Anybody know about cannonballs?

[CALDIGR2]

I once dug a 12 lb shot from a backyard near here. I took it to the local, very historical, Sutter's Fort and it fit their small gun perfectly. The ball was found 7 blocks from the fort, a perfect distance for the cannon shot. The fort was in total ruins by 1870, with most of the usable material carried away by 49ers during the Gold Rush. Eventually, the fort was reconstructed beginning in the late 1890s and is a landmark in CA history. The story of Sutter and New Helvetia is a fascinating one.

 

[Poison_Us]

again, why the square hole? a round one would have been just as easy to use in this and most situations. A square hole is harder to make, typically. Then again..thinking back, even nails were square or rectangular in shape. Perhaps for the same reason, the peg used to form this in casting may have been square. If I keep thinking about it, I will lose even more hair...[>:]

 

[amblypygi]

ORIGINAL: RedGinger

Where did you dig it? Interesting piece.

Not dug, just found. It was in the Connecticut River near Northampton, MA. It's a very old area that has been settled since the 1650s. This thing was in an area that had probably recently been exposed because it was downstream of a big tree snag that had caused a current eddy and cleared off all of the sand. It was just a big misshapen lump of rust but it was heavy and close enough to round that I got curious and drug it up.

Sean

 

[towhead]

I like the Prisoner-ball and chain idea....My first thought was a weight for a weight lifting bar.

-Julie

 

[towhead]

....dumbbells-that's the word I was looking for! -Julie

 

[delphinis]

There was a type of ammunition on naval ships called chain shot which consisited of two cannon balls or two halves of a cannon ball with either a bar or chain connecting them. They were used primarily for damaging the sails and rigging of an enemy ship whereas solid cannon balls were used to damage the hull of an enemy ship. I wonder if these cannon balls were chain shot (minus the bar)?

Anthony

 

[CWBookAuthor]

I still say that there were used in the South as gate posts at entrances to the property. I've seen a lot of these here in the South. Has no one seen them? I can't believe that! The shape of the hole doesn't really matter.

Mike