VERY UNIQUE – Civil War Hotchkiss Shell, professionally cut in half, dug Spotsylvania (SOLD)

This is another nice piece being offered; it is a sectioned Civil War Hotchkiss case-shot artillery shell. The 3-inch Hotchkiss shells were made in three pieces – the nose, the lead band (sabot), and the base cup. It measures 6 ¾” x 3” and weighs 4-pounds. The Hotchkiss was the most common type of projectile fired from the 3-inch wrought iron rifle.

The shell has been professionally cut in half to show the workings of the interior. I show one of these split shells in my book “Civil War Artillery – A Pictorial Introduction” (see pictures). This piece was recovered years ago at the Spotsylvania, Virginia Battlefield and came out of the legendary collection of Pete George, author, digger, and historian.

The Battle of Spotsylvania was the second major battle in General Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged from General Lee's army and moved to the southeast, attempting to lure Lee into battle under more favorable conditions.

Elements of Lee's army beat the Union army to the critical crossroads of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, and began entrenching. Fighting occurred on and off from May 8 through May 21, 1864, as Grant tried various schemes to break the Confederate line. In the end, the battle was tactically inconclusive, but with almost 32,000 casualties on both sides, it was the costliest battle of the campaign.

The shell is very clean and solid – a light coat of varnish was applied for preservation. I have used these cut shells in exhibitions and displays, and they always attract a lot of interest.