Albany Rifles

I was thinking of Colonel Richard Morton, Chief of the Nitre and Mining Bureau, Confederate War Department. Tried to do it from memory...the second thing to go!


In order to make gunpowder the Confederates had to resort to some unusual methods.


Read the story of one of his agents, John Harrolson



Civil War Poetry: Rebel Gunpowder

Sorry for goofing this up.

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"Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves." TSGT Oddball, Tank Commander

Rifleman

"What did you do in the war, Grandpa?"

"Son, I emptied chamber pots. It was hell, young'un. I'd rather not talk about it."

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"Aim small, miss small." - Benjamin Martin in The Patriot

RustyBattleship

Makes sense actually. Almost all explosives of all classes require some sort of a Nitrate in them. (Flash powder of Potassium Chlorate and powdered Magnesium is the only one I know of that doesn't use a Nitrate). Though animal manure can be a source, it is not as volumnus as - as- well - you can buy it at the nursery - Nitro Humus. The Japanese used it extensively for fertilizer, called Night Soil. But using "fresh" nitro humus from cesspools and septic tanks was outlawed in most parts of this country because it could transmit human diseases if used to fertilize vegetables. Nitro humus sold at the nursery has been allowed to "age" long enough for the heat to kill all harmful bacteria.

During the Civil War, charcoal was easy to find. Almost any town burned down would provide plenty.

Whether there are sulfur mines in the South or not I don't know. But obviously they were in very short supply of Potassium Nitrate.

They must also have had non supply of Nitric Acid from which you can make all kinds of Nitrates. Mixed with Ammonia it congeals into little pellets and is an ideal fertilizer.

But don't grind it up, mix some powdered aluminum in it and stir the whole batch in fuel oil (or whale oil or wax). It's not a good fertilizer then but you will have no problem getting rid of those tree stumps.

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Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

Cactus

The SOE supported the Operation Anthropoid; it was quite definitely a designated hit-squad trained from other guerrilla forces SOE was training.

Cactus

My first thought was "Department of Salt" (as in Morton's Salt), but I made the mistake of checking it at wiki... all I would have needed to add was a "peter"

Kansas Bear

This king of France's father threatened to have his wife sent to a convent after she allowed her forces to sack the chapel of Vendome!

Who was this king of France? Who was his father? Who was his mother?

cesm

I had to search in Wikipedia to find the names. I didn't even known Vendôme was a town, only knew the square in Paris. Had to come in such an english-spoken forum to learn this...
Can someone else answer without Wikipedia's help ?

dave lukins

[quote=cesm;481222]I had to search in Wikipedia to find the names. I didn't even known Vendôme was a town, only knew the square in Paris. Had to come in such an english-spoken forum to learn this...
QUOTE]

Jamais l'admettre à la WAB

cesm

Vendôme is a little town.
J'y survivrai / I will survive.
(I hope.)

dave lukins

You will and just for you.

Vendôme (pop. 20,000), the Gallo-Roman Vindocinum, lies 30km/19mi northwest of Blois on the Loire, here divided into several arms. The central feature of the town is the Place St-Martin, on the west side of which is the Tour St-Martin (15th-16th C.), a relic of a Renaissance church which was pulled down in 1857.

Knaur Amarsh

Charles ix,son of Catherine Di Meci I think......?

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:-??

Kansas Bear

Nope.

Knaur Amarsh

Hmmmm,Antoine of Navarre?

Oscar

The king of France was Henri de Navarre (Henri IV). Her mother was jeanne d'Albret and his father was Antoine de Bourbon ?

But Knaur Amarsh found the answer first I think

Kansas Bear

Correct. Your turn.