Mike Irwin
Staff
When I was in college, I had an internship with the state museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and did a lot of work in their military history collections, including LOTS of vintage military cartridges from the Civil War era and before.
I seem to recall that the paper seemed to be primarily a buff or off white color.
As one would expect (due to the huge number of companies contracted to supply ammo and getting their cartridge paper from a variety of sources) the Civil War era cartridges had a lot more variation in color.
The paper used at this time would have been cotton, linen, or other natural plant fiber based, as wood pulp paper manufacture in the United States didn't kick off to any great degree until after the Civil War.
Wood pulp papers also tend to be highly acidic and decay over time (think of a 1950s paperback, newspaper, or magazine, the pages are often yellow and brittle and crumble when touched). Natural fiber paper, however, is quite stable long-term and generally doesn't change color much, if at all, over time.
I seem to recall that the paper seemed to be primarily a buff or off white color.
As one would expect (due to the huge number of companies contracted to supply ammo and getting their cartridge paper from a variety of sources) the Civil War era cartridges had a lot more variation in color.
The paper used at this time would have been cotton, linen, or other natural plant fiber based, as wood pulp paper manufacture in the United States didn't kick off to any great degree until after the Civil War.
Wood pulp papers also tend to be highly acidic and decay over time (think of a 1950s paperback, newspaper, or magazine, the pages are often yellow and brittle and crumble when touched). Natural fiber paper, however, is quite stable long-term and generally doesn't change color much, if at all, over time.