Black Powder, White Smoke

Mr. Reader Revealed, Enfield YouTube, and Enfield Fouling Problems

By Joe Bilby · Originally published December 2018 · p. 8

I have more information on the “mysterious Mr. Reader,” who, as I related in my October column, in 1859 allegedly invented the ultimate weapon that we had never heard of. Astute reader, fellow Civil War News contributor and scholar Bruce Allardice, a Professor of History at South Suburban College, emailed me with a solidly researched conclusion establishing Reader’s identity. Bruce wrote of our furtive inventor that: “He is Joseph S. Reader (aka Reeder), born circa 1835 in Ohio. In 1860 he is the only probable Reader/Reeder in Canton, Ohio, where William Medill Sr., who mentioned him in his correspondence, lived. The census of that year lists Reader as a machinist. The 1859 Canton city directory lists him as “J. S. Reeder, machinist, who works at the John Laird Foundry in Canton.” There were gun barrel manufacturers in Canton at the time, which may have sparked Reader’s interest in firearms development. Reader’s wife Sarah appears on the 1870 census as a widow working as a housekeeper who had four children. The youngest child, Carry, was five, suggesting that Mr. Reader died between 1865 and 1870. Well, we may never know more about his invention, but at least we know a bit more about him.

While there is a lot of crap, frankly, on YouTube, there are, here and there, some priceless bits of firearms history in select videos created by various presenters. One video deals with the evolution from the Model P1853 Enfield rifle, used by both Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War, and its successor, the Mark III Snider breech loading conversion of the P53. The video goes into detail on both rifles as well as the cartridges used in them. The video includes live fire “living history” tests using original guns firing original style ammunition, graphically displaying rates of fire and combat accuracy. The film provides sources for those Enfield and Snider owners who want to get their old guns back in action in the style of the 1860s. It is highly recommended. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=YCC9a10anTo.

An Excellent YouTube video

Enfield Loading Problems Solved

Speaking of Enfields, the .577 caliber P53 has a long-held reputation for being able to fire many shots before loading is affected by fouling. The Enfield’s well undersized expanding projectile, wrapped in lubed paper, is largely responsible for this ability, and I recall a test staged in London many years ago in which several thousand rounds were fired from a P1853 without cleaning. Although Colonel Chamberlain of the famed 20th Maine complained about his men’s Enfields fouling after a limited number of shots at Gettysburg, and there were similar complaints lodged by other commanders, their problems were due to the use of ammunition designed for Springfield rifle muskets. The problem was resolved by reducing the bullet diameter of all issued ammunition so that it was usable in both guns. I was reviewing some information on Enfield use recently and was surprised to discover period British references to fouling problems. One theory of the time was that on firing, the expanded projectile “exactly fills the bore of the gun,” and consequently “the escape of gas is comparatively speaking greatly retarded so that the residue remains in the barrel.” The article went on to note that while lubricant, including tallow and beeswax, would correct this problem, the tallow portion of the lubricant often deteriorated and interacted with the lead bullet “due to atmospheric conditions” after months in storage and produced increased bullet diameter, leading to fouling problems. It seems the Enfield’s problems were Indian weather related, as most complaints from the field came from the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857–1858, in which native soldiers rebelled against the British East India Company’s rule. Interestingly, the insurrection is often blamed on the Enfield ammunition issued to Indian soldiers, with its tallow lubricant, which was deemed offensive by both Hindus and Muslims for different reasons. Of course, as with most historic conflicts, it was far more complicated and there was much more involved, but we are discussing small arms problems here, not the political, social, and economic aspects of colonialism. One primary source account described a regiment’s problems thusly: “Many bullets had stuck so fast that, after the breech had been taken out, they could not be forced back through the muzzle, and were obliged to be bored out and it is evident that long before they got so foul as to be utterly impossible to be loaded, it had been a matter of time and great exertion to force the bullet home.” There were reports of soldiers slamming their stuck ramrods against stone walls to seat bullets, and some guns had to be disassembled and have their breech plugs removed to extract a jammed bullet. One suggestion to resolve the problem was to reduce the diameter of the bullet to .550, but it seems to have been resolved by simply eliminating tallow from the bullet lubricant and using pure beeswax. The conclusion was that beeswax: “Though so very dissimilar to the substances generally used as lubricants, its cleansing properties in the barrel of an arm are remarkable; it produces a beautiful glazing or surface upon the metal, which prevents the adhesion of any of the residue. When pure it exhibits no tendency to promote the corrosion of lead nor does it undergo, by long preservation, any change likely to prove dangerous to the metal.” So, if you want to shoot completely period correct, use beeswax. Joseph G. Bilby received his BA and MA degrees in history from Seton Hall University and served as a lieutenant in the 1st Infantry Division in 1966–1967. He is Assistant Curator of the New Jersey National Guard and Militia Museum, a freelance writer and historical consultant and author or editor of 21 books and over 400 articles on N.J. and military history and firearms. He is also publications editor for the N.J. Civil War 150 Committee and edited the award winning New Jersey Goes to War. His latest book, New Jersey: A Military History, was published by Westholme Publishing in 2017. He has received an award for contributions to Monmouth County (N.J.) history and an Award of Merit from the N.J. Historical Commission for contributions to the state’s military history. He can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Enfield paper cartridge manufactured by Eley Bros. London. This cartridge contains a .577 caliber Enfiled bullet and powder charge.