GDG- firing by thumbing the vents

[Jack Kelly]

Greetings,

Thumbing the vent (holding a gloved thumb over the vent before inserting the 
primer) was always done during the loading procedure (standard drill)to 
prevent oxygen from getting into the tube, igniting the powder charge, and 
taking #1's arms off at the elbows.  Loading without swabbing was a pure act 
of desperation, especially with an overheated tube. The guy using the rammer 
was in mortal danger every time he loaded a round. The man thumbing the vent 
wasn't too much better off if the charge went off prematurely (his thumb was 
in harm's way even with the glove, and he had to avoid a ton or so recoiling 
metal and wood).  Not my idea of fun.

Regards,

Jack Kelly
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <va37cs at aol.com>
To: <gettysburg at arthes.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 11:06 AM
Subject: GDG- firing by thumbing the vents


> Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:
>
>
> This is not a Gettysburg question, but does relate to the general practice 
> of firing artillery. I came across?the following?description of 
> Confederate artillerists in action at Sharpsburg in Warrior in Gray by 
> James Swisher. I could not?discern the source from the footnotes.?
>
> "The batteries were soon firing double charges of canister from red-hot 
> barrels. Gunners avoided the time consuming task of swabbing the barrels 
> after each discharge by 'thumbing the vents,' a dangerous process by which 
> a gunner kept his thumb over the gun vent to prevent oxygen from entering 
> the chamber and setting off the charge prematurely while loaders tamped in 
> powder and shot. When the gunner removed his thumb the cannon immediately 
> fired. . . . The guns recoiled four to five feet, and the gunner who was 
> firing?with his thumb had to ride the gun back."
>
> I realize artillerists sometimes loaded without swabbing the tubes, but 
> this imples that thumbing the vent?was not normally done and that a 
> gun?could be fired without a friction?primer. I know there are some 
> artillery experts out there. Could this be possible and has anyone?read 
> the source of this description?? The artillery involved would have been 
> the Washington Artillery, Jeff Davis Artillery and ?Boyce's South Carolina 
> Battery [no mention of this pratice in Boyce's report]. The action 
> described took place as Confederates attempted to halt the Union 
> breakthrough at the Sunken Road.
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dean Harry
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