Expert: Ralph Salier - 1/22/2010

Question
QUESTION: Can you id what I think is a cannonball?  It is 4 7/8" in diameter and weighs 5#. There are two "plugs", each opposite the other, that are 1 1/2" diameter. One is visible in the photo.
Thanks,
Dale

ANSWER: Hi Dale,

This looks like a standard issue ball from the civil war.  Are there any numbers or arrows or other insignia stamped on the ball?  

Also where did you find it and how?  

Just as a note of warning, this may be a hollow "fused" ball.  If it is, then one of the plugs may be bronze or brass.  If this is the case, then it could still be live!! The powder inside may still be quite volatile and dangerous.  Given the weight, it leads me to suspect that it is a fused ball, so be carful with it and don't drop it.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I tested them with a magnet too, and they must be steel.
Thanks,
Dale

ANSWER: Hi Dale,

Iron is of course magnetic too so, I don't think it would be steel.  Steel was not real common yet during the Civil  War and basically non-existent during the Revolutionary War.  



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Sorry, iron. I should know this because I worked as a pattern maker. But again, could it still be dangerous?  

Answer
Hi Dale,

The answer is a Booming YES.  In 2008 a collector in VA blew him self up while messing with a ball (about the size of yours) in his driveway.  In another instance in 2005, another collector found a live artillery shell from the Civil War (at Appommatox) and while digging it out of the ground inadvertantly hit the fuse and Kaboom, Nearly killed him and seriously injured his son.  So, yes, while rare, these are unstable and can be quite dangerous.