Cannonball

Any cannonball experts out there? I found this 3.8lb cannonball yesterday at the lease in Mills a County. The heavy rains unearthed half of it. Trying to learn more about it. Diameter is 2.94"

That's a very cool find

I wonder what the story is?

Wonder if from Indian wars or Texas Independance?

Texas independence was more south and east. I'm guessing Indian wars or civil war...hope someone with historical knowledge chimes in...very Kool find! Great conversation piece....

WOW, what a treasure to find. Might want to contact a history professor at A&M or somewhere else. BTW, I know they still find them "hot" on occasion, so........

Would be neat to find out your hunting an old unknown battle ground, or maybe even an old temporary fort.

Wow, very cool! I would look up more information on the Texas historical markers pages for your county and area about battles. You could also call the main city/town in your county seat to see what they know. There is normally someone there who knows a lot about the battles or knows where to go to find out. Very cool find!

That's awesome!

I don't think there were any Texas Independence battles that far north. There were brief battles between Comanche Indians and Texas rangers in the mid 1800s but wouldn't think that would have involved artillery.
Last time I ran into an iron ball that size (small) it turned out to be from a ball mill used to crush ore. Not sure what might have been mined in Mills County.

Most ball mill balls came in standard sizes. Have you calculated the diameter yet? Circumference / 3.1416 = diameter.

You might could ask the landowner about any history he knows of...

That's cool.

Cannon balls sometimes were set on fence post tops to be ornamental. Found near a road or gate?

I'm not aware of any Civil war or Revolutionary war battles or locations in Mills county. But Spanish. There was a mission at Menard in the mid 1700s. Sometime after a Comanche raid that destroyed the Mission, a party of 500 men marched north to the Red River (spanish fort) ad sacked a Tonkawa Village on the way. This party had two brass cannons with them. They likely traveled through Mills County. Then too if your near the Colorado, the Spanish destroyed an Apache village just north of the Colorado River a few years earlier. For sure worthy of some research. There are all sorts of little known or forgotten excursions, stockades, forts, camps, roads, trails, battles, etc. all over Texas.

Does it have a fuse hole or is it solid?

Cool find. Is there an old bowling alley nearby? Just kidding...looks heavy!

Yep

Interesting read and links in this chain:

http://cwbullet.org/bullet-relic-forum/showthread.php?t=5277

Neat info...thanks for posting

Neat find. Keep us posted on your findings.

Cool find.

Are you sure it's a cannon ball? It looks too smooth and perfect to me. What is it made of and how come it's not pitted or rusted?

It is solid, 2.94" diameter, found along a fence line. Who knows, maybe it is a mill ball. Time to get a metal detector and see if there is anything else.

or it's a shotput

smallest shot put is 4.4 lbs. they go up from there

r

.

CivilWarArtillery.com

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm

Tables of Shot Information
for Smoothbore Guns, Stands of Grape & Canister

Cannon Range Tables



Descriptions of solid shot for smoothbore guns


Caliber designation
Bore
Diameter in inches
Diameter of shot in inches

Weight in pounds (Shot)

Weight in pounds (Shell)

Mean weight in pounds (Case shot)

1-Pdr. 1.95 1
3-Pdr. 2.9 2.84 3.05
4-Pdr. 3.2 3.12 4.07
6-Pdr. 3.67 3.58 6.1 3.22
9-Pdr. 4.20 4.10 9.14
12-Pdr. 4.62 4.52 12.25 8.34 6.22
18-Pdr. 5.30 5.17 18.3 13.45 9.27
24-Pdr. 5.82 5.68 24.3 16.8 12.32
32-Pdr. 6.40 6.25 32.4 22.5 16.12
42-Pdr. 7.0 6.84 42.5 31.3 20.73
8-inch 8.0 7.88 65 44.12 (Mortar)
49.75 (Gun) 30.36
9-inch 9.0 8.87 88 70
10-inch 10.0 9.87 127.5 88.42 (Mortar)
101.67 (Gun)
11-inch 11.0 10.87 165 132
12-inch 12.0 11.87 222
13-inch 13.0 12.87 282.84
197.3 (Mortar)
Model 1841

15-inch 15.0 14.85 400 (varies) 330 (varies)



Descriptions of solid iron balls used in stands of grape

Caliber designation Allowable diameters in inches Mean weight in pounds
12-Pdr. 2.02-2.06 1.14
18-Pdr. 2.36-2.40 1.8
24-Pdr. 2.60-2.64 2.4
32-Pdr. 2.86-2.90 3.15
42-Pdr. 3.13-3.17 4.2
8-inch 3.54-3.60 6.1



Descriptions of solid iron balls used in canister


Caliber designation

Allowable diameters in inches

Mean weight in pounds

6-Pdr. Gun 1.14-1.17 .21
12-Pdr. Mountain Howitzer .69 lead musket balls
12-Pdr. Field Howitzer 1.05-1.08 .16
12-Pdr. Gun 1.46-1.49 .43
18-Pdr. Gun 1.67-1.70 .64
24-Pdr. Gun 1.84-1.87 .86
24-Pdr. Howitzer 1.32-1.35 .32
32-Pdr. Gun 2.02-2.06 1.14
32-Pdr. Howitzer 1.46-1.49 .43
42-Pdr. Gun 2.22-2.26 1.5
8-inch Siege Howitzer 1.84-1.87 .86



