Opinions sought on a Gettysburg shell.

[Lamar]

I have a 3-inch type II Hotchkiss shell found in Ziegler's Grove at Gettysburg. It was part of the Geiselman collection, has his museum listing, & was sold by The Horse Soldier, with a letter backing up the Guiselman connection. It's in "relic condition" - I'll try to attach a photo or two. I'm assuming the provenance is solid, and that the shell was recovered in Ziegler's Grove.

Ziegler's Grove was on the Union right at the time of the July 3 charge on Cemetery Ridge (it's where the former Visitor's Center was located). Union artillery located there fired on the Pickett - Pettigrew - Trimble charge. I don't believe any Confederate soldiers reached Ziegler's Grove on July 3, and I don't think Confederate soldiers were there on July 2. (Confederate soldiers did advance to the copse of trees on the evening of July 2, captured several Yankee pieces on the way, but were repulsed, and the captured pieces were left behind.)

Why was a fired Hotchkiss shell found in Ziegler's Grove? Was it an errant shot fired from a Union rifle to the south? Was it a captured shell fired by a Confederate rifle at the Union forces in the grove? (How much ammunition was captured, and used by the capturing forces, at Gettysburg, and elsewhere during the war?)

Any thoughts anyone can share?

[Pete George]

  Because we know that Lee's army captured significant quantities of artillery ammunition from the yankees at Chancellorsville, just two months before Gettysburg, it is definitely within the realm of possibility that the Ziegler's Grove 3" Hotchkiss was fired by the Confederates.

  Long ago in Georgia, I dug a 3" Hotchkiss shell which was definitely fired by the Confederates.  In addition to the specific dig-location (fired into the yankee lines), its sabot had 12-groove rifling marks -- and only the Confederates manufactured a 3" Rifle with 12-groove rifling.

  Unfortunately, the 7-groove rifling on the Ziegler's Grove Hotchkiss doesn't tell us who fired it.  That rifling is from a US 3" Ordnance Rifle ...and the Confederates captured a LOT of those, starting a 1st Manassas in 1861.  Confederate artillerymen loved to get their hands on those, because the Confederates themselves viewed the US 3" Ordnance Rifle as being significantly superior to CS-made rifled cannons.

  By the way, I can tell from the shape of its nose-tip that it is a Case-Shot.

Regards,
Pete