| In the days of powder horns or brass powder flasks, the balls and patches were carried in a side pouch. The charge was poured into a measuring cup, then down the barrel. A ball was wrapped in a piece of cloth, or patch, and rammed down onto the powder with the ramrod. The hammer was pulled into "cocked" position and a small amount of powder was shaken out into the frizzen, it was closed and the thing was ready to fire. Some muskets even had a hole bored into the bottom of the stock and packed with bees wax or grease for the patches. You can see how the paper cartridge was such a vast improvement.
__________________  “War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.” —John Stuart Mill |