The Cannon (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

The Cannon:
This Model 1905 three inch field gun saw service in the Mexican Campaign against Pancho Villa, and was originally obtained by a local veterans organization during the mid-1950s. In the early 1980s, American Legion Bicentennial Post 1976, Annandale, obtained stewardship of the cannon and initiated a restoration project that included new wooden wheels handcrafted by a master wheelwright. The cannon and memorial are maintained by Post 1976 as reminders of the sacrifices of our veterans in maintaining freedom around the world.

Marker Erected 1999 by Annandale Streetscape, Fairfax County, and the Annandale Central Business District Planning Committee.

The small stone tablet on the right has a brass U.S. Veteran seal and this quotation by Albert Pine: “That which we do for ourselves dies with us. That which we do for others remains.”


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Regarding The Cannon: The Pancho Villa Expedition, also known as the Mexican Expedition and the Punitive Expedition, occurred from March 1916 to February 1917. U.S. Forces under General John J. Pershing crossed into Mexico after Pancho Villa’s forces after his incursions into the U.S. and his attack of Columbus, New Mexico, and the U.S. Army regiment there.

“After a raid on U.S. soil by the men of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, President Woodrow Wilson responded by ordering a punitive expedition into Mexico to capture Villa dead or alive.”


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Here follows an excerpt from the Clio history project website as written by Genna Duplisea:

This three-inch ordnance field cannon, measuring over seven feet long, was used in the U. S. Army's unsuccessful Mexican Expedition against revolutionary Pancho Villa in 1916-1917. Several decades later, in the 1950s, a veterans' organization acquired the field piece. Three decades after that, the American Legion Bicentennial Post 76 brought it to Annandale and initiated an extensive restoration project. As part of this restoration effort, new wheels were built for the cannon. In 1999, the Annandale Streetscape Project erected a historical marker to accompany the historic artillery. The cannon underwent another restoration in 2018-2019, completed by a community Eagle Scout and many volunteers.

Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa raided a U. S. Army base in Columbus, New Mexico, on March 9, 1916. He attacked in retaliation for the withdrawal of President Woodrow Wilson's support in the Mexican Revolution. In response, President Wilson appointed General John Pershing as commander of a force tasked with capturing Villa -- dead or alive -- and policing the U. S.-Mexico border. The Mexican Expedition, also known as the Punitive Expedition, pursued Villa in 1916-1917. The expedition ended in February 1917 without capturing Villa; General Pershing, as well as many of his men, went on to serve in World War I.

The cannon is a three-inch calibre Model 1905 field gun, made from nickel and steel. It is a breechloader, with ordnance loaded from the back of the gun. The standard length of this model is seven feet, with a weight of nearly 800 pounds. It was built at the U. S. Army's arsenal in Watervliet, New York.

A local veterans' group obtained the cannon in the 1950s. The American Legion Bicentennial Post 1976 acquired the cannon in the early 1980s and supported its restoration. A master wheelwright crafted new wooden wheels for the cannon as part of this restoration. The Post installed it as a memorial to the "sacrifices made by veterans in maintaining freedom around the world," as stated on the historical marker. The cannon sits near at the intersection of Columbia Pike and Backlick Road in Annandale. The monument includes a small stone tablet next to the cannon with the quote: "That which we do for ourselves dies with us. That which we do for others remains," attributed to Albert Pine.

The American Legion post continues to maintain the cannon, and initiated another restoration in 2018 to replace parts which had rusted out and to replace the wheels again. The restoration team, which included an Eagle Scout candidate, a collision repair restorer, and many volunteers, spent over 400 hours restoring the cannon, which returned to its place in June 2019.