Copyright by Dean S. Thomas

Transcription

1 Copyrigh by Dean S. Thomas The familiar 1/2-ringer'l is probably he m disincive Confederae bulle used during he Civil War. The projecile and is carridge forming process were invened by Frederick J. Gardner from Hillsboro, Norh Carolina, who was issued C.S.A. paen No. 12 on Augus 17, Unlike he II American II and English paern of making paper carridges where he ball was compleely covered by paper, he bulle in a Gardner carridge was enirely exposed. Carridge collecors and Civil War relic huners have conjecured for a long ime abou he mehod used o manufacure his carridge. Several differen heories have been offered; however, a las, he ruh of he maer has surfaced. A drawing and repor on he subjec were found by a researcher ucked away in he U.S. Miliary Academy Library a Wes Poin, New York. This evidence had been prepared by 1s L. Peer S. Michie in Ocober The drawing and relevan porion of he repor are presened here. having a circular flange a, running around hem immediaely below he cannelures. The paper was aached by urning down his flange upon he base of he ball, c, he paper, g, being caugh beween hem as shown a, e, in Fig. 2. This was accomplished in a very simple manner in he machine shown in Fig. 3, 4, and 5. The edge of he carridge paper cu o proper size was ulsered in he slo, b, of he seel plunger, A, and wound smoohly upon i by urnulg he handle, B. The foo is hen placed on he readle, 7: and he plunger and paper brough down on he bulle, D, forculg he laer hrough he swedging plae M, he flange urned down and he paper caugh. Upon removing he foo from he readle, he spring, S, lifs he plunger and he machine is ready o repea he operaion. Office Chief Engineer Dep. Virginia Richmond, Va. Ocober 1865 Brig. Gen. Richd Delafield Chief Engr. U.s. Army Washingon D.C. General, I have he honor o submi herewih noes explanaory of he rebel orpedos and ordnance delineaed on he accompa- Very respecifully Your Ob. Serv. Peer S. Michie 1s L. Bv. L. CoL U.S. Engrs. Plae No. XXI Gardners mehod of aaching he paper carridge o he Ball. The objec of his device was o expedie he manufacure of muske carridges by superseding he necessiy of ying he paper o he ball and a he same ime swedge he ball o exac caliber and render he connecion beween i and he paper more accurae. I is he invenion of F.J. Gardner of N.C. and was used in he rebel arsenal a Richmond. The bulles used were cas in he form shown in Fig. I, "American" paern carridge from he Lynchburg (Va.) Arsenal (lef); impored, English-made "EnField" carridge (cener); and Confederae-made, English paern carridge (righ).

2 Michie's drawing No. XXI of "Gardner's BuUe and Machine for aaching carlridges H also included a H Fuse burning Sand. H The key o he procedure was he shape in which he lead bulle was cas wih he large flange or ring perpendicular o is body. To fonn a carridge he bulle was insered by hand nose firs ino he base plae of he machine. The flange resed fla on he plae. Pre-cu carridge paper was wound around he plunger direcly above he bulle. The foo operaed readle moved he plunger wih he paper down ono he bulle, and coninued pressure drove he bulle hrough he base plae. This acion crimped he paper ino he bulle as he flange was ben back (or down oward he base of he ball) a a 90 degree angle and also swaged he bulle o proper size. The bulle wih he paper cylinder aached was hen f11led wih 60 o 75 grains of black powder and he "ail" folded closed in ypical fashion. Ten carridges wih percussion ca were bundled in a paper wrapper and marked wih he ype of ammuniion, place and dae of manufacure. Three differen calibers of Gardner bulles were produced for rifles and rifle muskes:.54,.58 and.69. Alhough he firs wo sizes are ofen recovered from Civil War balefields and camies, he.69 cal. is much scarcer. A raher large handful of.54 and.58 cal. Gardner carridges exis oday, however, his wrier is no aware of a surviving.69 cal. Gardner carridge. 2 Records a he Naional Archives, namely "Leers Sen by he [Confederae] Superinenden of Laboraories a Macon, Georgia" provide addiional ineresing infonnaion. By he ime John W. Malle was appoined Superinenden of Laboraories in May 1862, a leas one of Gardner's machines was in use a he Richmond Laboraory. Malle described i (May 27, 1862) as a "simple and effecive lile machine" and ha i was "an improvemen over ying he carridge paper o he ball." He recommended o Josiah Gorgas, Chief of Ordnance, ha i "should be inroduced o he oher CS laboraories." Evenually, Gardner carridge machines were pu in operaion a he Augusa, Ga. and Charleson, S.C. arsenals. Probably due o poor prevenive mainenance and wear on he machines, Malle complained o Gorgas on February 16, 1863, ha he Gardner carridges being urned ou a Richmond "appear radically defecive in several of he requiremens of a good carridge." They were: 1) no fmn nor compac and allowed powder o sif ou; 2) filhy, because he uncovered ball became "cooed wih a cake of mingled powder and grease;" and 3) he mos serious defec, oo large for he guns used -.54 cal. bulles measured.538" insead of.525" and.58's were.576" insead of.562".

