Smoking Cannonball?

[Jerry43]

I was reading an account of a Union gunboat shelling Confederate lines over the tops of Union soldiers. One diary entry said they could see the smoking cannonballs and determine if they were going to fall short onto them. What cannons sent off balls slow to enough to see that easy?

 

[RaggedAssSecond]

I would imagine they could see artillery projectiles from most cannons. I've read accounts from modern conflicts where artillery shells were seen in flight and I have experienced this myself.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

I was reading an account of a Union gunboat shelling Confederate lines over the tops of Union soldiers. One diary entry said they could see the smoking cannonballs and determine if they were going to fall short onto them. What cannons sent off balls slow to enough to see that easy?

I read an account saying that Confederates were terrified when their artillery fired over them because their fuses were so unreliable.

 

[Rhea Cole]

When the light is right it is easy to track the path of a black powder projectile. The object leaves the muzzle at < the speed of sound, unlike a modern projectile. Both the smoke trail of a timed fuse & the projectile can be surprisingly easy to see against a blue sky.

The expanding gases of black powder does not exceed the speed of sound & reaches its terminal velocity at (+/-) 5 feet / 1.5 meters. That is why black powder artillery appears so squat to the modern eye.

A human can see a candle flame at the distance of 1 mile / 1.6 kilometers. At night the sparks from a timed fuse, especially from the high arching trajectory of a mortar, are easy to follow. My family regularly witnesses that during post football game fireworks shows.

In all instances sky conditions & weather greatly affect how easy it is to follow the flight of a black powder projectile or fuse sparks / smoke trail.

 

[bankerpapaw]

I read an account saying that Confederates were terrified when their artillery fired over them because their fuses were so unrelUn

I read an account saying that Confederates were terrified when their artillery fired over them because their fuses were so unreliable.

Unreliable fuses was the problem with the Confederate bombardment at Gettysburg.

 

[Rhea Cole]

CSA friction primers.

Friction primers were a bad problem, as well. Union artillery ammunition boxes had 1.5 friction primers / round packed into a notch inside the box. CSA artillery was shipped with 5 friction primers / round!

On the night before the Battle of Stones River, out of frustration, Waters Alabama Battery spent the night manufacturing quill primers. Essentially a tapered soda straw filled with fine powder.

Annually the living history gun crews at Stone River recreate Waters' action by firing by linstock.

In this his image the friction primer is at the top center. The puff camera left is smoke from the primer's ignition. Only light has exited the muzzle at this point. Taken with my iPad placed atop the limberbox.

The training secession for new crewmen learning to wave their arm slowly in a circle to brighten the slow match & sweep it over the quill sticking out of the vent is quite a scene. It is a great way to be close up & personal with your cannon's vent blast.

Valley Forge National Park

Note: Into the early 1700's the linstock doubled as a pike to defend the piece with.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

You are certainly correct. Additionally, Edward Porter Alexander, who had expertise and normally exercised good judgement, for some reason did not employ enfilade cannonading of the Union lines.

 

[east_beast]

I read an account from a Confederate soldier in the trenches at Petersburg that they'd hold their hand up to cover mortar ball coming at them. If it went under their hand it's going to fall short. If it goes over their hand it's going to go over. But if it stays obscured by your hand you better get to scattering because it's coming right at you.

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

View attachment 539505
CSA friction primers.

Friction primers were a bad problem, as well. Union artillery ammunition notion boxes had 1.5 friction primers / round packed into a notch inside the box. CSA artillery was shipped with 5 friction primers / round!

On the night before the Battle of Stones River, out of frustration, Waters Alabama Battery spent the night manufacturing quill primers. Essentially a tapered soda straw filled with fine powder.

Annually the living history gun crews at Stone River recreate Waters' action by firing by linstock.

View attachment 539504
In this his image the friction primer is at the top center. The puff camera left is smoke from the primer's ignition. Only light has exited the muzzle at this point. Taken with my iPad placed atop the limberbox.

The training secession for new crewmen learning to wave their arm slowly in a circle to brighten the slow match & sweep it over the quill sticking out of the vent is quite a scene. It is a great way to be close up & personal with your cannon's vent blast.

View attachment 539507
Valley Forge National Park

Note: Into the early 1700's the linstock doubled as a pike to defend the piece with.

Thank you for the information @Rhea Cole. Artillery is my weak category, although I am going to keep learning.

 

[Rhea Cole]

Thank you for the information @Rhea Cole. Artillery is my weak category, although I am going to keep learning.

I wil be glad to help in any way. If there is something I don't know I problem know who or where to find out.

 

[John Winn]

Thank you for the information @Rhea Cole. Artillery is my weak category, although I am going to keep learning.

I don't know how far along you are regarding artillery but several years ago I wrote a piece intended to be an introduction to the subject which puts a lot of pieces together in one place on the basics of organization and practice. If you'd like a copy PM me and I'll send you one. It's been reviewed by a number of people.