A cannonball found in North Myrtle Beach by a man with a metal detector likely came to shore during a recent beach nourishment project. Its story goes back to the days of Civil War blockade runners and the ships that chased them

Recovered shell (NMB); type of fuse on shell (Tyrus Tingle); pipe and bulldozer (Dylan Burnell, USACE, Charleston District)

When you’re dredging and then dumping two million cubic yards of sand – equal to 200,000 dump truck loads – onto a 26-mile stretch of shore, small objects are bound to make it through to the beach.

That appears to have been the case when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Charleston District conducted beach renourishment in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Days after that portion of the massive Grand Strand project was completed, a metal detector enthusiast found a 20-pound Civil War-era cannonball in the popular tourist destination. A Horry County Police Department bomb squad deemed the shell – which had a fuse and likely black powder inside -- to be dangerous and neutralized it.

Desirae Gostlin, a spokesperson for North Myrtle Beach police, told the Picket “dredging is our best guess” for the reason the ordnance ended up about a foot deep in front of a resort at 48^th Avenue S. and S. Ocean Boulevard.

General vicinity of shell discovery, overlaid on USACE dredging zone map

The Corps said it could not confirm the shell went through a submerged pipeline and to the beach, where other pipes dump sand and water onto the work area. Heavy equipment then shape and grade the sand.

“Discoveries of historic ordnance during beach renourishment in the Charleston District are rare, said public affairs specialist Dylan Burnell.

Artillery shells have turned up elsewhere in the Palmetto State. For example, a Parrott round was found in 2004 at a residential construction site in Murrells Inlet, below Myrtle Beach.

While news reports focused on the metal detectorist and the fate of the cannonball, I wanted to dig into (pardon the pun) the story of the shell, which clearly was in the area of Union naval operations during the Civil War.

Jim Legg, public archaeologist for the South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA), said the shell appears to be a 32-pounder that weighed between 21 and 25 pounds. The walls were thick and most likely had a U.S. Navy watercap time fuse with an adapter for a paper fuse.

Rick Simmons, author of “Defending South Carolina's Coast: The Civil War from Georgetown to Little River,” said there was no Confederate artillery in the vicinity of where the shell was presumably dredged up a few miles off North Myrtle Beach. Back then, the coastline was sparsely populated.

So it’s almost certain the ordnance is tied to Federal forces.

Their targets were the constant flow of blockade runners trying to bring desperately needed supplies to Southern ports, notably Wilmington, N.C.

The Official Records (OR) of the conflict include numerous accounts of ships capturing or sinking blockade runners such as the Argyle, James Bailey, Florida, Nicolai I, Vesta, Scotia and the Sue.

“The area from Wilmington to Charleston was quite active, and with no Confederate batteries for about 40 miles in the middle, the Union was always patrolling” near what is now called Myrtle Beach, Simmons wrote in an email.

“My guess is that it was artillery dropped from or fired by … a Union ship,” without the round exploding, he said.

Tourist can't take find back home with him

A metal detecting hobbyist from Dudley, Mass., told News 13 in Myrtle Beach he heard an unusual sound through his headset while walking near the North Beach and Beach Cove resorts on Feb. 7. A North Myrtle Beach police officer helped uncover the object and the county bomb squad was called in.

“HCPD Bomb Squad transported it to a secure, secondary location to safely neutralize it,” Horry County director of public information Thomas Bell told the Picket. “Best determination is that the cannonball dates back to 1850-1860. It was 20 lbs. with a black powder core, so it was determined to be potentially explosive.”

The finder told the local TV station he believes the shell belongs to him because he found it on public property and it has been rendered safe. (At left, authorities at the scene; photo NMB Police)

City and county officials disagreed. People cannot possess explosive devices in South Carolina without proper permits, said Gostlin.

“Although it would definitely be a cool relic to own, the cannonball was not taken home by anyone,” North Myrtle Beach Police said in a Facebook post. “Whether an item is historic or not, if it’s suspected to be explosive, it must be treated as live until professionals determine otherwise. Public safety always comes first.”

Bell said county police cannot release military munitions to the public, even upon demolition. The remains of the shell, he added, will be sent to Shaw Air Force Base.

State underwater archaeologist Jim Spirek said, unfortunately, bomb squads typically destroy ordnance if a fuse is found. “CW ordnance is quite harmless and when proper techniques are applied (they) can be ‘inerted’ safely and saved for study, display, etc.” He mentioned the conservation of scores of fused artillery shells found in the wreckage of the CSS Georgia in Savannah, Ga.

