Grape Shot
 |
| Grapeshot c.
1812 |
Grapeshot
- cannon charge consisting of small round balls,
usually of lead or iron. Typically, the small iron balls were held
in clusters of three by iron rings and combined in three tiers by
cast-iron plates and a central connecting rod. This assembly, which
reminded gunners of a cluster of grapes (hence the name), broke up
when the gun was fired, spread out in flight like a shotgun charge,
and sprayed the target area. Grapeshot was widely used in wars of
the 18th and 19th centuries at short range against massed troops.
[Encyclopaedia Britannica]