VERY RARE – French & Indian War Solid-shot Cannonball, dug Ft. Presentation

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. It is a 6-pounder having a 3.50” diameter and weighing 6.2 pounds. They were used by both sides during the war, this one is possibly British. This ball was recovered at Fort La Presentation, NY.

In 1749, the French Sulpician priest, Abbé Picquet, built a mission fort, which he named Fort de La Présentation (Fort of the Presentation). It was built at the confluence of the Oswegatchie River and the St Lawrence River in present day New York. The French wanted to strengthen their alliance with the powerful Iroquois, as well as convert them to Catholicism. With increasing tensions with Great Britain, they were concerned about their thinly populated Canadian colony.

By 1755 the settlement included 3,000 Iroquois residents loyal to France, in part because of the fur trade, as well as their hostility to encroachment by British colonists in their other territories. By comparison, Montréal had only 4,000 residents.

In 1758, with the Seven Years' War intensifying, a French-Canadian military commander took charge of a garrison at the fort. In 1759, French military forces abandoned the fort to move to Fort Lévis. Ultimately the British besieged that fort and Montreal.

After the British victories of 1760, the French ceded their Canadian territory to Great Britain. The British renamed it Fort Oswegatchie. It remained under their control until 1796, after Jay's Treaty, when redefinition of the northern boundary caused the land to be taken over by the United States. The first settlement under an American flag began that year.

The ball remains in solid condition, having some overall roughness, but no chipping or flaking. In this very large collection, this was the only piece coming out of Fort Presentation. My understanding is that in general, very few artifacts have come out of the Fort Presentation area.

This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, diggers, 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. 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. It comes in the acrylic display case pictured. As with all items on the website, the very friendly layaway is available.