answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

In the days of old sailing war ships, the cannons were on wheels that enabled them to slide it out of the gunport and back for loading. To load the cannon they had to run it inside the ship, place powder bags down the front of the barrel, place a cannon ball in the barrel and take a ramrod and push it all to the back or bottom. There was a hole drilled in the top back of the cannon that led to where the powder bags sat. A fuse was inserted in the hole. When they had run out the cannon to the gunport and they were aimed right, they would light the fuse and BANG!. Then they had to repeat the whole process again. If they were firing a lot of times, each time they ran the cannon back in they had to swab out the inside of the barrel to remove any burning coals from the last firing. Otherwise when they put in the next powder bag they were in for a surprise. BANG! Dangerous occupation.

User Avatar

Wiki User

βˆ™ 16y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

βˆ™ 14y ago

The most common Civil War cannon was the 12 pound smoothbore Napoleon. There were also some rifled guns, and a few breechloaders.

If the gun has already been fired in the last few minutes the first step is to swab out the barrel. This was done with a spongesatff - a long pole with a sponge attached to one end. The sponge was dipped in a bucket of water to wet it, and run down the barrel all the way. This was to extinguish any sparks or flaming remnants of the previous load still in the barrel, which might cause the next load to explode when it was being inserted in the gun.

A limber was a complete rig - the gun on two wheels and the ammunition chest on two wheels, the gun being hooked to the chest when it was pulled by the horses. A powder charge would be taken from the chest and placed into the muzzle of the gun. Then the rammer - the gun crew member with that title, would take the rammer - the tool with that name, another long pole with a flared end almost the diameter of the bore of the gun and push the powder charge all the way down the barrel, seating it firmly and compressing it slightly. The powder charges were pre-weighed and wrapped in paper. A typical powder charge for the 12 pound Napoleon was two pounds of black powder. This was a different consistency from rifle powder, usually more coarse.

Then the correct type of ammunition would be removed from the chest - round shot (cannon balls), spherical case shot or shells (hollow cannon balls packed with powder, with a wooden fuse screwed into a hole in the shell), or canister (like a big can, packed with 48 one inch iron balls, like a huge shotgun load). These were the most common types of ammunition used by armies in field guns. This too would be placed in the muzzle, and the rammer would shove that down the barrel and seat it firmly in front of and against the paper-wrapped powder charge.

The gun captain would take a small capital-T shaped tool, called a prick, the crossbar of the T being a wooden handle, and the up-and-down part of the T being a wire, and poke this through the touchole vent of the gun to poke a hole in the paper wrapped around the powder charge. Then a friction primer would be inserted in the vent, with a cord attached to the outside end. The aim was checked, the cord attached to the primer pulled which caused the primer to ignite, detonating the powder charge and discharging the round.

There was no recoil-absorbing mechanism on Napoleons so the gun would roll back a few feet when fired. The gun then had to be pushed back "into battery" (proper position) by hand by the gun crew. Then the process was repeated.

In a full gun crew for a Napoleon there were fourteen men, and each had a prescribed role to play in loading the gun. A well-drilled crew could get off several shots per minute.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

βˆ™ 14y ago

you put gun powder in through a hole and then light it

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: How do you load a civil war cannon?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

How can you verify you have a civil war cannon ball?

Were there lead cannonballs during Civil WAr


What are the new uses for steel in the civil war?

cannon


Who made the civil war cannon?

pig snout


What was the first Civil War cannon?

The main cannon of the Civil War was the 10-pound muzzle loading Parrot Rifle. However, there were many older types of cannon still in use at the beginning of the Civil War. These ranged from Revolutionary-era "grasshoppers" (small 3-pounders made of brass) up to cast iron mortars and cannon.


What were hourglasses used for during the civil war?

to time cannon fire


What is the size of a cannon ball?

the size of the cannon ball depends on the size of the cannon. civil war cannons had cannon balls about the size of a child's head, aprox 30cm across


What was the main type of firearm in the civil war?

Flintlock or cannon type weaponry.


What were 3 inventions of the civil war?

Three inventions of the Civil War include the Gatling gun, a type of submarine, and the double barrel cannon. Another invention of the Civil War includes ironclad warships.


Can a civil war 12 pound cannon destroy a German king tiger tank?

no


What modern weapons were destructive that lead to deaths and suffering in the civil war?

Rifled cannon


What is a Civil War game that is online and free?

There are many online and free civil war games, but the most popular is "Dark Cut 2". Other online and free civil war games include The Campaign of 1863, American Civil Ware Cannon Defense, Civil War 150, and Civil War: The Game.


What do you call it when you load a cannon?

Just loading the cannon I think.