The cannon which support the attack by the cadets and later during the attack on the bridge are shown being ignited using flaming torches. Waving a naked flame around in this fashion would have been almost suicide for an artillery unit, due to the risk of igniting the powder bags and even barrels of loose gunpowder used with the ammunition.
Most artillery weapons in the 1860s were fired using a "friction primer", a thin metal (often copper or brass) tube filled with a combustible material similar to a non-safety match. A lanyard attached to the top of the primer caused a spark when tugged, igniting the primer material and sending a flame down through the cannon's touch-hole into the main charge, thus firing the cannon.
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05/03/2025 alle ore 08:37
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