12-pounder Solid Shot on Original Sabot

Federal

Spherical

DIAMETER: 4.50 inches
GUN: 12-pounder smoothbore, 4.62-inch caliber
LENGTH: 5 1/8 inches including sabot
WEIGHT: 12 pounds 5 ounces
CONSTRUCTION: Solid shot
SABOT: Wooden cup
FUZING: None

This example is non-excavated and rests on its original wooden sabot. This is the most common solid shot projectile of any caliber used during the Civil War by both the Federal and Confederate forces. The ball is secured to the sabot by two crossed iron straps nailed to the wooden cup. The cartridge bag or powder bag was tied to the groove cut into the base of the sabot. After attachment of the powder charge, the round was referred to as fixed ammunition. The 12-pounder Napoleon smoothbore cannon firing a 12-pound solid shot with 2.5 pounds of service charge at five degrees elevation had a range of 1,680 yards.

The example below is a fixed 12-pounder Bormann fuzed ball. This is similar to how fixed-ammunition was manufactured during the Civil War.

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