✅ SOLVED Common mystery find

[Miah]

I find these fairly regularly on cape cod beaches but I have no ideal what they may be. Does anyone know? It may not be clear in the picture but they are very thin wall brass or copper tube.

 

[DCMatt]

Artillery friction fuse.

 

[DCMatt]

These are Civil War era and immediately following.

 

[trdking]

Cool!

 

[DCMatt]

These are Civil War era and immediately following.

BTW... They still make them like this and they are used by artillery reenactors. Yours look in remarlably good condition if they are 150 years old.

 

[Miah]

Thank DCMatt, mystery solved. I wonder how many of these I have thrown away over the years! These three are just what I could quickly pull out of the recent piles on my kitchen table.

 

[DCMatt]

Thank DCMatt, mystery solved. I wonder how many of these I have thrown away over the years! These three are just what I could quickly pull out of the recent piles on my kitchen table.

My son has a couple of these from a reenactment battle last summer. He is our company field drummer but one of the artillery crews was a man short so he volunteered to run powder for them. They gave him spent fuses to remember his first (and probably last) artillery engagement.

These are placed in the vent or "touch hole" of the piece and a lanyard is attached to the wire loop. Pull the lanyard and BOOM! The spent fuses shoot up in the air and can land up to 100 feet away from the piece.

 

[Miah]

Based on where these where found I suspect the where used by the US Life saving service.

 

[Miah]

I was picking up some piles and found a longer version in very nice condition.

 

[pistol-pete]

Just for info. Here is a pic. of the box they came in 1864. Enjoy.