I asked Bell whether the county considered doing the same with this artillery round.

“HCPD places public safety as the highest priority when it comes to such incidents. Due to the nature of the cannonball, HCPD made the determination that disposal was the safest route,” he replied.

There weren't beachgoers back in the day

Now, back to informed speculation about the cannonball.

Spirek, who has conducted numerous studies of Civil War shipwrecks, echoed Simmons’ assertion there were no Yankee or Rebel batteries erected along this specific stretch of the South Carolina coastline.

“Perhaps a small sailing vessel was coming/in out when spotted by a Union warship on patrol that took a pot shot or two at the vessel, or even at a Confederate cavalry patrol. If dredged farther off the coast, then perhaps a shell from one of the running chases between Union blockaders and Confederate blockade runners,” the archaeologist wrote in an email.

Locations of two Rebel forts overlaid on current U.S. Geological Survey map; click to enlarge

Simmons, who has written numerous books and teaches writing and history at the Georgetown (S.C.) School of Arts and Sciences, described the wartime scenario in the region.

The Union navy shelled Fort Ward at Murrells Inlet relentlessly in late 1862 and early 1863. Above that, Fort Randall was positioned at Little River right near the North Carolina border. (Below, the Union's USS Monticello)

“In between you had a long 40-mile stretch of.....nothing. Technically, that whole area from above Georgetown to the North Carolina line is a big island, and if you think about it there are bridges that access the Grand Strand now in Georgetown, leading into Myrtle, and up at OD/North Myrtle. But at the time, it was difficult to get across as there were no real bridges.”

Only Murrells Inlet and Little River were ports, hence the two small, three-gun batteries at those locations.

“There were a few light artillery companies that floated around the district such as the Waccamaw Light Artillery and Santee Light Artillery and others, but while they did engage Union ships on occasion once they entered the rivers (such as the Black, Sampit, Pee Dee, Waccamaw), I don't recall ever seeing anything about them trying to engage Union ships along the coast,” Simmons wrote.

So that puts Federal gunfire on a blockade runner as the most likely scenario for the artifact.

Simmons first thought perhaps it was related to the long chase of the blockade runner Margaret and Jesse in 1863. The USS Nansemond and other vessels captured the vessel in the vicinity and likely opened fire. The author now says they may have nabbed the prize farther out to sea.

How the dredge may have sent round to shore

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced one day before the discovery of the artillery shell it had completed the North Myrtle Beach phase of the beach renourishment. Work on Myrtle Beach follows. (You can follow the project at this tracker)

“The $72 million project is fully funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is designed to reduce the risk to life and protect critical infrastructure behind the dunes along the Grand Strand,” the agency said.

I asked Burnell, the spokesperson for the Charleston District, to describe the process, given my curiosity about how the cannonball may have made its way ashore.

Basically, a dredge loosens sand and pumps it through a pipeline to the beach. The system transports dredged material (a mixture of sand and water) from the offshore borrow area to the shoreline.

“If an object is within the borrow area and small enough to pass through the system, it could be transported with the sand. However, we cannot confirm that this occurred in this instance,” Burnell said. (At left, another view of the shell; North Myrtle Beach Police)

At the end of the pipeline, a deflector directs the material into a temporary containment dike. Within the dike, the sand-water slurry spreads out, allowing the sand to settle while the excess water gradually drains back toward the ocean. 

After sufficient dewatering occurs, bulldozers and other heavy equipment shape and grade the sand in accordance with the project’s engineered template, restoring the beach to its designed elevation and profile.

Pipelines used to distribute sand on the shore at North Myrtle Beach (Dylan Burnell, USACE)

Burnell said the USACE wasn’t involved with the discovery of the cannonball or investigation.

Still, it has some advice.

“We appreciate the public’s vigilance and encourage anyone who encounters a suspicious object on the beach to avoid handling it and notify local authorities.”

Artillery shell after bomb squad set off small explosion to disarm (North Myrtle Beach Police)

Drones pinpoint buried treasure in the form of Confederate blockade runners that ran aground in Charleston and have since disappeared under shifting sands

Archaeology team at work on beach (SCIAA), map of wreck sites (U.S. Coast Survey),.wreck of Celt (Library of Congress)

As the Union’s nautical noose tightened around Charleston, blockade runners daring to bring vital goods to the Confederacy typically  took the shortest route into the harbor, sailing close to Fort Moultrie on the southwestern tip of Sullivan’s Island.

