This cannon ball was found not far from where the battle of Ivy Mountain, in Floyd Co. Kentucky took place. It was found on a hill side where they were marking trees to start logging it out. Although mostly buried, what little that was exposed, was enough to be seen and dug out. What are the chances of that ever happening. It is very possible that this is from Battle of 1812. The 42 pounder has a 7 inch diameter.
by Mark P with no comments yetThese two Hotchkiss artillery fragments were dug around the Knoxville TN area. If you enlarge the picture you can see the name and patent date on it. It reads, Hotchkiss Patent Oct 9, 1855. Fragments like these are getting harder and harder to find. The Hotchkiss round was used by both North and the South during the war.
by Mark P with no comments yetThis Union 6 lb cannon ball was dug by a friend of mine in Mt. Sterling Ky, while arrowhead hunting. It is a solid shot ball. Took awhile, but I finally talked him out of it for my collection.
by Mark P with no comments yetA Gimlet is a tool that cannon crews would use to keep the fuse hole cleaned out between firing rounds during battle. A lot of times the fuse hole would get clogged with gun powder and pieces of cloth from the powder bad. You just push the tip of the gimlet into the fuse hole and turn it like a drill. There are several sizes of gimlets, depending on the size of the cannon, and the size of the fuse.
by Mark P with no comments yetI really got lucky to find an original cannon lanyard. This came out of a collection that a gentleman had for almost 50 years. That is why it is in such good shape. You would hook the wire hook into the loop of a friction primer placed into the fuse hole of the cannon. When the orders were given to fire, you just pulled the string pretty hard and it would cause the primer to ignite the black powder.
by Mark P with no comments yet