Civil War Hotchkiss Artillery Round - ATX Goes Deep

N.O. noir et d'or

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Dec 9, 2012
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I dug the pictured Hotchkiss round in the woods of Alabama the other day. I measured the depth at 29 inches. If there is little trash in an area, which hasn't seen much human activity over the years, the ATX will easily hit on deep iron. It's missing its sabot and base plate, but the percussion fuse has a nice patina. I've attached a few photos of the round and one of the hole minus several layers of tough roots! There's also an attempt at a "selfie" of me (ugly but happy mug) and the round. Thanks for viewing, Dan

IMG_0029.jpg IMG_0031.jpg IMG_0084.jpg FullSizeRender.jpg
 

Upvote 11

collector01

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Awesome find Looks like you had to work for it but defiantly worth it HH!
 

Pointman

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That is a neat find. Your mug looks better then mine.
 

dirtlooter

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looks like a happy guy with an awesome hard earned find, congrats
 

Doc Arey

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The war just amazes me how hard the "Boys" struggled for independence and what the cost was and is to this date.
 

BuckleBoy

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FANTASTIC find there! Congrats on such a great shell!
 

OtakuDude

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Forgive my ignorance but is there a chance that thing could go off? I just wonder because the fuse is intact.

Cool looking shell in any event! =)
 

CSA2K

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Forgive my ignorance but is there a chance that thing could go off? I just wonder because the fuse is intact.

Cool looking shell in any event! =)

I'm really sorry but why does somebody ALWAYS feel it necessary to post some bs like this?

Awesome recovery Dan!!! Post more pics after you've had it defused and restored!

Personally I don't post pics of artillery rounds anymore, here, on FB etc because of all the nincompoops out there.. just sayin
 

OP
OP
N.O. noir et d'or

N.O. noir et d'or

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Forgive my ignorance but is there a chance that thing could go off? I just wonder because the fuse is intact.

Cool looking shell in any event! =)
Thanks OD and I appreciate your concern. CW artillery rounds are very stable and unless one exposes the round to a heat source or tries to render inert without the correct knowledge, there won't be any issues. Although, subsequent to the CW, changes were made to US artillery rounds that resulted in their being less stable over time. I definitely would stay away from any and all of that such ordnance!
 

Last edited:

Higgy

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I'm really sorry but why does somebody ALWAYS feel it necessary to post some bs like this?

Awesome recovery Dan!!! Post more pics after you've had it defused and restored!

Personally I don't post pics of artillery rounds anymore, here, on FB etc because of all the nincompoops out there.. just sayin

 

OP
OP
N.O. noir et d'or

N.O. noir et d'or

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Dec 9, 2012
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I'm really sorry but why does somebody ALWAYS feel it necessary to post some bs like this?

Awesome recovery Dan!!! Post more pics after you've had it defused and restored!

Personally I don't post pics of artillery rounds anymore, here, on FB etc because of all the nincompoops out there.. just sayin


Thanks CSA2K and I will post after restoration. I think OD was just expressing concern as I probably would have before I became educated on CW ordnance. I do love recovering these - my favorite relics by far!! Thanks Again, Dan
 

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Louisiana Ken

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Nice find! Think I'm going to start digging iron on purpose now.
 

rjw4law

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I have one in mint condition passed down from generations.......I would love to find and dug one
 

diggervet

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That's a great find I'm sure your first signal was a little blip or beep. Those are in my opinion the best indicators of a relic hunters skill! I think we both know the answer to the question about explosion risk.
 

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