Big guns: It takes one to buy one
McConnell proud of 860-pound cannon
By Robert Behre
The Post and Courier
Chris Houke (from left), Glenn McConnell and Jim Snow load The Palmetto Gun onto a trailer Friday as they prepare for today's re-enactment of the Battle of Charleston.
The Post and Courier
Marshall Steen, owner of Steen Cannon & Ordnance Works, went to Shiloh National Military Battlefield to get a rubbing for this engraving.
The Post and Courier
Glenn McConnell takes meticulous care of his $30,000 bronze cannon, to be put to use today at the Battle of Charleston re-enactment.
If you go
What: Battle of Charleston re-enactment.
Where: Legare Farms, 2620 Hanscombe Point Road, Johns Island.
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. (Battle begins at 2 p.m.)
Cost: Tickets are $10.
Some middle-aged men blow big bucks on a sports car, a bass boat or a nice set of golf clubs, but the man who some consider the most powerful in South Carolina government had something else in mind.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell recently spent almost $30,000 on a reproduction of a bronze cannon, complete with a Palmetto engraving.
"Anybody will tell you a bronze gun has just got a different sound to it," he said. "I knew this gun would make noise, and it does. It is a loud, talking gun. ... It really splits the air."
Visitors to the Battle of Charleston re-enactment today at Legare Farms on Johns Island can see it — and hear it — up close.
McConnell has been an enthusiastic re-enactor for years. He set aside his law career a decade ago to concentrate on running CSA Galleries, a sort of department store for all sorts of memorabilia from the Civil War (or War Between the States, depending on which side your ancestors fought).
Although he began the hobby as an infantryman, a foot injury and the cannon that took part in the 2004 funeral for the Hunley crew stirred his interest in artillery.
McConnell's first cannon was black iron and nicknamed Big Alice, but a little more than a year ago he decided he needed something a little more distinctive.
It would end up costing him almost 50 percent more than his annual salary as Senate president pro tem, and that's not counting the cost of a new, 25-foot trailer or a copper-covered powder box that itself has about $1,000 worth of replica hardware.
A bronze cannon is not something you just pluck off a shelf at Wal-Mart — or at CSA Galleries, for that matter — so McConnell began a conversation with Marshall Steen.
Steen owns Steen Cannon & Ordnance Works in Ashland, Ky., and his company has made many reproduction guns and cannons, particularly for the National Park Service.
They agreed that Steen would build a customized 6-pounder (so called because it fires 6-pound cannonballs), a field gun made of non-carbonized marine bronze. Steen made a special trip to the Shiloh National Military Battlefield to take a detailed rubbing of the engraving on an 1861 6-pounder made by Tredegar Iron Works especially for the state of South Carolina. The engraving was fed into a computer that helped create an accurate carving on both sides of the 860-pound tube.
"It's up there as being one of the most unique cannon we've made, just because of the engraving," Steen said. "It was all kind of iffy if we could get it done correctly, but everything really fell into place. What he's got right now is a very rare modern cannon."
McConnell spends much of his free time on his new toy, and his fellow re-enactors enjoy helping him polish, wax and fire it.
The members of the Marion Light Infantry include a diverse group of Lowcountry residents. Real estate paralegal Chris Houke joined a few years back and essentially serves as McConnell's righthand woman. The Palmetto gun is nicknamed "Big Rae," after her late husband.
"It's much more fun than playing girl, dressing up in those corsets and hoop skirts," Houke said.
Sometimes male re-enactors have groused about women on the battlefield, but Houke brushed them aside. "If they knew their history, they would know that there were women in every part of the war. I've said to them, 'You go shoot the pea shooters, we'll shoot the big gun.' "
Jim Snow, a machinist who works at the former naval shipyard, called the gleaming bronze cannon "a people magnet. People see that and they come running."
This particular 6-pounder was used by Union and Confederate forces, so McConnell's attachment can change sides if the re- enactment script requires it.
"What's so great about it is we go out and re-create history and try to impart to the people that come there an educational experience while we have fun doing it," McConnell said. "You just bump into the nicest people."
Although McConnell's cannon is essentially a very big gun, he doesn't need a permit to own it. And he's not relying solely on his political clout as a lawmaker to keep it that way.
"The way to preserve the hobby is to self-police it, so that we don't have some safety policemen trying to come around and do away with the hobby because somebody got hurt," he said. "It's a dangerous hobby — I'll be upfront with you — but you minimize that danger if you just learn how to do it right."
McConnell said all members of the Marion Light Artillery have been trained and certified by the Civil War Artillery Association. Safety measures begin with a complicated protocol for loading the cannon with powder and firing it.
The re-enactors depart from historical authenticity not just because they don't use shells or canisters, but also because everyone wears earplugs.
As much fun as McConnell has keeping the gun in top shape and listening to it bark during re- enactments, he also takes pleasure simply from hauling it down a busy highway and watching other people's reaction.
"People stare and look like they're saying, 'What in the world is that?' "
Reach Robert Behre at rbehre@postandcourier.com or 937-5771.
