Artillery

Price: $345.00

20pdr Parrot w/ iron sabot in overall great looking condition. The iron is stable with little to no ground action noted and no divots. It has been disarmed and coated giving it a really nice dark brown natural hughe. The sabot is complete and retains its form. The remnants of the zinc time fuse adaptor is still in place, though nothing better or worse than what is typically seen with this type of shell. The images tell the story. This is a really nice looking shell overall and would be an upgrade for most. This shell is the longer variant measuring out at 10-inches tall. The recovery site is unknown.

Price: SOLD

Decent pack of civil war artillery friction primers dated 1864 from the Frankfort Arsenal. The overall condition of the packaging remains stable and intact. The blue paper wrapping does show some wear and a couple small tears here and there, but still covers approximately 98% of the wood box. The label can be seen but is dark due to the nature of the dark color paper with black ink. The box is damaged on the top corners which I have taken close ups of for visual detail. The friction primers remain inside as can be determined by the weight and hearing them rattle as you shake the box. Your artillery collection isn't complete without this to display as one of the fundamentally most important pieces to firing the cannon.

Price: $495.00

Artillery grease bucket in overall good condition. The integrity of the bucket remains intact with no rust spots or holes noted anywhere. The lid does swivel and lock into place on top. It measures 7.2-inches wide x 8-inches tall. The chain is solid with all of the links and the large hanging ring in the center which allowed it to hand from the gun carriage. There is remnants of black paint throughout, but a nice piece overall that will definitely add to any artillery collection.

Price: $395.00

Confederate 3-inch Read Projectile fired from a 3-inch Ordnance Rifle, recovered near Cold Harbor, Virginia. The shell is in overall good condition as far as stability and iron condition. The iron does show some mild ground action, nothing more than to be expected, with no active oxidation or divots notes. The bourrelets are complete and are well defined throughout the shell. The copper fuse adaptor is present and is the half of the copper sabot, both have apparently been cleaned. The sabot, as can be seen, is missing almost half at the base and shows nice rifling on the half that's present. This more than likely occurred after firing and by how it has flaked off at the bottom, the characteristic lathe dimple is gone. The shell still sits upright at an angle. It has alot of eye appeal and is a real nice shell, which comes with a signed card from the digger explaining where this shell was recovered. If the buyer is somewhat familiar with this battle and the positions, a little research may turn up who was firing this piece.

Price: $525.00

Here is a nice looking 3-inch Confederate Tennessee Sabot Pattern I, Sub-pattern II recovered, according to the label on the bottom, from Gaines Mill. The shell shows moderate ground action throughout, but retains its overall shape with no divots or large pieces missing. Even the nose section is complete, which took a wood-drive in fuse adaptor. The bourrelets are present and are well defined on the shell. At the base you can see where the copper sabot was affixed to the shell by the iron stud. The shell has been coated and the iron is stable, which has given the shell a brown, natural hughe. An article written in 1866 by Confederate General Edward Porter Alexander, he is quoted that the Tennessee Sabot "failed, however, about three times out of four times [by] breaking its connection with the copper sabot, and it very frequently exploded in the gun; while of those which flew correctly, not one-fourth exploded at all."

Price: SOLD

Federal artillery friction primer tin measuring approx 4.24" x 2.75" x 2.25". The tin retains most all of its olive drab paint and has no holes or gaps. On the lid you easily see the cross cannons and "100 Friction Primers" arching over them. The lid is secure and opens & closes appropriately. The lid clasp is also present. This is a great little item and one often missing from some artillery collections. As seen on the lid, this would contain 100 friction primers packed in saw-dust, you can read more about it here at www.civilwarartillery.com under implements and equipment.

Price: SOLD

Price: $295.00

3-inch Dyer shell in dug condition, recovery site unknown. The iron is stable and shows moderate ground action throughout. There are no big pieces missing or divots noted. The sabot is missing and there is half of the fuse adaptor. The shell is inert and has not been coated, which gives the shell a brown hughe.

