| “What
caused so much of the pain, suffering, and agony that was
the American Civil War? Some 90% of all battle wounds were
caused by the small arms projectile known as the Minie Ball.
Of those wounded by small arms projectiles, 15% or 234,400
men died as a result of its use.
The
ball got its name from its inventor, Captain Claude Minie of
the French Army. It was conical in shape and made of soft
lead, with two or three grease grooves around its body. The
cylinder-conical ball usually had a cavity. Upon firing, the
hot gases produced by the burning black powder charge
expanded into the hollow base of the ball, forcing the soft
lead into the rifling grooves inside the barrel of the
musket. These grooves, which spiraled as they traveled the
length of the barrel, imparted a spin to the ball, making
its range an incredible 1500 yards, with extreme accuracy at
350 yards or less.
The
majority of Civil War cartridges consisted of the Minie ball
and 60 grains of black powder enclosed in a paper cylinder.
The paper cylinder full of powder was placed behind the
bullet, both were wrapped in paper, tied off at the bullet
end, and folded or twisted closed at the powder end. To load
this cartridge, the soldier would
bite off the folded end, pour the powder into the barrel,
and squeeze the ball from the paper wrapping. He would then
ram the ball with the ramrod to seat it on top of the
powder. By placing a percussion cap on the nipple under the
hammer, the musket was ready to fire. The Minie ball was
made primarily in .54, .58, and .69 caliber sizes which
weighed from 1 to 1 1/2 ounces. .50, .52, and .54 caliber
conical projectiles were used in various breechloading
carbines. Most pistols were .36 or .44 caliber. At 600
yards, a .58 caliber Minie ball fired from a Springfield or
Enfield rifled musket could penetrate six 1 inch pine
boards.
When
it hit the human body, destruction of tissues, cartilage,
vein, and bone was massive. The soft lead flattened and
broke apart as it hit flesh. If a man was hit in the arm or
leg, the bullet shattered the bone from 6 to 10 inches and
necessity for amputation was certain. If hit in the torso, a
man was usually left to die. Doctors at the time of the
Civil War knew little about mending a hole in the body that
the slow moving Minie ball had made. The entrance wound was
the size of a man's thumb, but the exit wound was the size
of a man's fist. Human flesh has a peculiar way of
"evacuating" itself from the path of a foreign
object, thus literally tearing itself apart as the bullet
passed though it. In addition to this bullet, a number of
other projectiles were patented and used during the war:
Williams "cleaner", Shaler "sectional",
and the deadly Gardiner explosive were but a few of the many
projectiles devised to kill and maim men in the Civil
War.”
Source: http://www.rebelyell.com/14thOVI/minie.htm |
