ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



3.5 



nent at present are the projectiles of the Messrs. 

 Hotchkiss, of Conn., of Mr. Silvanus Sawyer, 

 of Fitc.hburg, Mass., of Mr. Schenkl, of Boston, 

 and of Hon. C. T. James, of Providence. R. I. 



The Hotchkiss projectile is composed of 3 

 distinct parts, a cast-iron conical head and 

 base, which are tied together by a ring or zone 

 of lead which forms ' the middle portion, and 

 extends quite through in a sheet of lead be- 

 tween the two end pieces. The effect of the 

 explosion is to crowd the base forward and 

 cause the lead to bulge out round the middle 

 and fill the grooves. This it does very effi- 

 ciently, and the projectiles, when recovered, 

 are generally found complete with the lead 

 ridged to the full depth and width of the 

 grooves. Sometimes, however, the pieces of 

 the projectile have been torn apart by the ex- 

 plosion. The Sawyer projectile is a cylindro- 

 conoidal shell of cast iron, with a brass cap 

 screwed into the truncated apes of the cone. 

 By this opening the powder is introduced, of 

 which a 12-pounder shell holds 14 oz. Under 

 the brass cap is the percussion powder. The 

 outer surface of the projectile is first tinned 

 over to cause adhesion of the coating of lead, 

 which is next run on to the cylindrical part in 

 a coating, nearly of an inch thick, with 6 

 ridges upon its surface, adapted to the grooves 

 of the bore of the gun with its same twist. 

 The Schenkl projectile, which is much used by 

 the troops from Mass., is a cast-iron bullet, 

 the greatest diameter of which is about ^ the 

 length from the front end. The posterior por- 

 tion tapers off, terminating in a truncated apex, 

 and is ridged longitudinally. To bring it up 

 to cylindrical shape, a covering of papier mache 

 is filled in between the ridges and around the 

 cone. The effect of the explosion is to drive 

 this forward and into the grooves of the bar- 

 rel aad if it should be thrown off soon after 

 it leaves the gun, it does no harm. 



James 1 projectile is a cast-iron cylindrical 

 bullet with a conical head, which may be solid, 

 or for use as a shell, hollow. The cylindrical 

 body, with the exception of a narrow band 

 next the cone and another at the rear end, is 

 f of an inch, and the bands $ of an inch less 

 than the diameter of the bore, (in the case of a 

 42 -pounder;) and from the depressed portion 

 10 rectangular openings, like the mortices in 

 the hub of a wheel, connect with a central cav- 

 ity extending in from the rear end. A cylin- 

 der of sheet tin is laid round the central'por- 

 tion, and over the tin and around its edges is 

 laid a wrapping of canvas saturated with tal- 

 low, and firmly secured by sewing, making the 

 whole diameter equal to that of the bore of the 

 gun ; but there remains an open annular space 

 between the tin and the cast-iron cone, which 

 is filled with melted lead, poured in through 

 the central cavity. This adheres to the tin 

 and forms a compact band around the central 

 portion of the projectile. In the discharge the 

 gases rush into the central cavity and press 

 out this band, forcing the canvas into the 



grooves, thus preventing the escape of any por- 

 tion of the gases past the bullet. In prac- 

 tice, the lead band sometimes separates from 

 the iron projectile soon after leaving the gun, 

 seriously disturbing the accuracy and efficiency 

 of the shot ; but in general it remains on, and 

 takes such hold of the grooves as to cause the 

 projectile to assume the spinning motion. 



Gunpowder. The gunpowder for the mili- 

 tary service is made by private contractors, in 

 mills in various parts of the country. The 

 same proportions of ingredients are used for 

 the several kinds designated musket, mortar, 

 cannon, and mammoth, which differ from each 

 other only in the size of the graiu. The pro- 

 protions of saltpetre are 75 to 76, of charcoal, 

 14 to 15, and of sulphur 10. The size of the 

 grain is fixed by sieves, the musket powder 

 being 1.100 particles in ten grains Troy weight, 

 and the cannon powder 150 particles. It is 

 packed in barrels of white oak with cedar 

 hoops. Powder barrels made of strong sheet- 

 iron, corrugated with heads formed by turning 

 over the metal, have been made, and are now 

 on trial. The mammoth powder is of coarsest 

 grains, such as pass through a sieve with T 9 ^ 

 inch holes, but not through one of ^ inch holes. 

 Capt. Rodman, of the Ordnance Department, 

 Las recently invented a new powder, which is 

 found very serviceable. The design of it is to 

 produce the combustion increasing in intensity 

 instead of diminishing from the first ignition, 

 as is the case with ordinary gunpowder. This 

 he effects by making cakes of dust powder, 

 and perforating them with numerous small 

 holes with wires. The ignition spreading 

 through these holes occupies a sensible time, 

 and spreads over an increasing surface of com- 

 bustion. The effect of this is to exert the 

 strongest impulse upon the projectile after it 

 has once started from its seat and its inertia is 

 overcome. The large-grained powder produces 

 a similar effect. Gun-cotton, though having an 

 explosive force, compared to gunpowder, as 8 

 to 3, is not approved of for military service for 

 various reasons : as, the danger of preparing 

 and keeping it in large quantities, its too vio- 

 lent action, its changeable character, &c. 



Tents. The military campaigns of 1861 have 

 brought about important changes in the con- 

 struction of tents for soldiers. Those pre- 

 viously in common use were altogether deficient 

 in proper arrangements for warming and ven- 

 tilation. They were made of a light sheet of 

 duck, laid over a ridge-pole,which was supported 

 upon two upright poles set in the ground about 

 6 feet apart. It was pinned down to the 

 ground when stretched out to sufficient width ; 

 and the ends were closed by triangular pieces, 

 which were drawn together and tied. Some- 

 times one end was made entirely close, while 

 the other was furnished with the overlapping 

 flaps, which could be opened or closed as de- 

 sired. Such were the tents almost universally 

 used by the French in the Crimean war, and 

 called by them tentes cPabri, simplified by the 