Price: SOLD

3.8-inch Hotchkiss Shell recovered from Battle Creek, Tennessee a year ago. The iron is stable throughout and has been disarmed, cleaned, and coated. It has a nice black hughe and there are no divots or pieces missing. This is an unfired specimen and the sabot is 100% complete. The anvil percussion fuse is in place as well. This is the type with the patent date information on the base and you can see in the images that it can be mostly read and is visible to the naked eye. Fort McCook was built near the end of Spring 1862 after the Shiloh Campaign by order General Buell who was fearing an impending attack by Braxton Bragg who had concentrated his army in the Chattanooga area. Generals Alexander McCook & Thomas Crittenden were sent to fortify the West bank of the Tennessee River at the mouth of Battle Creek and thus Fort McCook was built. The Fort would be attacked on August 27th, 1862 by Confederate General Samuel B. Maxey which resulted in the Federals withdrawing for a short time and the Confederates occupying the Fort, then known as 'Fort Maxey'. The fort was abandoned by the Confederates during their push North to invade Kentucky. During the Chickamauga Campaign, it was known as 'Fort Thomas' and was occupied by General John M. Brannan's Division of Thomas's 14th Army Corps. During this time a pontoon bridge was ordered built across Battle Creek. The crossing was described as tedious and was no less arduous by the fact that the rafts used to transport alot of the supplies were hastily constructed by scrap lumber and most of the wagons had to be off-loaded so they could be safely sent across. This is most likely the case with the hoard of shells that were recovered here, including this one, which explains why they may have dumped so many. In the instance your raft was teetering, it would have been easier to dump the shells, as they were easily replaceable and alot less accountable than a highly regarded rifled field piece.

Price: $625.00

Fired 3.8-inch Hotchkiss shell with brass time fuse adaptor in battlefield pickup condition. The iron shows minimal ground action and has no divots or large pieces missing. All of the lead sabot is present and does show some rifling. The time fuse adaptor is in good condition and exhibits a nice mellow brass patina. Most of the patent information is visible on the base cup and the close up images detail this well. This is a common shell recovered from the Vicksburg Campaign and this particular one is a very fine specimen and a very impressive shell.

Price: SOLD

Recovered from Shiloh is a 3.3-inch Archer bolt in early battlefield pickup condition. The iron shows very mild ground action evenly throughout the shell with no divots whatsoever. It has been coated and has a nice black coating which contrasts nicely with the lead sabot. The sabot does show moderate rifling around the lead band and is slightly warped from being fired and the impact. Otherwise the shell is near mint condition with a mold seam that can be seen from across the room. It does have the red label on the shell as can be seen in the images. This particular shell was fired from the 3.3inch Rifle. It is also a unique variation of the Archer family due to the fact that the lead sabot extends all the way to the base of the shell.

Price: $495.00

3.67-inch Schenkl shell in overall decent condition w/ Schenkl percussion fuse. The iron is in overall good condition and is stable with some ground action noted. There are no major divits noted and the shell has a nice black hughe from when it was coated. It has been disarmed on the side and is safe for display. The fuse is, on the other hand, not the prettiest you've seen I'm sure. However most of the flange is there and you can still read portions of the patent date. It was damaged from the impact as you can see and does have some corrosion in the center. This shell does have alot of display character and definitely has its place in most collections. The recovery site is unknown, however most have been found at Port Hudson, Louisiana.

Price: $750.00 Sale Pending

This is an incredible example of a 10pdr Flat-Top Parrot bolt w/ low brass ring sabot. It is a non-fired specimen as can be seen by the brass sabot. There is very mild pitting noted, but for the most part the iron is smooth and stable. In fact there are sections of the bolt where you can still see grooves on the iron from when it was manufactured. It has been coated, giving the shell a black hughe and the brass sabot has a nice dark patina as well. These shells are most notably recovered from the Vicksburg Campaign. This is an upgrade example of this rarity 7+ bolt.

