ABSTRACT
This chapter offers identifiable information associated with ordnance designed and manufactured prior to 1900. Winston Churchill said to the House of Commons in 1948, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” an understanding of how ordnance began and subsequently developed is critical. The good news is that historic ordnance can be safely inspected and, though sometimes difficult due to the loss of records, it can also be accurately identified. When discussing historic ordnance, the difference between canister and grapeshot is primarily the size of the balls being fired, with grapeshot consisting of fewer balls of larger diameter. Every piece of ordnance used is the result of evolutionary processes running for years or centuries. When advancements in the field of chemistry result in new explosive materials, new engineering designs are seen in the shapes and configurations of ordnance.
