US OR CS CIVIL WAR ARTILLERY LANYARD

US OR CS CIVIL WAR ARTILLERY LANYARD

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$350.00

Quantity Available: 1

Item Code: 2026-9248

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This is the standard form of the Civil War artillery lanyard, but with a far less finished and more simply turned handle than usually seen and a generic, perhaps even commercially acquired, S-hook with flat ends, both of which have led to a Confederate attribution by some collectors and make it a strong addition to a Confederate artillery display.

This is like the more commonly found examples in overall design, but the wood handle simply tapers from the center to either end, omitting the additional turning necessary to form a flat disk with raised edges at either end, and is a far less finished product than usually seen. The cord on this measures 78” long, shorter than most lanyards found, but lengths can vary – the 1862 Ordnance Manual specified 12-feet, but some collectors feel that is for larger, heavy guns and 6-feet was for field guns, but Gibbon’s 1863 Artillerist’s Manual does not specify and simply refers to a lanyard or cord “of suitable length” for use with friction primers. More significant is that the iron hook has a squared, flat ends and looks more like a generic or commercial product, a cost and labor-saving measure like the simply formed handle that is to be expected more of southern wartime production.

Lanyards were carried in the implement or “tube” pouch of “Number Four” on crew of a field gun, who would place a T-shaped friction primer in the loaded cannon’s vent, put the hook at the end of the cord into a wire loop on the primer, and then stand back with lanyard played out, waiting for the gunner’s command to fire. The wire loop was the end of a serrated wire that would ignite a combustible compound in the primer when pulled rapidly through it and set off the cannon’s propellant charge. They had been used experimentally in the Mexican War and were officially adopted soon after in preference to percussion locks or the older linstock methods of firing the cannon.

This comes from the artillery portion of an old and respected collection we recently acquired, much of which came directly off Bannerman’s island or through their Blue Point Long Island operation. A quick look at the reprint of their 1927 catalog will give an idea of the immense quantity and variety of goods they offered, including substantial amounts of ordnance and artillery gear. This is a complete and very good example of a key piece of artillery gear with original handle showing just light wear, a full-length cord and original wire hook.   [sr][ph:L]

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