The foundry that manufactured this cannon was established in 1847 by A. H. Manchester as the Providence Brass Foundry. His son, A. H. Manchester Jr., trained under his father and was a partner from 1856 until 1865 or 1867. Production of these cannons must have been very limited as no details about them or other examples were found in a search by RIAC. The ends of the trunnions are marked "A.H. MANCHESTER & SON/1861/PROVIDENCE." This cannon is somewhat of an enigma in that it is larger than most examples of signal cannons but certainly suitable for that purpose. However, it could have also been designed for dual-purpose use, as it appears to have a large enough bore to load and fire a fist sized sack of 36 caliber bals for deck strafing to great effect prior to boarding operations. In this case of course, the tube would have been mounted on a deck-side swivel-mount. The overall length is 18 1/2 inches.

Very fine overall with dark aged patina on most of the cannon, very minor mild scrapes and dings on the cannon and carriage, and wear mostly from age and storage. The tube is original with strong markings.