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To: GOPcapitalist
Most likely it was a figurative reference to shells containing explosive chemical mixtures that rain fire and shrapnel down on their targets (i.e. gunpowder).

Like what? What mixture did they have that did that? Canister was short range only, and the Union forces never got close enough to use that. The navy used solid shot and explosive shells in the Civil War. So did the army. These can't be confused with Greek Fire at all so unless the purpose was to be deliberately misleading I can't imagine where the confusion would come from. Considering some of Mr. Mann's other comments that is the most likely explanation.

591 posted on 11/18/2003 11:36:16 AM PST by Non-Sequitur
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To: Non-Sequitur
Like what? What mixture did they have that did that?

Practically any of the exploding shell used at the time. I presume the mixture inside consisted of sulphur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate.

Canister was short range only

Most of the long range guns, by the mid 1860's, were firing cylindrical shells from rifled bores. Most of these were of the exploding type. A 10 pound Parrot had a range of over 2000 yards firing an exploding shell from a rifled bore. That is a range of well over a mile.

The navy used solid shot and explosive shells in the Civil War. So did the army. These can't be confused with Greek Fire at all

No confusion is necessary. Greek fire is a figurative term that most likely refers to exploding shot in general. For you to take its use literally is particularly absurd considering that the historical Greek fire was only useful for dumping onto enemy ships etc. at close range from the walls of Constantinople etc. By 1860, Greek fire in the literal sense, even if its formula had by some miracle survived, would have been comparatively ineffective and useless as a weapon in comparison to gunpowder. Put differently, you are exhibiting an anal retentive characteristic of Wlatian proportions.

593 posted on 11/18/2003 11:55:47 AM PST by GOPcapitalist
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