philliephanatic Posted June 2, 2019 Share #1 Posted June 2, 2019 I am looking for any experts out there on Revolutionary War era ammunition. I purchased a 6 pound shot supposedly from the Battle of Brandywine that was found on Birningham Hill in the 1940s. The photo I was buying from had a shot with rusting and pitting on a cannonball of that era. I received the pictured shot in the mail. I didn't think it looked like the photo of the item I purchased and I thought it looked too clean to have been found 140 years after the battle. I weighed it and found that it weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces. I used some heavy square objects to get a rough diameter of the shot and it is about 3 3/4 inches in diameter. I just wanted to see if there are any experts out there to give their opinion on it. The seller seems to think there would be some variation on weight but I don't think it would be off by over a pound on the heavy side after being in the ground. I haven't been able to find any tables for Revolutionary War Cannon Balls, but the chart I found from the Civil War shows a diameter of 3.58 Inches and a weight of 6.1 pounds for a 6 pound cannon ball. I am thinking this might be a fake and that I should send it back. Any help would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digi-shots Posted June 2, 2019 Share #2 Posted June 2, 2019 I don't know if this will help or not.... I recently was researching the British frigate, the HMS Augusta (Battle of Redbank), and was looking up various guns & projectiles.. Here are some notes I made on size & weights: 6# = 3.49 inch diameter 9# = 4 inch diameter 12# = 4.40 inch diameter 18# = 5.04 inch diameter You might trying searching for the type of gun/cannon that would have used a 7# shot and see if that gun/cannon was present as Brandywine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digi-shots Posted June 2, 2019 Share #3 Posted June 2, 2019 Here's a civil war site that gives sizes and weights, not sure how it might differ from earlier Rev War http://www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philliephanatic Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted June 2, 2019 Thank you. I think I found that same table. They couldn't be too different as they still used cast iron to make projectiles. I am thinking I did not get a real cannon ball and should return it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philliephanatic Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share #5 Posted June 2, 2019 Thank you for your help. I hope someone may have additional information so I can learn as much as possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodes Posted June 2, 2019 Share #6 Posted June 2, 2019 May not be a fake, just something wrongfully misrepresented....Could be a steel ball used in cement trucks....They were put in the mix to keep the cement from clumping while being turned....Bodes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashlarue Posted June 2, 2019 Share #7 Posted June 2, 2019 IMHO not a cannonball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now