July 16, 2008 — It’s not everyday when a person discovers a Civil War cannonball in amongst the garden greens and veggies, but that’s exactly what Robert Buckler of Olive Hill found during a day of tilling up his soil.
And after 40 years of plowing the same piece of property, up out of the ground it came July 2, when Buckler was working his ground in hopes of simply harvesting a good crop of vegetables.
It seemed peculiar, but the busy Buckler tossed it to the side until after finishing his work.
Buckler’s wife Shirley, who has worked in genealogy for some time, told her husband it could be a cannonball and possibly dangerous. “It was about the size of a softball,” he said. “I washed it off and even tapped it on the concrete. Shirley said it could be a cannonball and possibly dangerous if it contained black powder.”
Bomb technician Hilton Hastings was called to examine the relic and after taking the cannonball to check it for black powder, the Buckler’s were notified that their finding was solid and of no danger to anyone.
But then mystery began to evolve around the Civil War piece. Where did it come from and who fired the shot? Mrs. Buckler began emailing some people she knew who might be able to answer some of her questions.
After sending a photo of the cannonball to Maj. Vincent Barker, a historian and Civil War reenactor from Appleton, Wis., Mrs. Buckler was told some interesting information about the piece.
“He said it appeared to be from a M1841 smoothbore, and was a workhorse in the Mexican War and used heavily by the Confederates during the Civil War,” Buckler said.
Given the constant movement of the Union and Confederate forces in the Olive Hill area during the late 1800s, Barker also said the cannonball could have been fired from any number of units – but most likely from a rebel cannon.
Marlitta Perkins, Civil War historian and reenactor who is certified as an artillerist with the national Civil War Artillery Association, also sent information to the Bucklers concerning the cannonball.
Perkins also agreed it may have been shot from a Confederate gun rather than a Federal one. Although she did say it might have been shot by home guards from a six-pound smoothbore left over from the Mexican War.
When asked what they might do with their Civil War relic, the Buckler’s said they are undecided at this time. “We all own it in this community, but the Lord has made Bob the keeper of it,” Mrs. Buckler commented. “We are not sure what we will do right now, but it’s certainly interesting.”
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