Images(4)

Shot, Case

Object number2004.12.1

Manufacturer Allegheny Arsenal

Manufacturer United States Army

Datec. 1860

MediumIron; Lead; Unidentified matrix compound

Credit LineGift of Jendoco Construction Company

Description6-pounder spherical case shot containing lead balls.Dimensions3.5 x 3.5 in. (8.9 x 8.9 cm)
Historical NotesThis shell was found as part of a large cache of artillery ammunition which was excavated at a construction site in the Lawrenceville neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Presumably these shells were discarded and buried at some time during the operation of the Allegheny Arsenal, perhaps shortly after the end of the Civil War, when they were no longer considered necessary.Label TextUsed heavily during the Civil War, artillery spherical case shot consisted of a hollow iron ball filled with lead balls suspended in a sulfur matrix and a bursting charge. A pewter Borman time fuse, screwed in at the top, would ignite the bursting charge and shower shrapnel on enemy soldiers and animals.

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