Got a Real World Weapons or Armour Question? Mk XI

[fusilier]

next major innovation is the precussion cap, which replaced the small pan of powder (which was the major cause to misfires in flintlocks, as the powder here either failed to ignite or went off without setting off the main charge, a "flash in the pan") with a small 'cap' of precussion (shock) sensitive explosive (orginally, they tried to replace the whole powder charge, but the results were too unstable and shock sensitive for practical use, so they lowered the charge and created the cap). this, again, made the weapon quicker to load and more reliable, and was adotped around the 1840-1860 era, along with rifled barrels, leading to the change from flintlock mustkets to precussion rifles used in the Crimean and Amerian Civil wars.

Here is a video that shows both the loading of a precussion rifles and a civil war era cannon (which is basically the same as napoleonic era cannons, i believe).

Good post. A minor correction, use of the percussion cap did not make loading any faster (in fact some claim it may have made it slower). But it was so much more reliable, and made the gun much easier to load in the rain.

A major difference between a civil war cannon and a napoleonic era one would be the ignition system. During napoleonic times they would have used a linstock (a matchcord on the end of a stick), or port-fire (think of a truck flare). Usually port-fire was reserved for instances where speed was desired. By the American Civil War, friction primers were in use. These were inserted into the vent and attached to a lanyard, which was yanked by the gunner to fire the piece.

You are correct about matchlocks (I've fired one) -- a lot of the drill is keeping the hand holding the burning matchcord away from the hand holding the powder!