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Item No.:	10575	Price :	$1,895.00
Item :	FINE CONFEDERATE READ ARTILLERY SHELL FROM CULP'S HILL, GETTYSBURG, DEACTIVATED

Description :

This is an original, Civil War, Confederate Read Artillery Shell. This shell is inert. It has been deactivated by drilling out the fuse hole and flushing the powder charge out. This is a 3-inch Read designed for the 3-inch rifled guns of the time. It has a threaded copper time fuse plug for use with paper fuses. There are three hand cut flame grooves in the copper sabot to allow the cannon charge to flash past the shell and ignite the fuse. Obviously, it didn't work on this one. This unexploded shell was found on Culp's Hill at Gettysburg sometime after the battle. Culp's Hill was the far right of the Union right flank. The Union held the hill all three days of the battle with extensive fighting taking place. This shell was fired during that fight. It is in very fine condition for an excavated shell. It is complete with the copper fuse plug. Remnants of the paper fuse remain in the plug. The shell has an orange-brown patina with a few pits. I don't know how long after the battle the shell was recovered. The copper sabot is complete with grooves from the lands of the bore in the gun from which it was fired. The three flame grooves remain visible. The shell comes with a very nice custom metal stand and a printed brass plaque with a description. If you want a nice historic artifact, you can't do much better than a Confederate shell fired into the Union lines at Gettysburg! Stock no. 31525

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