Here is a fine 4.52”, Federal, 12-pound spherical shell complete with its Borman-type fuse adapter. Found on the grounds of the David Plank Farm on Little Round Top sometime after the battle of Gettysburg, this artillery specimen is a circular, iron cannon ball that retains its original, intact, time fuse adapter known as a Bormann fuse. The fuse was made of equal parts of lead and tin and was a very dependable ignition system during the war. The Bormann plug, which is tightly screwed into the fuse opening, wears a dark, dusky-gray patina and exhibits heavy scuffing and abrasions to its surface. Very hard to see are the stampings on the fuse flange in ½ second intervals. Spanner wrench slots still visible. Projectile, which has been deactivated and cleaned, was fired from a 12-pound smoothbore field piece. This U.S. 12-pound spherical shell, recovered from Little Round Top in Gettysburg, is identified by John Geiselman’s collection by his contemporary inscribed labels. Originally sold as item# R11252.

The individual who purchased this item varnished and lightly cleaned the shell, and applied white paint indicating its location of recovery. Below you will find photographs of the shell in its current state, and photographs of it in the never cleaned condition in which it was originally sold by us. If interested, we can have the paint removed and the shell restored more to a relic look. This would involve a fee of a minimum of $50.00.

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The Horse Soldier is pleased to offer a number of items from the John P. Geiselman collection, a collection that was on display for many years at the Geiselman Country Store Museum on Barlow - Two Taverns Road. Geiselman began his collecting as a child in the early 1920s, and during the pre-World II period had access to artifacts that had been purchased earlier at the estate sales of the Trostle, Rogers, Rose, Weikert, and Wentz farms - local properties that figured prominently in the battle and its aftermath. During this period he had access as well to the Hill , Plank, and Stewart collections, and was able to acquire other items that had been sold from turn-of-the-century relics establishments such as the Danner, Ziegler, and Oak Ridge Museums. Furthermore, Geiselman carefully documented most artifacts, and collectors perusing the list will be able to note, in many instances, not only the source of the relic and the date of its recovery, but also the part of the battlefield from which it came. In other words, his collection is the last major grouping of Gettysburg artifacts assembled and documented by a local resident.

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THIS ITEM, AS WITH ALL OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE,

MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM.

FOR OUR POLICIES AND TERMS,

CLICK ON ‘CONTACT US’ AT THE TOP OF ANY PAGE ON THE SITE,

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