This pictured example
is correctly referred to as Sawyer's accelerating canister. On November 16, 1861, 336 of
these projectiles were delivered by Elmer Townsend & Company to the Federal Ordnance
department. Located in the National Archives is a letter that was written to General A.B.
Dyer, which stated that this is a "...six pounder accelerating canister" and had
a "...wooden plug closing the mouth of the canister." The base view illustrates
the distinguishing characteristic of this canister. The hole in the base contained a
powder train that ignited an explosive charge between the balls and the canister base. The
charge ignited after leaving the gun, thus extending the canister's range. The
ridged-cylinder Sawyer canisters also acted as projectiles after the canister balls were
dispersed. This was an added improvement, since the standard tin-cylinder canister
shredded upon firing.
