Case Shot or Canister?

[lelliott19]

I just posted this in a thread but got to thinking there may be other people who like me don't know. While reading that other thread, the members were talking about whether a lead ball was "case shot" or "canister."

I have always thought "case shot" and "canister" were the same thing. Sorry guys.....I know. I hate to even admit such a thing.

Perhaps you will be more understanding when I say I really don't know much about how cannons work except for the obvious - big exploding things come out when someone pulls the "string." So I'm far from an artillery expert (or any other kind of expert)

If someone could explain the difference between case shot and canister Id be most appreciative.
Thanks in advance
Laura

 

[JOHN42768]

Not knowing myself I went hunting. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/civil-war/145780-canister-case-shot-whats-difference.html It seems the major difference was that canister was balls packed in a can/tube enclosure which ruptured when it was fired from the cannon. Much like a shotgun shell. Case was a cannonball thick shell packed with balls and a timed explosive which would explode over the heads of the enemy.

 

[E_just_E]

If someone could explain the difference between case shot and canister Id be most appreciative.

six of one, half a dozen of the other

They are the same thing, just different names to describe it. Like soda and pop (and coke)

 

[alan polk]

Good question.

Find below an example of case-shot. The picture is of an Cannon Ball cut in half to reveal the case-shot rounds inside it. Case-shot are lead balls (sometimes iron) about the size of .69 musket balls put inside the cavity of artillery projectiles. Basically, case-shot projectiles were long range canister.

Canister, on the other hand, are large iron balls (much larger than case-shot) packed into a tin can, like a coffee can. These cans filled with iron balls were fired out of cannons and acted like a giant shotgun. It was used at close range against enemy troops who were within 400 yards of the artillery piece, generally. I'm sure Someone here will post pictures of canister for you.

 

[mofederal]

I have seen a partial canister round before. I guess it was a drop of some sort. I don't think it had been fired.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

@alan polk provided a great image of case shot.

Here's a canister (grapeshot) round:

http://www.prices4antiques.com/Muni...-Civil-War-Confederate-31-Pound-D9874428.html

 

[Duane Pringle]

I can show you a bunch of iron canister shot now I have dug over 30 of them on a battlefield here I will put them in a pic.

 

[Duane Pringle]

Here are 4 of them.

 

[Duane Pringle]

Here are the same 4 next to a piece of grape shot.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Another version of a canister round:

Above images courtesy of:
http://blueandgrayancestors.blogspot.com/2012/09/captain-harts-company-south-carolina.html

 

[Duane Pringle]

That is definitely canister the kind we dig here.

 

[lelliott19]

Good question. The picture is of an Cannon Ball cut in half to reveal the case-shot rounds inside it. Case-shot are lead balls (sometimes iron) about the size of .69 musket balls put inside the cavity of artillery projectiles. Basically, case-shot projectiles were long range canister.

So the case-shot was inside an explosive projectile - which could have been an "artillery shell" or a "cannonball" (but not a solid shot cannonball?)

And case shot was usually lead balls while canister was usually iron balls?

Another version of a canister round:

Ha! Thanks! That looks like the vent pipe from my hot water heater - except it's full of iron balls.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

So the case-shot was inside an explosive projectile - which could have been an "artillery shell" or a "cannonball"

Case shot was a hollowed Cannon ball filled with smaller iron balls in an explosive "filler" . . . detonated by a timer
that was manually set before the "cannonball" was fired.

Think of canister as a giant shotgun shell.

 

[alan polk]

So the case-shot was inside an explosive projectile - which could have been an "artillery shell" or a "cannonball" (but not a solid shot cannonball?)

And case shot was usually lead balls while canister was usually iron balls?

Correct- solid shot was a solid iron cannonball. The solid iron ones that were elongated (like a giant bullet) were called bolts.

Cannonballs without case-shot (hollow cannon balls filled with just powder) were called "shells".

Most case-shot was made of lead, both north and south. Later in the War when lead supplies were short, the Confederacy switched to iron case-shot balls. Most all canister consisted of iron balls.

 

[lelliott19]

Correct- solid shot was a solid iron cannonball. The solid iron ones that were elongated (like a giant bullet) were called bolts.

Cannonballs without case-shot (hollow cannon balls filled with just powder) were called "shells".

Most case-shot was made of lead, both north and south. Later in the War when lead supplies were short, the Confederacy switched to iron case-shot balls. Most all canister consisted of iron balls.

Thanks! Great explanation that even I can understand.

Now on to "shells" - I got the ones that were hollow cannonballs with powder inside. What about the other ones? Can you give me a brief run down of what kinds (generally) there were? And what was inside them?
(Thanks for your patience in explaining. I'm sure this stuff is common knowledge to most of you, but not to me.) Maybe we need a thread on artillery vocabulary?

 

[drezac]

@alan polk provided a great image of case shot.

Here's a canister (grapeshot) round:

View attachment 173567
http://www.prices4antiques.com/Muni...-Civil-War-Confederate-31-Pound-D9874428.html

That image is grape shot, which was a naval and heavy artillery round. It is not the same as canister. Canister has a metal can with a wood sabot on the end. The can is packed with balls and sawdust and the end covered with a metal disk. There are already a few good images of canister in the thread. One additional item regarding canister is that there would be a powder bag attached to the sabot ( the wood plug at the base)

 

[redbob]

Probably the best all around website pertaining to Civil War Artillery rounds is www.civilwarartillery.com and to answer your question, shells were just that -hollow shells or cases filled with either just powder or shot and powder. Solid rounds were either called balls (smoothbore guns) or bolts (rifled guns) and always remember, there are no bad questions; just those that are not asked. Canister shot came in both iron (often smoothbore guns) and lead balls (rifled guns) and the canister shot for rifled guns were generally smaller and more numerous than in those for smoothbore guns. The balls in a case shot were held in place within the round through the use of a matrix, either a tar like substance, a sulphur base or in the case of some Southern projectiles pine pitch or pine tar. Canister rounds were packed in the can and surrounded by sawdust to keep them in place. When case shot were made, first the balls went in, then the matrix, the powder tube was inserted and then the powder charge; then all that was left was to put in either a metal time fuse fuse or a fuse holder for a paper time fuse.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Probably the best all around website pertaining to Civil War Artillery rounds is www.civilwarartillery.com and to answer your question, shells were just that -hollow shells or cases filled with either just powder or shot and powder. Solid rounds were either called balls (smoothbore guns) or bolts (rifled guns) and always remember, there are no bad questions; just those that are not asked. Canister shot came in both iron (often smoothbore guns) and lead balls (rifled guns) and the canister shot for rifled guns were generally smaller and more numerous than in those for smoothbore guns.

You beat me to it.

Again !

 

[lelliott19]

One additional item regarding canister is that there would be a powder bag attached to the sabot ( the wood plug at the base)

Thanks for that additional info. Was the "powder bag" inside or outside the can? For propulsion or for explosion?

 

[drezac]

The powderbag was tied to the sabot and was outside the can. Shot, shell, and spherical case were strapped to a wood sabot, and the powder bag tied to the sabot. They were assembled at the arsenals and shipped to the field already assembled.