A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War
by Harry Ridgeway
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Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War |
| Civil War Artillery | |
by Harry Ridgeway |
| Rifled artillery projectile, Hotchkiss design, Federal manufacture, bursting shell, pattern with flame grooves, rounded nose "case shot" iron balls, lead band sabot, Hotchkiss lead time fuze, siege rifle, 4.5 in. Projectile was manufactured in the Federal arsenals following the invention of Andrew Hotchkiss. The pattern consisted of three parts, a nose section containing the explosive charge, a cast iron cup fitted on the bottom, and lead band sabot cast around the middle, on firing the cup would compress the lead band sabot expanding it into the rifling. Some of these shells were configured as case shot, filled with balls, or as "common", standard, without balls. This shell is "case shot", explosive charge with balls, and with a time fuze was designed to detonate above the heads of troops in the open field. This pattern features a rounded nose designed to pack additional "case shot" balls, the fuze is lead and the balls are iron. Three flame grooves were added so that flame from firing would pass through the sabot and ignite the fuze. On case shot shells, there is no bottom plug, but there is a small internal pin apparently holding the separator bolt in place. Projectile is equipped with Hotchkiss lead or zinc time fuze, early pattern without flange Jones pg. 86. Bottom is marked: "HOTCHKISS PATENT OCTOBER 9, 1855 / MAY 14, 1861", and is typically weak, and may have been omitted altogether as molds wore down or were replaced. Projectile measures: diameter 4.45in., length 10.5in. (excluding fuze), weight 30lbs. Research Center: Artillery4385-Hotchkiss, Ref: Bell, Heavy Ordnance, pg. 247.     Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery4385-Hotchkiss.html. |
| A0151... Projectile measures: diameter 4.45in., length 10.5in. (excluding fuze), weight 30lbs. Sabot is not fired and intact, cut on side is from farmers plow. Time fuze is missing, fuze hole is threaded. Projectile is disarmed: open fuze hole exposes empty interior. Recovered: Richmond, Petersburg, Virginia campaign. |
A2861...    Projectile measures: diameter 4.45in., length 10.5in. (excluding fuze), weight 22lbs. without sabot or fuze. Lead band sabot separated on firing. Metal solid with pitting, lead sabot missing, fuze missing. Projectile is disarmed, open fuze hole exposes empty interior. Shell was recovered at Tredegar in the 1960's. Sabot is missing. This could have been a Federal shell being analyzed at Tredegar or the variations in sizing could indicate that this was a Confederate copy of the Federal design, although if so it would apparently have been a prototype or trial pattern as there are no other known examples of this shell with Confederate attribution. At this point is is interpreted to be a Federal Hotchkiss with variation. |
| Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War. Artillery Research center, artillery, click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery0000-Index.html.     Research center, artillery, click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery0000-Index.html. |
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