Complete unopened package of five Civil War Fuses

This is another nice piece being offered, it is an original package of Civil War artillery fuses, measuring 2” x 2 ¼”. It is paper-wrapped and stenciled in large black ink letters, “10. S” and holds five Civil War fuses. The printing indicates that they were ten second fuses.

Civil War artillery fuses, just like the projectiles, came in many different sizes, shapes, and varieties. While the primary purpose of the fuse was to explode the projectile among enemy forces, the methods used to accomplish this objective varied. In many cases, the artillerist was the one who decided what type of fusing system to employ, based on the range of the target, type of target, and type of projectile he intended to use. In other cases, the artillerist made the choice of projectiles and had to use the fusing system manufactured into the projectile.

In “Artillery Fuses of the Civil War”, by Charles H. Jones, there is an example of these fuses (see pictures). These fuses were made in 1864 at Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Arsenal. In my book “Civil War Artillery – A Pictorial Introduction”, I further discuss how fuses were used during the Civil War. This package is in excellent condition and still has the original string that kept the package closed.