Accidental Explosion.

[Waterloo50]

I was reading through one of my books earlier today and I stumbled upon a short article about an accidental explosion of a box of 3000 small arms cartridges in a tent of the 3rd New York Volunteers, the article describes that this type of accident happened frequently with undisciplined troops. Unfortunately the article doesn't go into any great depth. I was wondering if there are any further articles on this subject and also is the article correct in stating that 'that this type of accident happened frequently with undisciplined troops'.

 

[huskerblitz]

Not exactly the same situation as the one you mentioned, but Captain Evan D. Thomas was severely burned by a premature explosion of rebel artillery he was ordered to destroy after Champion Hill. It would later factor into his death.

 

[Waterloo50]

Not exactly the same situation as the one you mentioned, but Captain Evan D. Thomas was severely burned by a premature explosion of rebel artillery he was ordered to destroy after Champion Hill. It would later factor into his death.

Is this the same officer:


Evan Thomas was born on May 29, 1843 at Georgetown, District of Columbia, and died on April 23, 1873 at California.
During the Civil War, he served as a Lieutenant of Battery C, 4th United States Artillery. He was the son of General Lorenzo Thomas.
He was killed with the rank of Captain on April 23, 1873 while fighting the Modoc Indians under Captain Jack at what is now Lava Beds National Monument in California. During this encounter General Edward Canby was also killed.
Captain Thomas was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
I'm intrigued to know how the explosion was a factor in his death. The site I looked at gives his cause of death as
May 4, 1873:
Captain Evan Thomas, Company A, Fourth Artillery, rifle ball shots through lower part right forearm and upperpart right thigh, cutting thefemoral artery. Died on the field.
Regards
Waterloo

 

[Nathanb1]

Wait. The explosion in California or the one in the first post?

It's not the same organization. You don't give a date for the first example.

 

[Championhilz]

On August 19, 1863, the steamboat City of Madison was loading cargo at Vicksburg when a crate of percussion artillery shells were accidentally dropped - the resulting explosion wrecked the steamboat and damaged a number of others that were nearby. A number of soldiers were also killed or wounded. There is a good account of the accident here: http://mjcpl.org/rivertorail/ageofsteam/the-city-of-madison-disaster

 

[DixieRifles]

Interesting. I can understand a crate of ammo exploding but there would have to be exposed to a large heat source. I didn't think rifle cartridges were that hazardous---meaning I thought the paper would provide some protect from sparks. Otherwise, I would expect to hear of many examples of a infantryman's cartridge box exploding or at last flashing off.

Speaking of this, didn't some rifles, such as the Spencer Rifles use cartridges wrapped in "flash paper" or nitrated paper? What rifles and/or artillery used this type paper? What precautions did they take to keep from blowing up a cartridge box or limber?

 

[Jobe Holiday]

The Spencer Rifles and Carbines used copper cased ammunition, loaded, primed, lubricated, and sealed exactly like .22 caliber ammunition of today.
J.

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

Percussion artillery shells could easily be set off by dropping them, that's what the "percussion" part means.
Blackpowder is nasty stuff, compared to modern smokless powder. Large amounts of it, campfires, young carefree soldiers, seems like a recipe for disaster even without an enemy trying to kill you. Modern gunpowder burns fast (explodes) when under high pressure like in a gun, but fairly slow out in the open. Black powder always burns real fast.

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

It's probably just as hard finding Spencer ammo as finding 22 ammo today!

 

[alexjack]

Didn't the Unions first casualties of the War result from an accidental explosion in Fort Sumter?

 

[Sbc]

Didn't the Unions first casualties of the War result from an accidental explosion in Fort Sumter?

Thought that was a heart attack

 

[huskerblitz]

Is this the same officer:


Evan Thomas was born on May 29, 1843 at Georgetown, District of Columbia, and died on April 23, 1873 at California.
During the Civil War, he served as a Lieutenant of Battery C, 4th United States Artillery. He was the son of General Lorenzo Thomas.
He was killed with the rank of Captain on April 23, 1873 while fighting the Modoc Indians under Captain Jack at what is now Lava Beds National Monument in California. During this encounter General Edward Canby was also killed.
Captain Thomas was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
I'm intrigued to know how the explosion was a factor in his death. The site I looked at gives his cause of death as
May 4, 1873:
Captain Evan Thomas, Company A, Fourth Artillery, rifle ball shots through lower part right forearm and upperpart right thigh, cutting thefemoral artery. Died on the field.
Regards
Waterloo

No, this Evan Thomas was with the 22nd Kentucky.

 

[Waterloo50]

No, this Evan Thomas was with the 22nd Kentucky.

Okay, many thanks.

 

[jackt62]

Didn't the Unions first casualties of the War result from an accidental explosion in Fort Sumter?

From Wikipedia:
"One Union soldier died and another was mortally wounded during the 47th shot of a 100 shot salute, allowed by the Confederacy."

 

[Jobe Holiday]

I believe most percussion fused artillery shells had safety caps, wires, etc. I know for sure that Hotchkiss and Schenkl percussion fused shells had safety caps for shipping and handling purposes. The Hotchkiss fuse even had a secondary safety device which was a shear pin that was designed to shear on impact, thereby permitting the plunger to move forward to ignite the charge. You can tell if the percussion fuse is armed just by looking at the center insert cap in the top of the fuse on either shell. For that crate of shells to have gone off just by being dropped the shells had to have been armed.

The above information is from first hand experience with said shells when I was much younger and lived life much closer to the edge!
J.

 

[Nathanb1]

Torpedoes,,,mines...see my Holy Cow thread just started in the General History Forum.

Edit....http://www.angelfire.com/ms3/davidg33/wounded.htm#Corinth

 

[Package4]

Interesting. I can understand a crate of ammo exploding but there would have to be exposed to a large heat source. I didn't think rifle cartridges were that hazardous---meaning I thought the paper would provide some protect from sparks. Otherwise, I would expect to hear of many examples of a infantryman's cartridge box exploding or at last flashing off.

Speaking of this, didn't some rifles, such as the Spencer Rifles use cartridges wrapped in "flash paper" or nitrated paper? What rifles and/or artillery used this type paper? What precautions did they take to keep from blowing up a cartridge box or limber?

You are somewhat correct, right ammunition, wrong weapon, Sharps cartridges were linen soaked in nitrate.

 

[Package4]

One of the largest explosions of the war was at City Point I believe in 1864 when ammunition was being unloaded from a couple of barges, if my memory serves me.

There is also a story of a Federal unit at Gettysburg that were issued exploding rounds, which was all fine until a soldier's cartridge box was hit. The unit was quickly resupplied with normal rounds after they all dumped their boxes.

 

[DixieRifles]

You are somewhat correct, right ammunition, wrong weapon, Sharps cartridges were linen soaked in nitrate.

I guess flash paper is only used by magicians.
What other weapons used this?
I'm curious about the artillery weapons, because I was told the Williams Gun used it---which I state in another thread under the sub-category of Artillery.

 

[jackt62]

One of the largest explosions of the war was at City Point I believe in 1864 when ammunition was being unloaded from a couple of barges, if my memory serves me.

There is also a story of a Federal unit at Gettysburg that were issued exploding rounds, which was all fine until a soldier's cartridge box was hit. The unit was quickly resupplied with normal rounds after they all dumped their boxes.

If I'm not mistaken I believe that the City Point explosion was actually an act of sabotage carried out by a Confederate agent, whose identity was not discovered until after the war.