Civil War-era artifact turns out to be live explosive, Texas officials say

Officials in South Texas confirmed that an object a local man had kept in his home for years, believing it to be a non-functioning Civil War-era relic, was in fact a live explosive.

The Atascosa County Sheriff's Office received a call early Tuesday morning from the man, who stated a military acquaintance had recognized the artifact as potentially active. The homeowner had possessed the ordnance for an extended period, always assuming it was a dummy round.

Out of an abundance of caution, deputies requested an explosive disposal team from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio to assess the situation. The team confirmed the ordnance was a live "parrot round."

Authorities transported the device to an explosive range at Camp Bullis, where it was safely disposed of. No injuries were reported, and no charges are pending in connection with the incident. The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle-loading cannon widely used by the Union Army during the Civil War.

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The caller told deputies that he had owned the ordnance for years and had always thought it was a dummy round.