RARE - French & Indian War large grape-shot with fabric imprint, recovered at Lake George (SOLD)

This is another rare piece coming out of a 60-year collection of French & Indian War and Revolutionary War artillery. Being offered is a French & Indian War artillery grapeshot. It has a diameter of 2” and weighs 1 pound, 11 ounces. What is truly unique is that the impression of the total shell covering left an imprint on the ball. I show a show an artillery round that is fully covered as an example (see pictures). It was recovered many years ago from the Battle of Lake George (see pictures).

The Battle of Lake George was fought on September 8, 1755. British forces of 1,500 soldiers and 200 Mohawk Indians under the command of William Johnson defeated a much larger allied French and Indian force of 3,500 under German General Baron Dieskau.

In June 1759, British General Jeffrey Amherst arrived in Lake George and soon proceeded to build a new fort at the lake. The site was the high ground east of the ruins of Fort William Henry, which had been destroyed by the French in 1757. A provincial officer described the fort as "the walls [are] about 14 feet thick built of stone and lime."

This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, diggers, and lake divers. The collector meticulously displayed and cataloged every piece along with its provenance. His markings were crude at the time, but now they have proved to be very important. Many of the pieces went through electrolysis to remove crusted rust, but some he left just as found.

This is the first time this grapeshot has been on the open market, and it is truly a great piece of early American History. It definitely merits a place in an advanced collection or museum. It is very rare to find a ball with the fabric imprint. As with all the pieces in this esteemed collection, a Certificate of Authenticity will be included. It comes in the acrylic display case pictured.