The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-23
MOVING A FIELD PIECE
OLD CANNON IN THE CAPITOL
 GROUND ON NEW BASE.
It Will Occupy an Imposing Position Near the Main Entrance and by Side of the Span
 ish Mast.

With the honorable rust of three dec ades, upon it a thirty-two pcunder can non. discarded by the government, whlcn has for many years laid near the Con- federate monument in the lawn or the State Capitol, was moved from its long resting place yesterday. When the work men complete the job today the old gun will occupy an imposing position on concrete foundation just to the north Of the main entrance to the Capitol grounds and looking down upon the city through picturesque Dexter Avenue.
 The idea of removing the old gun to more imposing position was born Tn committee room of the Street Fair As sociation and as result of this idea IL
 will stand es a silent sentinel at the gates to the historic old building Tor ages to come.
 When the committee of the Street Fair Association having in charge the cele- l bration in connection with the spanish spars and other relics presented to the | city by Captain Richmond Pearson Hob | son, decided to have formal exercises al the Capitol upon the occasion of raising | the spars 1t was suggested that this oid gun, relic of the war between the | States, be given conspicuous place Tn | the exercises. The suggestion was adopt
 ed and force of workmen began yes | ment base which had been provided for | it near the entrance to the grounds.
 It was necessary to move the cannon (which weighs something oyer two tons, about one hundred yards. Several strong negro laborers. two jack-screws and nu-
 merous yards of steel cable and rollers
 were en ployeo in the work. At nightfall
 only about half of the distance had been
 covered. -
 As every ante-bellum cannon has its
 history a representative of The AdNer-
 old gun" which had been lying in the
 soil of the Capitol lawn SO many years.
 Captain Paul sai guiI etti for morS
 than twenty years ordnance ,ho o'meer nsr be. Si
 tween the States this piece Of artillery
 was shipped by the Confederate array
 from Fort Barrsncas near Pensacoii.
 Fla, to Richmond, Va. to assist in the
 fortifcation of that city. The cannon
 was routed via Montgomery anu was
 shipped on a fiat car. When the traln
 in the yards of the Western Railroad of Of
 Alabama and Captain Sanguinetti says
 trat the old gun lay in the failroad yards several years. It was then con, ae
 used on several occasions by the young
 men of the city to fire salutes. ,,o, On the Fourth of July, 1s16-Centennla, year-Captain Sanguinetti says the local battery removed the old field piece tf
 the Capitol grounds where the one hun , dredth anniversary Of American mae pendence was celebrated by national sa'
 iutes fired from the cannon It was thsr
 spiked and this was the last time tht , old field piece sounded 'the song ol
 war" vt, .
 The firing of the cannon on July 4 , 1876. caused Captain Sangunetu som
 annoyance and he relat sd yesterday Una . soon after the salutes were fired he al } Ordnance Officer of Alabama was aston
 ished when he received communlcauoi , from the War Department at washing
 ton apprising him that the departmen . had been informed that he had in hid ing a field piece belonging to the gov . orhnent," and asking for further lnfor | | nation on the subject Captain Sangul A netti gave the War Department all tn r information he had about the cannon but insisted upon being informed as ' 1, the name of the person who proush ,' the matter of the hidden gun to tn :, attention of the department. He say d he was later informed that pr1miheih ti . citizen wrote to the department tnal n tr, , gun belonged to the government an + that a crowd of young men were 1rih , salutes in Montgomery, therepy oainas U inc window panes and giving the cluzen
 other annoyances. ,,r n, VI Captain Sanguinetti says the war De .t nartment paid no further attention U ,o the cannon and he had a wooden cais son made for it and located IL m th th !; north end of the Capitol lawn Drrlhg th l. administration of Governor HohSuoh z, II k feet but when the grounds were peai. t,as ., N innrOyed it was dug up and rock pas y was made for it to rest upon. It reste ,t upon this rock base until yesteruaH: '. '. The canon bears the inscription # 1893" It will have a place lmmedlatel s. '' ii, front of the I5-foot mast or the span
 ish shin Ouuendo which is to De piahte
 in the Capitol grounds