GDG- Re :More on Arty Firing ...

[Margaret D. Blough]

And, of course, while the Confederates managed to come to produce quality powder at Augusta, they never did solve their problem with producing reliable and accurate fuses.  The Confederates did a formidable job in overcoming their deficits in manufacturing during the Civil War, but wartime is not the best time to try to acquire this capacity.  There were problems in both general manpower and in skilled craftsmen (I think of the Union victory, in part, as that of the "greasy mechanics" so maligned by antebellum pro-slavery leaders).

Regards,

Margaret

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: DShultz180 at aol.com 

> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes: 
> 
> 
> I should have been clear. For those who don't know, one minute between 
> rounds was the suggested time between rounds as noted in both the "Artillerists 
> Manual (1863) and "Field Artillery Tactics (1859 & 62). The standing order of 
> one minute used by the CSA mentioned was regulation and NOT that of a slower 
> practice. It's an eternity under fire. Union gunners were trained in the 
> practice 
> of two rounds per minute while at Camp Barry. Camp Barry was established 
> after Antietam and was Hunt's (and McLellan's) way of overcoming what was 
> considered superior practice by the CSA. It worked! 
> 
> Fire by file should not be confused with "Firing by Piece." Each gun in a 
> battery was numbered from one to six. Batteries wheeled about at "Reverse Trot" 
> in most instances by order of march not by gun number. It was not uncommon 
> for gun number one to be in center section during a particular engagement when 
> in fact it belonged to the left section. 
> 
> On many occasions, as in the Wheatfield, the left section was engaged either 
> in the center or right flank, which made "Firing by Piece" different that that 
> of "file." Calef opened with "Fire by Piece" when Roder unloaded with his 
> section followed by Newman then Pergel. The battery was separated by sections 
> and 
> this fought like that. Firing by file was not a mandatory process. It was 
> necessary for the CSA to use it at GB because of concerns to conserve ammunition 
> while gaining range and note results. And yes many CSA batteries never gained 
> their range nor were they effective at the burg. How ineffective we will never 
> know because most had an impact one-way or another. 
> 
> Dave S. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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