Subadar Prag Tewarri, bidding them load with ball,
Halted a dozen rifles under the village wall;
Sent out a flanking-party with Jemadar Hira Lal.(from) The Grave of the Hundred Head - Rudyard Kipling
Basic Information
In this context ball refers to one of a number of related types of ammunition.
In modern usage ball ammunition refers to a standard bullet with no special features. This refers back to the ball-shaped rounds fired by muskets and early rifles - and the similar but much larger rounds fired by early cannon. The term is also applied to various intermediary types of which the most famous is probably the minie ball.
Materials of manufacture vary - a modern round can be cast from all sorts of metals, including steel but more commonly various alloys of lead. Earlier examples were made from lead (for small arms) and stone or cast iron for ordnance.
