Confederate 12-pounder Artillery Shell, recovered at Seven Days Battle, VA

Being offered is a Confederate 12-pounder artillery shell. This shell was designed to accommodate a wooden adapter for a paper time fuse. It weighs 9.2 pounds with a diameter of 4.50 inches. This shell was recovered years ago at the Seven Days Battles in Virginia.

General George B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign began with the intent of marching northwest up the peninsula formed by the James and York Rivers and capturing Richmond, Virginia. Confederate forces had retreated to the outskirts of the Confederate capitol. General Robert E. Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia and, over the course of Seven Days (June 25th to July 1st , 1862) drove the Union army back to the James River.

In my book “Civil War Artillery – A Pictorial Introduction”, I go into further details on these cannon balls and the guns that fired them. The exterior exhibits a now stable surface flaking and build-up – but no longer flaking. The interior appears to have some concrete soil buildup, which explains the extra weight being a shell. This would make a great addition to any Civil War or Artillery collection.