Original Item. Only One Available. The Ketchum Hand Grenade was a type of grenade used in the American Civil War. It was patented on August 20, 1861 (U.S. Pat. #33,089) by William F. Ketchum, a mayor of Buffalo, New York, and was partially adopted in the Union Army. They were used in battles such as Vicksburg and Petersburg (both major sieges in the war).

The Ketchum grenade was a hand thrown weapon with limited range used primarily during sieges; the fins stabilized the grenade’s flight and assured it landed nose first, which was required for detonation; this requirement also made them largely inefficient. They were manufactured in one, three, and five pound sizes. This is an extremely rare 5-pound variant. Union forces who used the Ketchum grenade in great numbers in their attacks at Port Hudson found its limitations. Many failed to explode when thrown into the Confederate defenses, and were subsequently thrown back into Union positions. The Confederates also devised a method to render the Ketchum useless by rigging blankets to catch the grenades.

This example is in fantastic condition, and has a very old looking shaft with cardboard fins that look to be old replacements, as they do not bear the patent date. The “plunger” in the bottom is retained, however, but it does not stay in place if picked up. It sits fine for display, however. The end of the shaft, which is removable, is marked with a small name, likely of the person who made the replacement shaft. 

The shaft is removable from the grenade and is not fixed in place. When all together, the grenade measures 13 ⅜” tall. These are incredibly difficult to find in non-dug condition. 

The first and likely the last we will offer in a very long while! Ready for further research and display.

Totally inert, cannot be converted to an explosive device, not available for export. This item is completely legal within the USA. International Military Antiques, Inc observes all Federal, State and Local laws. Everything for sale on ima-usa.com is completely legal to own, trade, transport and sell within the United States of America.

All deactivated ordnance sold by IMA, Inc is engineered to be inoperable according to guidelines provided by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF).