Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/34

22 So much for the explosive ball "sent by the Confederates."

In the same volume of the Patent Office Reports will be found also the following:

No illustration of this projectile appears in the illustrated volume of patents; but an official drawing of it from the Patent Office lies before me. The ball is slightly different from figure B (supra), in that it is here perfect, and figure B gives but two parts of the missile.

So much for the poisoned ball "sent by the Confederates."

Any person ought to know perfectly well that it was not necessary to invent or construct a rifle ball especially adapted to carry poison, when the common minnie ball itself, dipped into liquid poison and coated, as ball cartridges are usually finished, with wax or tallow, would have effected the same purpose.

To what extent the bullets of Williams and Shaler were used during the late war by the United States troops, the following official communication from the War Department at Washington, under date of September 16, 1879, will show:

In the fourth place, in repelling and refuting the charge against the Confederates of having used explosive musket or rifle projectiles, I charge the United States Government with not only