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MotoryachtSoCo (anonymous) says...
"....memorabilia from the Civil War (or War Between the States, depending on which side your ancestors fought)."
Hummmm funny I always thought it was .....
"The War of Northern Aggression."
Seen Cannons web site with many photos: http://www.steencannons.com/
How much do we pay our Senate President Pro Tem?
April 19, 2008 at 3:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
orpheus (anonymous) says...
wow sounds like another useless republicamn with too much money and time on his hands. a play soldier is all he is. what a waste of a story.
April 19, 2008 at 4:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MotoryachtSoCo (anonymous) says...
My great great grand father, a calveryman with Hill was captured at Sharpsburg. In prison he was offered a command in the Maryland 3rd Cav and switched sides! Ending my chance at joining Sons of the Confederacy.
On the bright side he earned a Union Army pension, and years after the war taunted his loyal southern brothers whenever he got a pension check in the mail.
So historically speaking re-enactors can play both sides.
I think it's great McConnell has a field rifle, heck I have a 1956 IH Fire truck. To each his own.
April 19, 2008 at 6:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
moonpie (anonymous) says...
Give up the ghost people.
It is considered the "war of Northern aggression" in my family too.
April 19, 2008 at 7:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
UberBlitzkrieg (anonymous) says...
I think it's great McConnell has a field rifle, heck I have a 1956 IH Fire truck. To each his own.<<
This is a smoothbore... hence it is called a cannon. A field rifle has a rifled bore... such as the 3" ordinance rifle very popular during the "War of Northern Aggression".
By the way... I had a 57 IH... beautiful truck and very strong!
April 19, 2008 at 8:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lexylady (anonymous) says...
Maybe we could use it to clean up N. Charleston. That should do it! lol
April 19, 2008 at 8:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
vicupstate (anonymous) says...
McConnell is without a doubt the most powerful person in SC government, bar none. Anyone that knows SC politics knows this.
I don't begrudge anyone an obessive hobby, but I wonder how much better off we would be if the most powerful person in state government, was as devoted to raising the quality of life, as he is to living in a romanticized past.
April 19, 2008 at 9:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ImplantedYankee (anonymous) says...
So what if he wants to spend his money on a cannon? If someone else in Columbia wants to spend their money on classic cars, baseball cards, etc, we don't give them a hard time about it. This guy is preserving a little bit of heritage. If anything, I consider it to be a little bit more noble of a pursuit.
April 19, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
woodrob12 (anonymous) says...
I got a great deal on the multiple launch rocket system I drove in the First Battle of the Sandbox. HOA won't let me keep it in my driveway though.
April 19, 2008 at 9:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
CSA Galleries is filled with high quality memorabilia.
The tourist shops downtown can't compare to Glenn's place.
He is spending his own money on what he has always loved.
That is one beautiful cannon!
April 19, 2008 at 10:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
trm2105 (anonymous) says...
How the hell is this news worthy? So, what if McConnell had a bronze "rooster" ring with a SC engraving? We need some leadership in this state that isn't hindered by nostalgia for a past that never was, and if it did exist, only favored less than half the population at that time.
April 19, 2008 at 12:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Smart_Enough_2_Know_Better (anonymous) says...
I started reading this article because I couldn't figure out the point of it from the headline. Now that I read it, I feel cheated.
April 19, 2008 at 1:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jnot (anonymous) says...
He seems to be overcompensating for something... I wonder what...
April 19, 2008 at 3:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
auger (anonymous) says...
All I can say is it's big, heavy, shiny, and makes a lot of noise...... I want one! I hope this is placed on display at CSA Galleries once in a while. I want to see it!
April 19, 2008 at 5:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
abitskeptical (anonymous) says...
My,my, my, some of y'all just like to complain & criticize.
April 19, 2008 at 6:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jncturner (anonymous) says...
We have Civil War (late unpleasantness) re-enactments up here in Washington state. In fact, the section of Highway 99 (modern day I-5) used to be called the Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway. The monument stood at the US side of the Canadian border in Blaine, WA until 1998, when some PC (not Post Courier) idiot complained. I agree that our Southern heritage ought to be taught and appreciated as much as the Native American heritage is taught and appreciated here. Sure would be nice to see Sen McConnell in Ferndale or Acme one year.
April 19, 2008 at 8:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ImplantedYankee (anonymous) says...
Taught and appreciated??? You should hear what they teach in other states! It's truly horrible the way it is presented in northern history books. I got more than a few points knocked off over the years arguing with my history teachers about that in grade school.
April 19, 2008 at 9:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MotoryachtSoCo (anonymous) says...
Uber - You are right it's a cannon. A heck of a cannon too!
The IH Fire Truck is a beast but with only 12,000 orginal miles she runs strong and turns heads every where I drive it.
April 19, 2008 at 10:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jk_newhard (anonymous) says...
What is southern culture? What is southern heritage? Can the heritage be separated from the virulent racism? Yes, there was hideous racism throughout the whole US but it seems to have lasted longer (at least marginally) in the South. Could someone let me know - none of the few people that I know who were born and raised in SC seems to know.
