Cannon ball from 1814?

[GroovingPict]

I recently found a cannon ball, I think (the dvd in the picture is just for size reference). It is approx. 50(+) mm in diameter, weighs 460 grams, and is made of iron. It was buried about 30cm in the ground (I didnt measure this, but it was 30cm or thereabouts). The size and weight fits nicely with the 1 pound Amusett which was used by Norwegian (and presumably other Scandinavian) forces in the 18th and up till the early 19th century (according to the wikipedia article linked to above). It was found at Solli, Fredrikstad (or is it actually Sarpsborg... the border between the two cities is around there), Norway. At the same site I have also found a few musket balls (pictured are two whole ones, and one which is flattened and curled backwards. It obviously hit... something). I haven't measured or weighed these, but they are definitely made of lead. They weren't as deep in the ground as the cannon ball, but the cannon ball would have penetrated deeper into the ground in the first place, I imagine.

Is the cannon ball likely from the war between Norway and Sweden in 1814? The last battle of that war was fought at Kjølberg Bridge, which is not too far away. I haven't found any specific information about troops or fighting at Solli, other than various information that claim that smaller groups of soldiers were posted around at various places, so small skirmishes happening here and there is not unlikely. Is it possible that it is even older? Are the musket balls likely from the same period, or are they of a later date? Any other information you deem relevant is also welcome of course.

Apologies for the poor quality of the cell phone pictures.



Tor

 

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[TheCannonballGuy]

Another TreasureNet member told me about your post, and asked me to help you. I know a lot about cannonballs used in North America, which includes British and French ones used in the American Revolutionary War and War-Of-1812. But cannonballs from other European countries can be very different sizes from British, French, and American cannonballs.

Extremely precise measurement of your iron ball's diameter and weight are needed. You'll have to remove all the rust/dirt encrustation off of it to get those measurements accurately. Even one-tenth of an inch (or a few millimeters) can make an important difference in cannonball identification.

Here is a link to charts showing the exact diameter and weight of various cannonballs and Grapeshot balls used in America from the Colonial era through the end of the American Civil War (1861-1865): Cannon bore, shot, and shell diameters for smoothbore guns

A third type of artillery ball, called a Canister ball, did not exist before the 1830s, so your iron ball is probably not a Canister ball.

Another problem is that there are literally millions of iron balls which were not Artillery balls, but instead were manufactured for Civilian and Industrial purposes... such as ball-bearings, Mining Industry rock-crusher balls, and machinery counterweight balls. We cannonball collectors identify those balls and Artillery balls by precisely measuring their exact diameter and weight. A Civilian/Industrial ball's exact diameter and weight won't match up with any of the known sizes of Artillery balls.

After you've cleaned all the rust/dirt concretion off your iron ball, and precisely measured it in millimeters and weighed it on a Postal Shipping scale (in grams), please post that information. I cannot promise you that I'll be able to tell you whether it is an Artillery ball or not, because I do not know the precise size and weight of Scandinavian artillery balls -- which could be different from British and French artillery balls. But, we might "get lucky."

After you clean it, measure it, and weigh it precisely, you may need to take it to a Historical Artillery museum in your country to get it correctly identified as an Artillery ball, or some kind of Civilian/Industrial-usage ball.

 

[GroovingPict]

Thank you very much for your reply, I really appreciate it

I thought removing the rust off such items was a big no-no, akin to cleaning the patina off old coins? And even with the rust removed, I doubt the measurements, neither diameter or weight, would be terribly accurate, considering just how much rust (and thus iron) would have been removed from it (there's quite a lot of it on this one). So I think I will leave it as it is, just clean off the dirt very gently. Thank you for taking an interest though

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

GroovingPict wrote:
> I thought removing the rust off such items was a big no-no, akin to cleaning the patina off old coins?

Excavated iron is an exception to the rule against cleaning the oxidation/patina off of an excavated artifact. Unlike other metals (such as copper, brass, silver, etc), excavated iron will continue to corrode after it is brought out of the ground into the air. Humidity (water vapor) and oxygen in the air will cause the corrosion of the iron to increase rapidly. If you do not remove the rust-concretion and apply a waterproof and oxygen-proof sealant (such as Polyurethane, a special type of varnish) onto the iron's surface, it will continue to corrode. Then, after a year or two, pieces of the iron's surface will fall off. (We iron relic collectors call that "scaling" and "flaking."

Please believe that I am telling you the scientific facts about iron corrosion on excavated iron relics. Check my TreasureNet Profile, and read the "About me" information.

You can learn how to do the Electrolysis method for removing the rust-encrustation from iron relics here:
Cleaning Shells
If you do not want to have to buy a battery charger and drill a small hole in your iron ball for electrical contact, you may prefer to use the Zinc-&-Lye-Bath method, which is much easier than Electrolysis:
Cleaning Iron Relics

About your iron ball:
You said its diameter is approximately 2 inches, which includes the thick rust-concretion. You also said the rust-encrusted ball weighs 460 grams, which is 16.23 Avoirdupois ounces. Some of that weight is the rust-encrustaion, probably one ounce or a bit less. So, the closest match-up among British and American cannonballs is a 1-Pounder caliber cannonball, which was 1.95-inches in diameter and weighed exactly 1 pound. Cannon bore, shot, and shell diameters for smoothbore guns

But as I said in my previous reply, Scandinavian cannonballs may not be the same size as British and American cannonballs. Also, Scandinavian countries may not have used the Avoirdupois weight system in the 1700s/1800s. So, I suggest you clean the rust-encrustation off your ball, then weigh and measure it precisely, and take it to someone in your country who is an expert on Scandinavian historical artillery projectiles. (He will need the exact weight and diameter measurement to be able to identify it accurately.)

Welcome to TreasureNet. I hope you will have good luck in your relic-hunting.

 

[GroovingPict]

Thank you for the tips regarding cleaning etc

As I said in the initial post, the Norwegian forces had a small cannon called "amusette" in the late 18th and early 19th century: Amusett - Wikipedia (yeah, it's in Norwegian, but you can get the jist of it I think). They used 1 pound balls, which were 51mm in diameter (the the wikipedia article says the barrel is 53mm, but I read on another site that the balls themselves were 51 (here: Det Søndenfieldske Frivillige Musqueteer Corps - Amusetten but again, Norwegian)). The small amusette was only in use during three wars: 1788, 1808-09, and 1814; all three were Denmark-Norway or Norway on one side and Sweden on the other (Norway was in a "union" with Denmark from 1380 to 1814, but really we more or less belonged to Denmark, especially after 1660). The location only fits with the war in 1814 though. Also, I think the lead balls may have been fired with the amusette as well: the site above says that the amusettes also fired containers with either 60 1-lodd balls or 40 1.5-lodd balls (of lead). The "lodd" is an old weight unit. I dont know if there is an equivalent in English, but 1 lodd is about 15.5 grams. The lead balls I have weigh around 23 grams which would fit the 1.5 lodd size. I think they would probably be too big for a musket in any case.

It's a shame I have to clean it; I didnt know that it would otherwise continue on a rapid decay once excavated. One of my dad's mates is a conservator and Im seeing him on thursday, so maybe he'll have some insights on how to best do it, in addition to the links you kindly provided.

Thank you again, and thanks for the welcome

Tor