✅ SOLVED Early Christmas present - I think?

[N.O. noir et d'or]

I guess it would be a retirement present as I just pulled the plug last week after 27 years of service. I'm hoping that what I dug is a 1841 Seacoast Mortar Shell, but I need CB Guy, and the other experts here to provide their opinions. As a grateful follower of CB Guy's posts, I consulted the 1864 Ordnance Manual and my measurements are fairly close. The weight on a bathroom scale (all I have) comes in at 86lbs, but I did clean out the interior of the shell with a high pressure hose. The weight per said manual is 88lbs. The diameter, per my measurement with a diameter tape, comes in at just under 10 inches - 9.87 per the manual. Also, I am very close to 6 inches between the "ears" which is noted in the manual. It took 2 1/2 hours to dig it out and was approximately 4 1/2 feet deep. The soil is quite sandy until that depth when in turns into a very hard clay bed. As a retirement present for myself, I purchased a used Garrett ATX from Bart at Big Boys Hobbies, and this was my first time using it. It does go very deep! This is the first time that I've inserted photos, so I'm hoping that they are viewable - please advise if not. Thanks, N.O.

 

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[BosnMate]

Looks good to me, but CBG will be along and set us all straight.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

It is definitely a 10" Seacoast Mortar's shell. Merry Christmas indeed!

It's not unusual for cannonballs to weigh a few percentage points lighter than the "official" weight stated in the 1861 Ordnance Manual... due to casting-flaw airbubbles inside the cast-iron. That was a fairly common problem in the mid-1800s metalcasting industry. For examples, see the photos below. So, I tell folks that a (genuine) cannonball can sometimes be the correct diameter size and a bit lighter than the Ordnance Manual's data-charts say, but won't ever be heavier.

Congratulations! You "earned" that early Christmas present. Back in 1977, I dug a 10" Mortarball at Port Hudson LA, about 3-&-1/2 feet deep. Took me a full hour to get it out of the ground, because at 90-something pounds (due to being full of mud), you can't just reach down into the hole and pick it up. I had to enlarge the dig-hole big enough to step into it to lift that mortarball out. When I finally managed to hump that ball out over the lip of the dig-hole, I told my relic-hunting buddy I would buy him a Prime Rib dinner to carry it back to the car for me. Fortunately, he accepted my offer.

I suggest you hunt that area closely, because there are almost certainly several more there. That mortar's crew didn't fire just one shot at what they were aiming at... and most relic-hunters either cannot detect a relic four feet deep, or don't want to dig a hole that deep. After proper cleaning-&-preservation, your 10" mortarshell is worth about $300. Keep your first one, and sell the extras.

 

[Tony in SC]

That's one nice chunk of iron!! You did good. Tony

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

Looks good to me, but CBG will be along and set us all straight.

Thanks BosnMate - Makes me feel better after all that time it took to get it to the surface.

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

It is definitely a 10" Seacoast Mortar's shell. Merry Christmas indeed! It's not unusual for cannonballs to weigh a few percentage points lighter than the "official" weight stated in the 1861 Ordnance Manual... due to casting-flaw airbubbles inside the cast-iron. That was a fairly common problem in the mid-1800s metalcasting industry. For examples, see the photos below. So, I tell folks that a (genuine) cannonball can sometimes be the correct diameter size and a bit lighter than the Ordnance Manual's data-charts say, but won't ever be heavier. Congratulations! You "earned" that early Christmas present. Back in 1977, I dug a 10" Mortarball at Port Hudson LA, about 3-&-1/2 feet deep. Took me a full hour to get it out of the ground, because at 90-something pounds (due to being full of mud), you can't just reach down into the hole and pick it up. I had to enlarge the dig-hole big enough to step into it to lift that mortarball out. When I finally managed to hump that ball out over the lip of the dig-hole, I told my relic-hunting buddy I would buy him a Prime Rib dinner to carry it back to the car for me. Fortunately, he accepted my offer. I suggest you hunt that area closely, because there are almost certainly several more there. That mortar's crew didn't fire just one shot at what they were aiming at... and most relic-hunters either cannot detect a relic four feet deep, or don't want to dig a hole that deep. After proper cleaning-&-preservation, your 10" mortarshell is worth about $300. Keep your first one, and sell the extras.

Many Thanks CBG!! Also, additional thanks for all of your posts as we all benefit greatly from them! I will hunt the area again with the ATX. I would be thrilled to recover more. As you experienced as well, after the digging and getting it back to the car, I was done for the day😊. As such, I hadn't covered too much ground before the mortarball episode began. Thanks Again, N.O.

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

That's one nice chunk of iron!! You did good. Tony

Thanks Tony! Hope to wrestle with a few more😊