QUESTION 1: My GrGr grandfather was a gunsmith, or armorer, by trade, according to both the 1870 and 1880 Louisiana Census. He was in his mid 20s during the Civil War, but I've not been able to confirm that he served (neither Confederate nor Union) in the military. Was there a such thing as a civilian armorer or gunsmith that would have worked in an armory, etc., around Baton Rouge/New Orleans, and if so, are there any records, either government or private, concerning those who did such work?

QUESTION 2: I have had for several years what appears to be a smallbore cannonball, or possibly a grapeshot, given to me by the current owner of land my family lived on in Autauga County, Alabama, from the early 1800s up through the Civil War. It was found by the owner's mother in the 1930s, while digging in her garden. It is 2.5 inches in diameter and weighs 2lbs. 7 oz. Although it is round, it has a very slight "peak" in one spot. It has what appears to be a nail (bent flat) that appears to have been used to plug a small hole. I cannot make out a "seam", although there may have been one there prior to the obvious oxidation that took place from being buried for many years. Several brothers living at the homeplace served in the CSA, one of whom was in the artillery. The father of these Confederate soldiers was in the militia during the Creek Indian War of 1836. Can anyone tell me what this might be? I do have photo of the item, if it is needed.