Piece of Wood with Inset .58 Caliber Minie Ball

Piece of Wood with Inset .58 Caliber Minie Ball

United States -- Texas -- Williamson County.
War (Civil War).

This piece of wood features a .58 caliber minie ball deeply embedded in a piece of wood. Invented by the French army officer Claude-Etienne Minié in 1849, minie balls revolutionized battle. They were smaller than the diameter of the rifle and thus, easy to load. They were also extremely deadly due to their size and expansion upon being fired. This type of ammunition was often used with the Springfield Model 1861 rifled musket.

“Minie Ball”. The History Channel. http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/minie-ball

1860s

This collection is courtesy of Tommy Gonzalez. We would like to thank him for the generosity he has shown the museum.

All photographs are courtesy of Georgene Richaud. Georgene, thank you for your contribution!

All rights to the images are held by Tommy Gonzalez. This image is posted for non-profit educational purposes, excluding printed publication. For permission to reproduce images and/or for copyright information, contact The Williamson Museum, 716 S. Austin Ave, Georgetown, TX 78626.

http://williamsonmuseum.org

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