Historedia
AmericasEvent

Rutgers sophomores steal a cannon from Princeton, starting the Rutgers–Princeton Cannon War

When
1875
Where
Princeton University campus; Princeton University
Episodes
3

The Rutgers–Princeton Cannon War began in April 1875 when Rutgers sophomores stole a cannon from Princeton. This incident stemmed from a rivalry involving two Revolutionary War cannons, one of which had been moved to Rutgers in 1836. The theft triggered reciprocal raids and correspondence between the institutions, eventually leading to a joint committee resolution.

Episodes

  1. 1875 · Princeton UniversityPrinceton Raid Response

    Princeton retaliated by raiding Rutgers and taking muskets, leading to correspondence between college heads.

  2. 1875 · Princeton UniversityJoint Committee Resolution

    A joint committee settled the dispute, returning Little Cannon to Princeton escorted by police.

  3. April 25, 1875 · Princeton University campusTheft of Big Cannon

    Ten Rutgers sophomores stole Big Cannon from Princeton on April 25, 1875, starting the Cannon War.

Background and detail

Background. The conflict involves two Revolutionary War cannons left in Princeton. Big Cannon was transported to Rutgers for the War of 1812 and remained there until 1836. Little Cannon was buried in 1869. The term 'cannon war' was used as early as 1875, reflecting the rivalry between the two colleges located 17 miles apart in Central New Jersey.

The Theft. On the night of April 25, 1875, ten Rutgers sophomores from the Class of 1877 attempted to take Big Cannon from Princeton. This action followed an unsuccessful attempt in April 1871 to dig up a buried cannon. The theft initiated a series of incidents known as the Cannon War.

Resolution. Princeton responded with a raid on Rutgers, taking muskets. The heads of the colleges exchanged correspondence. A joint committee eventually settled the matter, returning Little Cannon to Princeton, escorted by the New Brunswick police chief.

People involved

Sources

  1. Rutgers–Princeton Cannon War Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-30

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.