Emike123 wrote:
> Pete, did you forget this groundburst nose section I have from the Battle of Selma?
No, I didn't forget about it. It was discussed here in this forum in a thread begun by Bart on March 31, 2011. In my opinion it is not part of an Absterdam shell, for two reasons.
First... your groundburst's fuzehole (and 1.25"-body-diameter fuze) has 16-per-inch threading ...thus, neither its threading nor its diameter match any Absterdam shell's fuzehole. It matches the threading and fuzehole-size in Eureka shells, which like the Absterdam have no known civil war COMBAT usage. In the 3-31-2011 discussion, Bart asked about the fuze's threading, and you posted a photo of your non-dug Eureka/Arick shell with that fuze in it. To refresh your memory, Bart replied "Mike, if my last post only has 14 TPI, then the one in your shell fragment will not screw into the 3" Absterdam Shell!!"
Second... although I realize you feel the tip of the iron nose is broken off, I cannot envision the shell exploding or impacting a hard object, with the impact/explosion chipping off the nose's tip, quite flatly, ALL THE WAY AROUND the fuzehole -- AND the shell's explosion breaking the flat-tipped nose into several frags. In my opinion the nose's tip's flatness all the way around the fuzehole is due to manufacture, not breakage.
> Maybe post war Yankee Occupiers went back to the battlefield and fired these rounds there too? Or maybe this late war battlesite saw their use.
There are three possible explanations:
1- the yankees defeated the Confederates at Selma with the help of some Absterdam-fuzed Eureka shells (whose fuzehole is 1.25"-diameter) ...or uknown flat-topped shells (definitely not Hotchkiss flat-top), with the unknown flat-topped shell having the same 1.25"-diameter fuzehole with 16-threads-per inch as Eureka shells
2- postwar testing at Selma
3- the 16-threads-per-inch fuze and matching 16-threads flat-topped frags were not actually dug at Selma.
In view of our esteemed friend Selma Hunter's testimony, my vote is for explanation #2.
Regards,
Pete