The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-12-30
How Many Balls Hit.

4uV 4OROAo VI oA0 SuI01 VI VIC DuIC0u
Of Ordnance Of the Navy, presents many
interesting facts connected with gunnery
small arms and heavy guns. The Re-
port explodss one theory which had been
accepted a to the number Of balls or car
tridges expended in hitting one man. Is
Inmates have been made that of 1000
balls fired, only one ever hits its intended
mark, and another calculation says that
from 5000 to 10000 cartridges were usu-
ally expended in killing or wounding one
man. How enormous these estimates
may be, if compiled from tho expenditure
Of ammunition in battle, can be judged Of
by this report Of Capt. Wise, Chief of Ord
nance, who, in speaking of the advan-
tage Of breech-loading small arms over
those that load at the muzzle, says !:
The fourth advantage sis impossibility of
multiplying the loads under any circum-
stance, as only one cartridge can be placed
at time In the opening at the breech,
and in the event Of failure to explode,
generally the cartridge is withdrawn by
the movement of cooking and opening the
breech. The report says: -'
Singularly enough, the lesson Of one of the
greatest battles of the war proves how i'm
mensely important this last mentioned adyan-
tage of the breech-loader really is. Upon the
field Of Gettysburg, after the battle, an i'm
mense number of muzzle-l oading arms were
picked up, both of our own and rebel soldiery.
Nearly all of these were found to be loaded
and this of itself Is perhaps not to be wondered
At; but the curious fact was discovered that
about One-half of the number loaded contained
two loads each, one-fourth from three to ten
loads, and the remainder one legitimate load.
In one or two instances as many as thirty-two
and forty-two bullets were found in the barrels.
The official report of the examination of the
arms collected upon the battlefield of Gettys-
burgh, states that ''of the whole number re-
ceived (27,574) we found ct least "a 900 Of
these loaded about one-haf of these contain
ed two loads each, one-foufth from three to
ten loads each; and the balance one load each.
In many of these guns from two to six balls
have been found at the bottom of the bore
with only one charge ofpowder In some the
balls have been found at the bottom of the bore
with the charge OF powder at the top of the
ball. In some as many as SIX. paper regulation
calbre, 58 cartridges have been found, the car
tridges having been put into the gums without
being torn or broken. % loads were found in
one Springfield rifle musket, each load in regu-
lar order. % balls and 62 buckshot, with
corresponding quantity Of powder all mixed
up together, were found in one percussion
smooth bore musket
In many of the smOoth-bore guns, model of
1912. of rebel make, we have found wad of
loose paper between the powder and the ball,
and another wad of the same kind on top of
the ball, the ball having been put into the gun
naked. About six thousand Of the arms were
found loaded with johnson & BOWS cart
ridges; many of these cartridges were about
half way down in the barrels of the guns, and
In many cases the ball end of the cartridge had
been put into the gun first. The cartridges
were found mostly in the Enfield rife-musket.