Shell Fragments for the CannonBallGuy

[alabama11]

Hello all,
Thank you all for viewing this thread. The photo contains six shell fragments, I think. The upper left came from a battle site where no other shell frags have showed up so not sure about it. It is 1/2 inch in thickness. I am most interested in the two at the bottom which came from the another place. The one with the fuse hole has the following measurements. Thickness is 5/8 inch, exterior fuse hole dimension is 1 inch , interior fuse hole dimension is 3/4 inch. The other piece has a flat base with possible sabot indention 5/8 inches long and shell thickness 1 inch. What kind of shells are these two. Best,

 

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[Davers]

Nice pieces u got there A11.
I don't know much about Artillery (I never find any, just a few frags here and there).

The bottom right interests me the most , I saw the Big Groove & thought Sabot

I'm sure TCBG Can Help.
C. Davers

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

The upper two right frags resemble lots of frags I've dug in Spanish Fort, Alabama. I think it's safe to say they are, but I'm not sure about the others. Although, they certainly look to be. I've been able to have CB guy comment on my recoveries by sending him a direct message. But he'll always respond publicly, as to, thankfully, educate us all. You might try reaching him that way A 11. I'm certainly curious about your other pieces as well. Thanks for posting!

 

[alabama11]

Some of the smaller pieces could be from a Reed shell because i saw the base of that kind of shell at one location. Also have read some CSA sabots were wrought iron and i would like to verify that statement with Cannonballguy. Best,

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Please pardon the delay in replying. I check the What-Is-It? forum almost every day, but I rarely look at the civil war forum on T-Net.

Cannonball fragments which are .45-to-.50" thick are from a 12-Pounder (4.62"-caliber) Case-Shot cannonball. (A Case Shot shell has antipersonnel balls inside the explosive shell.)

There appear to be three of that type in the first photo. First in the second row is from a cylindrical (bullet-shaped) shell, most probably a 2.9" or 3"-caliber one. If it was dug at Sulpher Trestle, it could be from a Confederate Read shell, but also perhaps from a yankee Parrott or a Confederate Brooke shell.

The large circular frag is the fuzehole segment from a Confederate 12-Pounder caliber Common-Shell. ("Common" meaning ordinary, no antipersonnel balls in it, just gunpowder.) It used a wooden plug to hold its paper timefuze. The yankees had a few woodenfuzed 12-pounder shells early in the war, but they quit using that kind after Summer 1862.

The frag at lower right could be either a yankee Parrott shell's base, missing its brass ring sabot, or a Confederate Read shell base, missing its iron or copper ring sabot. It looks like it broke almost perfectly in half. I need to see some closeup photos of the broken side. A Yankee Parrott shell's internal powder cavity has a bowl-shaped bottom. A Confederate Read shell has a flat-bottomed powder cavity.

 

[Davers]

Crazy A11
You posted this on the 2 of Aug & on The 14th I dug a Similar (Bottom Left Round Piece W/Hole).
Took it to my club meeting and a few guy's said "wagon Wheel Hub" Another said it was off a Grinder of some kind & 2 said it was a shell frag.
It's Completely Round 3 inches in Across the Face (if I recall right) The Hole is Threaded & the inside is broken off at an angle.
I took pic's of it last week, as usual I just need to get them up , Got the Buttons Etc ready to post as well .
I will put the Iron Piece on here & W I it?
I saw TCBG replied to yr post ,check it again & thought that Round piece look's familiar...Daaaa on my part.

 

[jadocs]

I dug a round piece just like that as well. I thought it was just a giant washer.

 

[alabama11]

Davers,
The fact that your iron donut had a treaded hole makes me think shell frag, but we better ask the cannonballguy. I owe him one more photo to conclude this thread.

 

[Davers]

Davers,
The fact that your iron donut had a treaded hole makes me think shell frag, but we better ask the cannonballguy. I owe him one more photo to conclude this thread.

Since this post.
I had set my 'donut' piece in apple cider Vinegar , it lost some rust but I don't care for the results of ACV, Especially on
(maybe not the best) Confederate Iron.

My point...I has been confirmed by 2 shell Experts --(IMO) they sell & clean a-lot of Artillery at Civil War Shows.
That my piece like yours is off a Confederate 12 pounder but that was all the Details I got.

Found a Base & a Frag yesterday hence I'm looking back at older "Shell" posts.
GD
Davers