Name/Title
6 Pounder Bronze Field Cannon | Cyrus Alger & Company, Boston | 1839Description
The C.A. & Co. stamped on the center of the right trunnion stands for Cyrus Alger & Company, a South Boston, Massachusetts foundry where this cannon was cast.The 1839 stamped on the center of the left trunnion is the year this cannon was cast.
The cannon was one of two similar field cannons that were once part of Fort Sullivan in Eastport, Maine. The fort was decommissioned in 1873 and one of the cannons went to Lubec where it stood next to the Civil War monument on lower Main Street and the other one went to the Grand Army Hall on Green Street in Eastport where it stood next to the Hall. Around 1920, the cannon was fired off and damaged a neighboring house. The head of the veterans hall ordered the cannon to removed from its site next to the hall and the cannon was relocated to the front of the Peavey Memorial Library building in Eastport. In March, 2024 the library board voted to gift the cannon to the Tides Institute & Museum of Art. The cannon was relocated on May 9, 2025 to stand once again next to the Grand Army Hall on Green Street.
• From Eastport Sentinel, August 20, 1919, p. 1: From account of recent City Council meeting. "A vote was then passed, thanking Fred Finch for furnishing blocks for the cannon at the Library Park, and the City Clerk was instructed to publish the same in the Sentinel and to communicate it to Mr. Finch by letter."
Below is email to Border Historical Society of Eastport, Maine from Sanford Walker, June 18, 2010. Print copy in collections of Tides Institute & Museum of Art.
Hello,
My name is Sanford Walker. I am an amateur historian and Revolutionary War re-enactor. I recently passed through Eastport and noticed the cannon on the front lawn of the Library
I do not know who owns the gun nor if the owner is aware of the historical importance of it; the cannon is a Model 1838 six pound field gun and is sitting on what appears to be a mostly original carriage made prior to 1839. This carriage is possibly one of two in existence; the carriage is described by Mr Matt Switlik in his article “US Field Gun Carriages – Their History and Evolution" which I have attached.
According to Mr. Jim Bender (m1861artillery@yahoo.com) the gun is registered in the National Register of Surviving Civil War Artillery. It was cast by Cyrus Alger in Boston MA and assigned their registry number of 14, it was inspected by Mr James Wolfe Ripley (JWR) and weights 695 pounds. An oddity of the Model 1838 (and Model 1835) cannon is that they do have the normal “US” marked on the upper surface between the trunnions.
Again, obviously, I do not know if the owner has the resources to properly protect the gun and carriage, both from the elements and thieves but I would suggest that if at all possible the gun and carriage be protected in a more suitable manner given its historical significance.
Thank you for your time
Sanford Walker
4900 NW Coves Dr
Kansas City MO 64151
(603) 934-7237
Below is letter from Jules J. Arel address to Joanne O'Grady of Eastport, Maine, August 26, 1994. Print copy in collections of Tides Institute & Museum of Art.
Dear Ms. Grady,
First of all, many thanks for your help in my search for the gunnade cannon. I am enclosing photos of the two cannon that were located. I hope you can pass them on to the historical society, along with the following information.
The Napoleon in front of the library is a six-pounder. It was cast in 1839 by the Cyrus Alger company in South Boston Mass. It's serial number is 695, and it weighs 1568 pounds. The carriage shows considerable deterioration from being exposed to the weather and should have several costs of water seal applied to it. The muzzle of the cannon should have a wooden plug several inches thick fitted in order to prevent rain and melted snow from standing in the barrel indefinitely. Maybe you can find a historical society member who will volunteer to do this.
The cannon we located in the highway department storage yard is an English 12-pounder which dates to 1760-1770 and weighs 2240 pounds. It desperately needs to be moved to a protected area. Possibly the highway department would move it into one of your large work sheds. It wouldn't take up much room. If the school has sand-blasting equipment it could be used to clean the cannon. It should then be painted with a light coat of good quality black oil base enamel paint. The piece should be stored on wooden blocks, off the floor. All of this work could be done in possibly two hours. It's really a shame to see such a historical treasure in that condition.
There still remains the question of the other cannon, the gunnade, which hopefully is on Treats Island. I know I'm imposing on you but ... would have any idea how I would go about getting someone to take me to the island, and the cost? Seeing mas you are familiar with the island I wonder if you might “volunteer” to go along? at your convenience. It would save a lot of searching time.
Again, many thanks for all of your help
Sincerely,
Jules J. Arel
From The Quoddy Tides newspaper, Eastport, Maine, June 23, 1995:
Library cannon to return for 4th of July
The future can best be known by knowing the past. If one understands yesterday, one can take action today to make a happier tomorrow. The wheeled cannon on the library lawn illustrates this by symbolizing some of the self-sacrificing aspects of American heritage.
The bronze military field cannon, with its large iron-rimmed, all-terrain wheels, was cast in Boston, Mass., in the 1830s. It stood at Eastport's Fort Sullivan prior to the move to the library lawn.
The Peavey Memorial Library cannon restoration project was sponsored by the Eastport Area Rotary Club, with repair of the cannon's wooden parts undertaken at Shead High School.
The following persons have all generously and skillfully contributed to the cannon restoration project. Under the direction of industrial arts teacher Maurice House, students Robert MacDonald and David Keezer made meticulous and detailed drawings and notes of the cannon, its wheels, its wooden frame, and all of its iron works, to ensure that nothing be altered or last. Student foreman Kris Kilby and students Paul Smith, John Barnes, Dennis Lincoln, Scott Jarret and Adam Jamieson, using native prime oak generously contributed by Tommy Pottle of Pottle's Sawmill, restored the damaged wood and metalwork. A piece of the cannon’s original wood was used (for a variety of reasons — some sentimental) in repairing the elevation lowering and raising mechanism. House hopes to complete the work on the last section, the wheels, this all.
John Knapp transported the cannon to Shead for repairs and will transport it again for its return to the library for the Fourth of July restoration ceremony at noon.
Appreciation is extended to Ferne Johnson and Skip McGarvey of the library board for their assistance and ideas, to Wayne Wilcox, Vince Lodge, Buddy Allen, Mike Apt and Ed Martin for theirs and Shead's Nick Gamertsfelder.
And last but not least, sincere appreciation is extended to the people of Eastport for their continuing support and encouragement.