Price: SOLD

A super-slick non-fired 24pdr Borman w/ 5sec fuse. The ball has been cleaned and coated and has virtually no pitting whatsoever. The overall look of the ball is a black hughe with the mold seam very visible (as can be seen in the images). The fuse is un-punched and the numbers can be read. It has been drilled through the bottom and is safe to ship. This is one of the finest 24pdr's I have seen in awhile and will definitely enhance most artillery collections that are missing one. The history on this one is unknown, however many of these have been recovered in the Mississippi River & Vicksburg Campaigns. There was one recovered here, near Dover last year that was fired off of the gun boats during the Battles of Henry & Donelson.

Price: $175.00 Sale Pending

Really cool fragment of what I believe to be a 6 or 7-inch James shell. The piece represents about a third of the cage section, with the top portion containing a section of the powder cavity. It has been cleaned but not coated and has a nice natural brown hughe. It does stand up on its own and displays very nicely.

Price: $345.00 Sale Pending

Cross section of a 30pdr Parrot shell exposing the case shot & matrix within. It does stand upright on its own, or displays nicely in a shell stand on its side. The iron is coated and exhibits a nice natural gray appearance. The zinc time fuse adaptor is in place as well. These are great display pieces for any artillery display, exposing the inner anatomy of a case shot shell.

Price: $150.00 Sale Pending

A cool shell fragment from a 30pdr Parrot shell. It measures 5-inches in length and has a partial zinc fuse in place. It has not been cleaned as of yet, but should do so nicely. This is a really cool fragment and has alot of display appeal.

Price: $650.00 Stolen At Richmond Civil War Show

Great looking non-fired 3-inch Confederate Read shell w/ copper ring sabot. The iron shows light ground action evenly throughout the shell, however in some places its light enough to where you can still see hints of the lathe marks on the iron, especially around the bottom band. There are no divots, or large pieces, missing from the shell. The iron is stable throughout and has been nicely coated giving the shell a brown hughe. The copper ring sabot is in overall good condition with only one damaged area, which can be seen in the images. The time fuse adaptor is in place and in overall good shape, the condition can be seen in the images. The lathe dimple is present on the bottom of the shell. The recovery site for this one is unknown, however it is in great display condition.

Price: SOLD

A nice Confederate brass time fuse adaptor. This type is most likely for a Read or Read-Parrot. The threads aren't great, but it does display well. I have also thrown in an 8-second time fuse to display with the piece.

Price: SOLD

US naval water-cap fuse dated 1862 complete with bushing. The brass has a nice patina throughout and the threads are pretty nice. The fuse has no real mars, etc. However, the date, Ord'D, and anchor does not stand out like the day it was made. This can clearly be seen in the images. Other than this, its got everything else going for it, good condition and early date. This is a good representation of this type of fuse if you don't want to pay the extra 25-50dollars for the nice one.

Price: $475.00

8-inch Confederate shell with the wood-drive in fuse still in place. There is even ground action throughout with no divots. This is the type with the tong holes on either side to assist with moving the ball. It has been disarmed and has a nice natural hughe. The location of this particular piece is unknown, however it is in good overall condition and the iron is stable. We disarmed this one through the bottom to keep the fuse intact, as most of you know its hard to find shells with the wood fuse still in place.

Price: $65.00

Layer of 6# cannister recovered here in Dover, Tn site of the battle of Fort Donelson. Most all of the guns here on the Confederate side were either 6 or 12pdr guns. These are fresh out of the dirt and have not been cleaned.

Price: $625.00

7-inch Dyer shell recovered from Island #10 by Otis Brown who was a long time relic hunter here in West Tennessee. This is one of the few pieces he held onto when he sold his entire collection back in the 80’s. The iron shows the typical ground action and has no divots. It appears to have been coated and has a nice brown natural hughe. The sabot shows significant rifling and has the hatchet marks on one side. The shell will sit upright with no problems and has very nice display appeal. These were fired from gun-boats up and down the western waters. Because of the shortage of large guns to put on the ‘newly’ formed brown water navy, and the deep water navy’s refusal to arm them, the army had to resort to obtaining a wide assortment of 8-inch, 9-inch, 32-pdr, and 30pdr guns. They also obtained obsolete 42pdrs rifled guns which were originally smoothbore. Several of these have been found here at Fort Donelson and several were brought up on the USS Cairo with one being displayed in that museum in Vicksburg, MS. The hatchet marks on the sabot are from the sailors trying to make makeshift flame grooves to allow the charge-burst ignite the wood-drive in fuse, which was a huge problem. This shell represents all that was in the Western theatre of the war, obsolete weapons, green soldiers making adaptations to survive, and an artifact from the most heavily defended and fought over area of the war, the Mississippi River.