3 John W. Malle - Confederae Superinenden of LaboraJories. 1(),;.,..,'l(\I.',: i\ 1. -:, N R i c I, Il.' J' I Al'1.'1,;\1 18 (; J One week laer on February 23,1863, afer receiving complains from he field, Malle again wroe o Gorgas. He admied ha Gardner's machine was ingenious, "bu ha carridges urned ou by i were far inerior in many essenial pariculars o hose, made by hand. In fac, he carridges were so far inferior as o render he whole maer one for he mos serious consideraion. Carridges made in his way will no bear ransporaion and hey are someimes rendered unserviceable by carriage even in he original packing boxes. The only advanage of Gardners machine was he rapidiy of he way i could be worked, bu he labor of boys and girls for making carridges by hand can be had in abundance and i needs bu an increase of such labor o keep pace wih he machine in producion." The Gardner carridge remained in producion a Richmond for almos anoher year; however, on Malle's advice, he machines were abandoned a boh Augusa and Charleson by he end of Finally, on January 22, 1864, Malle had received he "good news." "The poin I have been m anxious abou has been he Gardner carridge for small arms, which, alhough ingenious in design and easily and rapidly made, is cerainly he mos inferior carridge for service which we have employed. You have, however, jus informed me ha he manufacure of his carridge will be disconinued, and I rus ha before long we shall have he English Enfield paern in universal use." I is very possible ha Gardner may have been receiving royaly paymens for he use of his invenion. This may explain why he wroe o Malle and Malle in urn replied. Cu-away drawing of a Gardner carridge. Gardner carridges may have been packaged in wrappers and boxes senciled like his., y :i I ;".54 cal. Gardner carridge and bal.58 cal. Gardner carridge and ball, and.69 cal. Gardner ball.

4 Mr. F.J. Gardner Hillsboro, N.C. Macon, Ga. Feb. 16h 1864 On May 11, 1863, Malle complained o Major W.V. Taylor, Commanding Richmond Arsenal, abou defecs in Gardner bulles - one ha would prove o be real! Sir: I have oday received your leer of he 10h ins., in which you askfor he reasons which have led o he disconinuance of he manufacure of your paened carridge for small arms. The idea upon which your mode of making carridges is founded is ingenious, and he rapidiy wih which he producs are urned ou is a recommendaion of he mehod Bu several objecions exis o he finished carridge - he mos imporan being he iliferior endurance which i exhibis in ransporaion. The paper is so severely nipped when he leaden flange is urned over i as o be weakened and his weakening is ofen aggravaed in warm weaher by he sofening and soaking in of lubrican. The leverage wih which he weigh of he ball acs upon his weak par of he paper soon ears i when he carridge is shaken abou in he carridge box. Many repors from officers in he Field and my own observaions have convinced me ha i is rare o find a soldier's carridge box conaining he machine made carridges in which some a leas of he carridges are no broken. Besides he large wase of ammuniion hus caused, he loose powder mixed wih grease render he carridge diry and he remaining sound carridges so filhy as o much increase he fouling of he gun. There are also objecions o he carridge, when used in good condiion as regards he accuracy offire o be obained, bu a presen he mos imporan poin is he wan of durabiliy in ransporaion. J. w: Malle - Major The bulles from Gardner's machine (bohfor cal..54 and.58) exhibied several defecive poins, owing o he "gae" being cu off oo far. In hese bulles moreover seriousflaws were observable in he boom of he caviy or cup of he base - almos all he bulles examined had deep holes running up ino wha should be he solid par of he ball. The caviy in one of hese balls when properly moulded is very deep, and he flaws jus menioned, sill furher weakening he ball, would no be unlikely o cause i o ear on discharge. Defecive, fired Gardner bulles recovered from Civil War balefields. These balls, called "blow-hroughs," prove he insighful Malle correc. A unique chaper of he Confederae ordnance sory came o a close when Gardner producion ceased, afer unold millions had been made. Quaniies of carridges on hand were sill issued for over a year; however, from he Confederae poin of view, he War Beween he Saes would now be fough wih "beer" ammuniion... \,... i I --,./././ )1-- I ' ): I' J),.. 1, '- I;)...,,i ic-"c "- -' -': =İ u.. 8' 8,.' -+ --". ",.. '- "",; The Richmond Laboraory on Brown's Island in he James Ri.'er, Richmond, Va. circa "p"" E. O A".. Map of Augusa Arsenal circa s 4

5 In he spring of 1990, his wrier had buil a Gardner carridge machine and a mold for casing.58 ca1. Gardner bulles. The machine was paerned afer he Michie drawing, bu wih wo modificaions o simplify is consrucion. 1) The main housing of he original machine was apparenly an iron casing. In he reproducion i was made from fla sock. 2) The leaf spring was changed o a coil spring and moved ino he housing. I sill serves he same purpose. Afer operaing he machine for a very shor ime, i became obvious ha he hole in he base plae needed o be kep well lubricaed. If no, he bulles would acually ear during compression. This fac may have revealed he answer o he quesion: A wha sep of he process were he Gardner bulles or carridges lubricaed? The answer could no be found in Malle's communicaions, bu here are hree logical seps a which ime he lubrican could have been applied. 1) Afer he carridge was compleed. However, his would have brough black powder ino conac wih a hea source. To apply he lubrican o bulles, he bulles were dipped ino lubrican in is liquid sae. A flame of some sor was necessary o keep he lubrican meled. 2) Afer he paper cylinder had been aached o he bulle, bu before i was filled wih powder. This is a possibiliy. 3) Before he bulle is presened o he machine. A his sage, wo hings are accomplished: he bulle has acquired is necessary lubrican for clean and accurae shooing, and he excess lubrican provides a coninual supply for he beneficial operaion of he machine. The reproducion Gardner carridge machine. Reproducion Gardner bulles and carlridges (lef o righ): from he mold wih uncu sprue, base view of flange, wih sprue removed, compressed wihou paper, from he machine wih carridge paper aached, and compleed carridge charged wih powder. "

6 Tile reproducion Gardner carlridge machine. THOMAS PUBLICATIONS publishes books abou he American Colonial era, he Revoluionary War, he Civil War, and oher imporan opics. For a complee lis of iles, please wrie o: THOMAS PUBLICATIONS P. O. Box 3031 Geysburg, PA 17325