The Rhode Island Militia, the town of Warren, and the historic recreation group Federal Blues is working to restore the historic Pallas and Tantae cannons that served our State and Country in the War for American Independence, during the Battle of Rhode Island in August, 1778. These guns, with ornate castings and engravings, remained in a place of honor at the Warren Town Hall until they were stolen in 1981. They were rediscovered in 1994 in one of Roger Williams Park's ponds, cut into pieces and with the indentifying engravings ground off. Now the groups are working together to restore the cannons to their original beauty while maintaining their historical integrity.

The two bronze French cannons were cast at the foundry in Strasbourg in 1760 by foundry master Jean-Francois Berenger. The guns were named and decorated with ornate engravings as impressive as the firepower these pieces brought to an eighteenth century battlefield. On top of the barrel toward the rear of each piece was the royal crest of the French monarch so all would know the power of France. Toward the muzzle on the topside of the barrel, was an engraved banner bearing the name of the piece. Also on the top of each barrel , at about midpoint on the gun, were two handles fashioned to resemble dolphins or carp. Upon the rear reinforcement band appears the name of the city and the date of the casting. These guns were as much great works of art as they were weapons of war.

From sources in the 1800s, including an oration by the Colonel of the United Train of Artillery in 1873 (who based his history on earlier written records which survive to this day) it appears that Pallas and Tantae arrived in America with a shipment of French ordnance given to the Continental Congress in 1778. A limited number of these guns survive today and most are in the possession of the National Park service. General Sullivan of the Continental army was given a portion of this shipment to outfit his expedition to liberate Newport, RI in the summer of that year. General Sullivan gave the United Train of Artillery in Providence Pallas and Tantae and told the artillery company to leave their iron guns behind in Providence. With their new Rhode Islander crews, Pallas and Tantae took part in the Battle of Rhode Island in August, 1778. After the battle, Pallas and Tantae remained in the possession of the United Train of Artillery (the UTA’s iron guns having been absorbed into the national artillery park in exchange). In the war of 1812, Pallas and Tantae served just over 100 days of state service with the United Train of Artillery in manning Rhode Island’s defenses.

In 1842, Rhode Island experienced the Dorr Rebellion. The Dorrites stole Pallas and Tantae from the United Train of Artillery’s gun house, but fortunately were unable to fire them. A militia company from the Town of Warren, loyal to the Governor of Rhode Island, came upon the guns, removed them from their carriages and carted them away when they returned to Warren. The Warren militia became the Warren Artillery Company. After the rebellion dissolved, the General Assembly, as a reward for loyalty to the State in a time of crisis, bestowed Pallas and Tantae upon Warren “on loan from the State.” The United Train of Artillery protested vigorously and publicly, claiming that neither the State, nor the Warren Artillery had any claim to the guns as they were gifted outright to the United Train of Artillery by a representative of the Continental Congress (General Sullivan) and that the guns were baptized with the blood of members of the United Train of Artillery. This sparked a feud between the two companies which lasted for about 60 years. To make a long story short, the United Train of Artillery did not win the argument (nor did they lose it with a particularly good grace, given the tone of the Colonel of the UTA’s oration in 1873).

The Warren Artillery Company furnished the cannons with new carriages and limbers. These items are some of the first examples of single trail carriages in the United States, precursors to the style prevalent during the Civil War. As such, they are extremely rare today. Shortly after the turn of the last century, the Warren Artillery ceased operations as a chartered command. The guns remained in the Town of Warren.

In 1979, the guns were removed from the Town Hall because the carriages and wheels were in need of repair. However, in 1981 the guns were stolen, part of a string of thefts of historic cannon and sculpture, including the theft of the cannon from the armory that is now the Warwick Museum of Art.

The cannon were severely vandalized. The royal crests, the banners with their names, the place of origin, the identifying numbers stamped upon their trunions, all were ground down in an attempt to prevent identification. The dolphin handles were cut off and each barrel cut into segments. The pieces were then discarded in the pond at the Roger Williams Park, where they remained for approximately 13 years. When they were finally recovered, the dolphin handles were not to be found, and one muzzle is still missing.

The gun segments remained in the evidence room of the Warren Police Station until the fall of 2003 when the Federal Blues of the Town of Warren were granted permission to display them in their museum on Baker Street in Warren for the annual Open House during Warren’s Holiday Festival. The present condition of Pallas and Tantae is disgraceful. Certainly a poor end to two pieces that helped secure our liberty. The Federal Blues of Warren, assisted by the United Train of Artillery and various conscientious citizens of the Town of Warren, are engaged in this effort to restore Pallas and Tantae, arguably the two most important cannons in the history of Rhode Island. The effort has received the blessing of the Town Council of the Town of Warren and fundraising has begun.

The groups have located a foundry that can restore the historic barrels to their original condition in a non-firing form and in a manner that will not compromise the integrity of the artifacts. Once restored, the guns will be placed upon the 1840s era carriages (also being restored) which they occupied for 138 years, and placed on permanent display in the Federal Blues Armory Museum at 42 Baker Street in Warren, RI.

The foundry work has already begun on one of the cannons and will take about one year to complete. The restoration of both barrels will cost approximately $34,000, about of third of which still needs to be raised from donors.

Though the guns will never fire again, with the volunteer effort and generous donations they will be restored to look as they did when they arrived on our shores in 1778.

For more information and to donate, contact the United Train of Artillery at 401-354-4608. All donors will have their name included within a brochure to be produced for the unveiling of the restored pieces. Furthermore, all donors will be given a letter of thanks, acknowledging the gift and bestowing an honorary rank (in accordance with the level of funding) within the Federal Blues in recognition of the donor’s service to our State’s history. Major donations of $500 or more will have their name included on a plaque that will be on permanent display with the restored guns. Major donors will also receive periodic updates on the progress of the project, and donations will be used solely for the restoration project. [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]