Price: SOLD

10pdr Federal Parrot with brass sabot and zinc percussion fuse. The shell has been disarmed, coated and ready for display. The condition of the iron indicates that it is probably and early battlefield pickup, though the recovery site is unknown. The images don't really do it justice and will definitely enhance the typical artillery display.

Price: SOLD

3.67" Hotchkiss recovered from the Vicksburg Campaign. It is complete with the sabot and percussion fuse. There is mild ground action throughout and it has not been coated. The iron is stable with no divots or pieces missing and could be left as is. It has been disarmed and is ready for display. The fuse is in good shape and the sabot shows some rifling. This was brought back home by a tourist in the early 1900's during a trip to Vicksburg. It is unknown if it was found or purchased, nonetheless a good looking shell for the money.

Price: SOLD

Pair of unfired artillery friction primers. You can't do an artillery presentation without some of these!

Price: SOLD

Near perfectly blown half section of a 12pdr Borman shell. It has not been cleaned or coated and the iron remains stable. You can easily see the threads for the underplug and the fuse. I have included four iron case shot to add to the display.

Price: SOLD

3.8" Hotchkiss base dug here from the battle ground at Fort Donelson. It has not been thoroughly cleaned as can be seen in the images. However you can see some of the letters of the Hotchkiss patent information which is a trait of these shells. The best part about this piece is that we can with 99% accuracy pin down exactly who fired this piece. Dressor's Illinois Battery had 14pdr James Rifles her at Donelson during the entire campaign and engaged the enemy at least once every day between the 12th and the 15th. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the result of their action on the fields here in Dover. Won't be the centerpiece in any collection, but does have definitive history.

Price: $550.00 Price Reduced

Here is a wicked stand of cannister for a 12pdr howitzer. The stand has been reconstructed with original bottom plate and a replacement top plate. Many of the iron cannister show a distinct mold seam and all have been professionally cleaned and coated. There is no active oxidation noted anywhere on the piece. The verbal history with this piece is that it was reconstructed with components all recovered from the Shiloh Battlefield area. This is one of the most well known and recognizable of all artillery rounds for both non- and avid- collector alike and will surely enhance any stage collection.

Price: $850.00 Price Reduced

A super slick Confederate 6pdr Bormann ball that is still mounted on a partial wood sabot. The tin straps are still visible and reach down to the sabot where they are still tacked into the wood. The ball is missing the Bormann fuse, but still retains the brass under plug. The It has been professionally preserved and shows no oxidation, active or otherwise. The coating has given the shell a brown natural look. The wood sabot is in good shape and is not flaking or showing any dry rot at all. The shell still has case shot inside and you can hear it rattling around inside. Around parts of the shell you can see the defined mold seam characteristic of a Confederate shell. This is a beautiful display piece and one that will add to any artillery collection. Though the piece is stable, I recommend either pickup or delivery to a show to prevent the unthinkable.

Price: $795.00 Price Reduced

10pdr Read lead side loader recovered from the Vicksburg Campaign area. The iron shows mild ground action throughout and has no active oxidation present. The sabot is missing, as most fired examples are and you can see flaking of the lower section of the shell as a result of the sabot pushing up into the shell upon firing. The lead side loader plug is present and can be seen. The fuse is missing as can be seen in the images. It has been coated with Extend which has given the shell a black hughe. These shells are increasingly hard to find and unfired examples can reach up to around $1,700.00.

Price: $650.00

Confederate 6pdr lead side loader in dug condition recovered from the Vicksburg Campaign area. The iron shows moderate pitting consistently throughout which gives the appearance of a golf ball. However, the overall profile of the ball is consistent and has no large divots deforming the overall shape. The ball has been cleaned and appears to have an old coating on it. The lead side plug is present where the case shot were loaded. The brass time fuse adaptor is also present and is in overall good shape. This is a rarity 8+ shell and though isn't "minty" has enough going for it in the rarity corner to add to most artillery collections.

