The artillery gun crew was meant to function like a well-oiled machine and the men were well-drilled to do so, each man assigned a number and specific tasks. “Number 1” played two key parts in loading and firing. Holding the combination sponge and rammer staff, he swabbed out the cannon bore while “Number 3” sealed the vent with a thumbstall in order to extinguish any lingering embers from a previous round, and then drew out the staff to reverse it and ram home the artillery round inserted into the muzzle of the cannon in the meantime by “Number 2.” Others were busy about their tasks as well, but with the puncturing of the powder bag through the vent by “Number 3” and the insertion of a friction primer and attachment of a lanyard by “Number 4,” the piece was ready for business.

Civil War artillery implements are hard to find and in the case of the rammer/sponge staff the sponge itself, tied over a wood  cylinder on the end of the staff opposite the rammer, is frequently missing, worn, or severely moth damaged. This is a very good condition example ready for display on its own in an artillery collection or placement on a sponge-rammer staff that needs one. This one is for use with a 3” Rifle, a widely-used field gun in the Civil War, with greater range and accuracy than a smooth-bore Napoleon and still capable of delivering devastating rounds of canister against infantry who got too close. [sr][ph:L]

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