Civil War Relics - Part 2
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:59 am
This thread discusses the Content article: Civil War Relics - Part 2
Wow!!
Excellent!! Very interesting finds!
First off the large bullet in the lower left would more than likely be a .69 caliber minie ball for use in a rifled 1842 Springfield but it's almost impossible to say without measuring it. A good set of digital calipers would work wonders here. A little background for you...
The 1842 Springfield Musket was originally produced as a .69 caliber smoothbore and loaded with either an undersized roundball or the deadly close range combination of buck and ball, that is one .670 round ball (or thereabouts, size would vary but it would be underbore for ease of loading) topped with three smaller .30 caliber buckshot. When the war broke out many of these muskets were on hand and were hastily converted to rifled weapons. It was much easier and quicker to rifle an already made gun than to produce a whole new one. That huge minie ball looks very much to me like what was used in the rifled .69s.
The other minies you have on the right are Federal pattern .58 caliber minie balls. True measurement of the balls will give you between .575 - .577 caliber because of course they too were undersized to load easier and quicker and expanded on firing. Federal minie balls had three lube rings. The Confederates used many different combinations but the two ring minies on the left are more than likely Confederate balls as they were most commonly used and produced in the south.
The .58 caliber balls in the middle of the picture with the deep ring groove are Williams Cleaner Bullets. These were issued to Federal troops most commonly in 1 per pack of 10 regular minies. The groove is where a zinc oversized ring was originally located (since weathered off with time) with the intent to scrape the bore and clean the rifle upon firing. Perceived success of the design was mixed with some soldiers saying they worked great and other saying they worked not at all. It was also common for Federal troops to quite often just drop them and not even use them!
The smaller caliber balls in the two rows to the left of the two-band Confederate Minies look mostly like either .52 caliber Sharps or Spencer bullets. Much harder for me to see and say for sure without closer inspection.
The cartridge bullets you have there look very much like a Spencer cartridge but there isn't much lip at the end of the cartridge though it could have worn a bit over time or just isn't as obvious in this picture. I'm pretty much willing to bet they are Spencer cartridges though.
The bullet mould you have there is also really interesting! It's either a .36 caliber or .44 caliber (again impossible for me to tell without my calipers and actual measurement)and was very common in the war in either caliber. The Colt Navy was one of the most popular weapons in .36 only supersceded by the Colt Army in .44. The mold can throw either a conical slug or a round ball. Some soldiers liked the conical better and said it hit harder with better stopping power but of course was more difficult to load quickly than a regular round ball. Other soldiers said the round ball killed all out of proportion for it's size and some have even said a round ball was a much better man stopper than the conical bullet. I could go on and on but don't want to take up too much space right now.
Most interesting to me are your examples with the dents and deformities. Look at them again very closely and see if they are actually teeth marks. Wounded soldiers would chew on a bullet to try and ease their pain and suffering or so as not to cry out!
Some of yours there are definitely from hitting things, hitting the ground etc but a few definitely look to me like chewed bullets.
Wow!!
Excellent!! Very interesting finds!
First off the large bullet in the lower left would more than likely be a .69 caliber minie ball for use in a rifled 1842 Springfield but it's almost impossible to say without measuring it. A good set of digital calipers would work wonders here. A little background for you...
The 1842 Springfield Musket was originally produced as a .69 caliber smoothbore and loaded with either an undersized roundball or the deadly close range combination of buck and ball, that is one .670 round ball (or thereabouts, size would vary but it would be underbore for ease of loading) topped with three smaller .30 caliber buckshot. When the war broke out many of these muskets were on hand and were hastily converted to rifled weapons. It was much easier and quicker to rifle an already made gun than to produce a whole new one. That huge minie ball looks very much to me like what was used in the rifled .69s.
The other minies you have on the right are Federal pattern .58 caliber minie balls. True measurement of the balls will give you between .575 - .577 caliber because of course they too were undersized to load easier and quicker and expanded on firing. Federal minie balls had three lube rings. The Confederates used many different combinations but the two ring minies on the left are more than likely Confederate balls as they were most commonly used and produced in the south.
The .58 caliber balls in the middle of the picture with the deep ring groove are Williams Cleaner Bullets. These were issued to Federal troops most commonly in 1 per pack of 10 regular minies. The groove is where a zinc oversized ring was originally located (since weathered off with time) with the intent to scrape the bore and clean the rifle upon firing. Perceived success of the design was mixed with some soldiers saying they worked great and other saying they worked not at all. It was also common for Federal troops to quite often just drop them and not even use them!
The smaller caliber balls in the two rows to the left of the two-band Confederate Minies look mostly like either .52 caliber Sharps or Spencer bullets. Much harder for me to see and say for sure without closer inspection.
The cartridge bullets you have there look very much like a Spencer cartridge but there isn't much lip at the end of the cartridge though it could have worn a bit over time or just isn't as obvious in this picture. I'm pretty much willing to bet they are Spencer cartridges though.
The bullet mould you have there is also really interesting! It's either a .36 caliber or .44 caliber (again impossible for me to tell without my calipers and actual measurement)and was very common in the war in either caliber. The Colt Navy was one of the most popular weapons in .36 only supersceded by the Colt Army in .44. The mold can throw either a conical slug or a round ball. Some soldiers liked the conical better and said it hit harder with better stopping power but of course was more difficult to load quickly than a regular round ball. Other soldiers said the round ball killed all out of proportion for it's size and some have even said a round ball was a much better man stopper than the conical bullet. I could go on and on but don't want to take up too much space right now.
Most interesting to me are your examples with the dents and deformities. Look at them again very closely and see if they are actually teeth marks. Wounded soldiers would chew on a bullet to try and ease their pain and suffering or so as not to cry out!
Some of yours there are definitely from hitting things, hitting the ground etc but a few definitely look to me like chewed bullets.
