Civil War cannonball explodes, kills Va. relic collector

Going into the history books at this point in history as the last fatality of the Civil War is a tragic - and dubious - achievement at best, but what is truly amazing is that the thing went off 140-some years after the fact.

Yet we cannot even come close to protecting the boys and girls in Iraq from those creepy roadside bombs. Maybe we can find a 160-year-old veteran of the Civil War to run the Pentagon.

You can find this stuff all over southern battlefeilds in Maryland and any other southern state battlefield. Never heard of one exploding though.

Anyone that fools with military weapons, mines and ammunition without proper training are just plain nuts. I have observed folks aware of the dangers and even trained get killed and maimed from fooling with this deadly material. The key is-DON'T then get an expert to help even though it may cost a few bucks.

As fang guy said, this kind of crap is all over the world, a lot by us americans. Another 200 years and it will still be happening. God bless us.

"The key is-DON'T then get an expert to help even though it may cost a few bucks."

Sam White WAS an expert. The expert you would hire would be a guy like him.

what a dumbass.

I've been pulling the pins out of my WWII hand grenades to check if they're duds.

I don't understand why that is news. This happened in February. Yes, it's interesting, but why is this story running now?

The War of Northern Aggression claims another victim. At least, I think so, since the story doesn't say which side manufactured the cannonball. At least Mr. White got the true Civil War experience he was looking for.

Fang Guy wrote:

Going into the history books at this point in history as the last fatality of the Civil War is a tragic - and dubious - achievement at best, but what is truly amazing is that the thing went off 140-some years after the fact.
Yet we cannot even come close to protecting the boys and girls in Iraq from those creepy roadside bombs. Maybe we can find a 160-year-old veteran of the Civil War to run the Pentagon.

Soldiers fight and fighting sometimes means dieing. That what soldiers do.

We don't need to go all the way to Iraq for goodeness sake! Just take a trip down 795 to Baltimore City and see how many people are dieing there at the hands and bullets of black thugs.

These are civilian deaths in a city that once was apparently part of the U.S. mainlaind.

Mor people have been murdered or died of overdoses in Baltimore City in the last 15 years then have died in Iraq.

Perhaps we need to take a look at that mess first and fire the leadership down there. I wonder what party has held power there since 1960? Don't just fire those losers but try them for a conspiracy to foster mass murder and then doing nothing but raising taxes to prevent it. That is the true crime of the 21st century.

arbuckle wrote:

The War of Northern Aggression claims another victim. At least, I think so, since the story doesn't say which side manufactured the cannonball. At least Mr. White got the true Civil War experience he was looking for.

The War of Northern Aggression? LOL. Yo, bud, I hate to break it to you, but you clowns started it, not us.

Still, times have changed, and should the south wish to secede again, this time we'll be more than happy to let the door smack your butt on your way out. In other words, this time it's goodbye and good riddance!

Vox wrote:

<quoted text>
Just take a trip down 795 to Baltimore City and see how many people are dieing there at the hands and bullets of black thugs.

Thanks for sharing. I haven't run into a racist in one of these forums in what seems like ... oh, minutes now! Fortunately for all of us, there is, of course, no such thing as white thugs!

Another southern sympathizer, no doubt.

I'm amazed that neither the article nor any of the posts mentioned the fact that digging up Civil War artifacts in National Battlefields and Parks is ILLEGAL. You can't dig up artifacts, of ANY kind, in these places. Doing so can get you hefty fines, confiscation of property used to do the looting (tools, trucks, etc.), and even jail time! Now, the article doesn't specifically say that Mr. White himself dug on national lands, but it certainly doesn't say otherwise. It's just disappointing that so many people dig up these items so they can sit in cabinets or garages where no one else has the chance to view them when, in fact, they can still teach us much about the war and individual battles. I went to a presentation once where archaeologists had plotted all the ammunition they uncovered from a battlefield on a map and were able to see how the battle occurred - when each side advanced, what kind of artillery was used, and what mistakes were made. It was fascinating -- and impossible to do if people dig up the ammunition for their own personal collections!
Digging on private lands is, of course, not illegal, but I urge everyone to consider what's being lost versus what's being gained by digging up shells and bullets that no one will ever be able to learn from. Why not contact an archaeologist from your local college or university to see if they're interested in conducting a survey or investigation? They may even welcome volunteers, such as yourself, to assist! Why not conduct research into the battle or battles and publish the info in a local volume or newspaper? Why not share the information with everyone so all can learn rather than hoarding it for yourself?
History belongs to everyone, not just to those with metal detectors.