18th Century Lead Musket Ball (Archaeological Find)
Title:
18th Century Lead Musket Ball
Subject:
June 15, 1775
Dearest Temperance,
I cannot write much but I endeavor to give you a glimpse of what life is like in Cambridge. As the General’s secretary, my bed is in one of the rooming halls, but many of the enlisted men sleep outside in tents where I often hear them laughing and singing into the night. They have started to construct a blockade to the east of camp in case of an ambush, though we have scarce seen a Redcoat since arriving. There have been whispers of an ammunition shortage so the General ordered the removal of all the doorknobs and hinges to be melted into musket balls. There are rumors the roof of the College hall is next. It is my responsibility to keep a careful record of all camp supplies so I spent several hours this morning sorting the ammunition. While I was in the tent I heard a shot and ran outside to find two soldiers competing to see who could fire his musket the fastest. The General halved their rations for the week and told all assembled they could expect the same if they were caught wasting supplies. I will have Ezekiel deliver this letter when he rides into town tomorrow with the General’s correspondence. Please do not hasten a reply; your acceptance of this humble rumination is all the acknowledgement I need.
Yours,
Elias
Source:
Burke, Kathryn. "Letters of the Revolutionary War." Smithsonian National Postal Museum, 2017. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/letterwriting/lw02.html
Hume, Ivor. A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1969.
Ireland, Corydon. "Harvard's year of exile." Harvard Gazette, 2011. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/10/harvards-year-of-exile/
O'Rourke, Brigid. "Harvard honors its military past with tour." Harvard Gazette, 2015. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/12/harvard-honors-its-military-past-with-tour/
Sivilich, Daniel. "How to Identify Revolutionary War Musket Balls." Sciencing, 2017. http://sciencing.com/identify-revolutionary-war-musket-balls-7633630.html
Sydney Living Museums. "How musket balls are made." Youtube, 2014. https://youtu.be/iz3NZ6dL-e0
Object Name:
Lead Shot
Peabody Number:
2016.29.564
Intrasite:
H942, Level 4
Depth:
Level 4, 70-80cm
Class 1:
Metal
Class 2:
Arms
Class 3:
Ammunition
Quantity:
1
Height (cm):
NA
Width (cm):
NA
Depth/Thickness (cm):
0.9cm