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19th century caps

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user 33697

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I am curious as to how during the civil war percussion caps were distributed to soldiers on the battlefield apart from paper cartridge boxes for BP revolvers. Preloaded cappers, tins or loose caps for a leather belt pouch similar to rifles?
 
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I think there was a little paper-wrapped packet of a dozen musket caps included with every pack of ten paper cartridges. It is my understanding that revolvers also used paper cartridges, and I would suppose a similar system would have been used.

Here is a pack of cartridges:

Civil War Ammo 2.0.jpg


This is a mixed lot of Civil War small arms ammunition. The lumpy little twist of paper, second from the top on the left, is a packet of musket caps:


Civil War Ammo.jpg


I believe the soldiers would have emptied the caps into the little wool-lined leather cap pouches worn on their belts. The caps would "float" on top of the wool, making them easier to grab with the thumb and finger than if they had been just rolling around loose on hard leather.

Notchy Bob
 
The wool was applied to the top back of the cap pouch. The caps were below the wool and loose in the pouch. The wool served to keep the caps from falling out as one moved about.

Revolver caps weren't carried in a cap pouch, it was strictly for musket caps. Cappers were not used. The only way I'm aware of (could be wrong here) to issue caps were in the packets of revolver cartridges.

As this is in the handguns section I assume we are talking about caps for revolvers.
 

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