Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

[LibertyHallVols]

Folks,

This weekend, I had some great fun plinking at a friend's house. Among other arms (decidedly NOT from the ACW), I fired an original 58-cal Lorenz.

For those not familiar with the Lorenz, it has a rammer with a tulip-shaped head, ringed with a brass band. The head of the rammer is closely sized to the inner diameter of the bore. The brass ring keeps the iron rammer from damaging the rifling in the bore (brass being softer than the steel from which the barrel is made).

After about six rounds, the bore became fouled (gasp!). It was so fouled that I was hesitant to ram a ball (already inserted) down the bore for fear I would not be able to extract the rammer. So, I pulled the rammer from my Enfield and pushed it home (it rammed down without much force) and fired without incident. After that round, I wiped the bore and fired so more without trouble.

However, with the Iron Brigade Gettysburg LH coming up next weekend, I got wondering:
If I, under almost ideal and unhurried circumstances, had to wipe the bore after six shots, then what did "The Old Fellows" do during battle? Maybe they forced ten rounds through, not six... but they CERTAINLY had to do something to remove fouling so the could continue to load...
ESPECIALLY if firing a weapon like a Lorenz, with a rammer so closely-sized to the bore.

Would they block the nipple with leather or cloth and dribble in a little canteen water, slosh it around, and dry with a patch? A dry patch alone would be "quick" but can easily cause a rammer to get stuck, unless pushed down ahead of a worm.

So, my question is...
Has anyone come across a period reference to a soldier stopping to wipe, wash, or in some other way clear the fouling out of the bore of his musket during a fight?

Much appreciated!!

[JerseySkilletLicker]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

John,
I have read ( the books that come to mind are authored by Leander Stillwell, Rice Bull etc, I'll have to do more searching) that a whole host of scenarios arose, the most common being picking up a discarded musket which always seemed to litter the ground during an engagment. I have also read where a soldier place his ramrod against a tree and then pushed it home while leaning against the butt.
The books by John Michael Priest on the Antietam Campaign have great antecdotes as well. They deal with the heat of battle and the frenzied attention to firing as quickly as possible regardless. One story tells of a Federal soldier on the line whose suspender button snapped, his trousers fell to his feet and he stepped out of them not wanting to pause during the heat of battle. Two file closers noticed that he had no underdrawers on and that his rear was flapping in the breeze. If he did'ent make time to repair his britches I would think he would'ent stop to clean his rifle but grab another.
File closers were supposed to help deal with fouled muskets, no?

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

Joe,

Thanks for the reply!

the most common being picking up a discarded musket which always seemed to litter the ground during an engagment.

Very true, and I had pondered that. However, depending on how many rounds had been pushed through the discarded musket, it may be better, no better, or worse than the musket one was already using.

I have also read where a soldier place his ramrod against a tree and then pushed it home while leaning against the butt.

I have also heard stories like that. For a Lorenz particularly, a simple solution might be trying to ram with the threaded-end of the rammer.

The books by John Michael Priest on the Antietam Campaign have great antecdotes as well. They deal with the heat of battle and the frenzied attention to firing as quickly as possible regardless. One story tells of a Federal soldier on the line whose suspender button snapped, his trousers fell to his feet and he stepped out of them not wanting to pause during the heat of battle. Two file closers noticed that he had no underdrawers on and that his rear was flapping in the breeze. If he did'ent make time to repair his britches I would think he would'ent stop to clean his rifle but grab another.

Great story! Great point!

File closers were supposed to help deal with fouled muskets, no?

Very true. Theoretically, a file closer "could" hand his musket forward while running a patch through a fouled musket. I would be interested in any accounts of such things happening.

I've fired live many times before and had a bore fouled, requiring "some force" to get the ball rammed home. However, this was my first experience with a Lorenz, whose rammer-head is closely sized to the bore. It was very interesting. (Incidently, the musket shot like a dream... very accurate).

[Chihuahua]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

John,
I've often wondered the very same.
I live fire shoot with the Civil War Skirmish Association, and I know it takes only 6 or 7 rounds to foul my weapons. The "old guys" hadn't the luxury of swabbing the bore out with Windex or such. With water often such a scarce & precious comodity, what did they do?
Also, I only shoot about 37 grains in my Enfield and 45-50 grains in my smoothbore. Would regular loads cause a weapon to foul more quickly?
All of that about the infantryman being able to load, aim, and fire three times in 60 seconds certainly becomes questionable. If we're talking about the first three rounds in a clean bore, I'll buy that. I'd purely love to see 3 in a minute with a bore that has been fired ten times prior!!!
Mark Warren
Hairy Nation
Bloomfield, Iowa

[FranklinGuardsNYSM]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

What of "cleaner" rounds? Did they perform as intended?

[FloridaConscript]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

I can't remember the verdict on the "cleaning" rounds...did they do much good?
I do agree with brother wickett though. This winter I lived fired about 30 some off rounds, and after the first half dozen you notice it. After about 12 you are working your tail off. I cheated and switched to round ball after about 15 minies.

[bhutton]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

I've live fired both my enfield and sprinfield '61' and after 6-8 rounds I could not ram the bullet home. I wonder if the modern .577 cal balls are a factor, the way they are made possibly? I've used a sizer on them with slightly better results, also lubrication can be a factor as well. But there is no way I could fire 3 rounds a minute without constant cleaning, under battle conditions I can't see how the average soldier could. I've looked at original minie' balls they seem smaller, I don't know if its age of the ball or just my imagination.

[Michael Comer]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

I, too, have noticed a marked differenc in size between a modern minie and an original. The modern ones that I have seen tend to be a bit fatter and would fill the barrel more than some of the originals.

