Ramrod Head
Description
A rammer head inscribed '24'. The head has a hole all the way through it. The remains of a staff and a copper ring are also evident.
The rammer was a wooden cylinder about the same diameter and length as the shot (cannonball). It pushed home the powder charge, the wad, and the shot. As a precaution against faulty or double loading, marks on the rammer handle showed the loaders when the different parts of the charge were properly seated. Some rammers with wooden handles had a sponge on the other end to neutralise burning powder that might be left from the previous firing. In battle, a member of the gun crew often had to sit on the sill of the gun port to access the gun’s muzzle where he was at risk from the enemy’s small arms fire.
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Object Detail
Diameter: 135mm (5 5/16")