French & Indian War artillery shell with fuse plug, recovered at Fort Lévis, NY

This is another nice early piece coming out of a 60-year collection of French & Indian War, Revolutionary War, and War of 1812 artifacts. Being offered is a French & Indian War artillery shell with the original wooden fuse plug. It was recovered at Fort Lévis, NY.

Fort Lévis, a fortification on the St. Lawrence River, was built in 1759 by the French. They had decided that Fort de La Présentation was insufficient to defend their St. Lawrence River colonies against the British. Named for François Gaston de Lévis, Duc de Lévis, the fort was constructed on Isle Royale, 3 miles downstream from the other fort.

The fort surrendered after intense bombardment in August 1760 to the British and was renamed Fort William Augustus. The fort was abandoned in 1766. During the construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, the remains of the fort were destroyed and submerged beneath the waters of the river (see pictures).

The fort never received its 200 guns and by the time of the Battle of the Thousand Islands, was armed with several iron cannon with trunnions removed and set in logs. Lacking their trunnions these cannon were hard to maneuver. Additionally, twelve 12-pounder guns, two 8-pounder guns, thirteen 4-pounder guns, four 1-pounder guns (all iron) and four brass 6-pounder guns were located within the fort.

What is really interesting is this shell is just as found, obviously under water, and having the wooden fuse plug, which is almost unheard of. The ball is just as found, but there is no active chipping or flaking – never went through electrolysis. 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. His markings were crude at the time, but now they have proved to be very important. This was the only item in the collection from this site.

This is the first time this shell 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. As with all items on the website, the very friendly layaway is available.