I looked through the leading reference book on heavy shells and bolts called
Civil War Heavy Explosive Ordnance by Jack Bell. On page 444 there is a photo of a Tredegar Iron Works (Richmond, Virginia) CS 6.4" Type 5 Copper Sabot Shell. It has the pointed ogive of the unknown bolt in question. Because it is a shell with a fuze well at the point, it's not quite so pointy as the unknown bolt. The size is no problem, because if it was made in a seacoast size like 6.4", it was, most likely, made in 8" as well, perhaps not by Tredegar, but , more likely, by any of 25 different foundries operating in the southern states. Take a look , see what you think. The double bourlette band configuration was a common type used by the CSA as they could be made more quickly by not requiring lathe sizing all the way down the shell or bolt. Also, notice the wide copper ring in the bottom view. This could easily be cast around those radial projections near the bottom of the unknown bolt. Any configuration of pre-cast rifling could be produced as well. In our opinion, this type could be the one, but we cannot say with certainty because we are not experts in the field of antique projectiles.
What type of seacoast gun? There are several possibilities, but the 8" British imports known to be in the Western Theater of War would be one, also there were a few 42 pounders bored up to 8" from 7" (42 pdr.) that we have read about. The southern foundries around New Orleans were engaged in this work even more than the Tredegar.
T&M
