Kid Steals Civil War Cannonballs, Hides Them in Grandma’s Suitcase Before Flight

A grandmother passing through an Alabama airport received quite a surprise when security officers opened her checked suitcase and discovered five stolen Civil War cannonballs wrapped in paper towels.

Authorities say the woman had no idea the historic artillery was inside her luggage. Her grandchild had allegedly stolen the cannonballs from nearby Fort Morgan and slipped them into Grandma’s bag without bothering to mention that she was now transporting approximately 160-year-old military ordnance through an airport.

The discovery was made July 18 at Gulf Shores International Airport during a routine Transportation Security Administration screening.

TSA Officer Justin Dupree noticed a large, opaque object inside the suitcase as it passed through an X-ray machine. When he opened the bag, he found five small cannonballs carefully wrapped in paper towels—the universally recognized packing material for stolen battlefield artillery.

“I had never seen anything quite this unique,” Dupree said. “I’ve seen inert grenades and training munitions but never an Indiana Jones-esque stolen artifact-type situation.”

The cannonballs ranged in size, with the largest reportedly about as big as a grapefruit and weighing approximately as much as a shot put.

Bomb experts determined that the cannonballs were inert and contained no explosive material. That was certainly good news for Grandma, the airport and everyone who had expected to spend the day without being shelled by the Confederacy.

They still could not be transported aboard the plane. Cannonballs are considered artillery munitions and remain prohibited in checked and carry-on luggage, regardless of whether they are still capable of exploding.

Investigators eventually traced the relics to Fort Morgan, a historic military installation near Gulf Shores that played a significant role in the Civil War’s Battle of Mobile Bay. Paint markings applied by the fort’s staff helped authorities identify the cannonballs as part of its collection.

The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office determined that a juvenile had taken the cannonballs from a storage area at the fort before placing them inside the grandmother’s checked suitcase.

The woman reportedly told investigators that she did not know the cannonballs were stolen—or that they were in her luggage at all.

Fort Morgan declined to pursue charges, and the artifacts were returned to the historic site.

The incident ended without injuries, arrests or explosions. Grandma presumably continued her trip after learning an important new travel rule: Always pack your own suitcase, particularly when your grandchild has recently expressed an interest in Civil War artillery.