RARE – Fragment of Confederate Artillery Side-loader shell, recovered at Gettysburg (SOLD)

This is one of those Civil War relics that you seldom come across, it is a fragment from a Confederate 3” Read side-loader. It measures 4 ¾” x 2 ¼” and has the distinct threaded side loading hole which was used to insert the small iron balls. This rare relic was recovered many years ago from Culp’s Hill, Gettysburg.

Culp’s Hill was the right-most flank of the "fishhook" line formed by Union Army troops during the Battle of Gettysburg and saw fierce and brutal fighting all three days of the battle. Culp’s Hill has two rounded peaks with a narrow saddle between them.

Although heavily wooded and unsuitable for Union artillery, the main peak of Culp’s Hill rises substantially above the surrounding landscape. Nearby Baltimore Pike was critical for Union Army supplies and preventing a Confederate advance on Baltimore or Washington, DC - Culp’s Hill was critical to Union strategy.

I discuss Culp’s Hill and these shell fragments in my book “Battle of Gettysburg – The Relics, Artifacts & Souvenirs” and “Civil War Artillery – A Pictorial Introduction”. This piece originated with the Rosensteel Collection and through the Horse Soldier in Gettysburg. A certificate of authenticity will be provided. I had and have many Gettysburg artillery relics, and this is the first Read Side-loader I ever came across.