Frank Cox (1980s)

Frank Cox loved his family, the Washington Grays, guns, his cannon, horses, wooden boats (not so much those of  “frozen snot [fiberglas]”), cigars, and a sip of spirits. I remember when Frank’s cannon (a working Civil War era facsimile) was reforged and rebored or something. It was gone for weeks before coming home, a much anticipated occasion by a certain circle of locals, especially Frank and his Washington Grays. These guys were not reenactors, they competed in live shooting competitions with the cannon.

When it returned, it would be necessary to spend a day live firing to reset the sights for the redone gun. Frank made sure I was invited to join in the fun. I well remember Frank calling me the night before to give me the location and time of the firing. It was 15 or 20 miles out in the country just before lunch. Frank reminded me, “You don’t need to bring anything, I’ll have plenty of whiskey for both of us.” Ahhhh, the smell liquor and black powder on a Saturday morning… 

I took this photo at Fort Hamilton on the Roanoke River in Martin County. For years after his death, it occupied the space by his seat the end of the bar at The Rebel.

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