Price: $275.00 Price Reduced

Here is a really cool piece, the nose section of a 3" Confederate Read Side-loader with a lead plug. You'll notice that the nose section is in two pieces, but the one section still retains lead plug. The other piece still retains the brass time fuse adaptor which is slightly damaged due to the force of the impact. Both pieces still retain the matrix and case shot. The iron is stable and has been coated. It displays perfectly which ever way you want to have it. The recovery site is unknown, however its uniqueness makes up for that.

Price: $350.00

24pdr in overall great condition. The iron shows mild ground action, however has no major pieces or chunks missing. The shell has been disarmed through the base. The fuse hole still has remnants of the wood drive in fuse. There is a distinct mold seam seen around 3/4 of the shell which to many indicates a Confederate pedigree and it could very well be, however I have not determined if it has a polygonal cavity or not. The verbal history with this piece is that it was recovered from the Franklin/Nashville area. This is a great looking shell with great display appeal. 24pdr Howitzers were utilized throughout the war including here at Fort Donelson.

Price: $1,395.00 Price Reduced

Confederate 6.4-inch Harding Shell, Sub Pattern III recovered from the Charleston, South Carolina area, as most all are. The particular shell is in overall good condition, the iron, is as most, has been heavily coated for preservation and has a brown, natural hughe. The nose section is in good condition and retains it original shape, as does the whole shell. There is a drill hole in the base, which I believe was an attempt to disarm the shell, why I do not know as the powder cavity is open due to the absence of the wood drive in fuse. 3/4 of the copper sabot is with the shell and is unique as most shells seen on the market still have the sabot in place. The shell will sit upright on its own and displays very nicely. This particular shell would have been fired from a rifled 32pounder smooth bore gun of 6.4inch caliber.

Price: SOLD

Confederate 12pdr lead-side loader with brass time fuse adaptor. The iron shows some pitting and there is one pitted area towards the bottom of the shell that is about the size of quarter. It does not detract from the overall display appeal of the shell however and cannot be seen when displayed. The lead plug is oxidized and contrasts nicely in the shell. The brass time fuse adaptor is in terrific shape and shows no damage. And if all that isn't Confederate enough for you, there is a distinct mold seam that can be seen over 3/4 of the shell (as seen in the images). The shell is disarmed and has been coated. The verbal history with this particular shell is that it came from the Shiloh area.

Price: $135.00

Superb example of a naval water cap fuse dated '1863' on the flange. The 'ORD' and anchor can also be easily seen. Its complete with the bushing and has a nice deep mellow patina throughout. The threads are in really good condition and could easily be fitted into a shell if warranted.

Price: $375.00

A really nice 12-pounder bormann ball in dug condition. The recovery site is unknown, however it has been disarmed and cleaned. It has some mild to moderate ground action throughout, but the iron appears to be stable with no major pieces missing. There is a small amount of surface oxidation on a couple spots which in my opinion is due to the ball not being coated after it was cleaned. This could be easily taken care of. The fuse is intact and has not been punched. The numbers can be seen, but aren't discernable. This is a really nice Federal non-fired shell.

Price: SOLD

Confederate12pdr Bormann in dug condition. Don't let the images fool you on this one, as I realize what the first impression is on this one, however, upon examination it appears to be very stable and coated well. Its obvious that it came out of water and the verbal history is that it came from the Alabama River (Selma Arsenal, Alabama) and I have no reason to doubt that. It has the typical high lip Bormann fuse with a couple of the numbers barely legible. The cool thing is that around the fuse and down the sides of the shell are the tin straps that held the ball to the wood sabot. Again, the shell is in stable condition and will survive the shipping. It has been disarmed and drilled through the bottom (opposite of the fuse). The Selma arsenal initiated operation sometime in the Spring of 1862 and with old equipment from the U.S. Arsenal near Mt. Vernon, Alabama it would grow to be one of, if not the most, important supplier to the Western & Trans-Mississippi theatre. The site that covered several acres and employed several thousand laborers now resides within the depths of the Alabama River.

