Despite a firing accident four years ago:

NIB seeks to again use James Cannons

By Stephen Hodgson
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Four James cannons were originally given to Norwich University in 1853 by the Vermont State Militia, but during the Civil War two were stolen and buried by Southern rebels.

The cannons were used in the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War, and the two remaining guns are a large part of the history of the Norwich University campus.

To use the cannon, a six to eight-inch line of gunpowder was poured on the top of the cannon, leading to the firing hole. Then a cigar or match at the end of a stick was rolled into the powder. This ignited the line, which then ignited the powder and fired the cannon.

"This was not the safest way of firing the cannon," said Matthew Russo, 21, a senior business major from Marion, Mass., who is the cadet commander of the Norwich Independent Battery.

Until four years ago, this was how Norwich fired the James cannons. Then an accident occurred while training with the James cannons, and a cadet was badly injured.

While the cannon was being swabbed for any embers left from the previous shot, a cadet opened the powder flask, and powder went into the cannon, according to Russo. The powder flask exploded, sending the end of the flask into the cadet's arm and out his elbow and also severing part of his right index finger.

Other cadets had hearing loss, and fragments hit above one cadet's eye, leaving a permanent scar.

"Most of us had hearing loss," Russo said, "I know I've lost the two lowest tones in my left ear."

After the incident, the school stopped firing the James cannons. Ever since that day, the NIB as been doing everything they can to fire them again, according to Roy.

A huge part of this effort has been to learn a safer method of firing.

New rules dictate that in order to fire the cannon, it must be swabbed out with a wet cloth, followed by swabbing with a dry cloth. The cannon is then filled with highly flammable black powder, which is packed tightly. A popper is placed in the powder and connected to a lanyard. When the lanyard is pulled, it explodes, igniting the powder and firing the cannon.

"The lanyard can be as long as you want it to [be]," Roy said. "This allows the cadet firing the cannon to be at a safe distance. The basic process actually involves a lot of safety."

Members of the NIB have been working with the Hemlocks, a Civil War reenactment group, learning the new way of firing the cannons.

They have also taken to heart the accident that resulted in loss of the use of the guns.

"Everyone has to be locked on; there is absolutely no messing around when dealing with the James cannons," Roy said.

The members of the NIB are going out of their way to learn new techniques and attending special training to ensure that the James cannons will fire again.

Insurance is one of the elements getting in the way of bringing the cannons back.

"We are covered under the school insurance policy, but they want another one to cover us because of the risk involved," Russo said. The insurance plan has to cover not only the cadets firing the cannon but also all of the spectators.

The training that the cadets go through when learning how to fire the cannons is not just learning how to fire the cannon but also learning some of the history of the school and the country.

"It's a great entity of the corps; I believe that it should always be part of the corps," said Army Capt. Juan Quintero, advisor of the NIB.

"It's part of the Norwich experience, that's what other classes that have gone after me have missed," said Timothy Van Deventer, 21, a senior criminal justice major from Framingham, Mass. "It was the loudest boom that you would ever hear in your life."

"Those things go off, and you know you are at a military school," said Russo.

The NIB is ready to put all their efforts into doing whatever they need to do to have the James cannons firing again and are looking for as much support as they can get from Norwich University, according to Roy.

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