Cannon Bore Diameters
Foreign and/or pre-1860 bore and projectile diameters
will vary from this table


Caliber designation

Bore diameters
in inches

Projectile diameter
in inches

3-Pdr. Gun 2.9 2.84
4-Pdr. Gun 3.2 3.12
6-Pdr. Gun 3.67 3.58
9-Pdr. Gun 4.20 4.10
12-Pdr. Gun 4.62 4.52
18-Pdr. Gun 5.3 5.17
24-Pdr. Gun 5.82 5.68
32-Pdr. Gun 6.40 6.25
42-Pdr. Gun 7.0 6.84

Summary of the Ammunition for Field and Mountain Service




Smooth-bore gun

Howitzer

Rifle-guns

Hotchkiss


12-pounder, bronze

12-pounder mountain-howitzer

3-inch iron

3.5-inch iron

Revolving cannon


Shell

Case

Shot

Canister

Shell

Case

Canister

Shell

Case

Canister

Shell

Case

Canister

Shell

Canister

grains grains
Charge of powder…….lbs 2 2.5 2.5 2 0.5 0.5 0.5 1 1 1 2.25 2.25 2.25 1850 1850
Height of charge……inches 3.75 4.75 4.75 3.75 2.25 2.25 2.25 5.75 5.75 5.75 7 7 7 3.5 3.5
Cartridge-bag….Length.." 14.2 14.2 14.2 14.2 10.42 10.42 10.42 9 9 9 11 11 11 4.724 4.724
Width…………………." 10 10 10 10 5 5 5 8.75 8.75 8.75 9.5 9.5 9.5 ….. …..
Diameter of bottom…...." 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 4 4 4 3.75 3.75 3.75 4.5 4.5 4.5 1.641 1.641
Whole height……………" 2.125 2.125 2.125 2.285 2.785 2.785 3.781 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. 5 ….. …...
Height of cylinder………" ….. …… ….. 0.575 2 2 2.55 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …..
Diameter of cylinder……" 4.45 4.45 4.45 4.45 4.4 4.4 4.4 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …..
Diameter of top of cone…" ….. ….. ….. ….. 4.17 4.17 4.45 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …..
Diameter of bottom of cone ….. ….. ….. ….. 3.175 3.175 3.23 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …..
Strap…Length…" 7 7 13 ….. 7 7 7 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …..
Width……………." 0.5 0.5 0.5 ….. 0.5 0.5 0.5 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …..
Rings, diameter, exterior…………." 3.25 3.25 ….. ….. 3.25 3.25 3.25 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …..
Weight of sabot……ounces 4.5 4.5 4.5 7.5 5.5 5.5 9.5 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …..
Weight of projectiles, strapped……….lbs 8.8 11.25 12.1 14.2 9.35 12.2 11.2 8.12 9.13 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. …..
(Shell and case loaded.)
Canister….Length…inches ….. ….. ….. 14.35 ….. ….. 14.4 ….. ….. 8.0 ….. ….. 11 ….. …..
Height………….…..…" ….. ….. ….. 6.66 ….. ….. 4 ….. ….. 7 ….. ….. 8.5 ….. …..
Interior diameter….…." ….. ….. ….. 4.45 ….. ….. 4.47 ….. ….. 2.8 ….. ….. 3.2 ….. …..
Diameter of plates…...." ….. ….. ….. 4.38 ….. ….. 4.42 ….. ….. 2.8 ….. ….. 3.2 ….. …..
Thickness of top plate.." ….. ….. ….. 0.116 ….. ….. 0.1 ….. ….. 0.125 ….. ….. 0.125 ….. …..
Thickness of bottom plate….…" ….. ….. ….. 0.125 ….. ….. 0.125 ….. ….. 0.125 ….. ….. 0.125 ….. …..
Number of Shot…." ….. ….. ….. 27 ….. ….. 148 ….. ….. 154 ….. ….. ...... ….. …..
Weight…………..lbs ….. ….. ….. 14.2 ….. ….. 14.2 ….. ….. 10.75 ….. ….. 17 ….. …..
Fixed Ammunition….Whole length……………..inches 9.5 10.3 10.7 12.12 8.17 8.17 9.4 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. 8.15 8.15
Weight………….lbs 11 13 15.3 16.44 9.9 12.6 11.8 ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. 1 lb
10 ½ oz
1 lb
9.4 oz

Packing box……Interior diameter.…Length...inch 17.5 17.5 17.5 18.37 27.5 27.5 27.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 11 11 11 ….. …..
Width…...." 9.75 9.62 10.5 12.5 9.25 9.25 9.25 12.5 12.5 12.5 11 11 11 ….. …..
Height.….." 9.25 9.25 9.5 9.5 8.5 8.5 9.5 8 8 7.5 9 9 8 ….. …..
Weight, packed……lbs 106 122 140 156.5 154 184 175 161 184 175 160 180 198 ….. …..
Number of rounds…… 8 8 8 8 12 12 12 12 12 12 9 9 9 ….. …..
Number of primers….. 10 10 10 10 18 18 18 18 18 18 14 14 14 ….. …..
Color……………… black red olive drab black red drab black red drab black red drab ….. …..


United States Ordnance Manual 1861 (printed in 1862)

1861 Ordnance Manual (printed in 1862)

I have a lease in Mills and found one nearly identical as this one as a matter of fact in a bush I set up in turkey hunting this year. My buddy thought I was nuts saying it was a cannon ball but at least there is some truth to the mystery