This is an original Civil War paper cartridge issued to soldiers as ammunition for the standard issue rifle musket (i.e. a rifle of musket length.) These were arsenal made by rolling paper on a rod to form a cylinder, tying off one end at the tip of the bullet, filling the other with the proper measure of powder and folding it closed. The bullet is the standard Minie ball, nicknamed for its French inventor, using a conoidal shape and a hollow base that would be expanded by the powder charge to take the rifling grooves of barrel, increasing both range and accuracy.

These were issued in packs of ten, with twelve percussion cap primers, with the soldier placing two unopened packs in the lower compartments of the magazine tins in his cartridge box and twenty loose rounds in the upper trays of the box for ready use- hence the proverbial “forty rounds,” though when going into action troops were often issued an additional twenty to be carried in pockets, which the veteran knew to be a sign of trouble. Battlefield were littered with the cartridge papers after a fight, the soldier being trained to bite off the end of the cartridge, pour the powder down the barrel, ram home the bullet, prime and fire as quickly as possible.

This is in great condition and would display nicely with a cartridge box or next to one of the .58 caliber rifle muskets that were introduced in 1855 and were the standard infantry arm throughout the war.  [sr] [ph:L]

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