One reason I asked to debate the tin straps on the Dyer was that until Pete mentioned to hold on a powder bag, I ready hadn’t considered it and want to know more. One reason why I didn't consider that as a possibilty was something I learned while loading Parrott & Ordnance rifles in competition on crews in the NSSA. (North-South Skirmish Association) That is that rifled projectiles are normally loaded in a two-step fashion. First the powder bag is loaded and rammed, then the projectile. The reason for this is unlike the smoothbore guns where the windage is fairly large and the bores smooth and free of edges, the rifled gun has very little windage and sharp curved edges to interfere with the loading process. Its just too easy to have the flimsy wool bag that holds the powder to bind-up and jam the projectile in the rifling before the round is seated in the back of the tube. For this reason, the bag is loaded separate. Written evidence of the two-step loading process is hard to find but please see:
French, Barry & Hunt; The 1864 Field Artillery Tactics. Page 8
“The ammunition for rifled guns is not “fixed,” and the projectile do not have a sabot.”
*Please note that the sabot referred to in the quote is a wooden sabot like those on fixed smoothbore ammunition. The expanding iron, lead and brass parts that took to the rifling on a rifled projectile that we commonly call a sabot today, was often referred to as “packing” in 1864.
&
Grandchamp, The boys of Adams’ Battery G. Page 27
“The rifle required two actions to be loaded; Number Five first had to bring a linen powder bag to Two which had to be rammed home before Seven brought the round up.”
**The numbers referred to are the numbers given to men in the gun crew.
John, I’ll post some information on the Taylor modifications next chance I get. As Pete stated, these modifications don’t play a part with the tin straps in question.
Doug
