Civil war era bullets ??

[wetfly]

I'm not very well versed in antique ammunition , however these look to be civil war era lead to me!! I had a long lunch break today and went to an old abandoned home in the center of the island that a co- worker owns ,and hunted the back yard! First two have 3 rings and look like about .58 cal , then I found what looks to me like a lead musketball?? If there is such a thing?- lastly I found another bullet but it's much larger than the other two and has only 2 rings and to me looks like it has actually been bitten at the tip either by human or animal lol-- really exciting pulling up what could be 150yr old relecs!! -- any information on these would be very much appreciated as I know very little !! Are these definitely ones for the "keeper" jar?? Thanks for looking !!!

 

[ATpro5]

Definitely civil war era bullets. The bullets were often dropped and chewed on by hogs. Sometimes by soldiers during a limb amputation, but that's not often the case. Also, your musket ball could be quite older .... late 1700s early 1800s.

 

[wetfly]

Sweet! Really cool! I'll be goin back tommorow afternoon and checkin it out again! Love that sound on the at pro! Thanks for the info!!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Since you asked for ID info:
Your two civil war .58-caliber 3-groove Minie-balls are yankee-made. The Confederates did manufacture some of that specific type, but the CS-made ones have a slightly different shape than yours.

The .69-caliber 2-groove one is a yankee-made "Machine-Pressed & Turned" Minie-bullet. It is shown in some of the 1960/70s books on civil war bullets as being a "Prussian" bullet, but recent research by Dean S. Thomas has proved that it was made in a yankeee bullet-making machine, not foreign.

Although .69-caliber musketballs were used in the 1700s and early-1800s, we know with certainty that they were also used in the civil war, by both sides. If you found yours at the same spot as the other three bullets you posted, it is almost certainly a civil war one.

 

[wetfly]

Thanks for that super informative post I appreciate it!! As these were all found in key west Florida it figures that they would be "Yankee" origin as the southernmost city was certainly union held. First ones I've ever encountered down here as historically key west was only inhabited since 1828 or so-- thanks again!!

 

[markp]

nice digs