A cannon the British Army surrendered to the Continental Army in 1777 has been given to Saratoga National Historical Park/NPS

A nearly 270-year-old British cannon that the Continental Army captured from the Battles and Siege of Saratoga has been given to Saratoga National Historical Park in upstate New York. 

The light six-pounder British Cannon (#102) was donated from the Department of the Army to the National Park Service. The park will permanently preserve Cannon #102 as a part of its museum collection. 

“The National Park Service is honored to continue to be the stewards of this significant piece of history from the Battles and Siege of Saratoga,” said Superintendent Leslie Morlock. “It has been a pleasure to partner with the Department of the Army to recover Cannon #102 and secure its return to Saratoga National Historical Park, where it will remain in our care.”

This British Cannon, crafted from bronze in 1756, was captured by the Continental Army in October 1777 after they defeated the British Army at the Battles and Siege of Saratoga. The brass light six-pounder cannons were the most desired type of artillery used by the British and Americans during the War for Independence. British General Burgoyne had 18 light six-pounders captured by the Continental Army, among other weapons. Throughout the war, the Continental Army continued to use the light six-pounders captured at Saratoga. 

Only three of the original 18 light six-pounders captured at Saratoga remain in existence today. This alone makes this cannon of great value to historians. It was engraved with trophy honors marking the cannon as Surrender Cannon from Saratoga at West Point in 1783. But its story was far from over.

In 1934, the Town of Saratoga secured a loan of Cannon #102 from New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, which was its stewards at that time. However, rather than being displayed, it remained in storage in a Schuylerville barn until 1961. It was then taken to Saratoga Springs, where it was allegedly illegally sold to a collector of militaria. Despite attempts to track down its location over the years and return it to Saratoga, it was essentially lost. 

In 2009, a visitor to Saratoga National Historical Park commented to park staff that he had just seen a cannon with Saratoga trophy engravings at a museum in Alabama. An National Park Service team visited the museum in Tuscaloosa and confirmed its identity as the missing Cannon #102.

In 2011, the NPS and the U.S. Army Center for Military History agreed to pursue the case for the retrieval of the Cannon #102 on behalf of the U.S. Army. In 2013, the Westervelt Company and the Tuscaloosa Museum of Art returned it to the Department of the Army. Later that year, the Center officially loaned the cannon to the park, where it has been ever since.

National Park Week (April 22-April 30) is an excellent time to see Cannon #102 and talk with park rangers and volunteers at the park’s visitor center, which is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.