Cannonball 'very likely' fired in 1836 Battle of the Alamo found buried near church

Archaeologists have uncovered a historic cannonball at the Alamo - an artifact that was likely fired during the 1836 battle.

The discovery was announced by the Alamo Trust, the nonprofit organization that oversees the Alamo Mission, on March 19.

The cannonball was uncovered on March 5 - just one day before the 190th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo.

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The clash was fought between Mexican forces and Texian rebels, and began on Feb. 23, 1836.

Texian forces - including Davy Crockett and William B. Travis - held off a much larger Mexican army during a 13-day siege before Mexican troops launched a final assault.

Nearly all the roughly 200 Texian defenders were killed as Mexican forces overran the Alamo - and the "Remember the Alamo!" cry helped fuel a decisive Texian victory weeks later at San Jacinto.

The cannonball, which was found around three feet below the ground outside the Alamo Church, weighs four pounds.

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Researchers also found four exploding shot fragments - three bronze and one iron - identified as Howitzer rounds designed to explode on impact and scatter shrapnel.

The cannonball is made of solid bronze and was "very likely" tied to the historic battle, said Tiffany Lindley, the director of archaeology at the Alamo.

Lindley told Fox News Digital the cannonball was found in a layer that dates back to the siege, with the Mexican Army bombarding Texian forces from an artillery battery on the northeast side of the compound.

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She emphasized that the artifact's significance lies in its status as the only solid shot - or nonexplosive cannonball - of its size found at the site.

"Due to significant utilization of the site post-battle, the looting of the site in the immediate period following the battle, and previous utility installation, many artifacts - especially those this large - were taken off site," said Lindley. 

"Once an artifact is removed from its original deposition, it loses its context and, for researchers, it becomes less significant. … The context of this solid shot is what makes the find significant."

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Researchers at the site will analyze the cannonball once fieldwork wraps up, and the cannonball may be displayed in the future.

"We hope as our archaeological project progresses to find a place to display the cannonball on site - perhaps even in our future world-class Alamo Visitor Center and Museum, currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2028," said Lindley.

The cannonball joins over 250,000 artifacts found at the site, the expert added, which mostly include ceramic pieces, musket balls, adobe floor fragments and glass bottles.

"While not every artifact will find its way to public display, they all contribute to expanding the story of the Alamo," she noted.