percussion fuses

[gary]

How efficient or reliable were the percussion fuses of the Civil War?

[whitworth]

CONFEDERATE USE OF PERCUSSION SHELLS -LATE AND FEW

Confederates didn't have effective percussion rifled shells, until late in the war. The supply was small.


"Of the most valuable kind of rifle ammunition, shrapnel, the Confederates made none, on account of the scarcity of lead. Of the next most useful kind, percussion shell, (invaluable for getting the range,) few were to be had until the last year of the war. The fuse then used, Girardey's, was excellent, probably better than any of the enemy's patterns, and it possessed the peculiar excellence of being carried loose in the chest and applied to any shell at the moment it was needed, so that just as many shells could be made "percussion" as the gunner wished. This perfection of the fuse, however, was only reached during the fall of 1864, and before that period the percussion-shell had a fuse-plug specially fitted to it at the arsenal, and the supply furnished was very small."

Source:
Confederate Artillery Service.
By Gen. E. P. Alexander, late Chief of Artillery of Longstreet's Corps.

http://www.gdg.org/Research/People/A...r/shalex1.html

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UNION PERCUSSION SHELLS AT GETTYSBURG

Schenkl Percussion Projectiles [used by the AoP at Gettysburg]

Percussion fuses were invented for the Schenkl artillery projectile in 1861 and were used before and after Antietam, and throughout the last three years of the war.
Percussion fuses exploded the projectile on contact; time fuses or paper fuses exploded the projectile in the air, so many seconds after firing.

An excellent source of information are the relic sellers who sell various types of Civil War artillery projectiles. By searching Schenkl and percussion on the internet, one can find pictures and descriptions on various shells available for purchase.

There are quite a number of references to Schenkl percussion artillery projectiles in the OR's. The Gettysburg Report of Lieut. George Breck, Battery L, First New York Light Artillery mentioned, ..."the amount of ammunition expended during the three days battle was 1290 rounds, consisting of Schenkl percussion, 523 rounds, Schenkl compound [a combination time fuse and a percussion fuse], 715 rounds; and canister, 52 rounds."
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UNION PERCUSSION SHELLS IN 1862

[Some early use of Schenkl percussion shell artillery]
Report of Lieut. Henry W. Kingsbury, commanding Battery D, Fifth U. S. Artillery, of operations April 5.

CAMP NEAR YORKTOWN, April 6, 1862.

...Our guns opened with percussion shell, the second
shot giving the range, about 2,100 yards. We then fired fuse shell and spherical case at the camps within the enemy’s intrenchments and at large groups of men who appeared around their guns.

Our ammunition, Parrott’s (the percussion shell with Schenkl plungers), was all that could be desired. Of an average of 30 rounds to a gun I remember but two that did not explode...

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