A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War
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Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War |
| Civil War Artillery | |
| by Harry Ridgeway |
| Rifled artillery projectile, Schenkl design Confederate adaptation Research Center: Artillery5400-SchenklConfederate    Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery5400-SchenklConfederate.html. |
| Rifled artillery projectile, Schenkl design Confederate adaptation, Confederate manufacture, bursting shell, "common" (standard), wood sleeve sabot, Confederate copper time fuze, Ordnance rifle, 3 in. Projectile was issued by the Confederates, and features iron studs cast in the base to hold a wood sabot, the Confederates apparently were unable to copy the mixture needed to produce the paper sleeve. It is not clear if the Confederates converted stocks of the Federal shells or if this was Confederate manufacture using the Federal design as a model, the latter seems most likely. This pattern is scarce but significant quantities were produced. It seems unlikely that a southern arsenal would have been stocked with significant quantities of these shells without sabots or fuzes, or that the Confederates would have wanted to replace perfectly useable fuzes and sabots. The design could have been easily copied and cast to exact dimensions, with the addition of the stud in the base which appears to have been cast into the pattern and not welded or drilled. The copper time fuzes were employed on many other Confederate patterns and were easily utilized avoiding the need to copy the more complicated Federal percussion fuze. The wood sabot would have had less tendency to seal the bore, making the time fuze feasible. Fuze employed was the Confederate copper time fuze, two spanner holes, (Jones pg. 46). Projectile measures: diameter 2.9 in., length 9.0in., weight 7.8lbs. Research Center: Artillery5411-SchenklConfederate, Ref: Dickey & George, Field Artillery (1993 Edition), pg. 301.   Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery5411-SchenklConfederate.html. |
| Rifled artillery projectile, Schenkl design Confederate adaptation, Confederate manufacture Marshall arsenal, solid bolt, wood sleeve sabot, likely 3.8 in. Projectile was Confederate manufactured at Marshall Arsenal, Marshall Texas. The design utilized many features from the Federal Schenkl design, but is a unique Confederate design and not a copy. The Confederates replaced the paper sleeve from the Federal design with a wooden sleeve fitted over the bottom, it is not clear if they were having trouble replicating the paper sabot or they thought wood would be superior. This bolt design does not seem to have had any way to actually secure the wood sabot, it likely slipped badly. It is not entirely clear what gun this was intended for, measurements of these crude shells vary, diameter seems too large for a 20 pounder but small for 3.8in. Confederates did not copy the James 14 pounder, this is the likely intended caliber, which means these were made for guns expected to be captured. and likely the wood sabot would fill to 3.8 in. Due either to poor performance or shortage of the guns, production and use of this pattern was extremely limited. Projectile measures: diameter 3.7in., length 8.5in., weight 13lbs. Research Center: Artillery5421-SchenklConfederate, Ref: Dickey & George, Field Artillery (1993 Edition), pg. 311.     Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery5421-SchenklConfederate.html. |
| Rifled artillery projectile, Schenkl design Confederate adaptation, Confederate manufacture Marshall arsenal, bursting shell, wood sleeve sabot, wood fuze, likely 3.8 in. Projectile was Confederate manufactured at Marshall Arsenal, Marshall Texas. The design utilized many features from the Federal Schenkl design, but is a unique Confederate design and not a copy. The Confederates replaced the paper sleeve from the Federal design with a wooden sleeve fitted over the bottom, it is not clear if they were having trouble replicating the paper sabot or they thought wood would be superior. This shell design also had a stud fittted onto the bottom, this may have been an attempt to secure the sabot, however, it likely slipped badly anyway. It is not entirely clear what gun this was intended for, measurements of these crude shells vary, diameter seems too large for a 20 pounder but small for 3.8in. Confederates did not copy the James 14 pounder, this is the likely intended caliber, which means these were made for guns expected to be captured. and likely the wood sabot would fill to 3.8 in. Due either to poor performance or shortage of the guns, production and use of this pattern was extremely limited. Projectile measures: diameter 3.7in., length 8.5in., weight 10lbs. Research Center: Artillery5425-SchenklConfederate, Ref: Dickey & George, Field Artillery (1993 Edition), pg. 313.    Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery5425-SchenklConfederate.html. |
| Rifled artillery projectile, Schenkl design, Federal manufacture, Confederate alteration 4.5in. shell milled to 4.2in., bursting shell, long pattern, paper sleeve sabot, Confederate time fuze, Confederate 30 pounder, 4.2 in. Projectile was originally manufactured in the Federal arsenals, and was intended for the Ordnance 4.5 in siege gun. The Confederates milled it to fit a 30 pounder rifle (4.2in) and installed a Confederate time fuze. Apparently they considered that a 30 pounder was more available than a 4.5in. seige gun. Fuze employed was a Confederate copper time fuze, two spanner holes, Jones pg. 41. Projectile measures: diameter 4.1in., as milled, length 12.5in. (excluding the fuze), weight 24lbs. Research Center: Artillery5431-SchenklConfederate, Ref: Bell, Heavy Ordnance, pg. 366., confederate variant.    Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery5431-SchenklConfederate.html. |
| Ridgeway Civil War Research Center, A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War. Artillery Research center, artillery, click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery0000-Index.html.     Research center, artillery, click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery0000-Index.html. |
| Civil War Relicman, Harry Ridgeway, Civil War artillery, Relicman sales catalog. Click here: http://relicman.com/artillery/RelicmanSalesArtillery1.html.     Artillery for sale: http://relicman.com/artillery/RelicmanSalesArtillery1.html. |