At the October 1862 Battle of Corinth, an 8-inch siege howitzer fired massive spherical case rounds, hollow shells packed with a small bursting charge and 450 .69-caliber balls, designed to explode over concentrated troops and scatter destructive bullets across the enemy. Hurled more than a mile by a four-pound gunpowder charge, these were among the heaviest projectiles used in the two-day battle, and Union forces had four of the weapons in Batteries Madison, Phillips, and Williams among the 169 artillery pieces that saw action. On October 4, gunners in Battery Madison opened fire in this direction to stop a Confederate breakthrough, but thick smoke made accurate aiming difficult, and some rounds burst over Union infantry of the 2nd Division, killing many. Brigadier General Thomas Davies recalled that one of these large shells grazed a staff officer beside him before taking off the legs of two soldiers in front of him, prompting him to send two orderlies to beg the battery commander to hold fire for the enemy.

Photo: Anonymous

Photo: Tom Bosse

Photo: Tom Bosse