Field Cleaning - Vol. VI, Episode 14

[@danieljosiahcotton]

This answered so many questions that I had about how they cleaned their guns. Thank you so much!

[@touko_nanami]

I just came back from the field wearing modern breathable combat fatigues and I still got heat rash. How did Civil War soldiers dressed in cotton and wool uniforms fight the heat? Did commanders ever authorize "dressing down" or modified uniforms in the case of extreme heat?

[@CivilWarDigitalDigest]

Great questions and something we can look into! Welcome back to civilization. Thank you for your service!

[@danielkohli1542]

There was an account, written by Leander Stillwell, of an artillery battery having its men strip off their jackets and shirts.

[@RandyWeaver14]

Baby powder helps

[@theodoreroosevelt78]

For polishing brass or musket, fine brick dust works. I learned this from my 1812 British unit. Same oil, mixed with fine brick dust. I took 2 old bricks that friends of mine have me, when they took out the fireplace in their house. Dating to the 1870s. On a cloth, rubbed the 2 bricks together. It does work. Better than brasso. Just throwing it out there. Love the channel

[@CivilWarDigitalDigest]

Thanks for adding your historic experience to the list! Happy new year!

[@chrishastings2665]

Always informative. I've been using olive oil for a few years now at events. It works well and it hasn't spoiled as I thought it might. I also dump some in my rice ration when I have it.

[@clockmonkey]

That was delightful, and incredibly quick. Must have taken a lot of thought and preparation much appreciated.

[@josephgonzales4802]

That is how my reenactment unit clean their weapons in the field. 😊

[@jamesrichardson3322]

Yep me too!!

[@selay333]

My friend was fascinated somehow by me cleaning my Springfield. Need to do some filing on my combination tool though as it’s just a tad to small to fit cone.

[@jamesrichardson3322]

I always clean my musket after I come off the field after a battle during the Reenactment.

[@j.lebowski3917]

Another great video, Will. Thank you and everyone who works to make these possible.

[@bernardbiederman19]

Where he chooses to use a square of folded cotton to close off the cone, I use a square of leather that I carry in the implement pouch to do the job. I also use the ramrod with the worm attached to agitate the water in the barrel to more effectively remove the fouling. The worm is at the upper end of the rammer for this, to give a little more length to it for cleaning. That's followed by drying patches, then oiled patch, then another one or two drying patches. As a reenactor 1st Sergeant, I always requested that the men's weapons be cleaned shortly after the day's battle scenario, unless it was too dark to see well, so that they didn't have to deal with it in a hurry later. That policy worked well and freed them up to do other things they wanted to do.

[@TorryGood]

I do the same use a leather between the hammer and the nipple and use brush to run water up and down the barrel.

[@Drew791]

I really needed this calming logical video right now in my life. Thanks for the great content!

[@josephdriesenga2730]

This is how I do it, the rest of my unit looks at me like I'm crazy.

[@53rdpvi5]

Great info.. I have added embedded links to many of your videos to my unit's website.

[@CivilWarDigitalDigest]

Great! Hope they help. We would love to have one or a few of you consider becoming patrons of ours over on patreon.com. Enjoy!

[@CaptainChip501]

Only pain I have is my patches and ramrod getting stuck in the barrell... Have to use modern epuipment for the most part.

[@MarkWYoung-ky4uc]

I used to carry a small piece of leather about an inch square that I would put between the hammer and the nipple.

[@TomCramer-xu8tx]

Did they ever pull the lock and clean it?

[@CivilWarDigitalDigest]

I’m sure it was done, but is not what is explained in the Ordnance Manual.

[@TheAirplaneDriver]

Great video! For my original 1842 Springfield, I remove the barrel from the stock then clean it with hot water, blow it out with compressed air, swab for a final drying then treat the bore with Thompson’s Bore Butter. For the outside, I use Balistol. For the wood, I use linseed oil. I will use a modern grease and oil lube for the trigger and tumbler components. I don’t shoot it too often and it is a very sweet wall hanger most of the time. But when I do use it, I make sure to clean it extremely well, dry it thoroughly, keep the tampion in place and once it’s on the wall, I don’t touch it. I’m fortunate to have such a nice 1842. Virtually no corrosion pitting and it is a hoot to shoot. There were two things wrong with it when I bought it. The half cock sear on the tumbler was broken. I replaced the tumbler with an original and it works perfectly. The screw on the ramrod is broken off. I don’t use the original ramrod when shooting. I have a bayonet too which is in perfect condition. It is a war production bayonet for the .69 caliber.

