How To Load and Fire Civil War Cannon
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- It took a gun crew of six to load and fire the second most common rifled field artillery in both Armies. Seen in the video is the a vintage Model 1861 3-Inch Ordnance Gun. Manufactured by the Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, the field piece was fabricated from hammer-welded (wrought iron), machined iron. It was both accurate and reliable. The Hotchkiss shell was a common projectile fired, a three piece shell : The nose , a sabot and an iron forcing cup at the base that expanded the lead sabot upon firing. The other shell for this rifle was the Schenkl, a cone shaped projectile with ribs along its tapered base. The papier-mâché' sabot was driven up the taper by the force of the gas, expanding the sabot into the rifling. Maximum range was 1830-yards with a one-pound black powder charge at 5 degrees elevation.
Statistics at the time reported that 54% of cannon operators died of Boredom during the battle.
XD
That's true
Lmao
These guys look like they're going to die of diabetes.
@@ceyhuncv2632q
It is truly amazing how during the Civil war they could launch a projectile from a cannon using only a friction fuse and no gunpowder.
Didn't you ever watch cartoons as a kid? Everyone knows the cannonball fires without gunpowder
Yeah--CW artillery reenactor here. I noticed the same thing. They loaded a projectile but no powder, maybe for safety, but I think they could have faked it. Obviously, they removed the projectile and put a powder charge in off camera, or there would have been no muzzle flash.
They used something similar to gun powder which they called “Black Powder” but I believe it works the same way. Not sure why they didn’t include this into the video.
@@Jay-un1jzblack powder and gunpowder are the same thing, however modern guns don't use it, they use "smokless powder" which is more powerful and as the name suggests produces less smoke.
@@CM-di1oz I THINK that were they to show the powder loading, it woiuld be ramming it home but in a similar manner to using the worm--under hand technique, and the loader woiuld also make sure to be clear of the muzzle after the ramming...#3 man, I suspect (don't quote me on this). Maybe rifled cannonhad different procedures and protocols, but here's another video. th-cam.com/video/B4mR-Hi0XnI/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=HISTORICALFILMS
Note that they don't use a proper percussion-fused shell. If they did, they couldn't use that rammer; crews using that had to use a special rammer with a hollow concave end to ram the shell without hitting the percussion fuse.
Videos don't do it justice. The sound is one thing, but there's also a pressure wave and, if you're on a ship, you can feel the cannon rumbling through the deck. Best feeling in the world.
You're fight in the warship? Use the cannon in ship?
@@ceyhuncv2632 I've been on USS Brig Niagara when they fired a 32-pdr carronade
Loading in the civil war was like : "a long pierolodically time"
winter 108 callbacks
It was a lot faster when in battle
Not that we know what we are seeing, it would have been nice to see it again at normal speed...
Kharkovkid yeah
Slow it down
After this video I can see why casinos are so addicting. It's so visually appealing- straight psychological appeal.
I never would have thought that this early type of cannon would have had rifling grooves as scene at 2:03!!
Its not that early and rifling was used in canons way earlier than the civil war
service1956 rifling as it's called was starting just over a decade before the civil war reports say either Austria-Hungary or french made the first rifled weapon but during the civil war rifled cannons and muskets where mass produced, the 1861 Springfield musket and the 1858 British Enfield where the two most common muskets cannons and batterys where extensive with the most common 2 being the M1857 Napoleon 12 pounder rifled cannon and the 12 and 24 pounder Austrian howizerter witch I believe was also rifled
Almost forgot haha that being said smoothbores where still used alot by both sides. What ever was available at the time. The famous South general "Stonewall Jackson" was shot and wounded by his own troops and as his surgern stated after he removed the bullet he said. It's a smooth bore round was most definitely the boys from texas. At the time the war broke out most factory's where in the north and the union had trade with the western powers so the south had to arm alot of there men with older rifles. Some men even using the muskets given to them by there father's used in early wars even as far back as the revaluationary war
The gun the showed is an original 4 inch ordnance rifle ad yes, they were most defiantly rifled. Rifle cannons had been used ad experimented with long before he civil war, the big issue was the metal. Rifled cannons tended to have higher breach pressures because of the tight fitment of the round and the bore. With the metallurgy of the day prior to around 1845 to 1850, the rifled guns would tend to burst on firing. They made bronze and brass rifled cannons that would bulge instead of bursting but the rifling would rapidly wear out due to the pressures and projectiles used. The 3 inch ordnance rifle was unique because it used a forging ad welding process with straps or iron and rings of steel that were forged together that allowed he guns to not burst upon firing with projectiles designed for a close fitment to the bore. He absolute best rifled, muzzle loading cannons of the day were those made by Sir Joseph Whitworth (same guy who invented the Whitworth thread and standardized it). He made both cannons and small arms using hexagonal rifling with projectiles that had the match hexagonal twist made into them. The guns were, and still are, amazingly accurate and rarely ever failed in combat.
