GDG- Re: Thumbing the piece ... you could use another extremity of the hand if ordered

[James Cameron]

<< > <<The action described took place as Confederates attempted to halt the
> Union breakthrough at the Sunken Road.>>
>
Perhaps this is why Antietam was the high point of Confederate artillery
within the ANV during the entire war. Not only could that practice destroy a 
brass
gun in short order; it could very likely render it's hard to come by
artillerists dead as in not alive. The practice of thumbing a vent during 
it's load
and discharge was a court martial offense with battery commander being held
liable for the piece. Forget the troop, charge the captain for the ordnance.

I know of no instances whereas Federal gunners thumbed the spike then simply
took glove away to discharge piece. The sudden rush of air would surly 
ignite
the embers making discharge a genuine guess. I can only visualize the wild
ride as I have never read of an instance.  >>

I can't help but wonder if this isn't another of those stories which impoved 
with the telling over the years.  Swabbing the bore was done to eliminate 
any smoldering embers which might ignite the next charge loaded, and 
thumbing the vent was done to further reduce the risk of ignition from any 
smoldering residue the swabbing might have missed, at the bottom of the 
breech end in particular.  But even without swabbing, I'm not sure simply 
removing the thumb from the vent would reliably set of the charge.  And if 
it doesn't, then you've got a potential hangfire on your hands, which means 
the gun can go off unexpectedly, and trying to put in a friction primer and 
fire it in the regulation manner becomes extremely dangerous.  Also, how 
does one safely ride the gun as it recoils?  There's no place to sit on the 
gun carraige, and, removing the thumb from the vent means whoever's trying 
it has only one hand free to hang on with.

Gun drill was carefully thought out to reduce the very real chance of ending 
up with dead gunners if something went wrong.  Shortcuts such as the one 
described were just asking for trouble.

Jim Cameron

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