Chatham Artillery's

President Washington presented these bronze cannon to the Chatham Artillery after his visit to Savannah in 1791. One English and one French in make, they are notable examples of 18th-century ordnance manufacture. The British 6 pounder bears an inscription saying it was surrendered by the capitulation of York Town on Oct. 19, 1781. Cast in 1758 during the reign of George II, the English cannon carries the royal insignia and motto of the Order of the Garter on its barrel. The French gun was made at Strasburg in 1756, and its elaborately engraved barrel bears the coat of arms of Louis XIV, the sun that was his emblem, and a Latin inscription meaning “Last Argument of Kings.” The dolphins on it were emblematic of the Dauphin of France, and the gun was individually named “La Populaire.” Known as the historic Washington Guns, they stand as reminders of America’s hard-won struggle for independence and of the leader of the Continental forces in the Revolution.

Savannah, Georgia · United States