it was the army, nobody was just taking what they wanted.
A vital part of the management of a regiment during a firefight was the passage of arms.
Tab, yomp, slog or hump, only the British ‘Tactical Advance to Battle’ sounds civilised, truth is all are equally painful...lots of pain.10 rounds would equal around a pound in weight so 40 rounds would be around 4 pounds.
Is their any truth that soldiers carried another 40 rounds in their packs?.
The only reason why i ask this is because a couple of times I've read soldiers rummaging through their packs for extra ammunition at what point were their packs dropped when in combat?.
I have often wondered this.
As an ex military man we left our packs at camp or base and only went on patrol with our webbing even so we took 100 rounds of 7.62 and 120 rounds of 5.56 + extra belts for the GPMG when we converted to NATO so 40 rounds seems a bit light.
However to be fair we were not marching 20 mile tabs like these guys did on a regular basis.
Which is why relic hunters and folks with metal detectors sometimes find absolutely pristine, un-fired bullets: These were either dropped by people whose motor skills were degrading due to stress and adrenaline coursing through their veins, or deliberately or inadvertently disposed of or discarded/ jettisoned when an NCO or officer wasn't looking....Tab, yomp, slog or hump, only the British ‘Tactical Advance to Battle’ sounds civilised, truth is all are equally painful...lots of pain.
Hi JD. Just to clear any misunderstanding the '63 is the date of the issue on the boxes, not the number of cartridges therein. I wasn't sure if you had misread it.This link here says 63 issued boxes. https://worthingtongalleries.com/sh...l-civil-war-cartridge-box-with-original-tins/
John Wilder came up with a novel solution for the challenge of ammunition for the seven shot Spencer Repeating Rifle. Some of you may be familiar with the clunky box that the Ordinance Bureau came up wth. It held 42rounds in six seven shot tubes.
You are right, lines, not arms. The battle of the Round Forrest was fought by Hazen’s Brigade & involved regiments passing lines.That's why I said "issued". Other posters have already noted that additional ammunition was sometimes issued, and men would take ammunition from casualties as well. It all depended on circumstances.
That's "passage of lines", not arms. You've got the right idea, but I think you'll find it was typically carried out a brigade or division level - not within a regiment.
And yet the Navy also adopted so many carbines:One interesting aside is that the US Navy picked a larger caliber rifle, .69 caliber, as a standard during the War, and this seems based on the theory that sailors did not often carry their ammo on long marches, and so the extra weight of the larger bullet would not be the same problem as with soldiers.
Not that we should rely on Hollywood for such facts; however, I believe that 60 rounds was actually mentioned in the film "Gettysburg" as the per man allotment of the 20th Maine, just before their battle on Little Round Top?The impression I have from my reading is that 40 rounds was a standard issue, but that men would be told to draw 60 rounds when battle was expected. While I cannot recall exactly where I have read it just now, I also recall instances where men filled their pockets with whatever was available when being resupplied during battle. Of course, they also need percussion caps.
I've got a well done general reference at home, and will post some more info over this holiday when I have some time, but yes, the Navy did use various arms, both longarms and handguns, over the years.And yet the Navy also adopted so many carbines:
Merril-Jenks
Jenks
Sharps & Hankins
at least some Spencers, no?
And they ran very low on ammo...Not that we should rely on Hollywood for such facts; however, I believe that 60 rounds was actually mentioned in the film "Gettysburg" as the per man allotment of the 20th Maine, just before their battle on Little Round Top?
Depending on the battle I suppose, and maybe learning from previous errors such as this one with not enough ammo for the occasion, on December 14, 1864, the eve of the battle at Nashville, Thomas vs. Hood, the men were given General Order No. 7;And they ran very low on ammo...
Since this thread brought the issue of how many rounds were issued, I have taken note of how both the Army of the Cumberland & Army of the Tennessee issued 100 rounds / man when forming up for action. There are numerous references to issuing 100 rounds in the records of those two armies. I have not made a study of other U.S. armies, however, it would appear logical to say that issuing 100 rounds when combat is anticipated was routine. There is bound to be some kind of general order to that effect, but I have not seen it.Depending on the battle I suppose, and maybe learning from previous errors such as this one with not enough ammo for the occasion, on December 14, 1864, the eve of the battle at Nashville, Thomas vs. Hood, the men were given General Order No. 7;
"I. This command will be ready to move at daylight tomorrow morning, with one day's rations and 100 rounds of ammunition in cartridge box and on person. By order of Brig. Gen. Hatch, Headquarters Fifth Division Cavalry Corps."
[O. R. Series 1, Volume 45, Part 2, page 190].
Lubliner.
Since this thread brought the issue of how many rounds were issued, I have taken note of how both the Army of the Cumberland & Army of the Tennessee issued 100 rounds / man when forming up for action. There are numerous references to issuing 100 rounds in the records of those two armies. I have not made a study of other U.S. armies, however, it would appear logical to say that issuing 100 rounds when combat is anticipated was routine. There is bound to be some kind of general order to that effect, but I have not seen it.
I speculate that walking around with pockets full of lead, black powder & caps must have been very clumsy. It is hard enough to keep the buttons the suspenders are attached to from popping off during a living history weekend, let alone waddling around with pockets stuffed with ammunition. Perhaps that contributed to the remarkable number of unfired bullets that are found. Once the cartridges were unwrapped, they would have been pretty awkward to pull out of a pocket while under the stress of combat.
Somewhere in my piling system I have an account of a soldier whose pocket full of rounds was set off by a hot splinter from an exploding artillery round. I do have a citation of a 2nd Conn soldier at Gettysburg from Fuller whose exploding minnie balls were set off. Don't know how common such a calamity befell a soldier with a pocket full of cartridges, but it doesn't sound very pretty.