Sam White’s lifelong passion for Civil War relics came to a tragic end in February 2008 when a cannonball he was restoring unexpectedly exploded in his driveway in Chester, Virginia. A resident of a Richmond suburb characterized by its verdant settings and historical backdrop, White was no stranger to the artifacts of conflict, having spent his adult life hunting for wartime remnants beneath the Southern soil and waterways. His deadly encounter with history underscores a sobering reminder of the dormant yet volatile remnants of America’s past that still lie hidden beneath its surface.
White was among a close-knit fraternity of relic hunters who trudge through former battlegrounds with metal detectors and shovels, unearthing echoes of a bygone era. Harry Ridgeway, a fellow relic enthusiast, noted the ubiquity of these battlefields: “There just aren’t many areas in the South in which battlefields aren’t located. They’re literally under your feet.” White’s expertise and meticulous work had led to the restoration of approximately 1,600 artillery shells for both collectors and museums.
The cannonball that claimed White’s life had retained its lethality more than a century after the Civil War. The explosion sent shrapnel as far as a quarter-mile, striking the front porch of a nearby house. Retired Col. John F. Biemeck from the Army Ordnance Corps described the rarity of such an event, saying, “You can’t drop these things on the ground and make them go off.” The blast served as a chilling demonstration of the unpredictability of such artifacts.
The Civil War, which saw Union and Confederate forces exchange roughly 1.5 million artillery shells, left behind numerous “duds” that failed to detonate—up to twenty percent, by some estimates. The black powder within, requiring high temperatures and friction to ignite, posed a silent threat that lurked in the earth for decades.
Investigators, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, analyzed the shrapnel from White’s explosion and confirmed it originated from a Civil War explosive. Experts speculated that White was attempting to disarm a 9-inch, 75-pound naval cannonball—a particularly dangerous munition designed to skip over water at extreme speeds to strike enemy ships.
White was believed to be using a drill or grinder, perhaps to remove debris, when the cannonball detonated. The detailed fuse and waterproof nature of the cannonball meant that the black powder inside was well-preserved, capable of explosion after such an extraordinary span of time.
Brenda White, Sam’s widow, is convinced her husband did not err in his handling of the artifact. She stated, “He had already disarmed the shell. From what I was told, there was absolutely nothing he had done wrong, that there was a manufacturing defect that no one would have known was there.” Following the incident, nearby residents were evacuated as professionals safely detonated other pieces from White’s extensive collection.
The blast left a void in the community of relic collectors, with White’s digging partner, Fred Lange, expressing deep sorrow and the irreplaceable loss of his friend. White’s story resonates with the inherent risks relic hunters face, the enduring potency of historical munitions, and the unpredictable nature of preserving the past. Sam White’s dedication to salvaging history was unyielding, and while his untimely death casts a shadow on this pursuit, it also brings to light the ongoing dialogue about the legacy of the Civil War and its tangible, though sometimes dangerous, remnants.
Relevant articles:
– TIL Sam White, a Virginia Civil War collector, was killed in 2008 when a 140 year old high explosive cannonball he was restoring detonated in his driveway. The explosion was powerful enough to send chunks of shrapnel up to 1/4 mile away. There were 18 more cannonballs in his driveway at the time.
– Virginia Man Killed In Civil War Cannonball Blast, Fox News, Fri, 02 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT
– Civil War Cannonball Exploded & Killed 140 Years After it Was Fired, War History Online, Sat, 04 Apr 2020 07:00:00 GMT