Video about bullets used at Gettysburg

[Thumbcocker]

https://youtu.be/YACouMCeBwg

Good video on the projectiles used at the battle of Gettysburg.

I would respectfully ask that this not turn into a thread about what caused the war, who was in the right, who had the best leadership or any of the dozen other things that get brought up when the war is mentioned.

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[DougGuy]

What escapes many people are the numbers behind the boolits, the velocity they were fired at. These primitive weapons posted some BAD TO THE BONE ballistics!

THIS alone makes them very deadly, as you can see the holes left in bone are much bigger than the size of the projectiles that made them, before they hit their target. Soft lead, hollow base, 1600fps or thereabouts? Pretty much the only thing we have now to compare to what they fought with is a 12ga shotgun with a Foster slug, and we all know how devastating that load can be.

[NSB]

My Great, Great Grandfather was there and got his trigger finger shot off and his rifle shot into two pieces on day two. He got out on a Surgeons Certificate a month later.

[Thumbcocker]

I believe the velocity was 1100 or 1200 feet for a standard rifle musket. The shatterd bone explains the number of amputations. I believe the survival rate on amputations was pretty high.

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[wilecoyote]

I don't think it's an urban legend that splinters from the shattered bones were perfectly capable of causing damage even to people in the vicinity of the victim.

[PositiveCaster]

The common 1861 Springfield had a muzzle velocity between 1100 to perhaps 1400 fps. Plenty fast enough to cause significant tissue damage. For those interested in fact rather than “common knowledge”…

https://www.civilwarmed.org/surgeons-call/amputation1/


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[GregLaROCHE]

When I was a kid I went on a class trip to Gettysburg. They had buckets full of recovered boolits for sale for souvenirs. I bought a couple. I don’t know what ever happened to them.

[derek45]

Turn up your speakers

Civil War Artillery, Live Explosive Shell Fire

[rockrat]

Went to Gettysburg a few weeks ago, for the first time. Humbling experience. Went on a quick tour and the guide was telling us that in one of the smaller battles, over a quarter of a million shots were fired. That's over 10 TONS of lead used in one battle.
Course, she, the guide, proceeded to tell us that because of all the lead, that the trees died from being poisoned by the lead in the trees and the water. Afterwards I told her that the trees probably died from their respiration and food transport systems being damaged and that trees grow in areas where lead is mined. She said lead is toxic and killed the trees to which I responded that it might be toxic to people but would have minimal effect on the trees

[lightman]

That was a pretty good video. I have a few bullets that were found around here in smaller local battles.

[derek45]

Battle of Chickamauga museum

[porthos]

found this many years ago. after the battle ; 27,574 rifles were recovered. 24,000 were loaded. about 1/2 of these contained 2 loads ea. 1/4; from 3 to 10 ea. in many, from 3 to 6 balls with only 1 powder charge. 23 loads were found in 1 springfield, each loaded in regular order. in many cases balls were loaded with the powder on top.!!!

[Bigslug]

I find it interesting that from pretty much the inception of the conical / Minie bullet to the introduction of small caliber/jacketed/smokeless, everybody went to war with what amounted to a slightly streamlined 12 gauge slug.

[Char-Gar]

Horrible battle in a horrible unnecessary war. I am glad I wasn't there and feel truly sorry for those that were. No glory, just blood, broken bones. hunger, thirst, pain and suffering.