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I just won an excavated cannonball on Ebay. It was dug "behind the star fort at Gloucester Point, VA", near Yorktown. It's rather pitted (as one might expect). It measures a bit over 3.25" in diameter, as near as I can measure with a ruler (the pitting makes it a little hard to judge). The seller wasn't sure if it was a 6-pounder solid shot or a ball from a naval stand-of-grape, or if it was fron the Revolutionary War or the Civil War. Any way to tell? Supposedly it was found near a couple other, similar balls, along with some smaller "grape shot" (seller's term) and a lead ball about 2" in diameter.
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[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Blue"]Richard Knack[/COLOR][/FONT] -
Re: 6-pounder shot?
The quickest and easiest way, if the ball is anywhere near complete, it should weigh right at 6pds. If it weighs <5.5 or >7 it ain't.
Measure the circumfrance and divide it by 3.14, it should be about 3.57-inches.
Hope this helps,
John WalshJohn Walsh
"Is a gentleman with a brostache invited to this party?'' -
Re: 6-pounder shot?
Did naval grapeshot balls come in this approximate size?[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Blue"]Richard Knack[/COLOR][/FONT]Comment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
Hallo!
The M1841 6 Pound gun fired a nominal 3.67 ball that weighed a nomimal 6.10 pounds.
I am rusty on naval matters, but I believe the earlier grape shot and the Period cannister/canister shot ranged only up to 2 - 2 1/2 inches or so.
CurtCurt Schmidt
In gleichem Schritt und Tritt, Curt Schmidt
-Hard and sharp as flint...secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.
-Haplogroup R1b M343 (Subclade R1b1a2 M269)
-Pointless Folksy Wisdom Mess, Oblio Lodge #1
-Vastly Ignorant
-Often incorrect, technically, historically, factually.Comment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
Here is a 6lb borman ball beside a naval grape shot. Naval grape / cannister may come bigger, I don't have my naval info available.
The 6 lb shot is 11 & 3/8 inches in diameter (around the middle and not over the fuse) and the grape is 9 & 1/16 in diameter using my wife's sewing tape to measure.
Hope this helpsAttached FilesJim Mayo
Portsmouth Rifles, Company G, 9th Va. Inf.
CW Show and Tell Site
http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/j_mayo/index.htmlComment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
Hallo!
Herr Jim...
I think you mean "circumference" rather than diameter?
CurtCurt Schmidt
In gleichem Schritt und Tritt, Curt Schmidt
-Hard and sharp as flint...secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.
-Haplogroup R1b M343 (Subclade R1b1a2 M269)
-Pointless Folksy Wisdom Mess, Oblio Lodge #1
-Vastly Ignorant
-Often incorrect, technically, historically, factually.Comment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
You are absolutely correct. I never did very well in math (geometry??). My HS teacher was too hot to keep my mind on subject.Jim Mayo
Portsmouth Rifles, Company G, 9th Va. Inf.
CW Show and Tell Site
http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/j_mayo/index.htmlComment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
The following site has some excellant info.
Click on the Technical Information button and at the bottom of the drop-down menus are shot tables showing the different types of guns and their corresponding shot size, weight, powder charge, et. al. I recently got a ball from Fredericksburg which weighs and measures at a 3-pounder shot, or it could be from a stand of grape for a 32-pounder. The problem is, I don't know of any units using either 3-pounders or 32-pounders at Fredericksburg, and even if a 32-pounder were there, why would it be firing grape? Seems such a large calibre gun on land would have been used for long-range bombardment, not close-in fighting. Also, it is my understanding that 3-pounders and even 6-pounders were, by that time, obsolete and extremely rare, if even existant in US or Confederate arsenals, though a few 6-pounders did see service, mostly on the Confederate side. Anyone with more knowledge on this subject want to chime in with an opinion?Tom Mandrackie
Private, 6th OVI
4th Bttn. N.J. Vols.
Brigade of the American RevolutionComment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
The 6 lb ball in the picture was fired by a Mass. battery at Suffolk in early 63. They were supposedly the only battery in the city with 6 pounders. They were on the way out at that time but not completely.
As for 32 lb. guns, many were captured from the Gosport SY in Portsmouth. They were shipped to forts along the James River and around Richmond. The forts along the Eastern James River fell into federal hands but some 32 lb guns were still around Richmond, I would assume for the entire war. Haven't heard of any going as far north as Fredricksburg. Also they are way to heavy to be used as field artillery.Jim Mayo
Portsmouth Rifles, Company G, 9th Va. Inf.
CW Show and Tell Site
http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/j_mayo/index.htmlComment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
Were there any 32 lb pieces on ships, barges or boats supporting the federal army at Fredericksburg? If so, I could see them in use during either/both battles but using grapeshot during the battle doesn't seem likely or make sense for the distance from the Rappahanock river to the CS postions unless they had expended all other type of rounds.
This probably just muddied the waters instead of helping though.[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=3]Michael Phillips, GGG Grandson of
Pvt Edmond Phillips, 44th NCT, Co E, "The Turtle Paws"[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Mustered in March 1862
Paroled at Appomattox C.H. Virginia, April 15, 1865[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3][COLOR=Navy][B]"Good, now we'll have news from Hell before breakfast."[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE]
Was Gen Sherman's response upon hearing the capture and execution of 3 reporters who had followed from Atlanta, by the rebels.
The execution part turned out to be false.[COLOR=DarkRed] [B]Dagg Nabbit![/B][/COLOR][/FONT]Comment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
The photo below is from the Yorktown defenses, just opposite the river from Gloucester Point. As one can see, there was no shortage of various sizes of grape along the Confederate lines on the Peninsula. I found many nice relics in the 1970s from the dump of the fort on Gloucester Point, nearly right next to the present toll booth.Bob Williams
26th North Carolina Troops
Blogsite: http://26nc.org/blog/
As [one of our cavalry] passed by, the general halted him and inquired "what part of the army he belonged to." "I don't belong to the army, I belong to the cavalry." "That's a fact," says [the general], "you can pass on." Silas Grisamore, 18th LouisianaComment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
Looks like what I have is one of the larger grapeshot balls. A weigh at the post office put it at 4 lbs, 14.5 oz. There's not a smooth surface on it - in fact, it resembles a small meteorite - so I don't know how much was lost to corrosion.[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Blue"]Richard Knack[/COLOR][/FONT]Comment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
The soil is both salty and sandy; plus, they threw lime in the dump to keep down odors. Not an ideal combination for iron relic conservation to be sure! Thanks for sharing.Bob Williams
26th North Carolina Troops
Blogsite: http://26nc.org/blog/
As [one of our cavalry] passed by, the general halted him and inquired "what part of the army he belonged to." "I don't belong to the army, I belong to the cavalry." "That's a fact," says [the general], "you can pass on." Silas Grisamore, 18th LouisianaComment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
What are the chances that this IS a 6-pounder that corroded down to its current weight? Or wouldn't it have lost slightly over a pound of iron that way?[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Blue"]Richard Knack[/COLOR][/FONT]Comment
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Re: 6-pounder shot?
It could also be a Rev. War ball.Derek Carpenter
Starr's Battery
"First at Bethel, farthest at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, last at Appomattox"Comment
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