I just learned something. I didn't know that buck and ball was prior to the civil war, but it makes perfect sense because of the 69 ca!liber thing. However, I live in the Petersburg ,VA. area and used to find the buck and ball shot all the time. The Confederates were known to use it extensively. What you will find is a round 69 caliber ball with 3 dimples on it that were created by the 3 buckshot resting on top of the ball. Here in the museum, they have an example that still has the paper and string wraper encasing the shot and powder. Yankees hated being shot at with Buck and Ball. The first time I found one, I told my buddy that it was cute because some soldier had made a smiley face on the ball. He called me an idiot and told me all about buck and ball.