Shell I bought

[digger42071]

I bought this at the local flea market. I think it’s from the Ft Donaldson Campaign since it’s a big shell. What do you think? What’s the history on these? How should I preserve it? How rare is it?

 

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[smokeythecat]

Good lord its big. I don't know your answer, but I'm sure someone will chime in with the answer soon.

 

[digger42071]

Yea big shell. Why I think it came from Ft Donaldson Campaign.

 

[digger42071]

 

[digger42071]

Rifled version of something like that maybe fired it?

 

[N.O. noir et d'or]

It looks like a CS Read projectile minus its sabot. Although, I didn't know that they were made that large, so I may be off on its identification. CB Guy surely will give you the definitive answer.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

It is a Confederate 6.4"-caliber Brooke shell...missing its copper "ratchet-plate" sabot. A large bolt attached the sabot to the shell's base, through a hole in the center of the sabot. Your shell is also missing the top of its rare Confederate Navy Archer Percussion fuze (which screwed into the brass bushing you see in the shell's fuzehole). Many of the heavy-caliber Brooke projectiles are missing their sabot when dug... it either tore loose upon being fired, or tore off when the projectile smashed into the target or the ground.

Since whoever sold it to you did not know what kind of shell it is, you almost certainly got a very good deal on it. Although it is missing its sabot, and the fuze has major damage, the iron body is in decent condition. It is worth at least $400, perhaps somewhat more. Would be worth triple that much if it had its copper sabot and its CS Navy Archer Percussion fuze was undamaged.

Sorry, but it is unlikely that Fort Donelson fired a Brooke shell with a CS Navy fuze in it. Not impossible, but highly unlikely. Still, you could check to see whether or not that fort contained a 6.4"-caliber Brooke rifled cannon. (Your shell is too long-bodied (meaning, heavy) to have been fired from a Rifled 32-Pounder Smoothbore cannon.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Donelson

 

[digger42071]

Thank you for the information. What was fired out of the 6 1/2 inch Columbiad at Ft Donaldson? Base if this shell is 6 1/2 inches.

Neat it had a brass fuse. I thought it would have a wood fuse.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/markerhunter.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/guns-of-fort-donelson/amp/

 

[digger42071]

Researching local cannon Columbus Belmont has a few of these:

 

[digger42071]

They had a a few 6.4 Rifled guns at Columbus Belmont. Some Anderson’s. I’m now wondering if it came from here.

http://rosswar.blogspot.com/2009/02/here-are-some-of-my-little-essays-that.html?m=1

 

[devldog]

That is a nice shell. Congrat's. That will look nice with your collection.

 

[digger42071]

Thanks. It’s a big one.

 

[P.ALLEN]

I'd love to check that bend in the river, when I went to those emplacements and trenches as a kid that artillery setup the Rebs had would just shatter anything coming up that river (and they did) but overland troops were not what Simon Bolivar Buckner(Buckner had point in Bowling Green) (or was it A. S. Johnston dunno) was expecting. Major weakness of Fort Donaldson, it was not set up for ground troops but for river protection. Mouth of the Harpeth at the Cumberland there was supposed to be another artillery battery.

 

[digger42071]

They had 3 forts Ft Henry which was at a bad location. Ft Heiman which was being built to replace Ft Henry and Ft Donaldson. I few big shells have been found. I was with a picker who bought one from a guy who found one in a field across the River from Ft Donaldson. I wish I had taken a picture of it. I need to go see the Shells in the museum at Ft Donaldson. I may do this in a few days if it’s open.

Columbus Belmont also had large river guns. Several Big Rifled guns. They shot them across the Mississippi at the land battle in Missouri. I wonder if anyone dug any big shells out of those fields?