Did I miss something or did they skip the step in which they loaded the gunpowder?
The shell had gunpowder in it.
@@user-xj7ze3bv3c correct, he even opens the shell to expose powder
@@Alexesssp Incorrect. The 3" Schenkl round as displayed in this video is missing its paper sabot and the powder charge is also not shown. That thing which was loaded is simply the projectile which will travel to the target and has a solid 1/2 inch cast iron case. You aren't poking a hole through it with a little spike.
Dont' gob off regarding things you have no clue about.
@@B61Mod12 nah
@@Alexesssp that's what your parents said when you were born.
Lesson:- wars are devastating for people living at that war times... May the civil war deads rest in peace. Respect Ners/Sers
@CDS Pvt Depending on the perspective and for the people engaged in it.
South vs north War?
Man them Yankees need to stay away from the McDonald's wagon
John Smith fun fact... there were fat people before McDonald’s
Ian Jamelske it’s a joke
So... if a cannon crew lost a single man, they were pretty much screwed and could not fire anymore?
Kras well not nessasaraly. depends on experience and the crews quick thinking and improvisation
Kras they still could it would just take a lot longer to load, aim and fire
My reenactment group safely loaded our 3" rifle with 3 men. It can be done with a minimum of 2 (one on the muzzle end, one on the breach end).
Michael Drzewiecki wow you replied? a whole month after. I remember awnserig this to great to see your still around!
They could fire with as little as two men
"oops we missed, time to go through all that again"
Only thing you left out was for the entire crew in direct proximity of the piece to open they mouths (pressure equalization) when the gun was fired. Don't know if that's a re-enactorism or common practice during the CW... Otherwise excellent drill.
This whole drill was pretty much a re-enactorism.
У этих ребят внешность открытых и общительных людей.. Думаю что их рты не закрывались ни на минуту.
Where is the powder???
Italiamerican in the shell
no... not in the shell... in a cloth (in modern days tin foil) pouch seated behind the shell
@@Patches-qm9iy Same thing I was wondering about...how do they put it in?
Иосиф Steelin with the shell maybe
Seems they forgot to load the powder bag. All I saw was a projectile. Later they pricked the nonexistent powder bag. Mmmmmm
I didn't either. The only reason why i came to a video like this is to see how they load the power.
By that time they had cannons who shot shells with powder inside the shell, so not need for powder bags. If you want to watch powder bags being loaded, aim a century earlier from the American civil war (I can imagine they also used older cannons who needed powder bags, but usually on reenactments they go for the most modern stuff they had)
@@Vlad-1986 They did have cannon which used fixed ammunition. They're called howitzers and were generally breach-loading. The powder for one of these would have been either in a bag, or measured into a wooden tool that fit the bore depending on which army. They just showed the projectile and not the powder in this video since they probably weren't firing live ammunition and just got the shell out for demonstration purposes.
*slowly points cannon at battlefield V disc and sets fuse*
Modern problem. Historical solution
I can't help but think number 3 wouldn't be needed if the Sargent wasn't so damn lazy!
They picked the right guy for #5
Wonder what this looks like in combat speed.
I like number 3's job.
i don’t do this stuff but is cool to watch
I'm trying to figure out what manual these folks are using...because that's not how the Army loaded and fired a Civil War cannon.
Well one has jeans on and the other doesn't know if he is artillery or berdans lol I think that may have something to do with it . These guys don't very much seem to know what they are doing
The enemy would have you slaughtered whilst all that was going on 😂😂
I just realize this song that was in the video was from Titanic when Jack and Rose were dancing:)
What’s funny is all of this is not even close to the period manuals. The worm was rarely ever used, the sponge should be damp not wet, so much wrong in such little time
Thank you.
Thats mighty interesting, yall were able to get the gun to go off without placing a powder charge down the barrel and by using only a part of an original round. That must be how the yanks won the war, they had magical cannons, no way them Johnny rebs could of matched that.
Who loads the gunpowder?
Those jeans look period correct. 😂😂
Guess this cannon doesn't take powder?
What i like about these civil war cannons is that when you load it, you have to ram it in and stuff. Plus you have to cover your ears. idk why these are the good facts i like.
...and years later, the shot😅
Imagine Making an MG Cannon. It would overheat and Burst the cannon.
Thank you kind sir, this guide was very useful! I have successfully fired my cannon, although, I have one problem. These strange men in blue are chasing me, they are saying something along the lines of "GET BACK HERE YOU MENACE, YOU KILLED 12 PEOPLE" in an angry voice, anyhow, kind regards: your favorite time traveler...
Why the heck am i watching this at 1 in the morning?
There is just so many thing's yall got wrong its just sad. Yall should be ashamed of yall's selves.
