was it only the CONFEDERATE CALVERY that used shot guns. as opposed to the NORTH? seems that a load of BUCK & BALL would be the ALLEY SWEEPER of the day?
The Federal army issued primarily to its soldiers; rifled muskets, smoothbore muskets, carbines, repeating rifles and pistols. They were well supplied and equipped throughout the war, in comparison to the Confederate army. Whereas the Confederacy had severe inventory problems when it came to weapons and ammunition, and because of it suffered complications throughout the war. Primarily because, there were a wide assortment of weapons being used in the Confederate army, with many different calibers being represented, so much so, that it made the logistics of the Confederate government all but impossible to keep the whole army well supplied and equipped. Many of the weapons were brought with the men from their homes when they initially enlisted, and during the war, many would take rifled and smoothbore weapons, pistols, repeating rifles as well as carbines from dead Federal soldiers.
Looking at the requisitions of Brig. General S. W. Ferguson`s Cavalry Brigade alone bears this out. His Ordnance officer would requisition ammunition for many different calibers and types of weapons every week, some of those weapons being; Double Barrell shotguns, Enfield rifles, Springfield rifles, Burnsides carbines, Smith`s carbines, Sharps carbines, Hall`s carbines, Spencer carbines, Colt army pistols, Navy pistols, Lafourcheur pistols, as well as British, Austrian, Mississippi and Belgian rifles, Musketoons and some altered percussion muskets. The ammunition for the seven round Spencer`s could not be supplied by the Confederate army, so what ever supply they had came from the Federals during the war, by either collecting it from dead Federal soldiers, or by raiding and capturing supply wagons and ammo dumps. There were so many different weapons of various calibers in Ferguson`s brigade that it became near impossible to keep the whole brigade supplied, for lack of ammunition, regarding certain calibers at certain times. Each regiment of Ferguson`s brigade was required to be supplied weekly with .44, .54, .577, .58, .69, and .77 caliber ammunition, as well as loose Buckshot and Buck & Ball. Quite honestly, shotguns were the easiest for which to provide ammunition during the war, because of fewer challenges in procuring loose buckshot. In the absence of the proper shot, anything small enough to be rammed down the barrell and held in place with an over shot wad, could be used as ammunition. To include small pebbles and rocks, broken glass and even some of the shorter square head nails.
This wide assortment of different weapons and calibers became such a problem in Ferguson`s brigade that on 26 Mar 1864, at Canton, MS., only weeks after Sherman`s Meridian Campaign was brought to a close, S. W. Ferguson issued Special Order NO. 10 to his command to secure uniformity of arms. below is that Special order:
Headquarters, Cavalry Brigade, Calhoun Station, Mississippi, March 26, 1864.
III. In obedience to orders from Dept. Hd. Qtrs. and to secure uniformity of arms in the different commands. Regimental Commanders will turn over to Lt. J. West Thompson, Ordnance Officer of this Hd. Qtrs. tomorrow morning at nine o`clock a.m. the arms in the respective regiments as follows:
The 2nd Alabama Regiment. All their guns except Enfield Rifles, artillery carbines, and N. S. Springfield Muskets caliber .577.
The 56th Alabama Regiment (Partisan Rangers). All their guns except Austrian Rifles.
Col. Miller`s Regiment (9th Mississippi Cavalry). All their guns.
12th Mississippi Regiment. All their guns.
Ordnance Sergeants with a sufficient detail will be present to attend to the execution of this order, and will bring with them all arms herein ordered to be turned over.
IV. Lieut. Thompson, Ordnance Officer, will hereafter personally distribute the arms so as to secure the desired uniformity. Private arms will be appraised and paid for if turned over.
V. No soldier will be allowed to carry arms other than those of the kind of caliber distributed to his regiment or company, except his Company Commander forwarded through the proper channels. Any Officer authorizing or permitting a violation of this order will be arrested and tried for disobedience of orders.
By Command of,
Brig. General Ferguson
W. L. Nugent
A.A.G.
Note: Perrin`s Regiment Mississippi Cavalry (11th Mississippi Cavalry), who was also part of Ferguson`s brigade at this time, were the only regiment in the brigade whose arms were uniform, as on the day before Sherman crossed the Big Black river and initiated the Meridian Campaign, Perrin`s whole regiment was issued brand new Austrian rifles from the Quartermaster at Brandon, MS.
By collecting all of the weapons and redistributing them according to caliber to the various regiments of his brigade, Ferguson still had the same wide assortment of arms and varying calibers for which to provide ammunition in his cavalry brigade, but at least now, all regiments in his command would have uniformity regarding the specific arms and calibers that each regiment would supply for its troopers. Now uniform to the same caliber weapons regiment wide, even though the brigade as a whole was armed with a wide assortment of weapons and varying calibers. Making it much more easy to supply ammunition to each regiment individually.
The troopers of the Second Alabama Cavalry were known to use shotguns and pistols throughout the war, almost exclusively from 1862-1863, and even after they were issued rifles and carbines, from mid 1863 to 1865, many preferred the shotgun and kept them over rifles and carbines. The same regarding the 56th Alabama Partisan Rangers. However, those who were later issued smoothbore muskets, would also use Buck & Ball. For example on 7 Nov 1863, Lt. J. West Thompson, the Ordnance officer for Ferguson`s Cavalry Brigade, requisitioned 1,000 cartridges of Buck & Ball (.69 caliber), 22,000 rifle cartridges (.577 or .58 calibers), 19,600 rifle cartridges (.54 caliber), 10,000 army pistol cartridges (.44 caliber), among other inventory. Looking at the Ordnance officers requisitions from mid 1863 to the close of the war, he always requisitioned hundreds and thousands of pounds of loose Buckshot as well as Buck & Ball cartridges (paper) along with various rifle and pistol loads.