But first, enterprising captains likely weighed the risk/reward ratio of using Maffitt’s (or Beach) Channel to enter or leave the besieged city.

Pros: Straighter shot into the harbor and protected by a string of Confederate batteries along Sullivan's Island to keep Union blockaders at bay;

Cons: Tricky to make the passage into the harbor due to a jetty off Fort Moultrie that created unique currents and counter-currents. 

And there was another downside, says South Carolina underwater archaeologist Jim Spirek.

“100-pdr Parrott and other shells heading your way if spotted by the Union batteries on Morris Island after the fall of Battery Wagner.”

Click map to see Main Channel, Battery Wagner and Fort Moultrie area (U.S. Coast Survey)

So it’s no surprise numerous blockade runners ended up littering the shore or shallow waters. Some were sunk by enemy fire while others intentionally (or not) ran aground.

While the whereabouts of many are known, the state wanted to know more about four that are no longer visible, Spirek told the Civil War Picket. His office this week announced it used drones to conduct a survey of the “forgotten” wreck sites.

“Because Sullivan’s Island has been marching steadily southward in the area around Ft. Moultrie since the construction of the Charleston Harbor jetties, what once was water for ships to wreck in is now dry land,” said a social media post.

“The remains of these vessels are now buried deep below the beach and adjacent woodlot. Our drone was able to fly over the rough coastal terrain with its attached magnetometer, and detected the magnetic anomalies of two (or three) of the four historically recorded wrecks. Knowing the precise locations will help to preserve our knowledge of this part of Charleston’s history for future generations.”

Archaeologists believe they have located the “magnetic anomalies” of the Celt and the Beatrice or Flora (or both). The blockade runner Presto did not show, but is believed to be buried, like the others, below about 5 feet of sand. (At right, a jetty near Fort Moultrie is highlighted)

“The situation of shipwrecks appearing and then disappearing again is very typical of this type of sandy shoreline,” Civil War naval expert Andy Hall told the Picket. “Wrecks come and go (seemingly) as alternate cycles of erosion and accretion expose and rebury them."

The announcement was first reported by McClatchy News.

Engineers moved to keep Ft. Moultrie from eroding

Spirek, other archaeologists and historians have studied harbors along the Atlantic Coast and forces that present opportunities and challenges for shipping.

Charleston Harbor is behind Fort Moultrie fortifications in this NPS photo

I came across a fascinating article by local historian Nic Butler while researching this post. Entitled “Navigating the Bar of Charleston Harbor: Gateway to the Atlantic,” the piece describes shifting sandbars, silting and dangerous currents. Dredging, skilled captains and beacons countered some of the threats.

“Thanks to the construction of an artificial channel through two massive stone jetties, South Carolina’s principal port continues to flourish,” Butler writes.

The federal government got involved in safeguarding navigation in the first half of the 19^th century, when Fort Moultrie was endangered because of severe erosion. Works on the jetties and dredging began. Capt. Andrew Bowman of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a jetty and breakwaters off Fort Moultrie to help stave off erosion.

But the Bowman and North Charleston jetties also had a negative effect, building up sand around them and reducing the depth of water ships could work with.

During the Union blockade, multiple ships ran aground off Sullivan’s Island as they traversed Maffitt's Channel (named for Rebel commerce raider John Newland Maffitt, right).

“Based on geo-referencing an 1865 nautical chart that marked the location of shipwrecks, obstructions, etc. in and around the harbor onto the modern landscape, (the evidence) suggested that four blockade runners were now buried on the beach,” said Spirek.

These four blockade runners met their doom here

The state’s Maritime Research Division this fall deployed drones over beach areas near Fort Moultrie. They were equipped with magnetometers.

Survey looked for Celt, Presto, Beatrice and Flora, mislabeled as Flamingo (SCIAA)

“The magnetometer detects the earth's ambient magnetic field and we use the tool to detect fluctuations, or anomalies, in the field caused by ferromagnetic metals, and in this case, three large iron-hulled blockade runners and one wooden-hulled,” said Spirek, adding no pieces of wreckage were found. “The Celt was reportedly last seen in the early 1980s.”