[OldState]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

In Glathaar's book on the ANV, he talks about units keeping .54cal ammo to hand out when the rifles began to foul. My version of this book is on CD. If anyone has a hardcopy maybe they can check where he was referencing from. Maybe the O.R. ...

[mslaird]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

A lot of times it is the modern balls that cause the problem. The Euroarms Enfield for instance is nominally chambered at .577-.578 and it is recommended by a lot of the NSSA fellows to use the .575 minie balls in them. I have done so and I noticed something else. If I shot just plain lead atop the powder, the weapon fouled after about 6-7 shots. I lubed the bullet along the rings with a 50/50 mix of tallow/beeswax as I understand the original bullets were supposed to be lubed and I was able to pull off about twenty five shots before the weapon was so fouled I was forced to use the tree method for the final shot. Then I cleared the bore with water and patches before proceeding. The lube did help in clearing out the fouling as I shot.

I have shot an original Lorenze as well and after the afternoon long experience I would have to say it is one of my favorite period firearms to shoot. The Halls rifle is a hoot to fire as well, if you don't mind the constant taste of powder in your mouth from the gas exiting the sides of the breech.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

I will clarify that I was shooting minie's, lubed with beeswax/tallow. I purchased them from the same NSSA fellow from whom I got the rifle. I don't know the diameter of the minie's (I can put a caliper to one later), but I can tell you that the first round "fell" to the breech, slowed only by the friction between the lube and the bore.

I'm sure I could have rammed a dozen rounds down before cleaning, however, I would not have been able to use the Lorenz rammer, unless I rammed with the "skinny end".

...also, FWIW...
I was using period paper cartridges, rolled per the regs. It was a lot of fun to load and shoot that way!

[Eric Fair]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

Wick,
Don't have any references for you, but just wanted to say that I'm extremely jealous of your weekend experience! Not to mention my envy of that awesome Lorenz of yours.

- thread hijack over - :)

[Phil McBride]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

Our company had our annual morning of live shooting at the local black powder shooting club range last Saturday, so the same thoughts have been on my mind. Some observations and questions:
1. What about the "conventional wisdom" of guys peeing down the hot fouled barrels, or more probably, file closers using canteens to do a quick barrel rinse? I've not tried to shoot a live round after a rinse with no follow up patch to dry the barrel, but my weapons' barrerls get so hot, might a patch swipe even be needed after shooting a dozen or more rounds in just a few minutes?
2. Our company shoots much more accurately when doing a fire by file then independent firing, than firing by company volley. When we shoot at cardboard soldier targets, it's quickly evident that aiming and shooting at one's own pace works better. Duh.
3. We shoot with minie bullets of two different brands and shapes sized down to 575 or 574 and are well lubed. Like John mentioned, our first bullet almost slides to the breach with only a little pressure. Then we can get a least a dozen rounds off without a real need to clean.
4. Did the file closers keep and use brush-like cloth swabs?
5. Accuracy of reproduction weapons is really "iffy," but practice and trying different minies and powder loads can help.

Phil McBride
The Alamo Rifles

[Bill Cross]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

I will refrain from modern discussions, since John asked what the Boys of 186X did.

Whatever they could.

I have read accounts of men using rocks to force their rammers down fouled barrels, of raming them against trees, whatever they could. When your life depends on it, you'll do almost anything. But fouling was a very real problem; a NJ captain was court-martialed for withdrawing his company at Chancellorsville from the Union line because their weapons were so badly fouled they couldn't shoot any longer. I believe he was later cleared, but the threat to the integrity of the line (when withdrawl could lead to panic and rout) was enough that his superiors believed he was insubordinate for withdrawing without permission.

One farbism of our hobby, even among campaigners, is the tendency to "burn powder." I have yet to hear a captain in the line who isn't yelling "pour it on," and "faster, men, faster."

It's one of the few times a quick climax won't get a man balled out. ;)

But I digress.

The notion that we can stand on the line and blaze away like soldiers using modern smokeless powder is something we need to move away from. The Boys of 186X usually did not fire as many rounds, have as many KIA nor fight the way we pretend to now. Fouling was a very real problem with consequences, and they did not have the luxury of purchasing non-standard rounds, but had to "make do" with whatever the armies of both sides chose to dispense to them.

Good post, John, your experiences bring up an area that needs attention.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Wiping a Musket Bore During Battle

Two weeks ago I went to a picnic where shooting was encouraged. I fired 42 rounds through my two band enfield and about 20 through my .69 smooth bore. I sized my minies at .574 and lubed them with bees wax. Never had any problems. The smooth bore got a little crusty after shooting a while, allowed to cool down and reloading cold to shoot again. I should have been shooting a little smaller ball. I think the ball was a .686 or .687, I can't remember which. Properly sized and lubricated ammunition propelled by a consistant period powder load will usually allow 40 rounds to be fired with no problem. One thing you have to remember, the modern reproduction barrel diameters are not precise. Best thing to do is size your barrel and then size your bullets accordingly.

Couple things about Lorenzs. They were designed to be fired with a solid base bullet and didn't do too well with the hollow base minies. They tended to foul. The originals also varied in bore size due to contractors doing the boring to .58 and not getting it right. Couple of things going on with the Lorenz which may have contributed to the fouling problem. The difference grain between FFg and FFFg may also affect the amount of fouling.

Period fouling may have been caused by shooting too many rounds or having ammunition that was not quite small enough to get around the fouling problem. I suggest the book Roundball to Rimfire be consulted as this subject is covered in depth.