Sharps Carbine - Trooper load?

[dpu1990]

I have been trying to find out how much ammunition a Federal trooper should carry for a Sharps carbine. I have seen photos and reproductions of carbine cartridge boxes with wooden inserts, and those hold 20 rounds. One writer claimed a trooper should carry 40 rounds. I have also seen a photo of another style of box from a Mass Cav regiment which had stacked tin inserts and held 40 rounds - but records seem to show our regiment carried the more standard carbine box. Most research I have run across refers to the box carried on the sword belt on the right; I found one book that also mentioned the boxes being attached to the carbine sling and carried on the back.

If I carry a box on the belt with a block, I can carry 20 rounds. If I carry two boxes (presumably one on the sling), that would obviously double, but I cannot find reference as to whether that was done. I can also increase my ability to carry by removing the wood block from the box - my best guess is that that's the most likely accurate answer, but I cannot find anything very definitive.

So - for a standard-equipped Eastern theater trooper in 1863 with a Sharps, how many rounds should I be carrying, and where/how?

[Tom Craig]

Re: Sharps Carbine - Trooper load?

Don,

First, welcome aboard!
I've never seen any documentation of a trooper, or any Civil War soldier carrying more than one cartridge box. They weren't issued more than one, and if you were to fill it full of live rounds, you'd find that one box gets heavy enough pretty quickly. Plus as a cavalry trooper there is also the pistol box to add to the weight.

The Sharps box is the one that you mention with the tins. It looks very similar to an infantry cartridge box, but has smaller dimensions. That one will hold 40 rounds approximately. The other box you are talking about with the wooden insert (it's longer than it is tall) is most likely the "universal" cartridge box, or may be the "Burnside" box. If you're carrying a Sharps, the ideal box would be the Sharps box.

Reenactors will sometimes carry their cartridge box on their carbine sling, but it is rare that you see that in period pictures. I would argue that the weight of the full box would be awkward and uncomfortable to do with real rounds.

Remember that cavalry wasn't intended to get into protracted fire fights where they would need lots of ammunition at a given time. It happened later in the war, but it wasn't what cavalry was intended for. So, 20-40 rounds should be sufficient if you're trying to be accurate.

Take care,
Tom Craig
1st Maine Cavalry

[CompanyWag]

Re: Sharps Carbine - Trooper load?

Tom,
Much as the infantry was often compelled to carry extra packages of cartridges in a knapsack or pockets, could the cavalry have done the same as circumstances dictated? Perhaps in a saddlebag or blanket roll?

[IowaYank]

Re: Sharps Carbine - Trooper load?

One thing to think about as well is how Sharps cartridges were originally made. They were a rather fragile cartridge; therefore they needed to have the drilled wooden block or the top tin with the cylinders (Sharps box) in it. This would rule out completely taking out the block to carry more rounds. I would say yes, spare arsenal packs would frequently be carried in the bedroll or saddlebags.

[Tom Craig]

Re: Sharps Carbine - Trooper load?

Paul,

I'm sure that it could/would have happened. Extra ammo carried in pockets, bedrolls etc. I've just never read about it or seen accounts of it. Cavalry can be very frustrating to find details like that because there are relatively fewer 1st person accounts than the infantry.

Take care,
Tom Craig
1st Maine Cavalry

[Andrew German]

Re: Sharps Carbine - Trooper load?

Greetings all, I'm glad to see the discussion continues here.
Ideally, one should make up their Sharps rounds in paper-wrapped pasteboard boxes with lids containing ten cartridges (you can find a pattern for these). The original Sharps box that Tom refers to had two tin inserts, each with tubes for 10 cartridges and a space below for a box of 10 cartridges (if you make the box correctly it just fits). Thus, the cartridge box held 40 rounds. If more than 40 rounds were issued, as occasionally happened later in the war, the saddlebags seem to have been the normal place to store them—I've seen several references to returning to the horse to get a box from the saddlebags. But also later in the war the ammunition wagons were close—and maybe the 20-round boxes were more common—and at a battle such as Haw's Shop the officers brought extra rounds forward to their men on the battle line (the 1st New Jersey had several officers wounded or killed while engaged in this duty).
I've seem scattered references and one or two images of cartridge boxes on carbine slings, but if you follow the proper drill for loading a Sharps it's much more efficient to reach back with your right hand to the box on your belt.
The ammunition for revolvers was normally made up in packages of six cartridges and 7 caps. The most common package seems to have been a paper-wrapped wooden block with holes drilled for the cartridges. One should make up revolver cartridges and put them in a correct-sized block for authenticity. The issue revolver cartridge box held three packages stowed on end.
Hope this helps.
Andrew German
1st Maine Cavalry