***I’m guessing the soil it was buried in absorbed most of the blast and shrapnel.***
Years ago I read of a relic hunter digging on private property OUTSIDE a Civil War battle ground,came upon several fired, but un-exploded civil war shells. One shell had exploded, but the mud had been so thick the fragments did not go anywhere.
He later laughed, thinking about the gunnery Sgt fretting over several shots fired at the same target but only one exploded.
From Shiloh to Corinth diggers have found numerous shells that buried themselves in the ground exploded and kept the integrity of the shell due to the ground around them. Metal detector enthusiasts also learned how to differentiate the paper fuse shells from the impact James Shells and the solid shot. James shells with the impact fuses are unstable and pose a threat whereas paper fuses can be emptied by letting them soak in a bucket of water and removing the fuse and allowing water to soak the black powder. Thirty years ago finding Civil War fired shells were commonplace but finding them has reduced in frequency currently. When they dug the foundation for the Corinth Post Office several paper fuse Archer Shells were found where the 5th Battery of the Washington Artillery was bivouacked right across from Beauregard's HQ.