Canister Shot Experiment

[CWLeadManiac]

I'm newer here so please forgive me if this has been posted before. I found this really cool video of some guys doing research to see how canister shot scattered in hopes of helping researchers determine where the big guns were located on the Gettysburg battlefield. An AWESOME video!! Enjoy!!

 

[John Winn]

Yeah, that's a great one. I love that you can actually hear the tube ring.

It's good to put these things up every now and then in case there's newer folks who missed it last time around.

 

[Caddo Militia]

Saw this! Canister must have been the worst thing that soldiers faced, except maybe exploding shells.

 

[CWLeadManiac]

Saw this! Canister must have been the worst thing that soldiers faced, except maybe exploding shells.

I can't even imagine being a soldier facing this giant shotgun head on! The guys beside you, in front and behind you being ripped to shreds by 1-2 inch iron balls. It had to be absolutely horrifying.

 

[Rhea Cole]

The only problem with online demos is that apparently nobody has read the manual.

When engaging cavalry or a battery smoothbores loaded a solid shot & two canister rounds. When has anybody ever seen an online demo like that?

Also unlike the online videos, canister was not aimed at the target directly. Against infantry the idea was to fire a grazing shot that struck 10 yards in front of the target. It would then rise through the target area at an oblique angle.

Doctrine was to fire interlocking volleys from the flanks. Point your fingers straight over the keyboard. Now hold the fingers of both hands at 45 degrees. The desired effect is obvious.

There is a vast volume of largely uninformed opinion about firing canister from a rifled cannon. Ely Lilly's battery of 3" rifles was attached to Wilder's Brigade. The ammunition notion chests were repacked with canister replacing long range rounds.

At Hoover's Gap June 23, 1863 Lilly ordered long range canister. Bate's veteran infantry thought they were pushing away a skirmish line of dismounted infantry.

The shower of a solid bolt & three canister rounds coupled with inexplicable rain of fire from seven shot Spencer repeaters.

At Franklin 3" rifles were loaded with a solid bolt, double canister & filled to the muzzle with dummies, i.e., socks filled with bullets. When fired at a crowd of men massed in a break in the cheval de fries there was the distinct sound of the report followed by the, "...sound of the bones…"

I recommend Gen Gibbon's manual for undisputed authentic citations re: canister.

Not for the faint of heart, a demo with a live target is "Hunting Wisconsin Whitetail Deer With A 12 Pound Mountain Howitzer." Honestly it isn't a joke… but it is actually pretty funny & very informative.

At 300' the spread of the 28 balls in a canister round was 90' wide. You do the math, closer is more lethal.

 

[CWLeadManiac]

The only problem with online demos is that apparently nobody has read the manual.

When engaging cavalry or a battery smoothbores loaded a solid shot & two canister rounds. When has anybody ever seen an online demo like that?

Also unlike the online videos, canister was not aimed at the target directly. Against infantry the idea was to fire a grazing shot that struck 10 yards in front of the target. It would then rise through the target area at an oblique angle.

Doctrine was to fire interlocking volleys from the flanks. Point your fingers straight over the keyboard. Now hold the fingers of both hands at 45 degrees. The desired effect is obvious.

There is a vast volume of largely uninformed opinion about firing canister from a rifled cannon. Ely Lilly's battery of 3" rifles was attached to Wilder's Brigade. The ammunition notion chests were repacked with canister replacing long range rounds.

At Hoover's Gap June 23, 1863 Lilly ordered long range canister. Bate's veteran infantry thought they were pushing away a skirmish line of dismounted infantry.

The shower of a solid bolt & three canister rounds coupled with inexplicable rain of fire from seven shot Spencer repeaters.

At Franklin 3" rifles were loaded with a solid bolt, double canister & filled to the muzzle with dummies, i.e., socks filled with bullets. When fired at a crowd of men massed in a break in the cheval de fries there was the distinct sound of the report followed by the, "...sound of the bones…"

I recommend Gen Gibbon's manual for undisputed authentic citations re: canister.

Not for the faint of heart, a demo with a live target is "Hunting Wisconsin Whitetail Deer With A 12 Pound Mountain Howitzer." Honestly it isn't a joke… but it is actually pretty funny & very informative.

At 300' the spread of the 28 balls in a canister round was 90' wide. You do the math, closer is more lethal.

