8 Civil War News February 2021

labeled with such information as Birmingham, England.” The im- the date, originating arsenal, cali- ported cartridges were too tall to ber, and type of bullet. With some fit into tins for the U.S. and C.S. exceptions, U.S. Arsenals largely pattern .58 boxes. Even abandoned the practice of label- though the similar sized rounds ing or stamping arsenal packs by 1861. The Confederate States import- ed Enfield cartridges by the hun- dreds of thousands from England, even late in the war. Frances B. Wallace noted in Memorial of the Patriotism of Schuylkill County in the American Slaveholder Rebellion that “The rebels used English bullets almost entire- Paper Cartridges for before loading. During loading, regulations in 1834 provided ly. I picked up a rebel cartridge, the .577 Enfield the cartridge was torn, and the powder flasks made of copper and on examining the cartridg- in the charge emptied down the bar- for “Riflemen.” The powder flask es found the makers’ stamp on Civil War rel. Then the musket ball and the was last mentioned in the 1850 them; it was E. & A. Ludlow, remaining paper were rammed Ordnance manual but was elimi- down the barrel to seat it. This nated from later editions presum- The only pattern of cartridge was a safer alternative to loading ably because manufactured paper to be hereafter used with muzzle loose black powder from a pow- cartridges were by then becoming loading rifled small arms shall be der flask or an apostle. The flask the norm. The 1861 edition has Above Left: E. & A. LUDLOW that known as the English pattern had the potential for accidentally no mention of flask loading at all. BIRMINGHAM Enfield of Enfield cartridge.” exploding in-hand if a “cook off ” During the Civil War-era the cartridge; right an ELEY – Colonel Josiah Gorgas, Chief ignited the charge prematurely, cartridge paper was often treated BROS LONDON cartridge on of Ordnance, C.S.A., February 9, which had been known to happen. with potassium nitrate to make the right. Both contain a .577 1864 Chauncey Cooke of the 25th it completely combustible, es- Enfield bullet with the Wisconsin noted in, Letters of pecially for revolver cartridges. powder charge below. Paper cartridges were first used a Badger Boy in Blue, “I know Hence, smoking tobacco in di- .577 caliber Enfield bullet. in a military application as early what father would say. He would rect proximity to a supply of pa- as the 1600s in Europe, about the quote Napoleon, who said, “Put per cartridges loaded with black same time that smoothbore mus- your trust in well drilled troops powder was not encouraged. kets came into wide use. Soldiers and keep your powder dry.” Cartridge paper was not water carried their powder and ball to- Most of the rounds used by resistant and black powder does gether in a cylindrical tube made infantry in the U.S. Civil War not ignite when wet. There were of paper or linen that was closed were fixed , in other many references to the practi- in some fashion on each end. words paper cartridges fabricated cality of maintaining a buffer Some were twisted or tied with in government arsenals and is- zone between water, fire, and pa- string, others folded over to pre- sued to troops in the field “ready per cartridges, such as the quote vent losing the powder charge to use.” United States Ordnance above. Cartridge boxes of the time pe- riod feature very tight stitching with “kit” coated thread to aid in keeping water from the loose paper cartridges inside. The vast majority of arms used during the Civil War required some form of and loaded from the muzzle (front of the barrel) or at least the front end. Even hand- guns loaded from the front of the revolving cylinder, if not the bar- rel itself. The exceptions such as the Maynard , Henry, and Spencer rifle(s) that used metal- lic cartridges were by far in the minority during the early to mid- 1860s. More than a billion paper cartridge rounds were manufac- tured during the Civil War-era on both sides in a variety of and configurations. The image of Civil War soldiers sitting around a campfire rolling rounds is a modern anachronism for which there is no historical basis. During the Civil War, cartridg- es were produced in packages of ten with an eleventh tube con- taining twelve percussion caps. This is easily remembered by the numerical order 10…11…12. They were wrapped and tied in a Paper wrapped Enfield cartridges. The label reads “ 50 BALL paper package, and if packaged CARTRIDGES for ENFIELD Manufactured by E. & A. by a Confederate Arsenal, often LUDLOW, BIRMINGHAM.”

8 Civil War News February 2021