Civil War artillery gunners hammer, recovered at the Spanish Fort, AL Battlefield

Being offered is the head section of an Artillery Gunner’s Hammer, measuring approximately 5” x 4” x 1”. It is typical of what was used by the artilleryman on ammunition crates, fuses, and for everyday maintenance on the equipment. It was dug from the Spanish Fort Battlefield.

In March 1865, Union General Canby's XIII and XVI Corps moved along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, forcing the Confederates back into their defenses. Union forces then concentrated on Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely. On March 27, Canby's forces rendezvoused at Danley's Ferry and immediately undertook a siege of Spanish Fort. The Union had enveloped the fort by April 1, and on April 8 captured it. Most of the Confederate forces, under the command of Brigadier General Randall L. Gibson, escaped and fled to Mobile, but Spanish Fort was no longer a threat.

The end of this hammer is broken off – maybe by hard use or intentional.  I have a similar one in my book “Civil War Artillery – A Pictorial Introduction” which was once part of the Gettysburg Battlefield Museum (see pictures). There is also one in the Gettysburg Museum collection (see pictures).  This piece is very solid and would make a nice addition to an artillery or Civil War collection.