In the video, the crew fired the weapon at varying angles to the horizontal level. In most of the video, you can see canister shot bouncing along, striking the ground in several places. Everything I've seen about this research project wasn't about a demo, but more of an effort to determine how the shot dispersed when fired from the barrel. This enabled historians to more accurately determine the gun positions on the battlefield based on where shot was found. These guys did their homework and I'm fairly sure they read the manual.

 

[Rhea Cole]

In the video, the crew fired the weapon at varying angles to the horizontal level. In most of the video, you can see canister shot bouncing along, striking the ground in several places. Everything I've seen about this research project wasn't about a demo, but more of an effort to determine how the shot dispersed when fired from the barrel. This enabled historians to more accurately determine the gun positions on the battlefield based on where shot was found. These guys did their homework and I'm fairly sure they read the manual.

They covered the bouncing balls angle throughly, i thought a few words on how canister was actually employed. Have you read the hunting deer website… take your pick as to which one is more interesting.

 

[CWLeadManiac]

They covered the bouncing balls angle throughly, i thought a few words on how canister was actually employed. Have you read the hunting deer website… take your pick as to which one is more interesting.

I'm very intrigued by the deer hunting video. That has just got to be a mess!! Is it on YouTube?

 

[Rhea Cole]

I'm very intrigued by the deer hunting video. That has just got to be a mess!! Is it on YouTube?

It is a website. Unless someone is unfamiliar with dressing out game, it isn't a big deal. He built the howitzer from scratch. That is worth a look see itself.

 

[drezac]

My son had a chance to talk to them at an event several years ago. That video was shot as part of a paper. My son had a link to it, however the link is no longer valid. I should have a copy saved, I'll see if I can find it

 

[drezac]

I found an active link to the document: Canister use in the Amarican Civil War - Baehr
It's a good read regarding canister.

 

[Rhea Cole]

My son had a chance to talk to them at an event several years ago. That video was shot as part of a paper. My son had a link to it, however the link is no longer valid. I should have a copy saved, I'll see if I can find it

That would be very interesting.

 

[Rhea Cole]

I found an active link to the document: Canister use in the Amarican Civil War - Baehr
It's a good read regarding canister.

Thanks for the excellent source. This would be especially helpful for someone unfamiliar with C.W. artillery. It is an archeology project. Archeologists make accountants look wild & crazy. That being said, I recommend this paper as an addition to anyone's research portfolio.

 

[Sowbelly and Hardtack]

The only problem with online demos is that apparently nobody has read the manual.

When engaging cavalry or a battery smoothbores loaded a solid shot & two canister rounds. When has anybody ever seen an online demo like that?

Also unlike the online videos, canister was not aimed at the target directly. Against infantry the idea was to fire a grazing shot that struck 10 yards in front of the target. It would then rise through the target area at an oblique angle.

Doctrine was to fire interlocking volleys from the flanks. Point your fingers straight over the keyboard. Now hold the fingers of both hands at 45 degrees. The desired effect is obvious.

There is a vast volume of largely uninformed opinion about firing canister from a rifled cannon. Ely Lilly's battery of 3" rifles was attached to Wilder's Brigade. The ammunition notion chests were repacked with canister replacing long range rounds.

At Hoover's Gap June 23, 1863 Lilly ordered long range canister. Bate's veteran infantry thought they were pushing away a skirmish line of dismounted infantry.

The shower of a solid bolt & three canister rounds coupled with inexplicable rain of fire from seven shot Spencer repeaters.

At Franklin 3" rifles were loaded with a solid bolt, double canister & filled to the muzzle with dummies, i.e., socks filled with bullets. When fired at a crowd of men massed in a break in the cheval de fries there was the distinct sound of the report followed by the, "...sound of the bones…"

I recommend Gen Gibbon's manual for undisputed authentic citations re: canister.

Not for the faint of heart, a demo with a live target is "Hunting Wisconsin Whitetail Deer With A 12 Pound Mountain Howitzer." Honestly it isn't a joke… but it is actually pretty funny & very informative.

At 300' the spread of the 28 balls in a canister round was 90' wide. You do the math, closer is more lethal.

@Rhea Cole I haven't seen some of the examples you've listed. However I have personally witnessed the devastating effect of Beehive rounds in Vietnam.

