This Union 12 lb cannon ball came from a collection that a friend of mine has had for over 50 years. I will posting more Artillery shells that I was lucky to get from his collection. This is what is called an exploding cannon ball. It was designed to explode in flight after being shot from the cannon. The hole in the top of the cannon ball, like the one shown, is where a timed fuse would be installed. The cannon ball was cast hollow, but later filled with lead balls and a gun powder type filler that would explode when ignited by the fuse. It would be lit when fired from the cannon. But sometimes the fuse would fail, and not ignite the powder. Which is what happened here. This one was dug in Petersburg Va.
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