Original Civil War 4-second artillery fuse (SOLD)

This is another nice piece being offered, it is an original artillery fuse. It is stenciled with “4 SECOND FUZE”. This indicates how long the fuse would burn before igniting the shell.

Civil War artillery fuses, just like the projectiles, came in many different sizes, shapes, and varieties. While the primary purpose of the fuse was to explode the projectile among enemy forces, the methods used to accomplish this objective varied.

In many cases, the artillerist was the one who decided what type of fusing system to employ, based on the range of the target, type of target, and type of projectile he intended to use. In other cases, the artillerist made the choice of projectiles and had to use the fusing system manufactured into the projectile.

In “Artillery Fuses of the Civil War”, by Charles H. Jones, there is an example of this fuse (see pictures). In my book “Civil War Artillery – A Pictorial Introduction”, I further discuss how fuses were used during the Civil War (see pictures). This fuse remains in very nice condition.