A man in South Texas discovered that what he believed to be a non-functional Civil War-era ordnance was, in fact, a live explosive. This finding was shared by local officials on Tuesday. For years, the resident kept the explosive in his home, assuming it was not dangerous.
The Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office reported that the man reached out to them just before 8 a.m. A friend with a military background noticed the item and suspected it might be active. The sheriff’s office posted on social media stating, “The caller informed deputies that he thought the ordnance was a dummy round.”
In response, deputies requested assistance from an explosive disposal team from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, located about an hour away from Atascosa County. This measure was taken to ensure safety.
The team examined the device and confirmed it was a live “parrot round.” This live ordnance was transported to Camp Bullis, where it was safely neutralized. Thankfully, no injuries occurred, and no charges will be filed, authorities confirmed.
The Parrott rifle, used during the Civil War, was designed by Robert Parrott, a West Point graduate. This muzzle-loading cannon was favored by the Union and is characterized by a robust iron band around its breech, as per information from the National Park Service. The cannon’s rounds varied in weight, ranging from 10 to 300 pounds, although the size of this particular live round remains unknown.
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