Small iron balls, Military or Trash ?

[8Reales]

Found this two iron balls today here are the specs

Bigger ball is .96 inches across and weighs 55 grams or .12 pounds.
Smaller one is .86 inches and weighs 38 grams or .08 pounds

Any chance they could be military projectiles.

Thanx

 

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[callicles]

Possible case-shot?

 

[smokeythecat]

Possible. Just depends on where they were found and the history there.

 

[Terry Soloman]

I was wondering where my ex-wife threw those..

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Responding to your request:
8Reales, this is another case of me initially declining to post a reply, because I don't have the "definite" answer. There's just too darned many Civilian iron-ball possibilities. What I can tell you is that they are too big to be case-shot balls (antipersonnel balls from inside an explosive shell), except for some Heavy Caliber US Navy explosive cannonballs which used iron balls a little smaller than 1"-diameter. (See the photo below.) But that's highly unlikely to be your Maryland-dug balls, because no yankee ships shelled the Confederates anywhere in Maryland. If your finds are artillery balls, they'd have to be cannon Canister-ammo balls. (Cannon Canister ammo is a tin can filled with iron balls... firing the can caused the thin tin can to disintegrate, releasing a spray of "giant iron buckshot" balls.) Was there a Revolutionary War or War Of 1812 or civil war battle involving the use of artillery at the spot where you dug them?

 

[Joe-Dirt]

I’d have to agree with cannonguy, that looks like canister shot, I have one I found digging a fire pit in Boston Harbor, very heavy, really cool. Nice find

 

[Joe-Dirt]

This is my first picture attachment so please forgive my errors. This is the ball I found next to a .69 Minnie for scale

 

[smokeythecat]

The area near Baltimore did have a lot of War of 1812 activity. Closest Rev War skirmishes were at Cooches Bridge, Delaware, Head of Elk, and Brandywine Battliefield. Some of the city parks had 1812 activity, so that is my best guess, but it is a guess.

 

[8Reales]

Possible. Just depends on where they were found and the history there.

City park 1.5 miles from fort McHenry

 

[8Reales]

Dug them in a Baltimore city park 1.5 miles away from fort McHenry as we that fort suffered heavy bombardment by the British in the war of 1812. And thank you for ur reply.

Responding to your request:
8Reales, this is another case of me initially declining to post a reply, because I don't have the "definite" answer. There's just too darned many Civilian iron-ball possibilities. What I can tell you is that they are too big to be case-shot balls (antipersonnel balls from inside an explosive shell), except for some Heavy Caliber US Navy explosive cannonballs which used iron balls a little smaller than 1"-diameter. (See the photo below.) But that's highly unlikely to be your Maryland-dug balls, because no yankee ships shelled the Confederates anywhere in Maryland. If your finds are artillery balls, they'd have to be cannon Canister-ammo balls. (Cannon Canister ammo is a tin can filled with iron balls... firing the can caused the thin tin can to disintegrate, releasing a spray of "giant iron buckshot" balls.) Was there a Revolutionary War or War Of 1812 or civil war battle involving the use of artillery at the spot where you dug them?

 

[8Reales]

I’d have to agree with cannonguy, that looks like canister shot, I have one I found digging a fire pit in Boston Harbor, very heavy, really cool. Nice find

Last year I found two canister shots at a different city park, they have the weight and size of canister shots.

 

[8Reales]

This is my first picture attachment so please forgive my errors. This is the ball I found next to a .69 Minnie for scale

The previous two I found are more like this size.

 

[8Reales]

The area near Baltimore did have a lot of War of 1812 activity. Closest Rev War skirmishes were at Cooches Bridge, Delaware, Head of Elk, and Brandywine Battliefield. Some of the city parks had 1812 activity, so that is my best guess, but it is a guess.

Yes this were dug not far from fort McHenry.

 

[8Reales]