In real life Civil War what was the most ways a revolver was loaded?

[ernbar]

I was watching an old west movie that had muzzleloaders, percussion revolvers, and lever actions (all had to have been BP). There was a fight scene at the end, where a group of like 200 guys comes over a hill on horseback, and I just couldn't help but wonder what a modern military machinegun or even a few guys with semi-auto civilian stuff and a bunch of mags could have done from a few hundred yards out.

There in a Twilight Zone episode called "The 7th Is Made of Phantoms”, about a U.S. Army tank crew on military maneuvers around 1960 near Custer’s massacre site that somehow travel back in time to that fateful day. They are seen drawing out their 1911s and M1s and heading into the battle cause the tank broke down or ran out of fuel. Their names appeared on the fallen memorial wall. No match for over 2,000 Cheyene and Sioux warriors.

 

[earlwb]

Yup, I agree, they were using nitrated paper cartridges. They had factories making millions of the things. For muskets, rifles and pistols. Paper cartridges go way back even before the Revolutionary War. The British soldiers carried paper cartridge boxes on their belts when ready to go.

There are no pictures of officers or cavalry from the civil war showing them carrying powder horns or flasks for reloading their pistols in the heat of a battle. The cavalry may have carried more than one revolver though.

But like others have shown they weren’t carrying extra cylinders to reload their pistols with either. Yes there are some examples of cased pistols with an extra cylinder or two. But those seem to be a exception more than the norm.

 

[ffg]

Every time I shoot my Black powder guns it brings my mind back into a time warp, on how in the world did they function under the intense pressure of battle? The civil war battles must have been complete hell and anarchy, but when I shoot my flintlocks I think about the nightmares of the Revolutionary War battles and I just can't imagine the carnage on both sides! .69 cal WHAT

 

[Loyalist Dave]

While craping their pants in fear.

Which explains why they were often sold, or issued, and carried, in pairs during the ACW.

LD

 

[Ed C.]

Every time I shoot my Black powder guns it brings my mind back into a time warp, on how in the world did they function under the intense pressure of battle? The civil war battles must have been complete hell and anarchy, but when I shoot my flintlocks I think about the nightmares of the Revolutionary War battles and I just can't imagine the carnage on both sides! .69 cal WHAT

War IS Hell! Anytime.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Every time I shoot my Black powder guns it brings my mind back into a time warp, on how in the world did they function under the intense pressure of battle? The civil war battles must have been complete hell and anarchy, but when I shoot my flintlocks I think about the nightmares of the Revolutionary War battles and I just can't imagine the carnage on both sides! .69 cal WHAT

Ah but there wasn't, nothing like the ACW or modern warfare, and it wasn't until the armies started giving privates "rifled muskets".

With smoothbore flintlocks, the inaccuracy really reduced battle casualties. Take for example Brandywine. 30,000 soldiers clashed with musket, cavalry, artillery. Total killed and wounded, about 1300.

The Battle(s) of Saratoga, total combined combatants, for both sides, = 21,000 soldiers, but total casualties for both sides killed and wounded, = 1465

In contrast, the single day of Antietam the killed and wounded from both sides, added up, was more soldiers that were on the field for the Saratoga battles. Casualty rates for the two Battles of Saratoga amounted to a total loss of just under 7% of the overall combatants, while the single day of Antietam there was a 17% casualty rate for total combatants...more than 2X the dead and wounded, while using the same tactics but at greater distances... and there was actually a crude field wound-care system in place during the ACW, while no "surgeons" for the private men during the AWI. Regimental physicians and surgeons during the AWI tended officers and monitored camp hygiene... or tried to.

In days of the Brown Bess as state-of-the-art infantry arm, after a couple volleys, the privates couldn't even hear the bullets buzzing past them, and didn't really see too many fellows hit by ball. The bayonet charge, now THAT was another matter, but retreating often solved that problem.

LD

 

[tenngun]

Ah but there wasn't, until the armies started giving privates "rifled muskets".

With smoothbore flintlocks, the inaccuracy really reduced battle casualties. Take for example Brandywine. 30,000 soldiers clashed with musket, cavalry, artillery. Total killed and wounded, about 1300.

The Battle(s) of Saratoga, total combined combatants, for both sides, = 21,000 soldiers, but total casualties for both sides killed and wounded, = 1465

In contrast, the single day of Antietam the killed and wounded from both sides, added up, was more soldiers that were on the field for the Saratoga battles. Casualty rates for the two Battles of Saratoga amounted to a total loss of just under 7% of the overall combatants, while the single day of Antietam there was a 17% casualty rate for total combatants...more than 2X the dead and wounded, while using the same tactics but at greater distances... and there was actually a crude field wound-care system in place during the ACW, while no "surgeons" for the private men during the AWI. Regimental physicians and surgeons during the AWI tended officers and monitored camp hygiene... or tried to.

LD

Although on the other hand the battle of Waterloo, Gettysburg and Omaha beech all had close to the same number of troops involved and had remarkably similar casualties
Or ten years in Vietnam produced 1/3 the casualties of four years WTBS

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Although on the other hand the battle of Waterloo, Gettysburg and Omaha beech all had close to the same number of troops involved and had remarkably similar casualties
Or ten years in Vietnam produced 1/3 the casualties of four years WTBS

AH but Waterloo, being still part of the "Age of the Bess", had one huge difference, being Napoleonic, which meant that massed batteries of artillery had become the norm. That is the key to the casualties there, for as Napoleon observed, God favors the side with the best artillery.

