This cannon, captured by American forces in Cuba during the Spanish American War, was given to the City of Chattanooga by the US Government in 1900. This artifact of war would have been an interesting curiosity for early automobile tourists, who could take a two-block deviation from the Dixie Highway to see it.
The cannon is located near the Hamilton County Courthouse and Court Square Fountain.
The mount for this cannon is inscribed as follows:
"[L side]
This cannon was captured by the United States Troops at Santiago de Cuba on the 16th day of July 1898. It was one of the guns which commanded the bay and harbor of Santiago at the time of the sinking of the Merrimac by Lieut. Hobson and his brave party, and was employed by the Spanish Garrison in their effort to destroy them, and is now loaned to the city of Chattanooga by the U.S. Government.
[R side]
Erected under the plans of Major D. C. Kingman U.S.A. and the supervision of the following Committee of the Board of Mayor and Alderman of the City of Chattanooga, and dedicated to American Bravery.
Joseph Wassman, Mayor
E. J. Dillard, Chairman
Jos. C. Forstner, Sam W. Duncan Committee
Robert Hooke, City Engineer"
See here for a historical photograph of the 1900 parade that culminated in the placement of the cannon in a place of honor near the Hamilton County Courthouse: (
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"The Chattanooga Public Library shows the following information regarding this photo:
Photograph from one volume of eight scrapbooks compiled by E. Y. Chapin, Walter Cline, and Frank F. Stoops of the Chattanooga Half Century Club.
Crowd on Market Street between 8th and 10th Streets during a Spanish American War parade in Chattanooga. Belgian block pavement is shown, as well as businesses including Globe Saddlery Company, F. H. Wakeman, C. R. Baird and Company, and Milburn Wagon Company."
From the same site, some related information: (
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"Chattanooga's Spanish-American War connection.
Just to the south, the army post of Fort Oglethorpe (Georgia) was a training camp during the Spanish-American War and then became a military fort during World War I and the beginning of World War II. It is likely that this parade was in 1900, when a captured cannon from Cuba was presented to the City of Chattanooga. The cannon can be seen today in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse, adjacent to the Firemen Memorial Fountain.
The memorial plaque:
This cannon was captured by the United States Troops at Santiago de Cuba on the 16th day of July 1898. It was one of the guns which commanded the bay and harbor of Santiago at the time of the sinking of the Merrimac by Lieut. Hobson and his brave party, and was employed by the Spanish Garrison in their effort to destroy them, and is now loaned to the city of Chattanooga by the U.S. Government."