peashooter85:The Billinghurst Requa Battery Gun,Manufactured by the Billinghurst Company of Rocheste
peashooter85:The Billinghurst Requa Battery Gun,Manufactured by the Billinghurst Company of Rochester, New York, the Billinghurst Requa Battery Gun was a type of volley gun commonly used by Union forces during the American Civil War. Featuring 25 barrels that fired simultaneously, the Billinghurst actually was not a muzzleloading device like early volley gun designs. Rather it was loaded from the breech with .58 caliber metallic self contained cartridges. Each cartridge lacked a primer, but were discharged simultaneously through the ignition of one central percussion cap. Furthermore, all 25 chambers of the gun could be loaded simultaneously using a special 25 round clip which held the cartridges. Using this system a crew of 3 could fire 7 volleys a minute, discharging 175 rounds. On the battlefield the Billinghurst saw little action. Drawn on a carriage by horse or mule, it was very immobile. All enemy soldiers had to do to avoid its deadly volleys was stay out of its way. However, the Billinghurst had a very specific role where it excelled; in tight spaces where soldiers could not maneuver, such as narrow bridges, river crossing, and small paths. The Confederates made their own copies, but of lesser quality. -- source link