RD is spot on. Having unearthed many pieces of Civil War ordnance over the last 40 years, it is not uncommon for shells to look quite unconventional when freshly unearthed. The photo posted here really tell us nothing about the identity of the shell other than it was potentially a 32-pdr. 32-pdr shells do not necessarily weigh 32 pounds. A 32-pounder solid shot will weigh 32 pounds, but a 32-pdr case shot may weigh more than 32 pounds and a 32-pdr shell may weigh less than 32 pounds. The land mines excavated around Mobile, AL had unique fuses that on their own are worth their weight in gold. If indeed it was a CW-era land mine, the experts in Hot Springs should have recognized the rarity of the piece and recommended that it be handled by real experts in the field, not cowboys intent on blowing everything up. Like RD said, unless it was placed in a furnace, the likelihood of it exploding on its own is beyond remote. Its just a shame the shell was destroyed out of ignorance—land mine or not. How it ended up in Danville is more intriguing to me. I don't buy the retreat from Prairie Grove hypothesis. It may be related to activities in the Dardenelle area late in the war. Sad indeed.

BG