A detachment was one gun and its crew. The Chief of the piece was a sergeant, in charge of the gun; there was a corporal in charge of the caisson, and another who was the gunner that aimed the piece. The "spare men" of the Battery were those who were unassigned, and took care of the horses and equipment. Those who were assigned to the "numbered positions" had a bit of status within the Battery, at least in terms of their own pride. The cannoneers were: #1, who swabbed the bore and rammed the load; #2, inserted the charge and projectile into the muzzle; #3, tended the vent; #4 primed and fired the piece at the command of the sergeant; #5, carried the round to #2; #6 had charge of the limber; and #7 carried the round to #5.

When in action, the gun would be driven into position, the gun would be removed from the limber and brought to bear on the target. If need be, the #1 man would use the 'worm' to remove any material from the bore and swab it with a damp sponge rammer, then with a dry one. #7 would carry the round to the #5 man who delivered it to the #2 man standing by the muzzle of the gun. He would position it in the muzzle of the gun for the #1 man to ram down the bore. All this time, the #3 man has covered the vent to keep air from any embers that may be present. When the round is seated, the #3 man would use a pick to pierce the powder bag. Then the gunner (a corporal) would mount the sight, and aim the gun. #1 and 2 at the wheels of the gun and #3 at the trail spike would assist him by moving the gun left or right. After the gunner is satisfied with his job, he removes the rear sight and steps back from the gun. The #4 man inserts a primer into the vent, attaches the lanyard and steps back keeping it taut. At this time, with the cannoneers safely away from the gun, it is ready to fire. Upon command of the Chief of the piece, #4 pulls the lanyard firing the cannon. #1,2 and 3 move it back into battery (correct position), and the cycle starts again.

Sources:
Dean S. Thomas
Cannons, An Introduction to Civil War Artillery

C. Peter Jorgenson
Civil War artillery authority, and former Commander of the 10th Mass Battery, N-SSA, publisher of the Civil War News and The Muzzloading Artilleryman

John D. Billings
(A member of the 10th; also the author of Hard Tack and Coffee, a book of his experiences as a soldier in the Civil War)
The History of the Tenth Massachusetts Battery

Last Updated 14 April 2002

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