Bullet and Shell Civil War Projectiles Forum

Author Topic: incendiary round.  (Read 8235 times)

speedenforcer

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incendiary round.
« on: October 18, 2017, 08:18:39 PM »
I know the civil war era incendiary rounds are one of the rarest. How often were they used in the war, how effective and what types of targets were they employed against. Supply depots?
It's not always "Survival of the fitest" sometimes the idiots get through.

divedigger

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #1 on: October 18, 2017, 10:35:21 PM »
I have seen a few used against Fort Fisher, the barracks were burned down and fires set in other areas. I don't know the ratio but in a very unofficial survey roughly 10% of the 100 pound Parrotts were incendiary. Probably more useful for shooting at ships and starting fires which is the worst thing to happen to a ship

CarlS

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2017, 10:38:35 PM »
I know Fort Fisher and Charleston areas have the incendiary rounds recovered.  Anyone know where else they've been found?  Any from the western theatre?  I would think they might have been used around Mobile.
Best,
Carl

Jack Bell

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #3 on: October 19, 2017, 11:12:41 AM »
My 8.0-inch Parrott incendiary shell came from Charleston.  At one time I also had a 6.4-inch Parrott two-compartment incendiary shell, also Charleston. According to the ORs,  Gillmore was obsessed with using them around Charleston.

Woodenhead

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2017, 01:29:29 AM »
Contemporary records suggest the CS Army's Ordnance Bureau had more than a passing interest in incendiary ammunition - both field and heavy. The first pic below is page one of a December 5, 1861, letter from ordnance officer Capt. J. Henderson to Gen. Bragg. Feeling anxious about the defenses of Pensacola, I take the liberty to drop you a line to say that a new projectile has recently been invented here (i.e., New Orleans) which would no doubt be of great service to you...  I refer to a shell filled with an inflammable material which sticks to almost any and everything it touches and burns so intensely that water has no effect in quenching the flame. It sounds a lot like modern napalm.

Eventually, the concept was embraced by the Richmond authorities. I'm speaking only of the army here. The Navy operated on its own track and I have few of their production records. The second picture below is an excerpt from Tredegar's Sales Book for the month of April 1863. For the Napoleons of the Army of Northern Virginia, the famed ironworks made 2,360 12 pdr. Shrapnel (case shot, I believe) followed by "1,590 12 pdr. Incendiary shells." These must have been fired at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. I don't know how much production followed because there were few entries labeled "Incendiary" during the last two years of the war. As an aside, another noteworthy entry on this April 1863 production report is "One 10 pdr. rifled Mullane gun complete" for $350. Yes, this was the same Tennessee guy who brought the concept of a disc sabot to Richmond in 1861. This was the only wrought iron 3 inch Rifle produced by Tredegar during the war. What we know is that John Mullane was a civilian ordnance agent associated with Alabama's Montgomery Arsenal. During late 1864 and early 1865, assisted by the Richmond Arsenal, he tried to set up a factory in Danville, VA, to manufacture wrought iron 3 inch Rifles. I am not aware of any finished products.

 The third document below reported the Jan. 30, 1864, receipt at the Army depot at Goldsboro, NC, of various field projectiles. They could have been sent from Richmond or Georgia (or elsewhere). On the first line "40 Rounds 3 inch Rifle Case Shot." Since the production of side-loading Rifle ammunition stopped during the spring of 1863, these must have been filled thru the fuze hole as has been noted in examples dug at Petersburg by Col. Biemeck. On the second line, "280 Rounds of 3 inch Rifle shell." In January 1864, the last of the common 3 inch Reads with copper cups was being made before a switch to the rounded-nose Broun shells was required. But the third line is most important: "80 Rounds 3 inch Rifle Incendiary." Maybe that's what made the Wilderness burn.

The last document dated March 5, 1863, lists Confederate heavy ammunition delivered to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. About 2/3rds of the way down is 16 - 8 inch shells incendiary. I'm certain there are more "incendiary" listings among the thousands of CS ordnance documents available on fold3.com, but only recently did I file them as a separate category.

Woodenhead

callicles

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2017, 06:23:15 PM »
Some were homemade. The Confederates tried to remove Bormann fuses and mix into the shells pieces of port fire and bursting charge of powder to fire at Yankee ships passing Vicksburg.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2017, 06:24:39 PM by callicles »

gflower

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2017, 08:35:57 PM »
Mike the the base of a 100lb Parrot incendiary shell I found near Chester Va. I was also present when a whole ground burst 100lber was found. Hope that helps expand the location of fopield finds. Gary

speedenforcer

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2017, 08:53:52 PM »
Your Honor,
   You got to dumb it down a little. what is a fopield find? Sir? Also is that invite to come to your chambers and see some of your shells still open. I would love to come see them.
It's not always "Survival of the fitest" sometimes the idiots get through.

CarlS

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #8 on: October 20, 2017, 10:30:21 PM »
My guess is "fopield" was meant to be "field".
Best,
Carl

speedenforcer

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2017, 08:09:39 AM »
 ::) ok I see that now, sorry judge.
It's not always "Survival of the fitest" sometimes the idiots get through.

speedenforcer

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2017, 01:32:02 PM »
so what different compositions did they use. Seems to me we did cover this before. Greek Fire (what ever that is), Turpentine, etc. etc.
It's not always "Survival of the fitest" sometimes the idiots get through.

scottfromgeorgia

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2017, 01:43:28 PM »
The week before he died, Sam White drilled into a 30 pound Parrott shell I had bought from Harry R, and found that it contained a white liquid that he saved in a Mason jar for me. He said it was probably an incendiary round. After his death, the jar disappeared, as did the shell. I had intended to have it analyzed, but no luck.

speedenforcer

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2017, 07:27:26 PM »
I would bet my inheritance that it was confiscated in the interest of public safety after the tragic accident. Sometimes Local, State, and Federal Law Enforcement get a little ridiculous and uses that to excuse their stupid decisions.
It's not always "Survival of the fitest" sometimes the idiots get through.

Garret

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #13 on: October 21, 2017, 09:09:47 PM »
Scott, do you remember the recovery location of that 30 lb. Parrott shell?   Just curious if it was Fort Fisher.
"Suppose you were an idiot.  And suppose you were a member of Congress.  But I repeat myself."  Mark Twain

gflower

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Re: incendiary round.
« Reply #14 on: October 21, 2017, 09:57:21 PM »
Thank you guys for the spell check. Yes it was a FIELD find. Guess my eye sight is the second thing to go with age! Yes that invite is still open. Just give me a shout when you want to come by. 904-255-1354 is the office number. Gary