American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

The term "windage" had a much more different meaning to Civil War-era field artillery gunners and crews than it does today. Can anyone describe what "windage" actually meant and two good reasons why it had to be so assiduously maintained in combat?

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General Jos. C. Meyer, ACWGC
Union Army Chief of Staff
Commander, Army of the Shenandoah
Commander, Army of the Tennessee
(2011-2014 UA CoA/GinC)

Just a guess at one reason/meaning. Does it have to do with the wind clearing the smoke from the cannon other weapons so weapons could be aimed more accurately? Maybe also keep the acrid smoke from tearing up the troops eyes?

The gunpowder was laced with marijuana. Some commanders like McClellan preferred for the smoke to blow in his direction, while other commanders like Sherman preferred that it blow in the direction of his opponent's lines.



Just in case you're wondering, yes, I'm blowing smoke!

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Gen Ned Simms
2/XVI Corps/AotT
Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
VMI Class of '00

Windage is what General Puffinhouser used to bellow at his troops.

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General Ernie Sands
President ACWGC -Sept 2015- Dec 2020
7th Brigade, 1st Division, XVI Corps, AoT
ACWGC Records Site Admin

"If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there."

Nice try, David, but not correct. I'm sure glad that I didn't say that windage had to be so assiduously broken in combat? Ned and Ernie would have had a field day with that!

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General Jos. C. Meyer, ACWGC
Union Army Chief of Staff
Commander, Army of the Shenandoah
Commander, Army of the Tennessee
(2011-2014 UA CoA/GinC)

But seriously folks, its the gap between the round and the bore of the gun. The bigger the gap the easier to load the weapon, but the less efficient the charge as the energy escapes around the shell. The beauty of the Minnie ball - actually a conical bullet with an indention and soft led skirt at the bottom was it's diameter was smaller than the bore and easily dropped down through the barrel - but upon firing the soft led deformed and adhered to the rifling and greatly reduced the windage.

Rifles existed long before the Civil War (google Baker rifles) but it was the Minnie ball an invention of Claude-Étienne Minié, that made the mass use of rifles on the battlefield practical.

Generally my wife gets upset when I have windage.

Lt (vol) M. Lichtenberg
1/1/XIV Army of the Cumberlad

Yup! That's it, alright! And there's one more reason why it was important besides having the clearance to load.

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General Jos. C. Meyer, ACWGC
Union Army Chief of Staff
Commander, Army of the Shenandoah
Commander, Army of the Tennessee
(2011-2014 UA CoA/GinC)

Windage also refers to the left/right adjustment to your aim on a rifle.

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General Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
AoT II/1/3 (CSA)

Care had to be taken in loading smoothbore guns that the Boarmann-type fuze on shell and spherical case rounds was on the top and toward the mouth of the gun, or the force of the propellant explosion would drive the fuze itself into the round and perhaps detonate it while still in the tube. If properly loaded the flame of the propellant passed over the top of the projectile by means of the windage gap and lapped the face of the round.

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General Jos. C. Meyer, ACWGC
Union Army Chief of Staff
Commander, Army of the Shenandoah
Commander, Army of the Tennessee
(2011-2014 UA CoA/GinC)

Very interesting! As I am fighting against Lt. Lichtenberg around Glendale in the Peninsula, I hope his tactical skill does not match his knowledge of Civil War era firearms. Whatever the windage is on his damned yankee artillery it is working, lost 11 guns already.

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Lt. Col Joe R. Matthews
6th Brigade/3/III
Army of Northern VA

windage played a major role back then same as it does today,,the direction of a mans piss, and that of his spit can be greatly affected by it.

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MG. Vannada
Headquarters:
Red Jackson's Division
Nathan Bedford Forest Cavalry Corp (3rd)
Army of The West

Great question General Meyer with some very good answers and here I was thinking it had something to do with whether
or not the men were to be allowed to have beans for supper.

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I think that refers to "Down Wind" not "windage".

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General Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
AoT II/1/3 (CSA)

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