 

[Rhea Cole]

In the video, the crew fired the weapon at varying angles to the horizontal level. In most of the video, you can see canister shot bouncing along, striking the ground in several places. Everything I've seen about this research project wasn't about a demo, but more of an effort to determine how the shot dispersed when fired from the barrel. This enabled historians to more accurately determine the gun positions on the battlefield based on where shot was found. These guys did their homework and I'm fairly sure they read the manual.

Agreed. The archeologists who conducted the test were, as usual, methodical. The gun crew was not, unfortunately, demonstrating period drill; but that was outside the criteria of the testing.

 

[Rhea Cole]

@Rhea Cole I haven't seen some of the examples you've listed. However I have personally witnessed the devastating effect of Beehive rounds in Vietnam.

I had a good friend who followed the last beehive round leading his men out into the dark as the firebase was overrun. A couple of weeks of what he called "a big sneak around & sleep over" followed. His rendering was very droll.

 

[Sowbelly and Hardtack]

I had a good friend who followed the last beehive round leading his men out into the dark as the firebase was overrun. A couple of weeks of what he called "a big sneak around & sleep over" followed. His rendering was very droll.

Flechettes weren't only used in artillery rounds. I can only imagine the effect of a solid shot with a double load of canister.

 

[limberbox]

The only problem with online demos is that apparently nobody has read the manual.

When engaging cavalry or a battery smoothbores loaded a solid shot & two canister rounds. When has anybody ever seen an online demo like that?

Also unlike the online videos, canister was not aimed at the target directly. Against infantry the idea was to fire a grazing shot that struck 10 yards in front of the target. It would then rise through the target area at an oblique angle.

Doctrine was to fire interlocking volleys from the flanks. Point your fingers straight over the keyboard. Now hold the fingers of both hands at 45 degrees. The desired effect is obvious.

There is a vast volume of largely uninformed opinion about firing canister from a rifled cannon. Ely Lilly's battery of 3" rifles was attached to Wilder's Brigade. The ammunition notion chests were repacked with canister replacing long range rounds.

At Hoover's Gap June 23, 1863 Lilly ordered long range canister. Bate's veteran infantry thought they were pushing away a skirmish line of dismounted infantry.

The shower of a solid bolt & three canister rounds coupled with inexplicable rain of fire from seven shot Spencer repeaters.

At Franklin 3" rifles were loaded with a solid bolt, double canister & filled to the muzzle with dummies, i.e., socks filled with bullets. When fired at a crowd of men massed in a break in the cheval de fries there was the distinct sound of the report followed by the, "...sound of the bones…"

I recommend Gen Gibbon's manual for undisputed authentic citations re: canister.

Not for the faint of heart, a demo with a live target is "Hunting Wisconsin Whitetail Deer With A 12 Pound Mountain Howitzer." Honestly it isn't a joke… but it is actually pretty funny & very informative.

At 300' the spread of the 28 balls in a canister round was 90' wide. You do the math, closer is more lethal.

And in contrast to the 27 1.46 to 1.49-inch iron shot in standard 12 pounder canister typically used in light 12-pdrs (Napoleons) or the 48 1.05 to 1.08-inch iron shot used in the 12-pdr Field Howitzer, the 12-pounder Mountain Howitzer canister contained 148 or 149 sixty-nine caliber musket balls. So, using an actual Mountain Howitzer round is even more lethal.

I've often been intrigued by the occasional references one encounters to "long range canister". Research suggests that is/was another synonym for spherical case shot ("Shrapnel") -- since such a round was a means of delivering a similar effect as canister but at much greater range (500 to 1500 yards vs. out to 400 or 600 yards). Typical spherical case shot case shot for a "Napoleon" in U.S. service contained 74 - 82 sixty-nine caliber musket balls (0.65-inch dia.) depending upon mode of manufacture, also a very deadly round.

 

[Rhea Cole]

And in contrast to the 27 1.46 to 1.49-inch iron shot in standard 12 pounder canister typically used in light 12-pdrs (Napoleons) or the 48 1.05 to 1.08-inch iron shot used in the 12-pdr Field Howitzer, the 12-pounder Mountain Howitzer canister contained 148 or 149 sixty-nine caliber musket balls. So, using an actual Mountain Howitzer round is even more lethal.

