Canister and Case Shot--Whats The Difference?

[KGC4Dixie]

Canister and Case Shot--What's The Difference?

Q: Artillery used different rounds against attacking troops. One was the Canister and the other was Case shot.... What is the difference?

A: The Canister was a shell made with about 96 iron balls held together by a tin cover, the Case shot was a shell with a timed fuse that would burst over the attacking troops' heads. Sending pieces of it in to them.

http://www.bitsofblueandgray.com/trivia.htm

 

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[SouthArk]

Re: Canister and Case Shot--What's The Difference?

For a more definitive answer, go to www.civilwarprojectiles.com . Pete George hangs out there, Jim Thomas, as well as John Bartleston, and others that can give you more than you ever want to know about case and cannister. Pete wrote the "Bible" on artillery. Jim and his brother Dean have co-authored several books on civil war projectiles. And John is a genius at computer graphics that has designed many "cut away" sketches showing various shells and their constructions as if sawed in half.

There was another "similar" artillery round called "grape shot".

But, go to the above mentioned site and register.... then just ask your question. It is much more involved than the response you gave above.

Take care,
Kim

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Re: Canister and Case Shot--What's The Difference?

Here are the major differences between civil war era Canister and Case-Shot ammunition:
Canister takes its name from the fact that its contents were contained in what was basically a "tin can" (made of thin iron sheetmetal). The can contained a certain number of iron or lead balls, packed in sawdust. The number of balls in the Canister varied according to the caliber of the ammunition. (For example, 6-pounder caliber Canister contained 27 balls which were 1.16-inches in diameter, and for 24-pounder caliber Canister the balls were 2.62 inches in diameter.) The precise size of the balls in every caliber of Canister ammo for the Army was listed in a chart in the 1861 Ordnance Manual, which can be viewed for free on the Internet at www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm . IMPORTANT NOTE: Unlike artillery shells, civil war Canister did not contain an explosive powder charge. The blast of the cannon's propellant powder-charge shredded the thin "tin can," releasing the balls.

Case-Shot was a type of civil war cannon-shell which contained an explosive powder charge and a large number of "antipersonnel" balls (or slugs or wedges). Because the Case-Shot balls had to fit inside a heavy iron projectile body, the balls were much smaller (usually between .44" to .69") than Canister balls. The Ordnance Manual specified that Case-Shot ammo was to be used with a Time-fuze (never an Impact-fuze), so that it would explode in the air over enemy troops. Here is a photo of a sawed-in-half ("halfsectioned") Bormann-fuzed 12-pounder caliber Case-Shot cannonball. As you see, its explosive powder-charge was contained in a "well" in the middle of the projectile's cavity (NOT mixed among the antipersonnel balls). Canister ammo contained no powder-charge.

Regards,
TheCannonballGuy

 

[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Canister and Case Shot--What's The Difference?

Great education. Thanks

Here are the major differences between civil war era Canister and Case-Shot ammunition:
Canister takes its name from the fact that its contents were contained in what was basically a "tin can" (made of thin iron sheetmetal). The can contained a certain number of iron or lead balls, packed in sawdust. The number of balls in the Canister varied according to the caliber of the ammunition. (For example, 6-pounder caliber Canister contained 27 balls which were 1.16-inches in diameter, and for 24-pounder caliber Canister the balls were 2.62 inches in diameter.) The precise size of the balls in every caliber of Canister ammo for the Army was listed in a chart in the 1861 Ordnance Manual, which can be viewed for free on the Internet at www.civilwarartillery.com/shottables.htm . IMPORTANT NOTE: Unlike artillery shells, civil war Canister did not contain an explosive powder charge. The blast of the cannon's propellant powder-charge shredded the thin "tin can," releasing the balls.

Case-Shot was a type of civil war cannon-shell which contained an explosive powder charge and a large number of "antipersonnel" balls (or slugs or wedges). Because the Case-Shot balls had to fit inside a heavy iron projectile body, the balls were much smaller (usually between .44" to .69") than Canister balls. The Ordnance Manual specified that Case-Shot ammo was to be used with a Time-fuze (never an Impact-fuze), so that it would explode in the air over enemy troops. Here is a photo of a sawed-in-half ("halfsectioned") Bormann-fuzed 12-pounder caliber Case-Shot cannonball. As you see, its explosive powder-charge was contained in a "well" in the middle of the projectile's cavity (NOT mixed among the antipersonnel balls). Canister ammo contained no powder-charge.

Regards,
TheCannonballGuy

 

[globalkoller]

Hello TheCannonballGuy, I am attempting to identify what appears to be a canister. It is a metal (steel ?) cylinder ~2.00" diameter. It has three seams as if it were made from three pieces of metal. The metal is approx 1/32" thick. It has a tin cup on one end which is ~2.125" in diameter & 1 3/4" in length and has a soldered seam. The end of the cup is also tin and is a separate piece of tin (like a lid). The cup appears to be crimped on to the cylinder. The bottom edge of the cup is crimped over the (lid) and soldered. The overall length is 7". The other end is open and it contains lead balls that are .250" in diameter and is covered in transparent plastic and taped on the top of the cylinder to keep all the lead balls contained. I weighs 5 lbs. 3 oz. as is. I have photos. I am new as of today to this site so not clear on how to transmit or include photos with/in this post?
globalkoller

 

[noonanda]

Case-Shot was a type of civil war cannon-shell which contained an explosive powder charge and a large number of "antipersonnel" balls (or slugs or wedges). Because the Case-Shot balls had to fit inside a heavy iron projectile body, the balls were much smaller (usually between .44" to .69") than Canister balls. The Ordnance Manual specified that Case-Shot ammo was to be used with a Time-fuze (never an Impact-fuze), so that it would explode in the air over enemy troops. Here is a photo of a sawed-in-half ("halfsectioned") Bormann-fuzed 12-pounder caliber Case-Shot cannonball. As you see, its explosive powder-charge was contained in a "well" in the middle of the projectile's cavity (NOT mixed among the antipersonnel balls). Canister ammo contained no powder-charge.

Regards,
TheCannonballGuy

Were the Case shot balls lead or iron?

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Case-Shot balls could be either lead or iron. However, lead was used more often than iron, because a lead projectile has more kinetic-energy impact power than an iron one. That is why musketballs and rifle bullets were always made of lead, not iron, until the invention of armor-piercing bullets. The Confederacy had a shortage of lead after 1862, so by mid-1863 all Confederate-made Case-Shot balls were iron.