[@ThiCath]

of course they just said oil and nothing else

[@bradireland8270]

I like to use a strip of leather cut from a canteen strap to stop up the cone.

[@MarcTheUtahan]

*Little girl squealing noises *!!!

[@steveww1507]

I like to use a piece of leather for the cone , make s a better seal . very good vid

[@masoncook8747]

How do you get that toe stuff

[@jackpuskar6439]

This is excellent, Will!

[@VAhistTeach]

I prefer to put a patch over the cone as well. Was there another way a soldier would have had access to oil besides purchasing it from a sutler?

[@bernardbiederman19]

Sent from home, borrowed from a comrade, bring it back from furlough, foraged from anywhere it could be found. I use olive oil (sweet oil) for some cooking and for rifle musket cleaning. I keep it in a small glass jar with cork in my haversack.

[@VAhistTeach]

@@bernardbiederman19, do you know if there are any records of the army supplying it?

[@LizzyTexBorden]

I learned something... Thanks...

[@CivilWarDigitalDigest]

Thank you! That is one of the biggest compliments we can get.

[@MikeD56034]

hehehehe tip from someone whos seen it. Dont forget to remove the tompion prior to any battle scenario and or firing of your rifle. I guarantee if anyone gets hit by the tompion they WILL come after you.

[@99Racker]

Great lesson.

[@CivilWarDigitalDigest]

Thanks! Hope it helps.

[@scottberge6286]

Great video once again!!!

[@tomritter493]

Great video sir

[@francismoulds6732]

How many shots can you get before you have to clean it. If the fights still on, its fouled and you can’t load it any more how do you clean it using the emergency method?

[@Jeremyb1862]

Using real ammunition makes a huge difference in the weapons performance. The bullets had a lubricant on them and there are Williams cleaning rounds. Using blanks even by 20+ rounds I have had it very fouled. Having live fired 40 rounds of live ammo, with no cleaning rounds, using properly made period ammunition. I was able to easily ram all but one round. We did no cleaning between matches except for picking the cone and wiping a bit around the lock, hammer, trigger, and wiping off the rammer. All that whipping was less for the weapon and more for me to stay effective using the weapon. Thinking between waves of fighting there might be time to at least do this. I was dirty, far dirtier then ever been firing blanks. But the weapon was far cleaner and easier to clean.

[@VAhistTeach]

This is why the First Sergeants never fired their weapons. They stood back of the line and if there was a misfire, the soldier would hand his weapon to the Sgt. The Sgt. would give the soldier his weapon to use while he worked on cleaning the weapon.

[@thomasbaagaard]

​@@VAhistTeach I know this is done in some reenactment groups... but do you have a source for this being official army procedure in the 1860ties?

[@j.lebowski3917]

@@Jeremyb1862 I don't believe the William's round was actually intended to be designated a cleaning round. It just happened to create less fouling because of the design of the bullet. Lucky coincidence I guess.

[@bernardbiederman19]

@@VAhistTeach Not just the first sergeants, but all of the sergeants on the file closer line. This, of course, assumes there are enough men in the line to warrant multiple sergeants behind them....not always a common occurrence.

[@EBthere]

Appreciate this and thank you!

[@CivilWarDigitalDigest]

You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed and hope it helps!

[@MrMusicfan65]

For a whipper i use the Enfield tulip but I will get a whipped . I seen so many methods from using the hydroproxide alcohol and wood oil to using baby whipes. I like this method it is better and more period

[@bernardbiederman19]

A problem that can occur using the Enfield tulip, particularly if you don't remove the cone, is that you can get the ramrod stuck in the barrel due to a vapor lock in the barrel. It can be very, very hard to get the damned thing back out (ask me how I know this). I've learned to remove the cone after flushing the barrel, and then blow air through the barrel with a patch loosely set over the cone seat to minimize this problem. And I do prefer the worm/wiper....never had that problem with it.

[@ScottAvellino1]

Where did you get that pinky ring? Is that an identification ring or just one from home

[@CivilWarDigitalDigest]

It is Masonic reproduced from the era. It came from The Craftsman’s Apron.

[@guynemer53]

Never ram down a dry patch. Our unit president's son did and broke his Springfield's ramrod.

[@guynemer53]

He's the unit's Jonah.

[@CivilWarDigitalDigest]

Well, that might be the real issue. Lol

[@cheshire4856]

@@guynemer53 I have a habit of priming, dropping the hammer to keep the cap from falling off, and forgetting that I have to cock it twice, is this Jonah behavior?

[@M80Ball]

Goodbye crown.

[@davidhoughton3056]

Will check the regulations. Your tents are to close together, they should be 3 to 6 feet apart, depending on your interpretation.