Civil War US/CS solid-shot cannonball, recovered from the Antietam Battlefield

Being offered is a US/CS 12-pounder solid-shot cannonball. It has a 4 ½” diameter and weighs 11-pounds, 15-ounces. They were the most common projectiles of any caliber used during the Civil War by both Federal and Confederate forces. The ball would be secured to a wooden cup sabot by two crossed iron straps nailed to the wooden cup. The cartridge bag or powder bag was tied to the groove cut into the base of the sabot.  It was recovered many years ago from the Antietam Battlefield.

The Battle of Antietam, also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern states, took place on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union Major General George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek.

Part of the Maryland Campaign, it was the first field army–level engagement in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War to take place on Union soil. It remains the bloodiest day in American history, with a total of 22,727 dead, wounded, or missing on both sides. Although the Union Army suffered heavier casualties than the Confederates, the battle was a major turning point in the Union's favor.

This ball shows a rough surface as expected for being in the ground for well over 100 years. However, it is still very solid with no flaking or chipping, and it has been coated for preservation. In my book “Civil War Artillery – A Pictorial Introduction”, I discuss these cannonballs and Antietam in more detail (see pictures). Today it is very difficult to acquire any artifacts from the Antietam battlefield.