The Independence Day salute to the Union is fired at noon.
The tradition calls for one gun for each state, so the modern salute consists of 50 cannon rounds. U.S. Army regulations specify that it is fired at 1200 hours on July 4 at Army installations equipped to conduct cannon salutes.
This ceremony is distinct from the better-known 21-gun national or presidential salute. The number 21 is used for major national honors, while the Independence Day salute represents the states directly. The two traditions are therefore easy to confuse, especially because both involve ceremonial cannon fire.
The salute’s number has changed as the Union expanded. In 1810, the national salute was tied to the number of states, which was then 17. Later regulations separated the 21-gun national salute from the state-counting Salute to the Union. Noon remains the standard time for the Fourth of July observance.