Fort Bliss cannon stolen in 'practical joke': Trish Long
Last week I received the following email from Jose A. Garcia-Anaya:
Can you help me settle an argument? I was stationed on Ft. Bliss several times, and I can remember when there were two old artillery cannons mounted on two wheels at the Pershing Gate. I can also remember the news that one of the artillery cannons went missing. When I tell my friends this, they tell me "that never happened."
I know for a fact that there were two cannons outside Pershing gate mounted on wheels. I drove thru that gate coming to work every day from Downtown El Paso.
Fort Bliss’ 1,200 pound cannon stolen
Jose is correct: One of the canons was stolen. This Dec. 12, 1967, El Paso Times article gives the details:
One of two 1,200-pound brass cannons adorning the Pershing Drive entrance to Ft. Bliss was taken some time over the weekend.
The antique was listed as missing Sunday when Military Police on routine patrol noticed something was amiss.
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were alerted to be on the lookout for the Civil War period artillery piece which, with its mate, has been used for years as a landmark.
But what has officials stumped is just how could such an item be picked up without attracting attention?
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Complaints filed in theft of cannon from Fort Bliss
The questions of how and why were answered in this Dec. 15, 1967, El Paso Times article:
Theft last Saturday night of a 1,200-pound brass cannon from Ft. Bliss was termed a “practical joke” but FBI agents from Ft. Bliss were not so sure and Thursday filed complaints against four youths charging theft of government property valued at more than $100, a felony.
Terrence Lee Kirkendall, 21, was released under $1,000 personal recognizance bond after arraignment before U.S. Commissioner Fred Morton.
David Robert Batricevich, 20, Keith Roger Couture, 21, and Johnnie M. Hyatt, 20, all soldiers at Ft. Bliss, were held in custody of military police pending later arraignment.
Kirkendall, a native of Santa Monica, Calif., was discharged from the Army on Sept. 13 and is attending the University of Texas at El Paso. He had been assigned to the headquarters battery, 5th battalion, 57th artillery as Spec. 4 prior to discharge.
The cannon was lifted from its mounting at the Pershing entrance to Ft. Bliss late Saturday but the theft was not discovered until the following day. A twin cannon was undisturbed.
FBI agents and personnel of the Ft. Bliss provost marshal’s office recovered the cannon buried in the sand in the desert some six miles east of El Paso around 2:30 a.m. Thursday. They were led to the site by Kirkendall who said the cannon was taken as a practical joke and first buried in his back yard.
Complaints filed against the other three stated that charges were based on information and admission by the defendants.
The cannon was transported back to Ft. Bliss in an Army truck and will be remounted and welded to its base after a thorough polish job.
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Bliss to dedicate two cannons at headquarters
The cannons eventually were moved to the headquarters building. From the March 10, 1970, El Paso Times:
A ceremony will be held tomorrow at 3 p.m. in front of the U.S. Army Air defense center and Fort Bliss headquarters building to dedicate the two cannons which have been relocated from Pershing gate to headquarters building.
Relocation of the cannons is part of the Fort Bliss beautification program. Carriages and trailers upon which the cannons are now mounted were fabricated to restore them to their original state when they were used during the Civil War.
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Origin of cannons
I set out to find the origin of these cannons and when they were placed at Pershing Gate. I wasn’t able to nail that down either. I found that Smith Gate became Pershing Gate in 1936, but no mention of whether the cannons were already at the gate or not.
I found this March 1, 1970, El Paso Times article that attempted to answer the question of the origin of the cannons:
The history of the cannons is obscured by legend and conflicting historical opinions. Originally the 12 pounders rested in front of the Pershing Gate entrance to Ft. Bliss, but their date of and reason for residence is disputed. Some of El Paso’s elder citizens claim that the cannons were used to discourage smugglers who crossed the Rio Grande at the old Hart’s Mill location of Ft. Bliss. Others claim the cannons were brought to Ft. Bliss after the Civil War and saw no further action.
Yet other citizens contend that the cannons have only been at Fort Bliss since 1893 when the post was built on its present site and they served only in a security role.
The history of the cannons is not all legend. Historical records support the fact that the cannons were manufactured by the Revere Copper Co. in 1862 and inspected by Thomas Jefferson Rodman. One cannon still bears Rodman’s initials as well as the year 1862.
Cannons now at East Fort Bliss
I contacted Pablo Jasso Jr. at the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss Museum and found that the cannons are now located at the Joint Modernization Command at East Fort Bliss.
Trish Long may be reached at tlong@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: FBI not amused with theft of cannon from Fort Bliss in practical joke