I have started thinking of the Civil War as the "War of Southern Intransigence".
April 19, 2008 at 11:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
abitskeptical (anonymous) says...
It has been said, & somewhat corroborated by my own observations as a born & raised southerner & the insights of many of my friends "from off":
"In the south we are not fond of the race, but we love the individual & in the north, they love the race & are not fond of the individual."
April 20, 2008 at 7:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MotoryachtSoCo (anonymous) says...
jk - culture and heritage go hand and hand, as by many accounts did racism and slavery.
But should your question be what is "Southern" well the list is long and often varied.
Like the Palmetto to South Carolina and the Lobster to Maine, regional differences define who we are. I'd rather eat a lobster than eat a palmetto but that doesn't mean I've giving up my "southern" culture.
Southern is a frame of mind as much as it is style, taste, art, design and politics.
To think another way can you be southern and not be racist? or even racist and not be southern? the answer is of course.
Do you stand when they play Dixie? Does the SC State Flag fly from you porch? When someone says "are you ready for some football" do you think Clemson vs Carolina rather than Chicago vs Green Bay? and list goes on and on...
Southern Culture and Heritage what a wonderful concept
April 20, 2008 at 12:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jk_newhard (anonymous) says...
Blacks were treated horribly all over the country - the "freedom" they had in the North was freedom in name only. Some abolitionists wanted slavery abolished but didn't truly see blacks as people - there was even a faction that wanted to "ship them back to Africa". But during the Civil Rights movement, the South was the section of the country that resisted desegration the most vehemently and violently.
I read Davis' inaugural address - a recognition of the coming end of slavery was nowhere. Was it somewhere else?
Also, the US banned the importation of slaves in 1808 - enforcement was of course another story. The language in the Confederate Constitution is the same.
Also, the Confederate Constitition stated that no "law denying or impairing the right of property in negro slaves, shall be passed".
I just don't buy the argument that if the North had just left the South alone, slavery would have ended naturally. The southern economy was too dependent (on a large scale) on slave labor to provide inexpensive food that could be traded overseas.
April 20, 2008 at 11:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MotoryachtSoCo (anonymous) says...
JK - We are the only country that needed a civil war to end slavery, completely pointless. What really put an end to slavery was the industrial age. IH and John Deere changed the farming landscape forever. Today the per ton price of cotton is 10% of what it sold in 1861. Adjusted for inflation, even so at today's price of just over 60 cents a pound is still a bargin.
But the war wiped out the world's 4 largest economy. It took well into the 1970's before the Southern economy began to rebound.
Today mega farms from Georgia to California employee about 4 people for every 400 that were employed pre civil war, it was only a matter of time before combine replaced hand labor.
April 21, 2008 at 12:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ImplantedYankee (anonymous) says...
A lot of people don't know that, while SC was #1, the #2 slave importing state was not NC, nor GA, etc. It was NY. History books neatly leave out that point. They also conveniently omit the existence of laws in the north that persisted long after the war which denied blacks property rights, restricted their ability to marry, etc.
I think that slavery was just the final and most emotional straw in a long-standing battle between federalists and anti-federalists that had existed since long before the constitution was even ratified.
BTW -- what does any of this have to do with one guy's desire to own a cannon?
April 21, 2008 at 3:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MotoryachtSoCo (anonymous) says...
Does anyone know how much we pay the president pro tem?
P&C says
"It would end up costing him almost 50 percent more than his annual salary as Senate president pro tem"...
and
"Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell recently spent almost $30,000 on a reproduction of a bronze cannon, complete with a Palmetto engraving".
So I'm left to assume that his salary is $20,000.00 per year, surely we pay this man more than $20,000.00 per year?
April 21, 2008 at 5:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
abitskeptical (anonymous) says...
How in the world do you know how much his business brings in?
McConnell had a private law practice for years. He lives very modestly.(I know this because he lives in my neighborhood.)
He drove the same car for over 20 years.
I don't agree with everything he does, but I do know him to be earnest & honest.
April 21, 2008 at 7:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
abitskeptical (anonymous) says...
The following site on Legislative salaries by state
http://www.empirecenter.org/html/legi...
reports
South Carolina
$10,400/year: $119/day for meals and housing for each session day and committee meeting tied to federal rate.
Don't know if McConnell gets extra for pro temp
April 21, 2008 at 8:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
abitskeptical (anonymous) says...
From a good general article on the SC Legislature:
"Those elected to serve in the legislature receive a modest salary which is supplemented by travel, subsistence, postage and daily allowances. The base salary for members of both chambers, however, is $10,400. The modest compensation paid to South Carolina legislators reflects a public preference for retaining the concept of the "citizen legislator" which has deep roots in the American political culture. Citizen legislators are not professional year-around legislators but are part-time officials who have other occupations and means of support."
see article at http://www.ipspr.sc.edu/grs/SCCEP/Art...
April 21, 2008 at 8:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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