I've often been intrigued by the occasional references one encounters to "long range canister". Research suggests that is/was another synonym for spherical case shot ("Shrapnel") -- since such a round was a means of delivering a similar effect as canister but at much greater range (500 to 1500 yards vs. out to 400 or 600 yards). Typical spherical case shot case shot for a "Napoleon" in U.S. service contained 74 - 82 sixty-nine caliber musket balls (0.65-inch dia.) depending upon mode of manufacture, also a very deadly round.

Read your Gibbon Artillery Handbook. Spherical Case shot or case shot was a shrapnel round. Long range canister consisted of a solid shot & double canister. It was the round recommended for cavalry or artillery. At Hoover's Gap, as I have alluded to up thread, on July 23, 1863 Eli Lily's battery was attached to Wilder's Brigade. The tactics that Lily & Wilder had agreed upon involved repacking the ammunition chests with canister replacing long range ammunition.

Lily instructed the bugler to sound long range canister. His Rodman, 3" ordinance rifles, were loaded with a solid bolt & three canister rounds. The bugler named Campbell's memoir is an excellent source for artillery tactics in the Western Theater.

The archeological study of canister fire that is also up thread is excellent. These three sources will combine to explain how canister was employed during the Civil War.

Note: Hunting Wisconsin Whitetail Deer With A 12 Pound Mountain Howitzer.

Is the only live fire experiment showing the effect of canister fire. It sounds like a joke, but he built his own mountain howitzer from scratch. The website included the construction of the howitzer & the results of the hunt. Along with the academic references this will fill out your understanding of how canister was employed & the effect it had. There is ample opportunity to get the vocabulary right..

 

[limberbox]

Read your Gibbon Artillery Handbook. Spherical Case shot or case shot was a shrapnel round. Long range canister consisted of a solid shot & double canister. It was the round recommended for cavalry or artillery. At Hoover's Gap, as I have alluded to up thread, on July 23, 1863 Eli Lily's battery was attached to Wilder's Brigade. The tactics that Lily & Wilder had agreed upon involved repacking the ammunition chests with canister replacing long range ammunition.

Lily instructed the bugler to sound long range canister. His Rodman, 3" ordinance rifles, were loaded with a solid bolt & three canister rounds. The bugler named Campbell's memoir is an excellent source for artillery tactics in the Western Theater.

The archeological study of canister fire that is also up thread is excellent. These three sources will combine to explain how canister was employed during the Civil War.

Note: Hunting Wisconsin Whitetail Deer With A 12 Pound Mountain Howitzer.

Is the only live fire experiment showing the effect of canister fire. It sounds like a joke, but he built his own mountain howitzer from scratch. The website included the construction of the howitzer & the results of the hunt. Along with the academic references this will fill out your understanding of how canister was employed & the effect it had. There is ample opportunity to get the vocabulary right..

Rhea, When I got home I pulled my Gibbon's off the shelf and searched for an hour and a half without finding any discussion of "long range canister" in that source. I did find the following on p. 359, however:

"Shot had better be used against infantry, and shells and schrapnell against cavalry, as this latter arm presents the highest mark, and enables the pieces of the bursting shells to do more execution. Moreover, the noise of the explosions frightens the horses and demoralizes the men.....A charge, when within short range, may be received by firing from each piece a solid shot on top of which is a placed a round of canister. The firing is then as rapid as possible, sponging may be dispensed with, within 150 yards, and as the enemy approaches nearer, canister alone is used, pointing very low at very short ranges, so that the projectiles may ricochet and scatter more. Canister should not be fired at distances greater than 300 to 400 yards."

Elsewhere Gibbon states of canister: "Good results can be obtained at from 300 to 600 yards, but the maximum effect is produced at from 300 to 450 yards." p. 249. Shot, shell and spherical case are used at greater ranges. Thus, historical description of spherical case as "long range canister" seems to hold up; it describes both its use (long range) and effect: "when the schrapnell bursts just in front of an object, the effect is terrific, being in fact much the same as a discharge of canister from a piece at short range." p. 147-48.

I also got out my copy of Rowell, Yankee Artillerymen, and reread his description of Hoover's Gap. Again no reference to "long range canister" in that source either, though he does describe Lilley's battery enfilading Bate's line with double canister during its attack on the 17th Indiana and again firing double canister at Johnston's two regiments as they approached a ravine seventy-five yards in front of the battery. The battery fired more canister at them as they retreated. pp. 80-81.

Tom