Revolutionary War Cannonball recovered from the York River of the Yorktown, VA Battlefield

This is another nice early piece of artillery being offered; it is a 9-pounder British Revolutionary War solid shot cannonball. It has a 4” diameter and weighs 6-pounds, 10- ounces. During the war, 9-pounders were used by all sides (see pictures). This ball was a river-recovery from the York River in Virginia. It was found many years ago in the mud, not very far from today’s Yorktown Visitors Center (see map).

Major General Marquis de Lafayette and his troops constituted at least half of the allied forces surrounding Yorktown. This meant that the French occupied at least half of the bulwarks surrounding Yorktown. In fact, Washington did not have sufficient troops to encircle Yorktown. Cornwallis and his troops would surely have escaped to New York, had it not been for the presence of the French troops.

On October 3rd, 1781, Allied Forces [American and French] met a force sent by Cornwallis at what became the Battle of the Hook in which the British were driven from Glouster to Yorktown. A French Navy fleet arrived in time to chase off a fleet of British ships that were to rescue Cornwallis and his troops from their dangerous position at Yorktown.

On Oct. 9, 1781, Washington himself fired the first American cannon at the Siege of Yorktown. With the ceremonial shot, one member of the Continental Army remembered, “Earl Cornwallis has received his first salutation.” The artillery barrage from 155 French and American howitzers, cannons, and mortars continued for the next 11 days.

The ball shows all of the signs of being recovered in mud and water.  However, it remains in very solid condition with no chipping or flaking. This cannonball is a fantastic piece of Revolutionary War history, especially being from such a famous battlefield and having great provenance with the recovery site. A Certificate of Authenticity will be provided with the ball.