🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Mortar ball

[Jakesquest4411]

I talked my little sister out of a cannonball she had rolling around in her trunk. She don't need a cannonball. I want one. Because..... Who doesn't want a cannonball? After I actually got to see it. I looked it over.
I believe, it's a Civil War "Mortar Ball". It weighs and measures approximately:
50 lbs.
8" diameter
It also has a seam all the way around it. Has 2 divets. In between those is the fuse hole.

 

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[Blackfoot58]

Photo?

 

[robertk]

The question in my mind is why is your sister driving around with a cannonball rolling around in her trunk?

 

[Tony in SC]

Would like to see it! I didn't think there would be a seam?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I talked my little sister out of a cannonball she had rolling around in her trunk. She don't need a cannonball. I want one. Because..... Who doesn't want a cannonball? After I actually got to see it. I looked it over.
I believe, it's a Civil War "Mortar Ball". It weighs and measures approximately:
50 lbs.
8" diameter
It also has a seam all the way around it. Has 2 divets. In between those is the fuse hole.

The weight and size measurements you reported confirm that it is indeed a civil war era 8"-caliber cannon ball.

Go here

Cannon bore, shot, shell, canister, and grape shot diameters for rifled and smoothbore cannon.

Rifle Canister Cannon Bore Diameter Cannon – RifledPattern # of PiecesDiameter & Shot Material 1.7-inch Whitworth? 24 .65-inch lead shot 2.25-inch CS Mountain Rifle 27 .70-inch lead shot 2.6-inch 6-pdr.

www.historicalpublicationsllc.com

and scroll down to the chart titled "Descriptions of Solid-Shot for Smoothbore Guns." The 8" Mortarball weighed 44 pounds, and the 8" cannon (long gun) roundshell weighed 49.75 pounds. So, unless the weighing-scale you used is off by about 6 pounds, your sister's "50 pound" roundshell has to be the 49.75-pound roundshell for a long gun (such as the 8" Columbiad cannon or the 8" Siege Howitzer cannon).

BTW... the two "divets" you said are next to the fuzehole are tong holes, used when lifting and loading the heavy ball into the cannon's muzzle. The civil war artillerymen called those holes "loading ears."

If it is an excavated one which is not heavily corroded/pitted, it would retail for about $250 at a civil war relics show.

Note, a casting-mold seam is often seen on both yankee and CSA-made large caliber roundshells... on those sizes (8"-caliber and larger), the presence of a casting-mold seam does NOT mean it is Confederate-made.

 

[Retired Sarge]

The weight and size measurements you reported confirm that it is indeed a civil war era 8"-caliber Mortarball.

Go here, and scroll down to the chart titled "Descriptions of Solid-Shot for Smoothbore Guns." The 8" Mortarball weighed 44 pounds, and the 8" cannon (long gun) roundshell weighed 49.75 pounds. So, unless the weighing-scale you used is off by about 6 pounds, your sister's "50 pound" roundshell has to be the 49.75-pound roundshell for a long gun (such as the 8" Columbiad cannon or the 8" Siege Howitzer cannon).

BTW... the two "divets" you said are next to the fuzehole are tong holes, used when lifting and loading the heavy ball into the cannon's muzzle. The civil war artillerymen called those holes "loading ears."

If it is an excavated one which is not heavily corroded/pitted, it would retail for about $250 at a civil war relics show.

Note, a casting-mold seam is often seen on both yankee and CSA-made large caliber roundshells... on those sizes (8"-caliber and larger), the presence of a casting-mold seam does NOT mean it is Confederate-made.

Congrats on it being an actual cannon/mortar ball.

As always, I look forward to TCBG's answers and wisdom about these things, and it's always awesome when someone gets confirmation. TNet is so dang lucky to have him.

The downside at times is when the family lore takes a hit, or when money is spent, and a supposed cannon/mortar ball turns out to be a mill ball, shot put, gate weight/ornament, etc. It seems for every legit one posted on here, there are 20 that fail the test.

Again congratulations to the OP.