Ridgeway Civil War Research Center,
A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War
Civil War Artillery

by Harry Ridgeway



Research Center: Artillery2542-Canister
Rifled artillery projectile, Sawyer design, Federal manufacture, canister, pattern with stiff iron can, thin iron top, balls, no sabot, holes in the bottom, 6 pounder, 3.67 in.
The canister was the artillerist's weapon of last resort. Once the enemy got close to the battery, the gunners would load these rounds, and the flimsy can would burst on firing sending the contents in scatter fashion against the troops charging the cannon. The fire was devastating against the troops but the enemy would be so close that options to reload and shoot would have been limited. The can was filled with balls, packed in sawdust, a thin iron plate was fitted on the top. The can was rigid and did not have a sabot, three large holes were placed in the bottom, energy from firing would push through the bottom and force the balls and lid out the top. This 3.67 in size would fit either a smoothbore 6 pounder, rifled 6 pounder or one of the rifled 20 pounders. Projectile measures: diameter 3.63in., length 5.5in. (approx), weight not meaningful, canister balls are missing.
Research Center: Artillery2542-Canister, Ref: Dickey & George, Field Artillery (1993 Edition), pg. 63.

Details click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery2542-Canister.html.


A0594...Rifled artillery projectile, Sawyer design, Federal manufacture, canister, pattern with stiff iron can, thin iron top, balls, no sabot, holes in the bottom, 6 pounder, 3.67 in.

The canister was the artillerist's weapon of last resort. Once the enemy got close to the battery, the gunners would load these rounds, and the flimsy can would burst on firing sending the contents in scatter fashion against the troops charging the cannon. The fire was devastating against the troops but the enemy would be so close that options to reload and shoot would have been limited. The can was filled with balls, packed in sawdust, a thin iron plate was fitted on the top. The can was rigid and did not have a sabot, three large holes were placed in the bottom, energy from firing would push through the bottom and force the balls and lid out the top. This 3.67 in size would fit either a smoothbore 6 pounder, rifled 6 pounder or one of the rifled 20 pounders. Projectile measures: diameter 3.63in., length 5.5in. (approx), weight not meaningful, canister balls are missing. Projectile is fired and shows distortion from firing. Projectile is disarmed, casing is empty. Recovered: Port Hudson, Louisiana.
Ref: Dickey & George, Field Artillery (1993 Edition), pg. 63.


This is the "Ridgeway Civil War Research Center", a research tool for educational purposes only, and is provided at no cost to the reader. Some of the relics listed are retained in the author's collection, most reside in other collections and are not owned by the author. None of the items listed in this section are for sale, please refer to relicman.com sales listings for items offered for sale. This is a work in progress, I list items as I get to them, there are many patterns that are not listed yet, this list will be regularly updated as I get pictures and descriptions for more items. I will also correct mistakes, so if you see any please tell me. All items listed are believed to be authentic to the Civil War or as otherwise described. This information is available for research purposes, pictures may be used by permission only.
All excavated artifacts have been recovered from private property with owner's permission.
All projectiles listed have been disarmed.

Most information on this page is from:
Field Artillery Projectiles of the American Civil War, 1993 Edition. by Thomas S. Dickey and Peter C. George.
Civil War Heavy Explosive Ordnance, A Guide to Large Artillery Prjectiles, Torpedoes, and Mines, by Jack Bell.
Artillery Fuses of the Civil War, by Charles H. Jones.
Pictures are by the author, unless otherwise indicated.


Ridgeway Civil War Research Center,
A virtual examination of artifacts of the American Civil War.
Artillery
Research center, artillery, click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery0000-Index.html.

Research center, artillery, click: http://relicman.com/artillery/Artillery0000-Index.html.


and now a word from our sponsor.....

Civil War Relicman, Harry Ridgeway,
Civil War artillery, Relicman sales catalog.
Click here: http://relicman.com/artillery/RelicmanSalesArtillery1.html.

Artillery for sale: http://relicman.com/artillery/RelicmanSalesArtillery1.html.