Williams cleaner bullet

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.