Confederate Enfield Reenactor Tubes

Authentic Enfield living history cartridge tubes -- These are reproductions of the Enfield pattern rifle-musket cartridge, used extensively by the Confederacy. Tens of millions came through the blockade, and millions more were produced domestically at Confederate arsenals. They are made to the original patterns set forth in the Queen's Regulation Instruction of Musketry 1859, and subsequently used for the common Confederate variants. For more information than you probably ever wanted to know about the P/53 Enfield cartridge and it's many variants, see the Authentic Cartridge page on this site.

The Enfield-style cartridge is underrepresented in reenacting and living history. Like the originals, these Enfield cartridge tubes have a powder cylinder and are lubricated on the "bullet" end with wax. These are completely inert reenactment-safe living history cartridges. They contain NO POWDER and NO BULLET: fully biodegradable packing foam is used to safely replicate the original Pritchett bullet. Once you fill the cartridges with the appropriate measure of powder, they're ready to go directly into your cartridge box. We will provide an arsenal pack label for every 10 cartridges (use the drop down list to select what labels you want).

There is extensive period documentation of the widespread Confederate use of these cartridges, in East and West:

​"I paste on the top of this sheet samples of labels taken from cartridges used by the enemy during the late battle [Battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862], thousands of which are strewed upon the ground... The rebels procure their cartridges of E. & A. Ludlow, Birmingham, England."

--Brigadier General William T. Sherman, in a letter endorsed by General Ulysses S. Grant and forwarded to the U.S. War Department, 17 April 1862

"The rebels used English bullets almost entirely. I picked up a rebel cartridge, and on examining the cartridges found the makers' stamp on them; it was E & A Ludlow Birmingham England."

--Lieutenant B. Reilly, 7th Pennsylvania Cavalry, on January 6, 1863, writing after the Battle of Murfreesboro