you will note, is even smaller than buckshot and was used - as the name implied - on swans, geese etc.
October 27, 2011, 08:51 PM
I wonder if doubles were ever used in the Civil War. Also, did they have any paper shells available in this era?
October 28, 2011, 10:07 AM
The Confederacy was so strapped for firearms they had a factory in Richmond that altered shotguns, mostly for cavalry.
I ran across one such. It was displayed by a descendant of the original owner with a Navy Colt, a tattered grey uniform coat and a Daguerrotype picture.
The shotgun itself was a small bore, barrels about 16" long and percussion fired. There were a few European pinfires in the War, but not enough to make a difference.
Parker started making breechloading shotguns about 1866. Other US makers were going at it by 1870.
October 28, 2011, 11:57 AM
Confederate cavalry shotguns were mostly muzzleloaders. And cavalry soldiers carried all the revolvers they could get, wearing a pair, with a pair in saddle holsters etc. There was no way of reloading easily with cap and ball pistols, and on horseback even more so. It was easier and faster just to grab another revolver.
"Forrest ordered forward. Without waiting to be formal in the matter, the Texans went like a cyclone, not waiting for Forrest to give his other orders to trot, gallop, and charge as he had drilled his men. By the time the Yankee skirmishers could run to their places in ranks and both lines got their bayonets ready to lift us fellows off our horses, we were halted in twenty steps of their two lines of savage bayonets, their front line kneeling with butts of guns on the ground, the bayonets standing out at right angle or straighter and the rear lines of their bayonets extended between the heads of the men of the first line. In a twinkling of an eye almost, both barrels of every shotgun in our line loaded with fifteen to twenty buckshot in each barrel was turned into that blue line and lo! What destruction and and confusion followed. It reminded me then of a large covey of quail bunched on the ground, shot into with a load of bird shot: their squirming and fluttering around on the ground would fairly represent that scene in that blue line of soldiers on that occasion. Every man nearly who was not hurt or killed broke to the rear, most of them leaving their guns where the line went down, and made a fine record in getting back to their reserved force several hundred yards to their rear. After the shotguns were fired, the guns were slung on the horns of our saddles and with our six shooters in hand we pursued those fleeing, either capturing of killing until they had reached their reserved force. Just before they reached this force, we quietly withdrew; every man seemed to act upon his own judgement for I heard no orders. But we were all generals and colonels enough to know that when the fleeing enemy should uncover us so their line could fire on us, we would have been swept from the face of the earth." -- http://www.keathleywebs.com/terrysrangers/terry2.htm
October 28, 2011, 07:42 PM
This is a great topic! Loads of historical literature here.
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