Cannon Crew
Eight cannoneers are needed to fire field
pieces. Five are at the gun--the gunner and cannoneers 1, 2, 3, 4. The
gunner is in charge of the piece, he gives the commands and does the aiming.
Cannoneers 1-4 actually load, clean and fire the gun. Cannoneer 5 runs
the ammunition from the limber to the gun. Cannoneers 6 and 7 prepare
ammunition and cut the fuses. |
Shot
Cast iron with no explosive. Used against cavalry,
troops in a column, buildings and other solid objects. More accurate
than shell or spherical case with a longer range. |
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Shell
Round, hollow projectile with a powder-filled
cavity. Fused; exploded into 5-12 large pieces. Loud air burst terrorized
troops and horses. |
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Spherical
case
Developed by British General Henry Shrapnel.
Hollow shell with powder and 40-80 musket balls that exploded in
all directions. Fused; used 500- 1,500 yards. More effective than
shell, but more difficult to manufacture. |
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Canister
Tin can containing 27 iron balls packed in sawdust.
Tin can ripped open at the muzzle and showered the balls directly
at the troops. Good for repelling the enemy at close range--50-300
yards. For more devastating effect, could be used in double load.
Turned cannon into giant shotgun. |
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At
Antietam, Did You Know . . .
- 60% of the Union cannons were rifled, compared to
only 40% for Confederates.
- Robert E. Lee's son, Robert Jr., was a private with
the Rockbridge Artillery and fought during the Morning Phase of the
battle.
- Private Johnny Cook, a bugler with Battery B, 4th
U.S., was awarded the Medal of Honor at Antietam
when he was only 15 years old.
- Both Union General John Gibbon and Confederate General
James Longstreet helped man cannons during desperate moments in the
battle, and Union General Israel Richardson was killed by artillery
fire when he was trying to bring up artillery.
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References
Peterson, Harold L. Round Shot and Rammers. (Harrisburg,
PA, 1969) Stackpole Books
Thomas, Dean S. Cannons: An Introduction to Civil
War Artillery. (Gettysburg, PA, 1985) Thomas Publications
Coggins, Jack. Arms and Equipment of the Civil War.
(New York, 1962) Doubleday and Company, Inc.
Johnson, Curt and Anderson, Richard C. Artillery
Hell: The Employment of Artillery at Antietam. (College Station,
TX, 1995) Texas A/M Univ. Press
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