This is a description of the Hanes Excelsior Hand Grenade from a book entitled "Civil War Collectibles".

"This grenade was a cast-iron sphere with inner and outer shells. The inner shell contained the powder, and on its outside were screwed 14 nipples that took regular percussion caps. The outer shell was seperated from the inner shell by a cushion to prevent the caps from prematurely coming into contact with the outside shell. When the grenade struck an object, at least one of the caps was sure to explode the shell. Since the outer shell was in two parts, these parts would break into many desctructive fragments. The grenade was so dangerous to handle, however, that only a few were ever manufactured."

No picture nor dimensions are shown of this granade in the book.

JHG