of Baltimore artillerymen into a moon-shot project, and whose rivalry with Captain Nicholl nearly ends in rifle fire. That rivalry is the story's early engine: the two men who most want each other dead are the two whose combined genius the voyage requires. His defining trait is absorption — he can sit against a catalpa tree, gun unloaded, tracing geometry while a man hunts him through the woods — and it is exactly this single-mindedness that makes the impossible scheme credible. ## Relationships ### [Michel Ardan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/michel_ardan) _friendship_ Barbicane and Ardan share a close, enthusiastic friendship as co-planners and travelers on the moon mission. ### [Captain Nicholl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/captain_nicholl) _rivalry_ Nicholl and Barbicane begin as fierce intellectual rivals over the feasibility of the moon shot, but later reconcile. ### [J. T. Maston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/j_t_maston) _friendship_ Barbicane and Maston are close colleagues and friends, with Maston serving as Barbicane's devoted secretary and supporter. ### [Major Elphinstone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/major_elphinstone) _professional_ Barbicane and Major Elphinstone work together as fellow members of the Gun Club, with Elphinstone assisting in the moon project. ### [General Morgan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/general_morgan) _professional_ General Morgan is a fellow Gun Club member and supporter of Barbicane's moon mission, offering military expertise. ### [Murchison](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/murchison) _professional_ Barbicane and Murchison have a professional relationship, with Murchison likely involved in engineering aspects of the cannon. ### [Rodman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/rodman) _professional_ Barbicane and Rodman have a professional connection, with Rodman likely contributing to cannon construction. ### [Michel Ardan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/michel_ardan) _friendship_ Barbicane and Ardan share a close, enthusiastic friendship as co-planners and travelers on the moon mission. ### [J. T. Maston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/j_t_maston) _friendship_ Barbicane and Maston are close colleagues and friends, with Maston serving as Barbicane's devoted secretary and supporter. ### [J. T. Maston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/j_t_maston) _friendship_ Barbicane and Maston are close colleagues and friends, with Maston serving as Barbicane's devoted secretary and supporter. ### [Captain Nicholl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/captain_nicholl) _rivalry_ Nicholl and Barbicane begin as fierce intellectual rivals over the feasibility of the moon shot, but later reconcile. ### [Major Elphinstone](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/major_elphinstone) _professional_ Barbicane and Major Elphinstone work together as fellow members of the Gun Club, with Elphinstone assisting in the moon project. ## In the story ### [The Gun Club](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-gun-club) President of the Gun Club; issues a circular calling a meeting for an extremely interesting communication. ### [President Barbicane's Communication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/president-barbicane-s-communication) President of the Gun Club, delivers the historic proposal to send a projectile to the moon. ### [Effect of President Barbicane's Communication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/effect-of-president-barbicane-s-communication) President of the Gun Club; delivers the historic communication and is carried in triumph by the crowd. ### [Answer from the Cambridge Observatory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/answer-from-the-cambridge-observatory) President of the Gun Club; initiates the consultation with the Cambridge Observatory and receives the scientific answers. ### [The Romance of the Moon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-romance-of-the-moon) Referenced indirectly as the leader of the Gun Club's lunar project, which this chapter contextualizes within the broader history of lunar study. ### [What It Is Impossible to Ignore and What Is No Longer Allowed to Be Believed in the United States](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/what-it-is-impossible-to-ignore-and-what-is-no-longer-allowed-to-be-believed-in-the-united-states) His proposition triggers a nationwide educational campaign about the moon. ### [The Hymn of the Cannonball](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-hymn-of-the-cannonball) Presides over the committee meeting, proposes the projectile's dimensions and material, and suggests using a high-altitude telescope to track the projectile. ### [History of the Cannon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/history-of-the-cannon) Leads the committee discussion, proposing the cannon's dimensions, form, and material, and reassuring the group about funding. ### [The Question of Powders](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-question-of-powders) President of the Gun Club; proposes using pyroxyle to reduce powder volume and doubles Maston's proposed quantity to 1,600,000 lbs. before converting to fulminating cotton. ### [One Enemy Against Twenty-Five Millions of Friends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/one-enemy-against-twenty-five-millions-of-friends) President of the Gun Club, target of Captain Nicholl's opposition, remains focused on his project and ultimately accepts Nicholl's wager. ### [Florida and Texas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/florida-and-texas) President of the Gun Club; proposes using existing U.S. territory and ultimately decides on Tampa Town, Florida, to avoid further rivalry. ### [Urbi et Orbi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/urbi-et-orbi) President Barbicane issues a manifesto and orchestrates the global subscription, signing the contract with the Goldspring Manufactory. ### [Stony Hill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/stony-hill) Leads the expedition to Florida, surveys the land, and selects Stony Hill as the launch site for the Columbiad. ### [Pickaxe and Trowel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/pickaxe-and-trowel) Leads the entire operation, laying the first sleepers of the railway, animating the workforce, and overseeing every detail of the excavation. He remains at Stony Hill for eight months, ensuring worker health and safety. ### [The Ceremony of the Casting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-ceremony-of-the-casting) President of the Gun Club, oversees the casting operation and insists on a private ceremony for safety. ### [The Columbiad](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-columbiad) President of the Gun Club, oversees the completion of the Columbiad, opens the enclosure to the public, and receives payment from Captain Nicholl. ### [A Telegram](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/a-telegram) Receives the unexpected telegram from Michel Ardan, reacting with visible shock. ### [The Passenger of the Atlanta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-passenger-of-the-atlanta) President of the Gun Club; meets Ardan on deck, questions his resolve, and later orders the casting of the projectile suspended. ### [A Meeting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/a-meeting) Moderates the discussion, asks about planetary habitability, and is praised by Ardan. ### [Thrust and Parry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/thrust-and-parry) Watches the debate with apprehension, is directly attacked by the unknown, and is carried away in triumph with Ardan. ### [How a Frenchman Settles an Affair](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/how-a-frenchman-settles-an-affair) Found absorbed in solving a mechanical problem, having forgotten the duel; accepts Ardan's proposal. ### [The New Citizen of the United States](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-new-citizen-of-the-united-states) Accompanies Ardan, discusses lunar influence on maladies, and oversees the preparatory experiment. ### [The Projectile Compartment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-projectile-compartment) President of the Gun Club; oversees the redesign of the projectile and devises the water-based shock absorber. ### [The Telescope of the Rocky Mountains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/the-telescope-of-the-rocky-mountains) As president of the Gun Club, Barbicane credits the Cambridge Observatory with the funds for the telescope and oversees the project. ### [Final Details](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/final-details) Oversees the dangerous loading of the guncotton and the placement of the projectile, manages the provisioning, and reluctantly accepts Nicholl's bet payment. ### [Fire!](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/fire) Calmly gives last orders before entering the projectile. ### [Cloudy Weather](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/cloudy-weather) Barbicane is one of the travelers in the projectile, cheered by the crowd after the launch. ### [A New Star](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/chapters/a-new-star) One of the three travelers now trapped as a satellite of the moon. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters/impey_barbicane - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/from_the_earth_to_the_moon_se/characters