Also known as: spherical case, shrapnel.
| Class | Antipersonnel projectile (smoothbore) |
|---|---|
| Construction | Hollow iron sphere, lead balls, and a central bursting charge |
| Fuze | Time fuze, commonly the Bormann |
| Origin of concept | Attributed to Henry Shrapnel, hence "shrapnel" |
Design
Spherical case shot was a thin-walled iron sphere containing a quantity of lead balls, often set in a matrix, with a central bursting charge sufficient to break the case and disperse the balls without checking their forward motion. A time fuze, most often the flat Bormann, set the height of burst.
The pattern derived from the antipersonnel projectile developed by Henry Shrapnel, whose name attached to the class. Recovered examples are recognized by the spherical iron body, the fuze seat, and the internal balls and matrix when the case is broken.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- Melton, Jack W., Jr. Civil War Artillery Projectiles: The Half Shell Book. Blue Ridge, GA: Historical Publications LLC, 2018.
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.
- Gibbon, John. The Artillerist's Manual. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1860.