“Miss Melinda”: The Bronze Cannon That Has Become a Living Piece of History

There are Civil War enthusiasts — and then there is Bob Tabor. For roughly two decades, Tabor has been the devoted steward of a remarkable piece of American military heritage: a full-sized, solid bronze reproduction of the Model 1841 12-pounder howitzer, the very type of cannon deployed by Confederate forces during the Civil War. He calls her Miss Melinda.

When people describe Giles Artillery as being “as seen on TV,” the phrase is not mere embellishment. The group has been regularly featured on the Smithsonian Channel in programs such as Aerial America: West Virginia, Aerial America: Roadside Attractions, and Aerial America: The South, bringing regional history and living-history traditions to a national audience.