Price: SOLD

A spectacular 8-inch shell that is super slick and has no pitting or ground action whatsoever. This is the thinner type shell with the tong holes preset. The coolest thing about this shell is that it has the "TT" stamped into it, which we believe to be the Navy inspector Thomas Turner. You will not be disappointed with this piece at all.

Price: SOLD

Federal 24pdr Bormann shell, recovery site unknown. The iron is in overall good condition and shows little ground action other than that to be expected. The fuse has been punched at about the 5sec mark and has burned all the way around, however it did not burn 'out' the channel, but rather melted it around. The shell has been drilled out opposite of the fuse on the bottom and has been conserved to give the shell a natural look.

Price: $325.00

Dug 30pdr Parrot, Sub Pattern I, with iron sabot and zinc fuse adaptor. The iron is in good, stable condition and has been coated which has given the shell a natural hughe. The iron show some ground action but again, is in overall good condition. We have disarmed this shell and it's ready for delivery.

Price: $275.00

10pdr Parrot w/ iron sabot and most of the zinc fuse in place. It has been coated, but doesn't appear to have been cleaned thoroughly the first time and could use it again. It has the nostalgic writing on the shell. We disarmed this shell through the fuse adaptor, which already had a hole through it. This would be a great shell for the beginner.

Price: $395.00

Rare Hotchkiss Shell designed to take the wood drive in fuse adaptor. The iron show mild ground action and is in overall good condition. The patent date can be partially made out on the base cup and the images are accurate in regards to this. The sabot is a 50/50 whereas it is 100% complete, but one side shows impact damage while the other one shows not only great rifling detail, but you can still see the imprint of the linen fabric which wrapped around the sabot. The nose section is in good shape. The iron is stable and coated, ready for display. Not to many rarity 7+ shells out there.

Price: SOLD

A decent looking 8" Mortar ball, recovery site unknown. The shell is completely intact and is the type with tong holes (or ears). The shell has been coated and is coating is flaking some, the metal is solid and stable, just needs to be recoated if desired. You can visibly see this in the images. The surface has the usual texture of a dug ball and is in overall good shape. In the Western Theatre, this type of shell was mostly fired from the gunboats. Along with the rifled 42pdrs; 32pdrs, the 8"-guns rounded off most of the Western fleets armament.

Price: SOLD

Here is a super looking 10" Mortar Shell w/ great mold seam. US/CS shell with tong hears and fuse hole that accommodates the large wood drive fuse adaptor. The iron has mild surface texture throughout and is in stable condition. It is a super looking shell that has a black color and is ready for display. Recovery site unknown.

Price: Priced Reduced $625.00 Sale Pending

A great looking 7" Dyer shell recovered from Island Number 10, which is typically where most of these come from. The iron shows typical ground action and has been coated to show a brown color. All of the shell is present meaning no major chunks or pieces missing and the nose is complete as well. The sabot shows rifling and may look chewed up, but it actually has an interesting story. These shells were fired out of the obsolete 42pdr which was rifled to give the gun a second life. The problem with this was that it weakened the bore causing the barrel to rupture during firing. The most common problem the gunmen would experience was getting the fuse to light properly during firing. Because of the size of the sabot, it would swell so much that it would prevent the flame from the powder charge from lighting the fuse, thus causing the shell from exploding. To curb this problem, the Navy gun crews would take their boarding axes and chop "flame" grooves into the sabot. This did help some, but as can be seen in most fired specimens that are complete, it didn't work often enough. 42pdrs were fairly common in Foote's Brown Water Navy Fleet early in the war and there have been several of these beasts dug here at Donelson.

Price: SOLD

1863 Naval Water Cap fuse head. The body of the fuse is broken off as can be seen in the images. The date, anchor, and ORD stamp can be seen and made out. It has a reddish green patina throughout. Recovery site is unknown. This is the same style of fuse seen on pg9-10 of Charles Jones book "Artillery Fuses of the Civil War".