Artillery Shell fragment from Antietam

Artillery Shell fragment from Antietam Battlefield. Click picture for details.

Civil War artillery shell fragment. This section measures approximately 3 ½” x 2” and is from a US/CS 10 pounder Parrott/Read shell. See example pictured next to a complete shell. These shells were used by both the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War. This section is marked “MUMMA”, which is where it was recovered in the 1970s on private property at the Antietam Battlefield in Maryland. Located near the center of the Antietam Battlefield, the Mumma Farm was a scene of chaos and violence on September 17, 1862. The farm was burned in the early morning of the battle by Confederate Brigadier General Ripley to prevent its use as a sharpshooter's refuge by Union troops. Today, the Mumma Farm is no longer a private residence, though it was until the 1970s. This is a solid piece and has been coated with a varnish for preservation.