Excavated friction primer. This is a short copper tube that would have been filled with gun powder, and it has a perpendicular spur that would have been filled with a priming mixture. It was a device used to initiate the firing of a muzzle loading cannon. The friction primer was inserted into the vent of a cannon, and when it was ignited it caused a spark like a match that ignited the powder charge within the cannon chamber which caused the gun to fire. Measures 2 1/4 inches in length, with the spur measuring 5/8 inch wide. Found on Culp's Hill. It was recovered by the late Gettysburg relic hunter John Cullison, who excavated Civil War artifacts at Gettysburg from 1935-1959. Mr. Cullison passed it on to the famous Rosensteel family of Gettysburg where it remained in their private collection until it was released in 1996. Desirable artillery related Gettysburg relic.