Confederate

Dahlgren

 

DIAMETER: 6.3 inches
GUN: Rifled and banded 32-pounder Smoothbore, 6.4-inch Caliber
LENGTH: 11 1/2 inches
WEIGHT: About 50 pounds, sabot missing
CONSTRUCTION: Common Shell
SABOT: Lead, missing
FUZING: Confederate Water Cap

This projectile bears a very strong resemblance to the Federal Navy Dahlgren.  It has about 2/3rd's of the projectile body machined to bore size, with four vertical milled slots, ending about an inch from the projectile base.  The exact purpose of these slot is unknown, possibly to minimize friction while passing through the gun bore and obtaining a higher velocity.