AHC: The flamethrower is developed during the American CW

This post is inspired by Steampunk Soldiers, by Osprey publishing. Its a counter factual history book set in a steampunk TL that documents the various military forces and weapons around the world in the late 1800's. One of the forces that I found most compelling where the 11th NY Infantry Regiment 'Fire Zouaves', who take their name to new heart and develop flamethrowers for use in their TL's lengthened ACW.

Given the technology of the era what would it take to develop a practical flamethrower? I don't see fuel as a problem since petroleum based products where readily available in the north during that time. What I'm more concerned with is the means of projecting the flame. As well as if the unit could be carried across a battlefield, if not by one or two men then on horseback perhaps?

Fire Zouave.JPG
 
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Well, the man portable flamethrower has been around since the Song dynasty, albeit in very underwhelming and primitive form. Usually it was a pump that sprayed one or two times before using up its fuel source and its range wasn't good. It was more of a terror weapon to be used for decreasing enemy moral.

The first flamethrower was around in 1901 or so (or at least the designs were). You need a compressor to pressurize a practical amount of fuel and you need to be able to release that pressure without the flames climbing back into the fuel system.

So two things are needed. Pressurized, filtered fuel and a fuel that only ignites when exposed to Oxygen. The pressurization is the tough part, though during the CW submarines used a really simple man powered pressurization system.
 

TFSmith121

Banned
I'm thinking fougasse and gravity-fed flame barriers

I'm thinking fougasse and gravity-fed flame barriers would be more likely.

Not very mobile, but seems a little more in turn with the technology of the day...

Hand- or steam-pumped flame projectors aboard ships and steamboats, maybe?

Best,
 
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