Cannon

[bajabuc]

put all that at sea...make it any time from 1805 to 1815...the shooting is at point blank..."Board 'em boys."

 

Board em?

 

is there a ship in all that smoke?

[DaveS]

put all that at sea...make it any time from 1805 to 1815...the shooting is at point blank..."Board 'em boys."

 

Board em?

 

is there a ship in all that smoke?

"Shoot for the mast and rudders boys"!!

 

DaveS

[Jonnin]

"Shoot for the mast and rudders boys"!!

 

DaveS

 

Arr!  And the fight was often won by whichever side got the man with the torch to the powder  storage area --- the other side surrendered at that point!

[gun sane]

Here is a two minute clip from the movie "Gettysburg". We had 4 of our guns there and we're mixed in there somewhere. The clip is Confederate Reenactors laying down an artillery barrage. Imagine all those guns firing canister?

 

Enjoy

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrY81GZgrtg

 

DaveS

 

Was that the barrage just before Pickett's Charge?  Ya shot too high, Rebs..

[bajabuc]

"Shoot for the mast and rudders boys"!!

 

DaveS

The british hated the french because they used dismantling shot...Chains in canvas.  bar shot...things that took out the rigging and sails.  "It's not the gentlemanly thing to do."  We came along in 1812 and used the same devices.  One in particular...an iron ring with nine foot chains attached to the ring and packed in a canvas sack.  when fired the sack shredded and the chains became an 18 foot circle of death.

[DaveS]

Was that the barrage just before Pickett's Charge?  Ya shot too high, Rebs..

Yes. Was supposed have weakened the Union lines before the assault. All it did in my opinion was pizz those Yankees off even more!

 

DaveS

[DaveS]

The british hated the french because they used dismantling shot...Chains in canvas.  bar shot...things that took out the rigging and sails.  "It's not the gentlemanly thing to do."  We came along in 1812 and used the same devices.  One in particular...an iron ring with nine foot chains attached to the ring and packed in a canvas sack.  when fired the sack shredded and the chains became an 18 foot circle of death.

That was a good tactic! Disable their vessel and they couldn't maneuver against you. Then you destroyed the ship, captured the flag (that was given to the king) plunder all you could, and sent the crew swimming! Ahhh what fun days those must have been in the Navy!

 

DaveS

[mikegideon]

Yep. Cannons are fun!

 

[roverboy]

How much powder do you use for a load? I was thinking about a pound per shot. 1f cannon powder?

[Sidinman]

Hey Dave, what do ya'll use to clean the barrels with?

[DaveS]

Hey Dave, what do ya'll use to clean the barrels with?

Hot soapy water and a barrel sponge. And it's messy as heck!

 

DaveS

[DaveS]

How much powder do you use for a load? I was thinking about a pound per shot. 1f cannon powder?

Blank rounds we use 8 oz of 1F and 12 oz of peat moss for the 3" Ordnance Rifles and the 6 pounder. The 12 pounder uses 10 oz of 1F and 16 oz of peat. Live rounds start at about a pound of 1F depending on what's being shot.

 

DaveS

[peejman]

Blank rounds we use 8 oz of 1F and 12 oz of peat moss for the 3" Ordnance Rifles and the 6 pounder. The 12 pounder uses 10 oz of 1F and 16 oz of peat. Live rounds start at about a pound of 1F depending on what's being shot.

 

DaveS

 

 

I recall from a recent demo we saw at Chickamauga, that the demo loads (even with live ammo) are 1/4 to 1/2 the power of a full charge used during the war.  That sound about right?

 

Given the boom they make at 1/2 power, it's hard to imagine what a whole battery must have sounded like back in the day. 

[DaveS]

I recall from a recent demo we saw at Chickamauga, that the demo loads (even with live ammo) are 1/4 to 1/2 the power of a full charge used during the war.  That sound about right?

 

Given the boom they make at 1/2 power, it's hard to imagine what a whole battery must have sounded like back in the day. 

That's a good rule of thumb. A good blank load will wheel your gun back a few inches when fired. A live round will wheel the gun back a couple of feet. Hence the need to wheel the gun back forward and re-sight between shots. Firing these things without ear plugs is deafening! They didn't use ear plugs in the 1860's!

 

DaveS

Edited November 6, 2013 by DaveS

[roverboy]

A friend of my uncle, built a cannon like the ship models with 4 small wheels. I don't know what they was called. He built it full size and shot about a 4 ounces of powder. My uncle said it would be moved  back a few feet when it was fired.

[1gewehr]

I used to serve on a 6 pounder crew for RevWar reenactments.  At one location, we could shoot live rounds across the marsh.  A 6lb iron ball with a pound of 1F behind it would send the gun back a good 6-8 feet.

 

I never served with a muzzle-loading cannon crew that had a misfire.  But that was always my nightmare; having to clear a live round misfire on a cannon!