Round Ball to Rimfire, A History of Civil War Small Arms Ammunition Parts 1, 2 and 3

Many inventions of modern warfare were born in the boiling cauldron of the American Civil War. Perhaps none were more important than the development of the metallic cartridge and the repeating rifle. During that great struggle, the North used a stupefying list of oddball rifles and strange cartridges from the Sharps linen cartridge to the Burnside and its odd cone-shaped front loading gas-seal cartridge, to the Maynard with its giant, wide, flat, rimmed cartridge still ignited by the patented tape primer or percussion cap. Let's not forget the most modern of rounds--the .56-56 Spencer and .44 Henry rimfire, Other guns checkered the landscape from conventional .58 Springfield musket to .44 and .56 caliber Colt Revolving rifle, all using paper cartridge ammunition. These myriad rounds were supplied by the Union Quartermaster Corp on a company-wide basis, an astounding task by today's standards let alone those of 1860.

To document this in a thorough manner has Ken Dean S. Thomas three volumes entitled Roundball to Rimfire, Parts 1, 2 and 3. Thomas includes excellent black & white photos of the various munitions, the packets and crates in which they were wrapped and the methods of production. Part 1 concerns primary Union paper ammunition for the muzzleloading muskets from .58 caliber to .69 caliber smoothbores including Minie and Buck-'n'-Ball rounds. The text is well documented with original correspondence that covers development of the ammunition, problems in the field and corrective actions. Part 2 covers the odd federal breechloading carbines and rifles. Many patent drawings and documents are provided as well as brief discussions of the firearms.

Part 3 covers pistol ammunition and development including rimfire, pinfire and paper cartridges as well as some of the guns. Lastly, some of the odder guns such as the Requa Battery, Dimick target rifle and Pickett bullets used by sharpshooters of the day are discussed and pictured. All three volumes cover the quantity of ammunition produced by whom and where. Thomas Publications specializes in the American Civil War and publishes many other intriguing titles. Soon to be published is Roundball to Rimfire Part 4 on Confederate cartridges.

Round Ball to Rimfire, A History of Civil War Small Arms Ammunition Part 1, Federal Ordnance Dept., Arsenals, Smoothbores & Rifle Muskets $40, ISBN 1-57747015-X, Hardcover, 8.5x 11,344 pages

Part 2, Federal Breechloading Rifles & Carbines, $49.95 ISBN 1-57747020-6 Hardcover, 8.5x 11,528 pages

Part 3, Federal Pistols, Revolvers & Miscellaneous Essays, $49.95, ISBN 1-57747020-6, Hardcover, 8,5x11,528 pages

Contact: Thomas Publications, P.O. Box 303, Gettysburg, PA 17325 (717) 642-6600, www.thomaspublications.com.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group