Ammo This was sold to me as grape shot

NH Civil War Gal

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I was antiquing today in NH with my sister who is visiting from Virginia. The obvious Civil War artifacts are quite expensive here too, but I was in shop that had this and listed it as Civil War grape shot for $22.00. I bought it figuring whatever it was, was probably a bargain at that price. The fellow manning the shop said it wasn't his case and he didn't know anything about it. At first he thought it might be canister and I said it is way too big to be canister. So what do you guys think it is?


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It looks too small to be grape (over 2 inches for all guns). It could be canister for one of the larger guns (e.g. 24 pounder or 8 inch siege howitzers; 1.87 inches). Can you get some calipers - I think we need a more precise measurement.

I'd say if it doesn't measure 1.87 or very close it's not canister. If it's very close to 2.06 it might actually be grape but your left photo looks like it's not quite 2 inches.
 
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From what I know cannister for common field artillery such as Napoleons , Parrots and Ordnance rifles maxed out at about 1 1/2 inches so it is quite possibly grapeshot . As far as being Civil War era grape , who knows . Grapeshot was rarely used in land battles and was primarily a naval round .
 
The flattened surface could be from impacting the central bolt that held the grape shot assemblage together in the bore, or, it might have actually hit something...?

I've seen my share of cast iron cannister shot from the Mexican War, and while it is big, it is not that big. Must have been for a rather large gun, as helpfully posted by Mr. John Winn.
 
I am currently working up a new Facebook post for the Shiloh page. Over the spring and summer I have posted several "Artillery Talk" articles and the current one is about projectiles for field artillery. I have a word budget of 550 so they are never in great detail. This is an excerpt:

CANNISTER – It was not much more than a tin can filled with 27 to 35 (give or take) cast iron balls, each slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball. The tin casing would come apart as it left the muzzle of the cannon, turning the weapon into an enormous shotgun.

GRAPE SHOT – No matter what you may read in letters or official reports, GRAPE SHOT was not issued to field artillery during the Civil War. It was discontinued by the Army several years before the war broke out. Naval, siege and fortification weapons, yes; field guns, no. Any references to grape in the field were actually referring to CANNISTER.
 
I am currently working up a new Facebook post for the Shiloh page. Over the spring and summer I have posted several "Artillery Talk" articles and the current one is about projectiles for field artillery. I have a word budget of 550 so they are never in great detail. This is an excerpt:

CANNISTER – It was not much more than a tin can filled with 27 to 35 (give or take) cast iron balls, each slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball. The tin casing would come apart as it left the muzzle of the cannon, turning the weapon into an enormous shotgun.

GRAPE SHOT – No matter what you may read in letters or official reports, GRAPE SHOT was not issued to field artillery during the Civil War. It was discontinued by the Army several years before the war broke out. Naval, siege and fortification weapons, yes; field guns, no. Any references to grape in the field were actually referring to CANNISTER.
I agree . "Grapeshot" is probably the most misused word in Civil War letters and accounts . There is an interesting account by a Major Ellis of the 14th Connecticut at the Bliss barn , Gettysburg."The projectile was probably fired by the rebs as it contained grapeshot which was not used by our own artillery. One of the shot was picked up and showed to me." Perhaps he was mistaken , but its use would have been extremely rare in any case.
 
Stands of Grape.jpeg

Stands of Grapeshot
National Archive
Grape shot were of different diameter depending on the caliber of the gun. Six pound grapeshot are the size of shooter marbles. Grape shot for 100 pound guns are the size of 6" smoothbore cannon balls. Using the medical staff officer's sword as a preacher stick, the grape in this photo is for a 10" cannon.

Despite the ubiquitous, "showers of grape & canister," it was nothing but a literary formulation. Field guns were not issued with grapeshot. Naval vessels, gunboats & fortresses had 32 pounders & up routinely fired grapeshot. Grape was intended for the destruction of a vessel's upper works & top hamper. Canister was an antipersonnel round.

There is no reason to believe that your crudely cast iron ball is not a grapeshot. I suppose the only way to know for sure would be to compare it with an example in a museum. On the other hand, there are lots of roughly cast round balls that have nothing to do with grapeshot.
 
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It's not completely round and has flat spot ITS A MILL ball

We don't have mills up here but honestly they had no idea where it came from. I wondered if it might not be a mill ball but for 22.00 I was willing to take a chance. I'll bring it with me to Antietam and people can look at it and make guesses then.
 
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