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DAILY CONSTITUTIONALIST [AUGUSTA, GA], July 17, 1864, p. 3, c. 2
[Communicated.]
C. S. Armory, Athens, Ga., July 14, 1864.
Messrs. Editors:--In your paper of the 13th inst., you state that the Army correspondent of the Atlanta Intelligencer writing from the front gives a description of a new Minnie ball which the Yankees are using against us. As I have seen several allusions to this same ball, as a poisoned contrivance of the enemy, I will try and give the proper explanation of this Yankee invention. In every ten cartridges of Yankee ammunition, will be found one which is known amongst those soldiers that understand its use, as “a cleaner.” It has a shallow zinc cup of nearly the same diameter as the bore of the gun, which is attached to the base of the ball and is filled with tallow. This cap is held in place by a plug of lead which passes through the zinc cup, and fits into the base of the ball. When the explosion takes place, this cup is flattened between the two parts of the ball and forced to expand, thereby causing the zinc to act as a scraper for the grooves of the rifle, and keeping it quite clean. This cartridge, and its great usefulness, has been known in the army of Northern Virginia (to which the writer was formerly attached) for the past two years, and they are eagerly sought after by our men when they get hold of captured ammunition. I should be glad to see the same contrivance introduced into our own ammunition, as it is in my humble opinion, an excellent invention and quite easily applied. So far, however, as accuracy of shooting is concerned, they are useless, as they fly exceedingly wild, and are simply valuable for the purpose intended, viz., to keep the gun clean.
Very respectfully, &c.
H.
Vicki Betts
[Communicated.]
C. S. Armory, Athens, Ga., July 14, 1864.
Messrs. Editors:--In your paper of the 13th inst., you state that the Army correspondent of the Atlanta Intelligencer writing from the front gives a description of a new Minnie ball which the Yankees are using against us. As I have seen several allusions to this same ball, as a poisoned contrivance of the enemy, I will try and give the proper explanation of this Yankee invention. In every ten cartridges of Yankee ammunition, will be found one which is known amongst those soldiers that understand its use, as “a cleaner.” It has a shallow zinc cup of nearly the same diameter as the bore of the gun, which is attached to the base of the ball and is filled with tallow. This cap is held in place by a plug of lead which passes through the zinc cup, and fits into the base of the ball. When the explosion takes place, this cup is flattened between the two parts of the ball and forced to expand, thereby causing the zinc to act as a scraper for the grooves of the rifle, and keeping it quite clean. This cartridge, and its great usefulness, has been known in the army of Northern Virginia (to which the writer was formerly attached) for the past two years, and they are eagerly sought after by our men when they get hold of captured ammunition. I should be glad to see the same contrivance introduced into our own ammunition, as it is in my humble opinion, an excellent invention and quite easily applied. So far, however, as accuracy of shooting is concerned, they are useless, as they fly exceedingly wild, and are simply valuable for the purpose intended, viz., to keep the gun clean.
Very respectfully, &c.
H.
Vicki Betts
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