The ramrod was a Civil War soldier's most awkward piece of equipment — thirty-two inches of forged steel that lived clipped to the underside of the rifle barrel and was pulled out, used, and re-stowed every time he fired. The fifth motion of the loading drill, "ram cartridge," required the soldier to draw the rod, drop it into the muzzle, and drive the paper cartridge and bullet down the barrel with two firm strokes. The motion took only a few seconds, but it had to be done with the rifle held upright and the soldier's hands off the trigger. It was the most exposed moment in a firing line.

This W. Britain figure catches an Iron Brigade soldier at the fifth motion of the loading drill — left hand bracing the rifle muzzle, right arm raised high to drive the ramrod down the barrel. He wears the disciplined regulation kit Gibbon imposed on the brigade: dark blue nine-button frock coat, light blue kersey trousers, white canvas gaiters above the brogans, the tall black Hardee hat with brass eagle, and the cartridge box and haversack on his belt. The figure completes the Iron Brigade loading-sequence diorama set: Tearing Cartridge (motion 2), Ramming Cartridge (motion 5), Reaching for Cap (motion 7), and Standing Firing (motion 9) — four figures, one soldier, one full firing cycle. Pair this figure with Iron Brigade Tearing Cartridge in Gaiters for the earlier motion in the loading sequence; with Iron Brigade Reaching for Cap in Gaiters for the next motion; or with Col. Henry A. Morrow of the 24th Michigan, the brigade's regimental commander at Gettysburg.

Scale: 1/30 (60mm). Matte-painted metal. W. Britain model 31415. From the American Civil War range. Single foot figure, supplied painted and ready for display.