RARE – Two-inch Confederate ball from a 24-pounder canister shell, fired at Gettysburg

Being offered is a 2-inch diameter iron canister ball, weighing 1-pound, 4-ounces, which came from a 5.82 canister shell, which was fired from a 24-pounder Confederate gun. The largest canister balls found at Gettysburg were roughly 2” in diameter, and very few were recovered.

During the Civil War, Confederates and Federals generally loaded standard canister shells with identical-sized balls. However, due to severe wartime supply shortages, Confederate arsenals frequently packed whatever iron or lead balls they had on hand into a single tin can, sometimes resulting in mixed sizes within one round.

At Gettysburg, the Confederates deployed just four 24-pounder howitzers. These heavy, bronze, foreign-made pieces were prized for their sheer hitting power and versatility. These guns are on West Confederate Ave. and were part of Moody’s Battery (see pictures).  

As seen in the pictures, the ball has overall surface rust, but very solid with no chipping or flaking. I discuss artillery in my books “Battle of Gettysburg – The Relics, Artifacts, & Souvenirs” and “Civil War Artillery – A Pictorial Introduction”.