Also known as: Ordnance Manual.
| Type | Official ordnance handbooks |
|---|---|
| Editions | Successive editions, including those of 1841, 1850, and the early 1860s |
| Contents | Specifications for guns, ammunition, carriages, and stores |
| Use | Primary reference for identification |
The official standard
The Ordnance Manual was the official handbook of the United States Ordnance Department, laying out in detail the patterns, dimensions, weights, and stores of the army's guns, ammunition, carriages, harness, and equipment. Successive editions recorded the changing state of American ordnance.
Because they give the authorized specifications of each item, the ordnance manuals are among the most valuable primary references for identifying and understanding Civil War artillery and its ammunition.
On this site
Sources & further reading
- United States Army, Ordnance Department. The Ordnance Manual for the Use of the Officers of the United States Army. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1862.
- CivilWarArtillery.com research archive: manuals, reports, marking references, and collecting notes.