Civil War Artillery Vent Pick and friction primers, from CS site in Charleston, SC (SOLD)

This is another nice grouping being offered, it is an Artillery Vent Pick and two friction primers. The iron piece is pointed at one end and attached to a wooden handle, forming the shape of a "T". They were dug many years ago at a Confederate artillery site in Charleston, SC.

Charleston was the "Cradle of the Confederacy" and a pivotal epicenter of the Civil War, hosting the first shots at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. As a key Confederate port, it endured a prolonged Union siege and bombardment from 1863 to 1865, resulting in massive destruction before its surrender on February 18, 1865.

The crudeness of the vent pick shows that it was produced by the Confederacy.  It was inserted through the vent hole of the cannon to clear any debris, allowing the flame from the primer to reach the propellant charge.

In my book “Civil War Artillery – A Pictorial Introduction”, I go into more details about these types of tools used during the Civil War. These pieces come in the glass top display case pictured.