"Don't Tread" Engraved Ammo Can
DON'T TREAD — The Gadsden meets the flag. Laser-cut. Permanent. Unapologetic.The "Don't Tread On Me" Laser Engraved .50 Cal Ammo Can pairs the Gadsden rattlesnake with...
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$65.00 - Regular price
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- Sale price
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$65.00
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- Regular price
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$65.00 - Regular price
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- Sale price
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$65.00
Philadelphia
1775
It warns before it strikes.
In December 1775, the Marines being raised in Philadelphia carried a drum painted with a rattlesnake and four words: Don't tread on me.
She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders…
Where the snake came from
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1775
Dec 27A drum in Philadelphia
A newspaper writer signing himself “An American Guesser” saw that Marine drum and asked why a rattlesnake. His answer ran in the Pennsylvania Journal. Scholars attribute it to Benjamin Franklin.
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1775
Dec 27Why a rattlesnake
It gives fair warning before it strikes. It never starts the fight. And when he counted the rattles, he found thirteen: one for each colony.
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1776
Feb 9Gadsden's flag
Christopher Gadsden, a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress, presented his state's Provincial Congress a yellow flag: a rattlesnake coiled to strike, over the same motto.
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2002–2019
Back on Navy ships
After September 11, the Navy flew the striped rattlesnake jack, “Don't Tread on Me,” on its ships from 2002 to 2019.
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Today
Still the same warning
Two and a half centuries on, it says what that drum said: we won't start it, and we won't quit. That's worth keeping where you can see it.
Read the can
Every mark on it was chosen. Here's what you're looking at.
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The rattlesnake
Coiled and raised to strike, the way the 1776 description of Gadsden's flag puts it.
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DON'T TREAD ON ME
The motto painted on that 1775 Marine drum.
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The grass
The snake rests on a tuft of grass, as on the classic Gadsden flag.
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The flag behind
The Stars and Stripes behind the snake, cut by a diagonal cross.
Engraved after you order.
- The can
- Real military-surplus .50 cal steel ammo can.
- The engraving
- Laser-engraved in our Connecticut warehouse, after you order.
- The design
- Original ProArmory art. Nobody else sells it.
- The wear
- It served before it got to you. Surplus cans carry honest marks from service, like scuffs and small dings. No two are exactly alike.
- The promise
- We replace anything missing or damaged.
An original ProArmory design, engraved into real military-surplus steel after you order.
Questions about the can
What kind of can is it?
A real military-surplus .50 cal steel ammo can, laser-engraved with an original ProArmory design. Nobody else sells these designs.
When is it engraved?
After you order. We laser-engrave every can in our own warehouse in Connecticut.
Will it look brand new?
No. These are surplus cans, so most saw service before they reached us. Expect honest wear, like scuffs and small dings. No two cans are exactly alike.
How much is shipping?
Shipping is calculated at checkout, based on what's in your cart and where it's going.
What if something arrives missing or damaged?
We replace anything missing or damaged. Call (833) 853-2666 or email CustomerService@ProArmory.com.
