French and Indian War 6-pounder Cannonball recovered at Schuyler Flatts, New York

This is another nice early piece coming out of a 60-year collection of French & Indian War/Revolutionary War artillery. Being offered is a French and Indian War 6-pounder cannonball. It measures 3 1/2” and weighs 5 pounds, 2 ounces. Both sides used 6-pounder cannons during the War (see pictures). This unique piece was recovered in the early 19th century in the Schuyler Flatts, New York area.

As far as the French & Indian War was concerned, Schuyler Flatts played no small role in the war that saw an eventual British victory for the American mainland; The Flatts were an assembly point for thousands of British and provincial soldiers from regional area, eventually becoming a point from which 15,000-16,000 British troops and allies set off to try to overtake what is now Ft. Ticonderoga from the French in 1758.

With Ft. Ticonderoga’s strong position, this vast army under British command that set out from Schuyler Flatts quickly found themselves vanquished in a bloody battle with their Gallic enemies; it took only 4,000 French troops to repel the attack of this massive redcoat alliance. The British and their allies at the 1758 battle of Ft. Ticonderoga were slaughtered in such huge numbers that a lot of the dead were never even buried; many years after the battle, skeletons could still be seen on the ground near the fort.

It was anything but a romantic experience for the people involved. While the legions of British-allied troops sent from Schuyler Flatts to try and take Ft. Ticonderoga in the 1750’s met a bloody defeat in battle, their brethren did eventually win the war.

Decades later, during the American Revolution, Schuyler Flatts was once again used as a military staging and training area for another important battle; the famous Battle of Saratoga, known as the turning point in the Revolution, where fortune started to favor the Americans. Happily, for the American troops sent into combat from the Flatts on their way to Saratoga, there were far fewer of their fellow soldiers’ lives lost during the Revolutionary campaigns than had been lost a generation before to that ill-starred attempt to bring down Ft. Ticonderoga.

The ball remains in nice condition – it does have some overall rust and pitting, but it is in solid condition. This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, and from lake divers. The collector meticulously displayed and cataloged every piece along with its provenance. Many of the pieces went through electrolysis to remove crusted rust.

This is the first time this cannonball has been on the open market, and it is truly a great piece of early American History. It definitely merits a place in an advanced collection or museum. Very few artifacts were recovered from Schuyler Flatts. As with all the pieces in this esteemed collection, a Certificate of Authenticity will be included.