Item Number: A00928

Item Title: Nice 12-lber On Original Sabot

Price: $290

Shipping: Not included

Provenance: CS

Type: Cannon Ball

Size: 12 Pounder (4.62 Caliber)

Sabot: Wood Cup - Tapered

Fuse: Wood time fuse adapter (there but petrified)

Book:
Dickey and George (1993 Edition) Page 30
Melton and Pawl (Paperback Editon) Page 30 A-6

Location Recovered: Given as Gettysburg Retreat Route

Description:This is a very interesting round. The ball was dug on one of the original tapered sabots. It was reportedly found on the Gettysburg retreat route so we can only guess it was dug south of Gettysburg and north of Virginia.

The shell is a typical wood fuse adapter cannon ball with the fuse hole filled with what appears to be the petrified fuse. It was disarmed by drilling down through the center of the fuse. It may be a polygonal cavity although it would be hard to tell without cleaning out the fuse hole. Iron is pretty decent with no pits but areas of smooth separated by space of thin scaling. It does have that 'found in water look and feel' which would explain the sabot still being there.

The sabot is mostly complete but has shrunk from being dried. Unfortunately the finder didn't know to keep it wet until it could be preserved correctly to prevent shrinkage. At any rate it is still a good example and while a bit precarious since it was a tapered style sabot it can stand and support the ball. The sabot has been treated and is nice and hard but I don't know how it was treated.

This is a really nice relic and not 'just another 12 pounder ball' for the collection. One of the least expensive balls with a sabot you'll likely see.

shell is disarmed, cleaned and coated and ready to display.