Also known as: canister, case.
In the Half Shell Book: This subject is treated in Civil War Artillery Projectiles: The Half Shell Book, pp. 37-51.
| Class | Close-range antipersonnel projectile |
|---|---|
| Construction | Thin metal cylinder of iron or lead balls packed in sawdust, on a wooden sabot |
| Ball size | Roughly 0.65 to 2 inches, depending on the bore |
| Action | Bursts at the muzzle; the balls spread like shot |
Construction and use
Canister was a thin-walled metal cylinder packed with musket balls or larger lead or iron balls and sawdust, with a round wooden block, or sabot, on the bottom to center the round and seal the bore. When the gun fired, the cylinder tore open and the balls spread in a widening cone, making canister the artilleryman's most lethal close-range load.
Ball diameter ran from about 0.65 inch to as much as 2 inches depending on the bore. Improvised loads packed with nails, hinges, and scrap are known as langrage. At close quarters gunners sometimes doubled the charge, firing two canisters at once.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- Melton, Jack W., Jr. Civil War Artillery Projectiles: The Half Shell Book. Blue Ridge, GA: Historical Publications LLC, 2018.
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.
- Benton, James G. A Course of Instruction in Ordnance and Gunnery. 2nd ed. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1862.