Civil War Ammunition: A Multitude of Choices

A history of ammunition in the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, infantry ammunition underwent a major technological evolution.

The conflict saw the widespread use of traditional paper cartridges alongside the rapid emergence of innovative metallic cartridges.

While paper cartridges remained the standard issue for the majority of infantrymen carrying muzzle-loading Springfield or Enfield muskets, metallic cartridges revolutionized combat when paired with advanced breech-loaders and repeaters like the Sharps, Spencer, and Henry rifles, setting the standard for all modern ammunition but at the time creating a logistical nightmare for the Ordnance Department. In addition, since many of the metallic cartridges were newly invented and certainly not tried extensively under combat conditions, there were many issues with them at first.

A Sharps took a combustible paper cartridge which was specifically made for that weapon. The cartridges were delicate and sometimes misfired and were very subject to the elements. But when they worked, they worked very well.

The Spencers took a rim fire cartridge and were also very specific to that weapon. They did hold up well and worked well but were heavy when compared to paper cartridges. The troops loved these guns especially the Cavalry

The Smith took a paper cartridge that looked a lot like a small toilet paper roll with a hole in the back for ignition They tended to stick in the breech and were also fairly fragile. The flame channel made ignition difficult.

Later came improved weapons like the Henry, which vastly increased the rates of fire, convincing some of the ordnance officers the troops would waste ammo. The cartridge started being rather flimsy but ended up being a good performer although one had to be careful when loading as the rounds sliding down the loading tube might set one another off as the primers accidentally hit.