Is this a civil war cannonball?

[oldkyhunter]

Hi,
I was wondering if someone can tell if this are cannon balls from the civil war or not.

I found 4 of these.

They measure about 2 5/8 inches and weigh between 2 lbs 9 ozs and 2 lbs and 13 oz.

They are round, but each one has rough places on the surface.

Each one also has a little flat place on them about the size of a dime or penny.

The pics below are of only one of them.

Thanks for any help

 

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[romeo-1]

Certainly could be...three pounder...could also be milling balls...either way good finds!

 

[oldkyhunter]

Thanks for the reply.

I think I posted this on the wrong board.

I posted it on the civil war board.

Newbie here

 

[BuckleBoy]

Are you sure they're only 2 inches across? That measurement sounds wrong if what could be the fuze hole is the size of a penny...

Buckleboy

 

[oldkyhunter]

They are 2 5/8 inches wide, give or take a 1/16 of an inch.

I don't think these would have a fuse, because the are solid.

The flat place is on the top of the ball, in the first pic.
I have all of them have the same flat place.

Thanks

 

[warsawdaddy]

Grapeshot??

 

[oldkyhunter]

I wondered that too ....

 

[Shady Digger]

I always thought grapeshot was about the size of a quarter or a little bigger but I could be wrong....maybe get some civil war buffs to help you out there

 

[SomeGuy]

Check out this site:

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/

 

[bill gent]

just a stupid thought could they be shotputts?

 

[BuckleBoy]

just a stupid thought could they be shotputts?

Pretty small shot put at under 3 inches in diameter...

Did these come out of the ground like that, or did you electrocute 'em? What type of site was it (just general info)? What else did you find there? Any bullets? Help us out here...


-Buckleboy

 

[oldkyhunter]

Hi

sorry took so long to get back and reply.

did I find them like what?

Actually I found them at an old concrete plant along with some other antiques that
someone had collected.

But I have been doing some research and learned that, there was an
Union army depot, only 5 miles, in a different town, to the east.
I also found out that the Kentucky 14 th infantry was also based there.

I assume that they came from the depot.

I found 6 of them one other time, about 10 miles away, in a city up the Ohio river.

There wasn't any battles in KY close to where I live, so I always wondered where they
came from. Now, with a little research I know.


Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions!

 

[ivan salis]

24 lber grape shot matches up nicely -- 2 and 5/8 is equal to 2.625 in the allowible range between 2.60 and 2.64 inches -- the adverage (mean) weigh was about 2.4 lbs or about 2 lbs 6 1/2 oz -- of course it did vary a bit (yours are a bit on the heavy side)-- the flat spot was for ease of stacking the shot ---since fully round balls tended rolled around a bit--- a flat spot was made into em.

however of course a cement plant might have had a ball mill --its like a big drum where they used iron balls similar to the ones you have to crush into fine powder the stuff to used to make cement --- its one or the other --- Ivan

 

[oldkyhunter]

hi

Thanks for the info, that helped a lot.


I thought about maybe it could be mill ball, but
I don' t think that these are.

I would think that a mill ball would have a smooth surface when it was made.
It has been my experience, if metal was used for grinding or crushing, that the metal
was very smooth, if it wasn't to begin with.

In the 3rd pic above you can make out what is a faint mold mark.
I am almost for certain, had these been used for a mill, that there would be no mold mark.

Or at least that is what i think

How many of these would have been used in a grape shot?
I have 8 of them.

 

[SomeGuy]

How many of these would have been used in a grape shot?
I have 8 of them.

9, according to the site listed above, plus 2 plates, 2 rings, and a center bolt.