The disappearing cannon

[USS ALASKA]

History Happenings: The disappearing cannon
200-pound howitzer brought back to Cedar Rapids after the Civil War has disappeared, reappeared over the years
By Jessica Cline and Rob Cline, - The History Center
Feb. 22, 2022 6:00 am

If you were going to steal a cannon, how would you do it? Cannons, after all, are not generally associated with larceny. For starters, they're hard to fence or pawn. But the real question when it comes to stealing a cannon might be: Why would you do it? Let's look at the history of a cannon — a howitzer, to be precise —that sits inside the Veterans Memorial Building on May's Island in Cedar Rapids. The howitzer's early history is described in the "History of Linn County," published in 1911:

When soldiers were about to return home from the CIvil War, they sought to carry back mementos of the long struggle. Company E of the 12th Iowa Infantry Regiment chose as its trophy a mountain howitzer near Philadelphia, Tenn. The Union cannon had been captured by the rebels and re-captured by Union troops. Some members of Company D of the 12th Iowa Regiment then, by means known only to the soldiers, laid claim to the cannon. Homer Morehead, a soldier from Cedar Rapids, got the cannon to Davenport, and the Cedar Rapids City Council got it to Cedar Rapids. The 200-pound cannon was fired as part of Cedar Rapids' celebrations for a number of years, including during the presidential campaign of Civil War Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in 1868. When the cannon was damaged, it was taken to the shop of John Meehan for repairs, where it was stolen.

Full story with pics can be read here - https://www.thegazette.com/history/history-happenings-the-disappearing-cannon/

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[UCVRelics]

If you were going to steal a cannon, how would you do it? Cannons, after all, are not generally associated with larceny. For starters, they're hard to fence or pawn.

Great story. Back in the 60's & 70's quite a few cannons came up missing from NMP and other locations. A few have shown up for sale in past 10 years as who ever had them died off.

 

[Library Lady]

Very cool! I'm glad Cedar Rapids has its howitzer back. The Civil War cannons my hometown had on the courthouse lawn on either side of the Civil War memorial legally "disappeared" during World War II when they were melted down for their metal in support of the war effort.

 

[Story]

Some members of Company D of the 12th Iowa Regiment then, by means known only to the soldiers, laid claim to the cannon.

This should not be a surprise, just Joe being Joe.
That 200 lbs is only a four-man lift, into the back of a baggage wagon it goes and home it went.

 

[Story]

Having now read the article, I can tell all of you with 87.3% surety exactly what happened during each of these mystical paranormal disappearances.

1) Bunch of veterans (which war being completely immaterial*) decide the aforementioned piece of ordnance has been neglected and disrespected.
2) After consuming the requisite about of liquid courage, our fearless band decide to remove, reappropriate and respect said piece of bronze. It's not stealing if the intent is just, amIright?
3) Blank rounds may or may not be fired. When everyone sobers up, either
3A) They forgot where they left it. Might be in Joe's shed. Dunno. Deal with that later....
3B) They remember what happened after sobering up. Can't let the local Johnny Law find out about it. If one of the perpetrators IS the Sherriff, that's even worse. Will put it back later, after the dust settles.

* Ask me about the drunken post-Korean War veterans that took a Sherman tank from outside of a National Guard armory for a joy ride one night in 1954/55, were pulled over by the local police and after sleeping it off in the drunk tank, were returned to the site where the tank was left parked as none of the cops knew how to drive a tank and the two fearless vets had to return it whence they swiped it.

Oh wait - no need to ask, I just told the whole story.