40-pound Ball Shot

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Object Details

Description

On April 12, 1861 at 4:30 a.m. canon fire shattered that Friday's morning silence as the Confederates opened the Civil War with the first shot. Their target was Fort Sumter, a Union stronghold located off the coast of South Carolina. Thirty-four hours later, the fort would surrender and the Confederate forces would claim their first victory.

This 40-pound ball shot was fired from Fort Sumter. The shot was aimed at a floating battery near Sullivan's Island.

Location

Currently not on view

Credit Line

W. Hutson Ford

date made

ca 1860

ID Number

AF.10865

catalog number

10865

accession number

48535

Object Name

shot

Other Terms

shot; Ammunition, Artillery

See more items in

Military and Society: Armed Forces History, Military

Civil War

Military

Data Source

National Museum of American History

related event