French & Indian War 24-pounder cannonball from sunken British ship, Lake George (SOLD)

This is another nice early piece coming out of a 60-year collection of French & Indian War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 artillery. Being offered is a French & Indian War cannonball. I was fired from a 24-pounder gun and has a diameter of 5 ½” and weighing 23.3 pounds. It was recovered many years ago by a lake diver off a sunken British ship in Lake George, NY.

The Battle of Lake George was fought on September 8, 1755. British forces of 1,500 soldiers and 200 Mohawk Indians under the command of William Johnson defeated a much larger allied French and Indian force of 3,500 under German General Baron Dieskau.

In June 1759, British General Jeffrey Amherst arrived in Lake George and soon proceeded to build a new fort at the lake. The site was the high ground east of the ruins of Fort William Henry, which had been destroyed by the French in 1757. A provincial officer described the fort as "the walls [are] about 14 feet thick built of stone and lime."

The American ship “Philadelphia” was sunk by a 24-pounder cannonball (see pictures). The ball has overall roughness, but there is no chipping or flaking, and remains stable.

This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, diggers and lake divers. The collector meticulously displayed and cataloged every piece along with its provenance. His markings were crude at the time, but now they have proved to be very important. 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. As with all the pieces in this esteemed collection, a Certificate of Authenticity will be included. Also, a very friendly layaway is available.