Rutgers-Princeton Cannon War
Encyclopedia
In the dark of night on 25 April 1875, a group of ten sophomores from Rutgers College
(now Rutgers University) in New Brunswick
, New Jersey
travelled sixteen miles south to the campus of the College of New Jersey
(now Princeton University) in Princeton
, New Jersey
and stole a cannon
in what became known as the Rutgers–Princeton Cannon War (or Princeton-Rutgers Cannon War). For the months following the theft of the cannon, until its return, the story and ensuing debate of the two college presidents to attempt to quell the rivalry and secure the return of stolen items was reported in newspapers across the United States.
, overcoming competition from other colleges in the state, notably Princeton. On Nov. 6, 1869, Rutgers defeated Princeton in New Brunswick the first intercollegiate football game on a field where Rutgers' College Ave Gymnasium now stands. The first intercollegiate football game was merely symptomatic of the growing collegiate consciousness in post-Civil War America, a consciousness that was characterized by school spirit, class spirit, the increasing popularity of fraternities and anti-intellectualism.
during the American Revolutionary War
. The cannon had further been used by the Rutgers Corps of Cadets for training during and after the Civil War. On occasion, Princeton men engaging in military training would remove the cannon to Princeton, and it is perhaps within this context that the exact ownership of the cannon became confused.
In October 1946, a contingent of Rutgers men slip onto the Princeton campus and again try to steal the famed cannon. This attempt is even more disastrous than the first. They attach one end of a length of heavy chain to the cannon and the other to their Ford. Surprised by Princeton men and the constabulatory, they gunned the engine of the Ford so viciously that the car is torn in half. The Rutgers men manage to escape, but with neither car nor cannon.
The cannon at Princeton is routinely painted red by Rutgers students, particularly in the week leading to Rutgers commencement as well as on other notable Rutgers dates. The most recent painting occurred in November 2011. In February 2010, The war between loyal Rutgers and Princeton students became more than just "the painting of a cannon". In the depths of 2 feet of snow, students not only painted the cannon and its surrounding concrete, but used spray paint to "tag" Princeton classroom buildings, dormitories, and libraries. Many Rutgers bumper stickers reading "Rutgers, Jersey Roots Global Reach" were placed all over campus. During one of the more recent paintings a group of Rutgers students just simply walked in and walked out, painting both the big and little cannons at the cannon green along with posting a sign on Princeton's campus reading, "We own jeRsey"
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
(now Rutgers University) in New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
travelled sixteen miles south to the campus of the College of New Jersey
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
(now Princeton University) in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and stole a cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
in what became known as the Rutgers–Princeton Cannon War (or Princeton-Rutgers Cannon War). For the months following the theft of the cannon, until its return, the story and ensuing debate of the two college presidents to attempt to quell the rivalry and secure the return of stolen items was reported in newspapers across the United States.
Origins of the Rutgers-Princeton Rivalry
Rutgers and Princeton are both located in Central New Jersey, about 17 miles from each other. Princeton was founded in Elizabeth, NJ in 1746 and relocated to Princeton 10 years later; Rutgers was founded in New Brunswick in 1766. In 1864, Rutgers educators George Cook and David Murray led a successful campaign to designate Rutgers as New Jersey's designated land-grant universityLand-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
, overcoming competition from other colleges in the state, notably Princeton. On Nov. 6, 1869, Rutgers defeated Princeton in New Brunswick the first intercollegiate football game on a field where Rutgers' College Ave Gymnasium now stands. The first intercollegiate football game was merely symptomatic of the growing collegiate consciousness in post-Civil War America, a consciousness that was characterized by school spirit, class spirit, the increasing popularity of fraternities and anti-intellectualism.
The Cannons
The cannon involved was a Revolutionary War cannon, which had been used in the Battle of PrincetonBattle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was a battle in which General George Washington's revolutionary forces defeated British forces near Princeton, New Jersey....
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. The cannon had further been used by the Rutgers Corps of Cadets for training during and after the Civil War. On occasion, Princeton men engaging in military training would remove the cannon to Princeton, and it is perhaps within this context that the exact ownership of the cannon became confused.
The theft
In 1875, under cover of darkness, ten men of the Class of 1877 of Rutgers set out to steal back the Revolutionary War-era cannon that Princeton had purportedly stolen from Rutgers some years before. It took the men two hours to drag the 1,088-pound cannon 200 yards to their horse-drawn wagon and seven hours to cart it back to New Brunswick, where it was triumphantly unloaded in front of Old Queen's. Their heroism is short-lived: They nabbed the wrong cannon.In October 1946, a contingent of Rutgers men slip onto the Princeton campus and again try to steal the famed cannon. This attempt is even more disastrous than the first. They attach one end of a length of heavy chain to the cannon and the other to their Ford. Surprised by Princeton men and the constabulatory, they gunned the engine of the Ford so viciously that the car is torn in half. The Rutgers men manage to escape, but with neither car nor cannon.
The debate
The primary source of debate was whether the cannon ever belonged to Rutgers in the first place. According to the New Brunswick police chief, the cannon had always belonged to Princeton, but a group of Princeton men of the time had tried to impress a group of college co-eds by claiming that they had stolen it from Rutgers. Upon learning of the boast, the cannon was stolen by Rutgers in an attempt to retrieve what they believed rightly belonged to Rutgers.The return
Upon its return, the cannon was buried muzzle-down and encased in concrete, with about two feet of the (capped) breech end above the ground, as can be seen in the accompanying photograph, in the center of "Cannon Green," a small field behind Nassau Hall.Continued rivalry and claims of ownership
See also
- College rivalryCollege rivalryPairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both academics and athletics, the latter being typically...
- Colonial collegesColonial collegesThe Colonial Colleges are nine institutions of higher education chartered in the American Colonies before the United States of America became a sovereign nation after the American Revolution. These nine have long been considered together, notably in the survey of their origins in the 1907 The...
- History of New JerseyHistory of New JerseyThe history of New Jersey began at the end of the Younger Dryas climate, about 10 millennia ago. Native Americans moved into New Jersey soon after the reversal of the Younger Dryas, which had made the area uninhabitable and, during the preceding ice age, unreachable.European contact began with the...
- Rutgers UniversityRutgers UniversityRutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
- Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
Books and printed materials
- Demarest, William Henry Steele. History of Rutgers College: 1776-1924. (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers College, 1924). (No ISBN)
- Leitch, A Princeton Companion (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1978).
- Lukac, George J. (ed.), Aloud to Alma Mater. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1966), 70-73. (No ISBN)
- McCormick, Richard P. Rutgers: a Bicentennial History. (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1966). ISBN 0-8135-0521-6
- Schmidt, George P. Princeton and Rutgers: The Two Colonial Colleges of New Jersey. (Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1964). (No ISBN)
- "Again, War Over A Cannon: Rivals Besmirch Princeton Gun," in Life Magazine. Vol. 35, No. 17. October 26, 1953. p. 147
Internet resources
- Princeton-Rutgers Cannon War: Orange Key Virtual Tour of Princeton University
- "Cannons, Princeton" adapted from Leitch, A Princeton Companion (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1978).
- Some Legends & Lore of Princeton University: Historical Sketches
- Princeton's Old Cannon - NY Times article from 7/7/1889