Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War
	Civil War Artillery
	by Harry Ridgeway

Research Center: Artillery1500-Ball32pdr

Smoothbore artillery projectile, spherical ball, smoothbore 32 pounder, 6.4in. Research Center: Artillery1500-Ball32pdr, Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery1500-Ball32pdr.html.

Weapons used:
Smoothbore 32 pounder, 6.4in. Caliber of the gun is 6.4in., round projectile diameter should measure 6.25 in. approximately, variations will be noted.

A standard weight for a solid cast iron spherical ball was set at 32 pounds, hence balls of this caliber were referred to as "32 pounder". Weight of a solid shot is 32 pounds, hollow shot will weigh less. "Common" shot was a contemporary term referring to a "standard" containing an explosive charge and no balls. "Case shot" round referred to a hollow ball containing explosive charge and case shot balls. Generally (but there are exceptions) the walls of the ball are thinner for case shot, thicker for "common" shot. A ball filled with case shot will usually weigh more than a "common" round but this relationship can vary as the number of balls actually filled in a case shot can vary, the wall thickness can vary, and weight loss due to excessive corrosion can produce misleading results. Usually the case shot ball is filled with small lead balls around .5 inch to .7 inch, but dimensions are usually uneven and sometimes other materials were used such as iron balls, bullets, iron nails or almost any other form of scrap. "Canister" shot is not a round ball at all but refers to a cylindrical "can" filled with balls. Often the term "canister" and "case shot" have been used interchangeably but the correct use of the terms refers to distinctly different types of ordnance as indicated.

The bore for the 32 pounder is supposed to measure 6.4 inches, the ball itself will measure approximately 6.25 inches, the difference is the space needed to ram a ball through the muzzle into the chamber and is referred to as "windage". A ball needed to fit very close to these measurements, otherwise it would be a disaster for the artillery battery. If a ball is too large, it will simply not fit through the bore. If a ball is small, too much energy will be lost firing it and it simply will not be effective as a weapon. If a ball is not truly round it could jam the bore and that truly is bad news for a jammed gun could easily blow up on firing. There are many balls out there that are not cannon balls, these are weights, balls used to grind coal or other minerals , ornaments, gate weights. So one test of a cannon ball is that the measurement has to be pretty much right. The best way to measure a ball is to use a seamstress tape measure (about $3 bucks at Wal-Mart) get a measurement of the circumference, divide by Pi (oh hell you thought you were done with high school math) and you have the diameter. I will make it easy, pi is 3.141593, so if a ball measures much more or less than 19.6 inches in circumference, it ain't going to be a cannon ball no matter how much you want it to be so. (19.6 inch circumference, divided by pi 3.141593 equals 6.25 in. Results like 6.0n, 6.5in, and weights of 31lbs and 33lbs are all grinding balls, (euphemism for "junk") and they need to be taken to the recycling center and not sold as a cannon balls on ebay. There are millions of these grinding balls out there, the mining industry has been using them for centuries and they can be any size.


Research Center: Artillery1511-Ball32pdr

Smoothbore artillery projectile, spherical ball, solid shot, smoothbore 32 pounder, 6.4in. Projectile was manufactured in the Federal arsenals for the 32 pounder smoothbore which was the main gun of the 1840's and 1850's coastline defenses. The solid balls could skip across the water and strike a wooden ship at the water line causing severe damage. Although this weapon system was largely obsolete by the Civil War, many batteries employed these weapons and the Confederates used them. Projectile measures: diameter 6.25in. weight 32lbs. Research Center: Artillery1511-Ball32pdr, Ref: Bell Heavy Ordnance, pg. 45. Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery1511-Ball32pdr.html.

Research Center: Artillery1521-Ball32pdr

Smoothbore artillery projectile, spherical ball, bursting shell, "common" (standard), Bormann time fuze with wrench double slot, smoothbore 32 pounder, 6.4in. Projectile was manufactured in the Federal arsenals for the 32 pounder smoothbore which was the main gun of the 1840's and 1850's coastline defenses. This ball is a "common" round, meaning it is the standard pattern with exploding charge only and does not contain balls. Ball could have been used with either the heavy anti ship siege guns, or the fort flanking howitzers designed to defend against land attacks. Fuze employed was a Federal Bormann time fuze, 3/4 second starting time, double slot, Jones pg. 23. Projectile measures: diameter 6.25in., weight 22lbs. Research Center: Artillery1521-Ball32pdr, Ref: Bell Heavy Ordnance, pg. 49. Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery1521-Ball32pdr.html.

