Irregular forces - how did they carry their ammunition?

S

SeaTurtle

Guest
I was curious if there's any evidence/descriptions/anecdotes of how the various irregular troops, on both sides of the war, carried their ammunition, given that they wouldn't always have been outfitted with regulation cartridge boxes and such. It would be interesting to know what sort of non-standard methods guys came up with for transporting powder, bullets/shot, and caps around with them in cases where they couldn't get their hands on the same kit as the regulars.

By "irregulars" here I'm thinking of guys like guerillas, Indian auxiliaries, territorial militias, etc.
 
I was curious if there's any evidence/descriptions/anecdotes of how the various irregular troops, on both sides of the war, carried their ammunition, given that they wouldn't always have been outfitted with regulation cartridge boxes and such. It would be interesting to know what sort of non-standard methods guys came up with for transporting powder, bullets/shot, and caps around with them in cases where they couldn't get their hands on the same kit as the regulars.

By "irregulars" here I'm thinking of guys like guerillas, Indian auxiliaries, territorial militias, etc.
Battle Shirt pockets and saddlebags and captured Yankee equipment for Missouri Bushwhackers.
My Dad's grandmother told stories of hanging buffalo robes in the windows to catch spent lead coming through and hitting anyone. They used lots of pistols.
 
Vote Here:
Hard is the key point. They're designed to be in a metal nipple and be hit with a spring-loaded hammer. If you set one on a table and hit it with a bat it would probably go off. If you have them in a pocket or bag and fall off a horse or walk into a door, probably not.
They definitely go off by use of hammers.
 
Vote Here:
Back
Top