Confederate “Buck and Ball”, recovered near Varina, VA, Richmond’s outer defenses

This is another nice piece being offered, it a Confederate .58 caliber Buck and Ball. This example and a few others were recovered just off the Osbourne Turnpike, near Varina, Virginia (see period map).

The site was part of Richmond’s outer defenses, which protected the Confederate Capitol from attack by Union forces. The purpose of buck and ball was for relatively near targets, almost like a small shotgun blast, possibly hitting multiple targets. See example of wrapped cartridge. It remains in very nice condition.