Research Center: Artillery1531-Ball32pdr

Smoothbore artillery projectile, spherical ball, bursting shell, wood fuze, smoothbore 32 pounder, 6.4in., with wood sabot Projectile was manufactured in the Federal arsenals for the 32 pounder smoothbore which was the main gun of the 1840's and 1850's coastline defenses. The heavy 32 pounder was set near the water level, and was designed to send a ball skipping rapidly across the water to strike a wooden ship at the water line. Fuze employed was a wood time fuze, Jones Fuzes pg. 2, fuze hole is smooth and tapered, the simple to make fuze could easily be hammered into place, opening 7/8 in. The balls started out with a wood sabot and straps, the wood sabot was designed to position the ball in the bore with a flat surface to propel it, then the straps would break and the ball would fly freely. Few are recovered with the sabot, all fired examples would have been seperated from the sabot on firing and the wood generally will not survive the environment for 100+ years. Projectile measures 6.25in., weight 25lbs. Research Center: Artillery1531-Ball32pdr, Ref: Bell Heavy Ordnance, pg. 49 or 50. Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery1531-Ball32pdr.html.

Research Center: Artillery1532-Ball32pdr

Smoothbore artillery projectile, spherical ball, bursting shell, wood fuze, smoothbore 32 pounder, 6.4in. Projectile was manufactured in the Federal arsenals for the 32 pounder smoothbore which was the main gun of the 1840's and 1850's coastline defenses. The heavy 32 pounder was set near the water level, and was designed to send a ball skipping rapidly across the water to strike a wooden ship at the water line. Fuze employed was a wood time fuze, Jones Fuzes pg. 2, fuze hole is smooth and tapered, the simple to make fuze could easily be hammered into place, opening 7/8 in. Projectile measures 6.25in., weight 25lbs. Research Center: Artillery1532-Ball32pdr, Ref: Bell Heavy Ordnance, pg. 49 or 50. Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery1532-Ball32pdr.html.

Research Center: Artillery1541-Ball32pdr

Smoothbore artillery projectile, spherical ball, bursting shell, Navy watercap fuze, smoothbore 32 pounder, 6.4in. Projectile was manufactured in the Federal arsenals for the 32 pounder smoothbore which was the main gun of the 1840's and 1850's coastline defenses. The heavy 32 pounder was set near the water level, and was designed to send a ball skipping rapidly across the water to strike a wooden ship at the water line. Fuze employed was Federal Navy watercap fuze "ORD. D (anchor) / (date)" , (Jones pg. 10) . Projectile measures: diameter 6.25in., weight 25lbs. Research Center: Artillery1541-Ball32pdr, Ref: Bell Heavy Ordnance, pg. 49. Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery1541-Ball32pdr.html.

Research Center: Artillery1551-Ball32pdr

Smoothbore artillery projectile, proof shot, smoothbore 32 pounder, 6.4 in. Double shot was used to test the 32 pounders before they left the foundry. This "barbell" weighs 64 pounds and is shaped like two cannon balls double loaded. If the gun survived test firing with this shot then it was ready for the field. Projectile measures: diameter 6.36in., length 11in. (excluding fuze), weight 64lb. Recovered: West Point test range. Research Center: Artillery1551-Ball32pdr, Ref: Bell Heavy Ordnance, pg. 47. Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery1551-Ball32pdr.html.

Smoothbore artillery projectile, spherical ball, smoothbore 32 pounder, 6.4in., fragments

A0200.10. Smoothbore artillery projectile, spherical ball, smoothbore 32 pounder, 6.4in., fragments Fragments of 32 pounder ball were all found at "west fort", Second Battle of Winchester. Both case shot and common shot fragments were found, as well as Bormann fuzed and wood fuzed. This was a Federal battery, captured by the Confederates. The shells were fired on this fort by the Federal artillery from Milroy's main battery. Milroy's defenses of Winchester in 1863 were a system of three hill top batteries in triangle fashion, this was an elevated inland fort and not a river or harbor fort. Heavy 32 pounder guns had only typically been used in coastal forts, Milroy's hilltop fort was equipped with both 32 pounder heavy guns and 24 pounder flanking guns, this was unconventional for the period. All of these fragments were recovered from "west fort", Second Battle of Winchester, by Harry Ridgeway. Ridgeway collection, Old Court House Civil War Museum, Winchester, Virginia

This is the "Ridgeway Civil War Research Center", a research tool for educational purposes only, and is provided at no cost to the reader. Some of the relics listed are retained in the author's collection, most reside in other collections and are not owned by the author. None of the items listed in this section are for sale, please refer to relicman.com sales listings for items offered for sale. This is a work in progress, I list items as I get to them, there are many patterns that are not listed yet, this list will be regularly updated as I get pictures and descriptions for more items. I will also correct mistakes, so if you see any please tell me. All items listed are believed to be authentic to the Civil War or as otherwise described. This information is available for research purposes, pictures may be used by permission only.
All excavated artifacts have been recovered from private property with owner's permission.
All projectiles listed have been disarmed.

Most information on this page is from:
Field Artillery Projectiles of the American Civil War, 1993 Edition. by Thomas S. Dickey and Peter C. George.
Civil War Heavy Explosive Ordnance, A Guide to Large Artillery Prjectiles, Torpedoes, and Mines, by Jack Bell.
Artillery Fuses of the Civil War, by Charles H. Jones.
Pictures are by the author, unless otherwise indicated.

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