Sponge and Rammer
The sponge consisted of a sponge-head of elm or poplar and covered with wool. The number one man of an artillery crew drove the sponge to the bottom of the bore and turned it numerous times to put out any embers from the previous firing of the piece.
The rammer head was made of hard wood, generally elm or beech. The number two man would place the cartridge inside the bore, and number one would use the rammer to shove it down the bore with a single stroke.
Field artillery weapons, the most widely used at Petersburg, would often have the sponge and rammer at opposite ends of the same stave as portrayed above. The were carried on the carriage, attached with a hook and chain.