Douglas cannon
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The Douglas cannon is a missing[1] cannon properly owned by Wesleyan University of Connecticut which was originally notable for being used in annual "cannon scraps" (contests to attempt to fire or prevent the firing of the cannon), but which in later years became known for being repeatedly stolen. The cannon, made of brass, weighs 140 pounds (64 kg) and is 29+1⁄2 inches (750 mm) long and 5+1⁄4 inches (130 mm) in diameter. It was originally mounted on a wooden carriage, but in 1931 it was mounted on a stone pedestal.[2]
Final scraps, 1893 to 1916
During the middle of the nineteenth century at Wesleyan, cannons were fired to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday. In 1859, the school calendar was changed such that school was not in session during the Fourth of July holiday.
Prior to its acquisition by the college, the campus was occupied by Captain Partridge's American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. As a result, several old cannons were partly buried in the ground as posts. In order to celebrate George Washington's birthday, one of these was dug up, cleaned, and fired in the early morning hours by some freshman students.
The early morning cannon fire was repeated in 1858, much to college president Joseph Cummings' annoyance. By 1860, though, an annual tradition was established in which members of the freshman class (first year students) would attempt to fire a cannon on the morning of February 22, while members of the sophomore class tried to prevent this from happening. These contests were known as "cannon scraps".[3]
1860 was also the first year that the Douglas cannon was used in the scrap. The Douglas battery was an artillery regiment named for Middletown mayor Benjamin Douglas. A new cannon was borrowed, presumably by the freshman, for the scrap. In 1869, a cannon fired with too much powder and destroyed the library windows, and from them until 1893, cannon scraps were generally held off-campus.
Some insight into the scraps of this era is given by an article in an 1878 edition of the school newspaper, The College Argus.[4] Apparently, members of the freshman class would attempt to locate one or more cannon and acquire some powder and ammunition, often buying or renting them from nearby Meriden, Portland, or New Britain. Sophomores would attempt to prevent this by means ranging from renting the cannon before the freshman could, to stealing the cannon or powder or ammunition, sometimes via straightforward physical violence. Freshmen were often followed by sophomores if it seemed that they might be going in search of a cannon. By the mid-1870s, students would engage in underhanded and manipulative tactics during the scrap- trickery, hiring other students, hiring Middletown residents, and bribing school officials.
In the 1876 scrap, once acquired, one cannon was guarded by farmers with shotguns and axes. On the 20th of February, a group of juniors attempted to sneak the cannon out, working for the sophomores and claiming to be freshmen. They managed to take possession of the ammunition, but as they were trying to persuade the farmer to leave the cannon when they were recognized as juniors and chased off. The freshmen obtained another cannon from Portland. Late in the night, there were fights between the sophomores and freshmen in Indian Hill Cemetery and on Foss Hill, where one was successfully fired and the other disabled. The cannon was soon after taken by the sophomores and sunken in the Connecticut River. Under threat of lawsuit by the cannon's owner, the sophomores later hired a diver to retrieve the cannon, and several members of the cannon scrap were suspended. This led to some student controversy under President Cyrus David Foss.[5]
Around 1900, the Douglas Pump Works officially donated the cannon to the university.
Starting in 1893, the scraps were held on campus, and a set of rules was imposed, basically making the scrap into a contest that revolved around hiding the cannon and then sneaking it into position on the morning of the 22nd. Once in position, the sophomores had lost and had to allow the firing to take place.
Getting the cannon into position was a matter both of stealth and of force; the sophomores would attempt to steal the cannon while the freshman hid it, sometimes for months. If sighted on the way to firing position, mobs of sophomores would swarm the cannon team and attempt to physically overwhelm them. Elaborate preparations and tactics were employed, including multiple decoy cannon and kidnappings.
In 1905, the sophomores erected a large barricade of snow and wire. The freshman set off a false fire alarm, and used the confusion caused by the arrival of the fire department to haul the cannon into the firing area. In order to win, the freshmen had to keep the cannon in the firing area for fifteen minutes; the sophomores rushed them and a melee ensued, but the freshmen were able to hold their position. Meanwhile, the fire department, annoyed at the false alarm and the melee, drenched the students with their fire hoses.
In 1916, a nearly unanimous vote ended the cannon scraps, though there was one revival in 1923.
Monument
In 1931 during the college's centennial celebration, the new home of the cannon was revealed. The carriage had been removed (the wheels now serve as chandeliers in a university building) and the cannon filled with lead and mounted to a stone pedestal with a bronze plaque. It sat there for 26 years.
The Douglas Cannon
Born in Obscurity · Reared in Strife
Tempered by Travel · Never Discouraged
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