On July 28th Pete wrote:
"Bormann fuse were definitely Not installed in the shell at the arsenal"
I would respectfully disagree with that.
On page 275 of the 1863 Ordnance Manual it reads:
To charge the shot: Fill the chamber with musket -powder, ramming it softly with a wooden drift and light mallet; screw in the iron plug, leaving it's top flush with the bottom of the large portion of the fuse-hole, and lay over it a thin leather washer with hole in the center; fill the hole in the plug and the washer with rifle-powder; punch 4 or 5 small holes in the tin disk in the bottom of the fuse; put a little white lead on the threads of the fuse, and screw the fuse firmly into the shell."
The white lead, washer, and firm tightening was considered sufficient to seal the shell.
This quote is found in the section of the manual concerning filling and fixing ammunition. These would be Arsenal instructions not field instructions. I think the pictures of the Cairo salvage in John's post showing fixed ammunition in their shipping crates, fused, would support this.
Concerning the caches of shells found with the Bormanns missing. If these caches were made to abandon the projectiles, what better to disarm them than by pulling the fuse and opening the interior of the shell to the elements. The fact that some fuses were intact may be due to the fact that they couldn't get them out.
This may be premature, but I have a line on 12lb shell or case shot from an Arsenal's abandoned stores. There is absolutely no doubt about where it came from. It is reportedly Bormann fused, with the fuse being arsenal marked. Been chasing it quite a while, haven't caught it yet.
Best regards to all,
Dan