The Mechanical Fuze and the Advance of Artillery in the Civil War

The rifled artillery used during the Civil War created the need for a new and more reliable type of artillery fuze to light powder charges. This history explains how mechanically ignited fuzes were developed to improve accuracy, distance, and power of weaponry, and how the technical and manufacturing challenges of mating gunpowder and metal were met.

Edward B. McCaul, Jr., is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and received a Ph.D., in history from Ohio State University. He has published more than 30 articles and interviews in addition to two books on the Civil War. He lives in Winchester, Virginia.

Edward B. McCaul, Jr.
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 227
Bibliographic Info: 38 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4613-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      ix
Preface      1
Introduction      3

ONE. United States Military Gunpowder      11
TWO. Prewar Fuzes      19
THREE. Smooth-Bore Versus Rifled Artillery      37
FOUR. The Manufacturing War      46
FIVE. Artillery During the Civil War      57
SIX. The New Fuzes      84
SEVEN. Hotchkiss, Parrott, and Schenkl      110
EIGHT. Postwar Developments      122

Appendix A. United States Fuze Related Patents, 1855–1872      131
Appendix B. British Fuze Related Patents, 1855–1876      173
Appendix C. Short Biographies      177
Appendix D. Prewar Armories, Arsenals, Navy Yards, Foundries, and Small Arms Manufacturers      185
Chapter Notes      195
Bibliography      205
Index      215

• “This is an excellent publication”—Civil War News
• “Highly recommended”—Civil War Books and Authors