✅ SOLVED Artillery shell?

[Older The Better]

This is more just to get the what if out of my head but hey worth an ask… found this at a site that has yielded a shield nickel and a civil war cavalry button,

I obviously didn’t think much of it but I couldn’t help but notice the similarities with one of the items hot glued together in a gift/hand me down, I got last year. I assume given the other items and the Gettysburg label that it’s an artillery shell fragment…

So for those of you that are still with me, are both items possibly artillery related? I know how cannonball guy likes precise measurements which I wouldn’t be able to give without a month delay while it soaks, but I measured rust and all anyway… curious to see what you guys think

 

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[Older The Better]

If it’s of any use there was a sticker on the bottom of the display

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Apparently, both of your civil war artillery shells fragments are from US 3"-caliber Schenkl shells. The key ID-clue I see about them is the little "step-down at the lower end of both frags. See the photos below. The one with a brass fuze in it is a 3"-caliber Schenkl. The other photo shows a (larger) 3.67"-caliber, whose fuze is missing. Although your Gettysburg souvenir is a 3-incher, I included the 3.67 because the "step-down" is more clearly visible.

 

[traveller777]

Apparently, both of your civil war artillery shells fragments are from US 3"-caliber Schenkl shells. The key ID-clue I see about them is the little "step-down at the lower end of both frags. See the photos below. The one with a brass fuze in it is a 3"-caliber Schenkl. The other photo shows a (larger) 3.67"-caliber, whose fuze is missing. Although your Gettysburg souvenir is a 3-incher, I included the 3.67 because the "step-down" is more clearly visible.

Good job, Cannon.

 

[Older The Better]

Wow I would have never guessed, just for the sake of clarification and to cover all bases the non souvenir one, I found in a Kansas field in neosho county… with the other likely civil war era items. The location makes me skeptical because to the best of my knowledge the closest skirmish was Baxter springs I believe… but I wasn’t sure with the cavalry button if they weren’t moving up the river, maybe took some target practice… they sure do look similar and I’m certainly inclined to believe cannonball guy… I’ll hold my excitement for a little longer.

 

[traveller777]

Wow I would have never guessed, just for the sake of clarification and to cover all bases the non souvenir one, I found in a Kansas field in neosho county… with the other likely civil war era items. The location makes me skeptical because to the best of my knowledge the closest skirmish was Baxter springs I believe… but I wasn’t sure with the cavalry button if they weren’t moving up the river, maybe took some target practice… they sure do look similar and I’m certainly inclined to believe cannonball guy… I’ll hold my excitement for a little longer.

I think cannon is the man on this subject. That was my question, where you found it. Not a lot of action in Kansas with artillery I thought.

 

[Older The Better]

That is what the tag says on the gift one, my grandpa gave it to me a few years ago, probably something that was found in the house before he moved. I don’t know anything beyond that… the other single piece came from a Kansas farm field.

I was wondering how an artillery piece would make its way here other than military activity. I was curious since this area was settled heavily by civil war veterans if, in those days, someone would take a battlefield memento, or somehow be in possession of a live round. Any civil war guys hear about anything like that?

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Below is a link to a list of battles fought in Kansas. Only a couple calvary raids during the Civil War but quite a few post Civil War actions fought against the Comanche.

List of battles fought in Kansas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Older The Better]

Well I was afraid maybe I was unclear about where I found the lone piece when cbg answered, I clarified gave it some time and got no real objections so I’ll mark it as solved. No question he knows artillery I just had doubts with my communication. Thanks for the Id and I look forward to this new wrinkle as I piece together the history of this area.

 

[DCMatt]

That's a cool dig. Especially for Kansas!

I have dug a number of 3 inch artillery rifle fragments from the battle of Aldie, VA (Spring 1863). That's where Custer first got famous. There was an artillery duel during the battle. Both sides used 3 inch artillery rifles. I collected frags from both sides - about 2 miles apart. In researching them, I read that the early CW smooth bore cannons could hit a barn at a mile distance and that the 3 inch artillery rifle could "put a round through the window of the barn" at the same distance.