Fuses. Cutting fuses was an art. Sometimes the fuses were cut short so the balls (which were hollow and filled with powder) would explode over the enemy troops, raining down deadly shrapnel. Sometimes the fuses were cut longer so the balls would explode on the ground. Solid shot was also used and, of course, did not explode. Solid shot was aimed so that it would skip low along the ground through formations of enemy troops. Canister was also used and was particularly deadly when discharged point blank into approaching troops. Imagine a five pound coffee can filled with metal balls about the size of golf balls. Canister turned cannons into giant shotguns. Often, loads of "double canister" were used to wipe holes in the lines. Jared E. Billings Festus-Crystal City, ,MO ----- Original Message ----- From: Barbara Lemley To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 6:15 AM Subject: [MO-CW] Cannon balls Could someone tell me what caused the powder filled cannon balls to detonate on impact? Did they have the ability to explode in mid-air? ==== MO-CW Mailing List ==== "We ran like a herd of wild cattle." William C. Oates ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237