Section of artillery shell fragment, dug at Devil’s Den, Gettysburg

I was fortunate to acquire a large collection of original Gettysburg Battlefield relics. They are all well documented with great provenance – I even got back some relics which I sold many years ago. Most of the items offered are artillery or bullet related. Being offered is a section of a Parrott/Read 10-pounder artillery shell. It measures 3 ½” x 2 ¼” and weighs 8.5 ounces. This relic was recovered many years ago in the area between Devil’s Den and Big Round Top.

There is a creek in this area of the battlefield known as “The Valley of Death”. The official name of the creek running through the Valley of Death between Devils Den and the Round Tops is Plum Run, but it gained its second name after the slow stream ran red with the blood of fallen soldiers for a few hours in July 1863.

With the heavy rain on July 4th, 1863, it overflowed the banks and drowned some wounded men who had not been collected yet – reportedly all Confederates. The valley was littered with so many bodies that it was over a week after the battle ended before the fallen men could all be buried.

This piece and many other relics were once part of the Gettysburg Rosensteel Collection. The collection is arguably the most famous assemblage of Gettysburg relics that have ever existed. John Rosensteel opened his “Round Top Museum” of Gettysburg artifacts in 1888 (see pictures). The collection, which grew in size as a variety of local collections, such as John Cullison’s, was acquired and became the nucleus of the Electric Map Museum collection and ultimately the Gettysburg National Park Museum and Visitor Center collection.

Although not exactly a very rare piece by itself, the recovery location is the driving force behind its value. Devil’s Den relics are very hard to come by – being that now it is illegal to dig on the Gettysburg battlefield, now the only surviving relics are in museums or private collections. This is a solid piece in very nice condition and was coated for preservation. 

This Gettysburg relic not only has wonderful provenance, but it was also found at one of the most famous locations on the battlefield.  In my book “Battle of Gettysburg – The Relics, Artifacts & Souvenirs”, I discuss and show many pieces out of this collection (see pictures). A certificate of authenticity will be provided with this artifact.