This projectile is
correctly referred to as Sawyer's solid shot canister. Addison M Sawyer patented this
ridged cylindrical canister on November 19, 1861, patent
#33,754. This canister was
designed not to expand into the guns rifling, thus allowing for a more uniform
dispersement of the canister balls. The Sawyer canister was designed so that it could be
fired from a Sawyer rifle (3.67-inch caliber), or a 6-pounder smoothbore (3.67-inch
caliber). This canister has three holes in the bottom which allowed the propellant
charge to help force out the canister balls. The majority of Sawyer canisters
have been recovered from Port Hudson, Louisiana. This style Sawyer canister is also found
in 3.4-inch caliber.
