Civil War Cannon Shell

This Civil War cannon shell, on display at the museum, was found in Scott County. Not to be confused with a cannon ball which is solid on the inside, hollow shells like these were used against enemy forces by exploding into shrapnel when fired from a cannon. Isaac Griffith, one of the few men from Scott County to fight for the Confederacy, remembered in his 79th year his experience with a shell like this. "On our return through the (Cumberland) Gap wee campd at Tasville at the last of October in the morning the snow was about 5 inceas deep, when wee was getting beakfast some fool picked up a bomb shell and had it for a dog iron. It exsploed and killed three men."

Isaac Griffith was born on Brimstone Creek in Scott County in 1836. He joined the Confederate Army in 1862 and was one of the handful of men from the area to do so. He moved to Bradley County after the war.

Burial place of Isaac Griffith in Bradley County, TN.

Information taken from 1915 Confederate Veteran's Questionnaire completed by Isaac Griffith.  Photo two taken from a First National Bank Chronicle article about the Griffith Family  FNB Chronicle Vol. 6 No. 3 Spring of 1995.  Photo three courtesy of findagrave.com.