For The Archer Lovers Out There

[CarlS]

Hello,

I just finished cleaning an Archer bolt and it just has that look that makes the iron guys go wow!  I think the lead heads will even enjoy this one since it has a lead band around it!  How I wish I had cleaned this for my collection but the owner seems intent on keeping it.  Too bad because he has more than one.

This is a 3-inch Archer bolt and is rare as can be.  It is found on page 86 of Jack Melton and Lawrence Pawl's "Introduction to Field Artillery Ordnance 1861-1865".  You can find it on page 76 of Tom Dickey and Pete George's 1993 Edition of "Field Artillery Projectiles of the American Civil War" where Pete refers to it as "One of the rarest Archers".

The iron is excellent and you can distinctively see the sprue on the base and the mould mark up both sides.  Of special interest is the nice white lead sabot with the lube groove around the top.   It even still has the nice white ridge in the groove from the mould.  It's even nicer looking in person than my images can portray.

I hope you enjoy! 

Side View:


Top View:


Bottom View:

[Daveslem]

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's shell. It's a beauty. The whiteness of the sabot is pretty wild. Good job, Carl.

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

You did a great job on a great projectile.
Regards,
John

[jonpatterson]

WOW  Somebody is going to be proud to have that one on display. The rest of us came dream....

[CarlS]

That projectile looked great before cleaning.  Were it mine I might have left it with that nice dug look but the owner wanted it to match the others he has which I fully understand. 

I also forgot to point out that this is one of the few Archer's with lathe marks.  What is particularly interesting about that is the body is cast slightly undersize so it doesn't need lathed but the sabot is lathed to size leaving it slightly larger than the projectile body.  This is clearly seen with the lathe marks on the lead sabot and yet the mould seam still visible on the iron body which would have been removed by lathing.

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Carl,
  I don't have my reference books with me here in FL.  What makes this Archer so rare?
Regards,
John

[Ripcon]

One word says it all: STUNNING!

[CarlS]

John,

I suspect the rarity is that there have only been so many found.  I'd guess based on just what I've seen there are less than a dozen of them; I don't think I've ever even seen more than 4 or 5 with this guy having 3.  I'm sure there are more than that but not many.  Perhaps Mike and some of the other collectors might chime in indicating they've seen more.

As Pete theorized in his book that given the difference in shape (rounded nose) and the use of the lathe as opposed to other Archers, this pattern was very likely the product of some small deep south manufacturing site that may have only supplied troops in the south Georgia, South Alabama, Carolina and Florida where most were found (near Jacksonville).

[scottfromgeorgia]

Lovely job, Carl. Good work in preserving this piece of our heritage for another 200 years.

[divedigger]

I agree with the rest. That is an outstanding cleaning. Good job Carl

[gflower]

Carl,
Did these come from around Olustee? Thanks Gary

[CarlS]

Gary,

I'm not positive of the recovery site but Tom and Pete's book indicate they are found at St. John's Bluff which I think is in the Jacksonville area.

[speedenforcer]

yes, St. Johns Bluff is in Jacksonville.

[Steve Phillips]

I have three of these and did have four before trading one to Mike. They are from about six miles from Tallahassee.
Steve Phillips

[John D. Bartleson Jr.]

Hi Steve, good to hear from you again.  will you post some of your archers?
Regards,
John