At that time i made my own nuke
Bruh, in the alamo they fired long nails and horseshoes and lord knows what else 😂
This song sounds a lot like Rambling Wreck from Georgia Tech at certain parts
Did Union artillary do a lot of fighting in public parks?
Who else wondered if the sponge got out of the stick and remained in the cannon. What would be done then???
You'd use the corkscrew tool to snag it and pull it out.
I wish you were actually promoting the actual original drill rather then a reenactor made up version
Thats dope
Was the person that played the violin # 6
What is the music after Bonnie Blue Flag called?
Button those top buttons soldiers...
What about the powder?
Very good video!
Wow, this is nothing like the original manuals. This is weird, modern reenactor drill
I’m calling your bullshit right now. You said it requires a minimum of 5 people to fire this gun, that is a lie. I know for a fact you can do 2 man field gun drill as I have done it before. Is it efficient? No. Is it doable? Absolutely.
Same here, although it was a mountain howitzer.
Great job
Just acquired a 10lb. cannon. How do you make the powder/projectile round??
How long does this process take? 1 Minute? 2?
Nice drill fellas. NCWAA drill?
Just looking for equipment used I need to re create guettysburg it's not real just for history remembrence on both sides
Why is the Bonnie blue flag playing if it's union arty
Micah Brumley it’s also, “the Irish volunteer.”
This is interesting, but I don't really understand why it took five guys to do all this.
You really only need 3 well-trained gunners to do it efficiently, but it's much easier with 5.
Unions
One was a girl
Truly cursed by design.
Umm corporal typically would aim just saying
Very. Cool !!!
We’re listening to Dixie while watching union soldiers. Hmmm. Do you know the lyrics to this song lol?
Yeah, pretty sure they didn't go through that perfectly under fire.
What was the reason for a thumb being placed over the firing hole?
Vent cover. This protects against intrusion and blowing of hot residues to the vent and in the bottom of the barrel, which could ignite the powder charge while loading or during pricking of the bag through the vent. It is 18 years ago, when one crew did not cover it and the no.2 lost three fingers while he loading the third shot. The rammer flew across the battlefield 300 meters. Fortunately, to an empty space.
They are unavailable to make that step that just show not reality . In war if they lose 1,2,3 crew they messy . Just 2 crew to action
i came from 2019
102 confederate soldiers disliked dis
IF YOU ARE STRIVING FOR ACCURACY, YOU CAN'T HAVE A FAT WOMAN AS ONE OF THE GUN CREW!!!
These re-enactments are admirable, but cannot do justice in helping me visualize combat in that pre-camera era.
Why?
The fighting man in the 18th-19th century was slender. He had to be. Lack of fast food restaurants and living the hard life of a soldier could only result in a fit, 120-135lb man.
I just cannot get past all of those re-enactors with their over fed bellies and cherubic faces. There is no way that they could do a 25 mile march carrying 50lbs on their backs, and, then, go directly into battle. Not without a Big Mac and a nap first.
Whenever I see civil war demonstrations, I always see only union soldiers but never confederate soldiers I wonder why?
What song is this called?
I was playing a Civil War game in roblox and it was exactly like this.
Blood and Iron, it’s a fucking amazing game.
1:27 What's that song?
ДА НИКОГДА ЕЩЕ ЗНАМЯ КОНФЕДЕРАЦИИ НЕ БЫЛО В КАПИТОЛИИ ...
that gun isnt smooth they has traks and fields havy to load from front
Must be a Yankee Cannon crew lol ..
Bad ending video ...
For the one who asked about the gunpowder, I think its already in the shot. Still figuring it out myself.
The propellant is in a separate flannel or cotton bag.
@@danielkohli1542 ok.
who did this for homework
dorks
мда с такими пушками не повоюеш против коницы
Hi, In battle how fast could a team load a cannon?
It depended upon the gun being used and the circumstances. Some guns used the Army standard of a sustained rate of fire of 1 round every 90 seconds.
@@militaryhistoryguy 4 Rounds a minute for an experienced crew.
There where 4 man needed to load a canon ! And here we need 6 man ? Seriously
This is wrong. The drill is incorrect and everbody is a farb. What drill is that? Because it is not the correct period Hunt, Berry, and French.
This is hilarious, none of this is anything even remotely close to actual Civil war artillery loading or operation 😂
Farbs
and god willing good and bad med died after all this... X'D
And they get in jail lol
I believe 2 years before rona hit I went to an old revolutionary era fort in my state in the upper peninsula and actually did a fire drill with other people as a hands on demonstration obviously we didn't have the blank they were going to fire but we did do it I was chosen to be the guy with the worm tool and we actually were 2 seconds faster than the fastest time history has recorded in a speed test challenge by the dude that was giving the orders it was really fun and after that he shot a blank out of the cannon which was part of the event
Awful drill.
It really only takes 5 crew.
2 at a bare minimum.
Its fake theres no way it would this long the enemy would already be stabbing you with bayonets
It's true lol