Cannoneer take a look at the pics of the cannon balls you can see the hole in the ball .Looks to big for a fuse.Let me know what you think.
Everyone else hope you enjoy the photos,blown up cannons stacks of cannon balls ,hard times ,hard lives to live comparied to today.We do not have it bad,think about it.one thumb short
Thanks for posting the pictures, one thumb short; as some others have already said, there are more than a few that I hadn't seen before.
Photo from "The Civil War Relicman", Harry Ridgeway. "Ball, shell, thin walled mortar with lifting ears, wood fuse with 1.75in. opening, smoothbore mortar, 10in."
The large hole is for a fuse, and the two smaller holes (ears) are where the points of a lifting tool are inserted, so the shell can be more easily lifted and loaded into the bore of a mortar, or cannon.
I also think that subdjoe offered up a very good suggestion: If you have any information (who, what, when, where, and why) on any photos that you're posting, it's always a good idea to include it with the picture. I know that in this instance it may not have been possible to do that, but as you get more proficient at posting pics, it's a good habit to get into.