Civil war bullets

Hello, Does anyone know about Williams cleaning rounds. I bought three at a collectable dealer. Thank you

Well, personally I don't know that much about them and even searching the internet sources don't bring up that much but what could this collector tell you about them? Perhaps that could be a starting point to search for more information.

Thanks for your note, The shop that I purchased the bullets from, was a consignment shop. I asked if the vendor could email me but so far I have not heard from him. The only thing I know is the tag on the package says they were dug up at the Battle of Perryville in Kentucky. My family is from Kentucky so that was my real interest because I'm working on Genealogy. Bob

Ah, that is so interesting! I wish I could help you further but perhaps asking around at a museum having this battle as its central exhibition could be of help? Are there any museums there on that subject?

Hi Cooper, Thanks for your encouragement. I think I have found the answer. The Williams cleaning bullet was composed of a thick leather base. The solder was instructed to use the cleaning bullet after every 10 regular bullets. The cleaning bullet would remove the buildup of blackpowder & soft lead residue deposited in the barrel of the rifel. Thanks again for your interest Bob

Wow, Bob- that is so interesting to hear. I hope it has helped you into fitting a piece into your genealogy project as well

Hi Jump,
Maybe this will help:


This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (September 2007)

During the American Civil War 1861-1865 and used by the Union (Federal or Northern or Yankee) Army, there were three types of projectiles used known as Williams Patent "cleaner" bullets. Type I bullets have a thick leather and zinc base and Type II and III's have a zinc base (similar to a flat washer), all of which were designed to help remove excess blackpowder build up and soft lead residue from the lands in a rifled musket barrel during the Civil War. A common package of arsenal issued bullets (10) would contain eleven percussion caps and ONE Williams patent cartridge--and they were always wrapped in BLUE paper, not buff or white or brown, like standard minie balls. Soldiers were instructed to fire a Williams each 10th round---since they did not have a hollow base like a standard minie ball, they were not as accurate and their cleaning effectiveness was dubious at best--most relic bullets are found as drops, discarded by veteran soldiers in the field. For further information, consult Civil War Projectiles II by Mason and McKee.

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