How To Load and Fire Civil War Cannon

It took a gun crew of six to load and fire the second most common rifled field artillery in both Armies. Seen in the video is the a vintage Model 1861 3-Inch Ordnance Gun. Manufactured by the Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, the field piece was fabricated from hammer-welded (wrought iron), machined iron. It was both accurate and reliable. The Hotchkiss shell was a common projectile fired, a three piece shell : The nose , a sabot and an iron forcing cup at the base that expanded the lead sabot upon firing. The other shell for this rifle was the Schenkl, a cone shaped projectile with ribs along its tapered base. The papier-mâché' sabot was driven up the taper by the force of the gas, expanding the sabot into the rifling. Maximum range was 1830-yards with a one-pound black powder charge at 5 degrees elevation.

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