Below is a closer look at each of the four blockade runners. It's important to note that Union forces seized Morris Island in September 1863, allowing them to fire long-range artillery at vessels approaching Charleston

Celt: The steamboat was lost Feb. 14, 1865, when it tried to leave Charleston Harbor. Celt had run ashore near the breakwater at Fort Moultrie several days before the evacuation of the harbor by Confederate forces. “Inspection by the Union navy after the Confederate evacuation found a valuable load of cotton aboard, of which 190 bales were subsequently recovered and sent north, with the remainder to follow,” says a 2012 report for the American Battlefield Protection Program.

Hall, in his Dead Confederates blog, wrote this about the Celt after examining a Library of Congress photo (above) of its wreckage:

“There’s some interesting detail in the photograph that hint at the vessel’s origins as a local craft built under the exigencies of wartime. Celt has two engines that, while partially submerged, appear to be arranged as in a Western Rivers boat, and the valving shown looks to be almost identical. Such engines were reliable and simple but not overly efficient. They also operated under very high pressure compared to most seagoing ships, and so may have required a more robust set of boilers. Similarly, the paddlewheels are of very simple construction, with wooden arms and fixed floats (paddle blades). As with the engines, this is a very basic design, easy to build and maintain, but not efficient and somewhat coarse by shipbuilding standards of the time.”  

Interesting, a second shipwreck appears to be in the photo's background.

Beatrice: This iron screw steamer was lost on Nov. 27-28, 1864, when it came under heavy Federal fire and grounded on Drunken Dick Shoal while it was approaching the city. A local newspaper, the Charleston Mercury, summarized what happened: Bound from Nassau, the Beatrice had grounded on the beach of Sullivan’s Island during a fog earlier that morning. The steamer on attempting to enter the harbor was surrounded by Union picket barges which kept up a constant fire of grape and musketry on the vessel. The captain and eight of the crew to Battery Rutledge just as Union sailors boarded the vessel. Thirty of the crew were unaccounted for and thought captured.

Flora: The recent survey suggests the remains of the Beatrice and Flora might be next to each other (image above of magnetic field at that area, Maritime Research Division). Flora, a sidewheel steamer, grounded on Oct. 22, 1864. The crew was pursued long before reaching South Carolina and had to dump its cargo to speed away. Things really became hairy as it approached Charleston. “Passing the inner picket boats the vessel grounded in shallow water on the south side of Beach Channel. Stuck fast and impossible to refloat, the steamer was spotted in the daylight and the Union batteries on Morris Island began shelling the vessel,” according to Spirek. (Flora was mistakenly called Flamingo by the Union navy.)

Presto: The Scottish-built sidewheeler struck the wreckage of the Minho off Fort Moultrie on Feb. 2, 1864. It ran ashore while trying to enter the harbor. Federal monitors fired up the Presto, and Confederate batteries answered. By 1 p.m., the mainmast was cut away and the vessel was in flames. Several shells passed through below the waterline and most likely damaged machinery and cargo. The wreck was bombarded for a couple of more days causing the vessel to burn to the waterline. Confederate troops later salvaged sardines, jellies, fruit and liquor.

“I'm not sure why we didn’t locate Presto, as I know that it isn’t in the water,” said Spirek. 

At high tide, most of the Celt would be underwater, but the Beatrice/Flora would still be dry, officials said. Most of the Celt appears to be buried in the intertidal zone although the forward end of the wreck would still be under land rather than submerged at high water,” said Spirek.

Safeguarding, but no excavations planned

Summarizing the latest drone surveys, the archaeologist said the aim was to determine the presence or absence of the blockade runners.

Portion of Bowman's Jetty remnants with buoy (Courtesy A Civil War Traveler)

“Back in 2001 and again in 2009, we had undertaken marine remote-sensing operations to locate these four and other blockade runners in the water. While detecting several adjacent to Bowman's Jetty, we did not appear to locate the four, which gave us the idea that they were now buried under the accreted beach.”

There are no plans to conduct excavations of the presumed sites. 

“Now that we know the approximate positions of the two or three wrecks, we want to fly over them in a single flight to get a nice magnetic record of each one. We'll enter the information into the State Archaeological Site Files for record-keeping purposes and then just monitor the sites for any changes, such as erosion that may uncover portions of the wreck.” 

Search area and shifting shoreline (SCIAA-Maritime Research Division)