This is a Confederate
copy of the Federal manufactured Bormann fuze and projectile. The Federal artillery used
this pattern until the 6-pounder smoothbore cannon was removed from the field in 1864. One
indicator of Confederate manufacture is that the first line on the fuze is the full width
of the powder train. The Federal Bormann fuze has a first line that is half of the width
of the powder train. Another indicator is that the Federal Bormann fuze was only 5 1/4
seconds; whereas, the Confederate copy of the Bormann time fuze was 5 1/2 seconds. The
Confederates discontinued the Bormann time fuze in 1863 due to difficulty in manufacturing
and poor battlefield performance. For a photograph of the Bormann fuze go here. This pictured example was recovered
from Columbia, South Carolina.
