Live Civil War ordinance found at Petersburg National Battlefield
A visitor to the Eastern Front of Petersburg National Battlefield notified the Chief Ranger that she had found a probable Civil War shell in the park on Tuesday afternoon, March 24. The Chief Ranger implemented the park’s unexploded ordnance policy and the Virginia State Police Bomb Squad was notified. The bomb squad took […]
A visitor to the Eastern Front of Petersburg National Battlefield notified the Chief Ranger that she had found a probable Civil War shell in the park on Tuesday afternoon, March 24. The Chief Ranger implemented the park’s unexploded ordnance policy and the Virginia State Police Bomb Squad was notified. The bomb squad took the ordnance to a remote location and rendered it safe. The piece will be placed in the park museum collection and information about its location will be documented for further research. Because the round was not moved until its location was recorded, it remained within its historical context.
The Chief Ranger commends the visitor for wise handling of what could have been a dangerous situation, due to the fact that it was determined to be a live round.
The park curator identified the ordnance as a twelve-pounder Napoleon shell, the most commonly used artillery projectile during the Civil War. This shell should have exploded in the air before hitting the ground, but did not in this case. The Napoleon cannon could fire this round, filled with black powder, as far as three quarters of a mile. The shell could have been fired by either Union or Confederate artillery.
It is illegal to excavate or remove historic objects from national parks or other federally owned land under the provisions of the Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 and its amendments [ARPA]. For more information contact Historian/Curator J. Blankenship at 804-732-3571, ex 306.
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