The loud and thunderous booms that permeate the confines of Alumni Memorial Field on gameday Saturdays come from Little John, II, the Corps' own cannon.The present cannon used made its first appearance in September 1958, replacing the original Little John, which was retired to the VMI museum after the undefeated football season of 1957.

The cannon presently used was designed by the late Col. Cary S. Tucker of the VMI faculty and is a three-fifths scale replica of a 1750 howitzer used in the Revolutionary War. It has a 20-inch barrel, which is adorned at the top by a shield from a cadet shako.

The cannon is fired when the Keydets take the field, after a VMI score, and at the end of each quarter of play.