Ammo Ground Burst James Shell from Vicksburg Siege

Tom Hughes

Sergeant Major
Joined
May 27, 2019
Location
Mississippi
Here's a 3.8'' James Shell Type II that I found in the city of Vicksburg behind one of the major Confederate forts. This was found on private property. It's a ground burst shell, meaning that it exploded beneath the ground and I was able to recover and restore many of the fragments so the viewer can get an idea of what the intact shell would've looked like.

I am also attaching a picture of what a complete James type II would look like.

The Type II James shell had a unique looking body. The "fins" on the body held the lead sabot in place. It kind of reminds me of something you'd see on a space craft in an old black & white Buck Rogers movie.
I was able to recover about 1/3 of the nose, the anvil fuze cap, and two of the fins.
Ground burst shells are found with frequency, but I love these type of finds. I try to restore them the best I can.
I've got a 12 pounder shell from Port Gibson that is also a ground burst that I have restored. I will be posting up a little later today.
Thanks for looking.

james shell.JPG


Jamesshell11.JPG
 
Here's a 3.8'' James Shell Type II that I found in the city of Vicksburg behind one of the major Confederate forts. This was found on private property. It's a ground burst shell, meaning that it exploded beneath the ground and I was able to recover and restore many of the fragments so the viewer can get an idea of what the intact shell would've looked like.

I am also attaching a picture of what a complete James type II would look like.

The Type II James shell had a unique looking body. The "fins" on the body held the lead sabot in place. It kind of reminds me of something you'd see on a space craft in an old black & white Buck Rogers movie.
I was able to recover about 1/3 of the nose, the anvil fuze cap, and two of the fins.
Ground burst shells are found with frequency, but I love these type of finds. I try to restore them the best I can.
I've got a 12 pounder shell from Port Gibson that is also a ground burst that I have restored. I will be posting up a little later today.
Thanks for looking.

View attachment 328218

View attachment 328219
Great Find Tom! Are you hunting fields yet?
 
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