The cannon, subject of that statement, can be seen in a museum in Gonzales. When the residents of Gonzales vacated the town after firing the cannon one time, they buried it in a river bank to hide it from the Mexicans. After the war, the former residents returned but could not find the cannon. Over 100 years later, in the late 1930s, a flood washed the cannon into view. In the mean-time, they had built a replica. Both the replica and original are on display. The original is small bore (handball size?) and the replica is larger.
See how it backfired for the Mexicans – now the people of Gonzales have TWO cannons.