Also known as: sponge-rammer, sponge staff.
| Type | Gun-serving implement |
|---|---|
| Sponge end | Wool or bristle head to swab the bore between rounds |
| Rammer end | Wooden head to seat cartridge and projectile |
| Purpose | Extinguish embers and load safely |
Serving the gun
The sponge and rammer was a single wooden staff with a sponge head on one end and a rammer head on the other. After each round the crew swabbed the bore with the wetted sponge to extinguish any burning residue, guarding against a premature ignition of the next charge, then reversed the staff to ram the cartridge and projectile home.
Sponging and ramming were the heart of the loading drill, and the sponge-rammer, with the worm, handspike, and other implements, was part of the standard set carried with every field gun.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States War Department. Instruction for Field Artillery, Prepared by a Board of Artillery Officers. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1863.
- 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.