University of Alabama History Professor Speaks About Cannonballs Found On Campus
It’s not every day you stumble upon a 150-year-old relic. But that’s what happened last week when a sidewalk repair crew at the University of Alabama uncovered 10 Civil War era cannonballs buried in the ground. The university called in a bomb squad as a precaution but the cannonballs were removed without incident. WBHM’s Stephanie Beckett spoke with University of Alabama history professor Harold Selesky about why they probably came from that time period.
Why Civil War?
Looking at a cannonball, there’s no definitive way to tell exactly what time period it came from.
However, Selesky says it’s a safe bet that the cache of cannonballs is a leftover surprise from the Civil War.
“It is more likely than not that they are from that time period,” he says, “given the level of military activity is highest on campus during those years.”
The Danger
Cannonballs were made in two ways: solid and hollow.
Selesky says solid cannonballs aren’t dangerous, but because hollow ones were usually filled with gunpowder, they can be.
“The idea is to explode the shell over the enemy,” he says, “causing damage.”
However, he says after decades of being buried underground, water and erosion would probably render the gunpowder ineffective.
How They Got There
Selesky says Confederate soldiers probably stored the cache of cannonballs underground until needed — but then forgot about them.
“As the university grew up basically around it,” he says, “nobody knew it was there; ultimately found by serendipity [when] the sidewalk had to be replaced.”
What This Tells Us
Selesky says information about the cache’s origins will probably come to light after the cannonballs are studied and archives are looked at to try and place them in a more specific time period.
“There’s no definitive way to understand what these were,” he says, “but there are better guesses.”
However, he also says that it’s unlikely historians will ever actually be able to place the cannonballs at an exact date.
“But in general,” he says, “I think you can figure out why they’re there, what happened, and something about their history.”
Photo by Internet Archive Book Images
Coco Gauff wins the French Open to claim her 2nd Grand Slam title
The 21-year-old American star battled back over three sets to defeat the world's top-ranked player, Aryna Sabalenka. Gauff is the first American to win at Roland-Garros since Serena Williams in 2015.
Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage in Gaza
Israel said it had retrieved the body of Nattapong Pinta, who was abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. He had come to Israel to work in agriculture.
A former police chief who escaped from an Arkansas prison is captured
A former police chief and convicted killer known as the "Devil in the Ozarks" was captured by law enforcement 1.5 miles from the prison he escaped from following a nearly two-week-long manhunt.
Should federal rental aid come with a time limit? Here’s how it works in one place
The Trump administration wants to allow a cutoff date for housing subsidies. The plan is deeply controversial, but Delaware offers a potential model for success.
4 takeaways from Erin Patterson’s testimony at her toxic mushroom triple murder trial
Patterson is accused of putting death cap mushrooms in a meal she served her estranged husband's relatives in July 2023, killing three. She took the stand in Week 6 of the trial gripping Australia.
Torture and treason trials: what’s happening in Tanzania?
Tanzania's government is facing growing accusations of repression after prominent human rights defenders say they were beaten and sexually assaulted while in custody.