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The Civil War Relicman,
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Winchester, Virginia
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This page updated April 08, 2008 |
The Ridgeway Civil War
reference archive
Artillery shells, Absterdam (Federal)
This is a sampling of relics collected by Harry Ridgeway over the years. This archive record is for educational purposes only. Some of the relics listed may be on display at the Old Court House Civil War Museum, Winchester Virginia, some are no longer owned by the author. None of the items listed in this section are for sale, please refer to the separate sales catalog for items that are currently offered.
This information is available for research purposes, pictures may be used by permission only.
All items listed are believed to be authentic to the Civil War or as otherwise described.
All artillery items listed have been disarmed and rendered inert.
Any excavated relics have been recovered from private property with owners permission.
Absterdam shells were believed to have been produced and ready for service by the end of the Civil War but apparently did not reach the field in time to be used, most ended up in the surplus stocks sold by Bannerman. They represented a significant technological development in artillery of the Civil War and were definitely produced as part of the war effort, and are therefore a legitimate item to include in a Civil War collection. However to my knowledge, none have been recovered from battlefields. At one point many of the Gettysburg monuments supposedly utilized shells as part of the monument display or there may have simply been stacks placed around the battlefield. It is not clear how many there actually were but at some point the park service removed all of them and sold them, decided not to have authentic shells out on the battlefield, they were too much of an invitation for vandalism and theft. To my knowledge most if not all have been removed, but a good many of the Absterdam Type II shells that are on the market without fuses and unfired came either from the Gettysburg monuments or Bannerman surplus stocks, but none were used at Gettysburg as is often claimed or any other actual battlefield that I am aware.
A1546
Absterdam Type II shell, lead cup sabot, one friction ring, threaded fuse
Ordnance rifle, 3 in.
This model featured an anti friction band near the nose, lead cup
sabot, sabot is marked "PATENTED / AUGUST 17TH 1862". Although in
production by the end of the war, none were used by the time of the surrender.
Unfired and never armed, fuse missing, part of friction band remains, sabot
intact, Patent date crisp
Diameter 2.9 inch, length 8.5 inch
Ref: D & G pg. 69
A1867
Absterdam Type III shell, High band brass sabot, Absterdam time fuse, Parrott 10
pounder rifle, 2.9 in.
This late war improvement over the Parrott sabot employed the high
band extending beyond the bottom of the shell, slits enable it to expand evenly
into the rifling. Sabot is marked "ABSTERDAM'S / PATENT / FEB 23,
1864". Threaded for Absterdam's time fuse. Although in production by the
end of the war, none were used by the time of the surrender.
Unfired example, fuse intact, sabot intact with patent date, outstanding metal,
no pitting. Mark "JPK" on the side is probably an inspector
mark.
Diameter 2.94 inch, length 8.5 inch
Ref: D & G pg. 71
A1987
Absterdam time fuse
Brass fuse, with holes below the lip. This was intended to capture
more of the gasses to improve ignition of the fuse. Fuse was intended for the
Absterdam shell
Threads clean, good display or can be used, nondug fuse.
Length 2.1 in. diameter 1.05 in., flange diameter 1.3 in.
Ref: Jones Fuses pg. 110 bottom right.
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