NPS drill

[DonSmithnotTMD]

I found this by accident and was curious if this is Vicksburg unique or truly NPS policy as it says.

http://www.nps.gov/vick/interp/lhrifle.htm

[Robert Braun]

I found this by accident and was curious if this is Vicksburg unique or truly NPS policy as it says.

http://www.nps.gov/vick/interp/lhrifle.htm

Hmmm... why not ask them?

Click on the emial button at the bottom of the page and fire a note off to VNMP.

Regards, Bob.

[DonSmithnotTMD]

good point. it's late here and I wasn't thinking. Would be curious to hear if anybody has experienced this.

e-mail sent -- lets see.

[wavey1us]

Never ceases to amaze me how folks deviate from the drill manual in the name of safety. I am wondering back during the ACW how many accidents occurred in the ranks due to improper loading techniques (???????) Assuming that this is the drill they would use for a double rank, I would hate to be the poor guy in the front rank.

[Fod]

"During the prolonged silence of the enemy's musketry, a sad accident occured in our midst, resulting in the loss of a young Captain from the Ninth NH Regiment. A soldier near him, while in the act of placing a cap on the tube of his musket, accidentally let go the hammer, thus discharging it, killing him instantly"

From "Charge at Day-Break, scenes and incidents at the Battle of the Mine Explosion, Near Petersburg, VA, July 30th, 1864 Written by Lieut. J.J. Chase who is now totally blind in consequence of a wound received in the fatal charge after the explosion" Lewiston [Maine] 1875.

Was this bad drill (the angle the musket was being held couldn't have been correct, unless the Captain was on the embankment above the man) or a broken half cock? "...accidentally let go the hammer..."

Hmm...

[LWhite64]

Yes, that is the NPS standard. It has been this way for well over 20 years that I am aware of. We have our own artillery drill as well.

Lee

[DonSmithnotTMD]

Sounds like he was holding the hammer.

I know an unfortunate 13-year-old who had a similar experience with a .357. I forget his name right now. No one was hurt but a door looked kinda bad.

[DonSmithnotTMD]

Yes, that is the NPS standard. It has been this way for well over 20 years that I am aware of. We have our own artillery drill as well.

Lee

I didn't know that -- I have seen units do it right at G-burg, so I was unsure.

[Darrell Cochran]

OK, advancing middle age must be really taking its toll, or else I've done loading in nine times the NPS way so long I can't tell the difference any more, but I've just compared this with Casey's and except for some details like the distance of the muzzle from the face on the command "Load" I can't find the deviation that everyone else seems to read into these instructions.

I do know that at Fort Washington, Maryland, where I first took the NPS black powder certification umpteen years ago, the rangers there stressed that on Draw Rammer the head of the rammer is to be rested on the front sight and not where the pointed end of the ball would be at the muzzle, and that on "Prime" the trigger guard is to be above the cap box. Also, they didn't want us ramming the paper - Nothing that could become a projectile, no matter how harmless it seems.

So, what am I missing in Vicksburg's instructions?

[lhsnj]

[QUOTE= but I've just compared this with Casey's and except for some details like the distance of the muzzle from the face on the command "Load" I can't find the deviation that everyone else seems to read into these instructions.
[/QUOTE]

Comparing it to Caseys and Gilhams and Hardee 1855, the nineth step of Loading by the nine times is Shoulder arms. Note, you are loading by the nine times, not firing in the nine times.

Based on the photos they have going with the commands on the NPS page, I would not want to be in front of those 2 men. The manuals all talk about having the weapon higher (2" below right breast) when priming. In a reenactor term "nipple to nipple".