LD

 

[Chupacabra Charlie]

Revolvers were loaded with paper cartridges during the civil war, but most likely not during battle. Calvery men often carried many revolvers into battle as many as 5 or 6 so they wouldn't have to reload.

 

[Eutycus]

There were at least 4 explosions (that I know of) at various arsenals during the Civil War involving women and children rolling paper cartridges. The biggie was the at the U.S. Allegheny Arsenal in Pittsburg. Quite a few workers were killed but this incident did not get much press coverage because it happened on Sept. 17, 1862, the same day as Antietam. There were others like Jackson, Mississippi, Richmond, Virginia and another but I can't place it at the moment. All involved the rolling of paper cartridges with black powder. So it appears that nitrated paper cartridges were being made in multitude by both sides.

 

[Packrat]

I think it would be chancy at best, I've seen guys who could not load a magazine under stress, the old reliable 1911 comes to mind. Stripper clips wirer designed to help with that problem. Didn't have them in the 1860's

 

[French Colonial]

As most revolvers were officers weapons, I would make an educated guess that they would hand it to thier orderly to take care of. Southern cavalry particularly were fond of carrying a fistful of revolvers...no reloading...grab the next one. I wonder if during war time production, spare cylinders would have been widely available. Possibly if the weapon was purchased independently...but then, what is the likelihood of someone carrying a mallet/whatever, to knock out a wedge in the midst of a battle?
How many officers were actually in a position/range, to use thier revolvers? Of course it happened, but not typically...(cavalry of course, very likely, artillery officers likely...infantry...eh....thats what the line of troops were there for.

My Great grandfather was in the 1st volunteer Ohio cavalry, they were issued a Sharps carbine, a sword and an 1851 Colt revolver at the start of the war, after three years the Sharps were traded in for Spencers.

No mention of extra cylinders for the revolver.

Great read on their adventures in "Four Years in the Saddle"

 

[mushka]

I would suspect than in the civil war era if you were in close enough combat to use a revolver and you shot it empty there was no reloading of that gun done. It was then used as a club or one reverted to a sword or just plain ran away.

 

[Tenring]

I seriously doubt if Gen. Lee Ever Fired his Pistol a lot during the war. As far as trusting an orderly to load my side arm or anyone for that matter when that pistol could just save your life is well pretty wary But I am sure he did have them load it for him,I think the loading sequence during the speed of battle those revolvers were all loaded Dry no wax no grease no goo of any kind just paper cartridges and a cap, the Arsenal’s churned out munitions by the bazillions just an estimated figure ha ha those Women were fast and they say you needed little hands such as children and women to go really fast.

 

[Dark Angel]

I had the privilege of growing up when a few of the 'real old-timers' that had actually used c&b revolvers were still around and willing to tell their stories. Spare cylinders paper cartridges and loading each chamber individually were all methods used, according to some of these old men. One was Grant Johnson that had been a Territorial Marshall in Indian Territory (now Okla.) At the time, he was well into his 90s, so thinking that he knew of which he spoke, I listened.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

LD

 

[longtoothpard]

Spare cylinders were not issued by either army. Guerillas often carried multiple pistols, but not extra cylinders. Plenty of Civil War photos online of officers and cavalry troops (the only official troops with revolvers), plus ordnance manuals are the best tools of research. Hollywood is not.

 

[Brokenbear]

Well think this one through about spare cylinders.. as a metal detector enthusiast I have found some civil war stuff here in Missouri but never a lone cylinder ..further I have watched a lot of videos of very effective with detectors guys in the prime battle areas of the CW and have never seen a cylinder dug .. nor have I ever seen a cylinder only displayed in the museum of of the battle fields I have visited..
That’s not to say it didn’t happen as I’m sure it did in small amounts., but likely not wide spread or more finds I would think would be exhibited..
The other side of the coin is mounted calvary who I would bet saw as much action AWAY from known marked battles as at marked battles were more likely to carry spare anything be it ammo, guns or cylinders hence the loss of small items might never be found
Further evidence of the foot troops aversion to carrying much more than bare necessities is the discoveries of large amounts of discarded items in the waters of known fords and river crossings .. I’m talking literally buckets full of unfired Minnie balls, pistol balls and conicals and raw lead etc were discarded during water crossings (dropped in water to not get caught) and done so by troops not wanting to carry extra weight of any kind

Bear

 

[MikeWas]

I think there was story about Lee's gun - years after the war it was still loaded and there was some sort of wax or something on the caps. If they did that, they would probably also put some on the front of the cylinder. Loading it because you were were actually planning to shoot it soon would be different I suppose.
There are a lot of interesting little details about those days that we will never know.

The use of wax over the bullet was to prevent chain fire. It is possible that when you fire a shot a spark will ignite a neighboring load in the cylinder causing it to fire. This even though most of the pistols were loaded with oversize balls - my reproduction revolver peels a very thin ring of lead off of every bullet loaded. The manufacturer still warns to seal the chamber - wax (there are wax disks made specifically for this purpose), or a thick lube.

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

Somehow, whenever I hear about them using wax I can't help but envision holding a loaded revolver in one hand, a lite candle in the other, and thinking - ok what do I do next?