Hot Shot Furnace & Shell House

Hot Shot Furnace and Shell House. Gateway to the Confederate Capital. This partially collapsed structure is what remains of Fort Huger's shell house. This was a long enclosure covered with a thick layer of earth which served as the storage shelter for the fort's ammunition supply, specifically the exploding shells charged with black powder and armed with a timed fuse. Solid iron shot coated with a protective layer of coal tar could be safely stored outside next to the cannons, but the more sensitive exploding shells had to be protected from the effects of adverse weather. Fuses, once wet, could not function properly., On the left are the scattered brick remnants of Fort Huger's shot furnace. This structure was one of several blown up by the retreating Confederates as reported in period dispatches. Such ovens were standard in all seacoast defense forts. Solid iron cannonballs, mostly of the 32-pound size, were heated over a coal fire within this furnace. The artillery crew loaded this hot shot onto a metal cradle and then quickly loaded the ball into the muzzle of charged cannon. This dangerous and delicate procedure and subsequent accurate aim and firing could set wooden-hulled ships on fire - but it was not a successful technique for ironclads such as the Galena. (captions) , Above left: Rendering of a hot shot furnace Below left: Nearly complete slate roofing tile with nail holes Courtesy of James River Institute for Archaeology from 2009 archaeological testing , Left: Fragment of brick with manufacturer's stamp "RF"Courtesy of James River Institute for Archaeology from 2009 archaeological testing