This is a great piece of history! It is an original Civil War mortar shell. This is the large size that was designed for the 8 inch mortar that was a mainstay for the heavy artillery units of the Civil War. This one is in very nice shape and is in almost non-excavated condition with faint traces of the original black paint hanging on. On the top of the ball it has the large open hole that the wooden fuse holder would have gone when it was going to be shot. On each side of this fuse hole it has the tong holes. This is where the lifting tongs would have inserted to make loading this heavy ball easier. This is a wonderful addition to an already fantastic Civil War artillery projectile.