Finally got out and got a cannon ball (+ more photos)

[woody50]

So, after much freezing and snow it finally warmed up, and after finishing up some 'woman directed interior work' I could finally go out and play. Did not really mean that the weather was good, but oh well. Found a farm house that had just been removed, so maybe.

The farm was not so old (18th century) but there were farms there on the site before that. After walking around a bit and finding a number of coins, I tried the canal side of the site. Got a few large signals, dug them and discovered a large piece of tinfoil, and a discarded frying pan. Then an old tea pot, so when I got another I though about just leaving it and the site.

Luckily I didn't. It was a fairly large cannon ball. The ball weights 15.4 pounds (7 kilo) and circumference 15.75 inches (40 cm). Was one of the nicest I have found, in any case it was perfectly preserved. I am guessing that it was dredged out of the canal and put on the side of the canal with all the other muck years ago.

 

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[jdsarasin8194]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Wooh thats large
Nice digs

 

[relichunters]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Great looking cannonball

 

[shaun7]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

That is in good condition Woody! Did you do any electrolysis on it?

 

[Iron Patch]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Always cool seeing that big round iron in the hole! It's something I never expected to find at the old home sites here, but we usually see one come out every year. (last year we both had one so 2010 it may not happen)

 

[wrecker]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Very nice find! And in exelent condition too. Man- I'd like to see the gun that ball was fired from. Wish you will find the gun too and post pictures soon.

 

[woody50]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Always cool seeing that big round iron in the hole! It's something I never expected to find at the old home sites here, but we usually see one come out every year. (last year we both had one so 2010 it may not happen)

Yes it sure was, but I really didn't know what it was until I had dug a big hole around it. It was raining, and the ground was packed clay. Slippery at the edge of the water (sloping) and when I saw the first round part I did not really know what it was, only a small round part of something, of course it was muddy and the hole kept filling up a bit. After I dug most of the soil out, it was very hard to get out, slippery and suction and that's heavy, well it took some time and cussing.

 

[woody50]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Very nice find! And in excellent condition too. Man- I'd like to see the gun that ball was fired from. Wish you will find the gun too and post pictures soon.

Yes it would be neat to find the cannon, but I could not lift it out of the hole!
I don't really think this ball was ever fired, although a cannon was smooth inside still you should see something to indicate it was fired, or not?

 

[CRUSADER]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Good to see your out

 

[Imnengr]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

I don't expect to find something like that here in Illinois, but if I did it sure would make a great conversation piece. Fantastic!

 

[woody50]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Good to see your out

Thanks Cru, will be going out today too, its sunny (ok with clouds) and pretty good temp.
Problem is that you always want to beat the previous day.... that's then hard. Hope you are getting out now too...

 

[CRUSADER]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Good to see your out

Thanks Cru, will be going out today too, its sunny (ok with clouds) and pretty good temp.
Problem is that you always want to beat the previous day.... that's then hard. Hope you are getting out now too...

We have no ploughed fields left (expect one very poor one), so we went into the woods to find the extent of a roman site we just discovered. It was my most successful wood hunt ever! See in todays finds.

 

[TiredIron]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Woody,
Beautiful cannon ball......but please humor me on my math. You don't really mean 15.75 inches in "diameter" do you? A 15.75 inch ball in "circumference" would make for a ball about 4.85 inches in diameter. The tube that would fire a 16" projectile would look like it came off an "Iowa Class Battleship". I have a couple 10 inch solid balls that came out of a Coal Ball Mill.... and I can barely lift them....let alone out of a muddy hole. Is your ball solid or is there any provision for a fuse? Are there any casting seams on it?
Very nice find.
TiredIron

Here is a nice site. http://www.shilohrelics.com/cgi-bin/Display_Items.asp?Cat=138&Sub=647

 

[Rickiowa2009]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Cool cannon ball!

 

[2bits]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Great cannon ball! HH
Doc

 

[Sandpit]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Great find on the cannon ball.

 

[Tnmountains]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

I have a solid ball that was used to bounce thru lines. I was told that they normally are a siege ball used at sea but occasionally used in battle and shot low to bounce. I want to say a 32 pounder? I will have to dig it out. Had the math on it at one time and it worked.
Nice solid ball.

Here is some charts to help figure out your cannon/mortar balls

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

TnMtns

 

[Furious]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Very nice find! And in excellent condition too. Man- I'd like to see the gun that ball was fired from. Wish you will find the gun too and post pictures soon.

Yes it would be neat to find the cannon, but I could not lift it out of the hole!
I don't really think this ball was ever fired, although a cannon was smooth inside still you should see something to indicate it was fired, or not?

I've Found a lot of cannonballs unmarked but I know they have been fired as I dive in a location where there was numerous battles Ship to shore on a Castle on the coast,lots of them still have the wooden plug in them with explosives so I wouldn't even mess around with them now,those battles went on from 1500 to just 1700 and the cannonballs look like new,plenty of flat ones as well though :P

 

[woody50]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

Woody,
Beautiful cannon ball......but please humor me on my math. You don't really mean 15.75 inches in "diameter" do you? A 15.75 inch ball in "circumference" would make for a ball about 4.85 inches in diameter. The tube that would fire a 16" projectile would look like it came off an "Iowa Class Battleship". I have a couple 10 inch solid balls that came out of a Coal Ball Mill.... and I can barely lift them....let alone out of a muddy hole. Is your ball solid or is there any provision for a fuse? Are there any casting seams on it?
Very nice find.
TiredIron

Here is a nice site. http://www.shilohrelics.com/cgi-bin/Display_Items.asp?Cat=138&Sub=647

Hi Tired Iron... You are so right, how could I be so dumb, but we do lose our minds once in a while (and sometimes more)... Circumference is correct. Otherwise it would not weigh only 15 pounds... Thanks for the correction.

About your finds, 10". That is then diameter? I am guessing yes, and then, yes it would be very difficult to get something so slippery and round out of a hole.

The ball is solid, or so it seems. But there is a sort of nipple on it, and a casting seam also. I am hoping that that nipple is not a fuse entrance! Let me know.

I added three photos to the original posting.

 

[woody50]

Re: Finally got out and got a cannon ball

I have a solid ball that was used to bounce thru lines. I was told that they normally are a siege ball used at sea but occasionally used in battle and shot low to bounce. I want to say a 32 pounder? I will have to dig it out. Had the math on it at one time and it worked.
Nice solid ball.

Here is some charts to help figure out your cannon/mortar balls

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

TnMtns

Hi TnMtns, yes according to the chart that you linked it does look like a 32 pounder. Don't know if the measurements are different for cannon shot here in Europe......The diameter is correct, the weight, well things laying in wet dirt for years do loose weight.