Tweet
I was wondering what type of arsenal pack label would have been correct for rounds issued to the 2nd MS at 1st Manassas. I did a search on the forum and found previous posts that revealed that all Federal arsenals, with the exception of St. Louis, stopped labeling arsenal packs by 1861. But I recalled seeing an arsenal pack in my Confederate EOG. The pack pictured is an Enfield .58 pack stamped "Charleston Arsenal, 1863". Anyone know if the practice of labeling continued in the Confederacy on a large scale basis? Also, does anyone have an answer to my original question.
-
David Parent
The Cracker Mess
MLK Mess
Black Hat Boys
WIG
Veterans would tell of Sherman's ordering a flanking movement and instructing a subordinate how to report his progress: "See here Cox, burn a few barns occasionally, as you go along. I can't understand those signal flags, but I know what smoke means" -
Re: Arsenal pack labels
David, to the best of my knowledge, as I remember it from years ago. CS arsenals continued to label cartridge packs. Now, as to which packs you might see at 1st Manassas, I've no idea, that theater and that time period not being my area of study.Warren Dickinson
Currently a History Hippy at South Union Shaker Village
Member of the original Pickett's Mill Interpretive Volunteer Staff & Co. D, 17th Ky Vol. Inf
Former Mudsill
Co-Creator of the States Rights Guard in '92 -
Re: Arsenal pack labels
Check out all four volumes of Dean S. Thomas' Round Ball to Rimfire, but particularly the 1st for information about Federal ammunition intended for muskets and rifle muskets and the 4th volume for information on the Confederate Ordnance Bureau.
In short, as opposed to U.S. arsenals, many C.S. arsenals put labels on their ammunition packs.
Regarding ammo used by Confederate troops at 1st Manassas, the correspondence included in Thomas' book would seem to indicate that most Confederate troops were relying on U.S. arsenal manufactured ammunition. Confederate arsenals did not seem to be fully functional until the autumn of 1861, and 3,200,000 small arms cartridges confiscated from forts and arsenals in the South supplied the armies until that time. It is probably impossible to know exactly which arsenals produced these rounds, but considering that the U.S. arsenals captured in the South were not cartridge manufactories, those rounds were of Northern make (places like Allegheny, Frankford, St. Louis, etc.). Machinery captured in Harpers Ferry was used to manufacture a small amount of ammunition in May and June 1861 before the machinery and remaining raw materials were moved South, but it doesn't look like any of ammo has survived in identifiable packs.
-Craig SchneiderLast edited by CSchneider; 07-11-2011, 07:12 PM.Craig SchneiderComment
Comment