If you have ever tried to fire 3 rounds a minute it takes a perfect firing routine. My best time is 3 rounds in 62 seconds and that was ramming paper. Drop a cap or miss the ramrod channel when returning the rammer and you won't make the 3 rounds a minute time. It is also streneous. It could not be kept up for a long period of time. Either the charge would break and retreat, or the position would be taken. Either way it would be difficult to maintain that rate of fire and shoot up the contents of a cartridge box.

During battles where there was lots of shooting, boxes of cartridges would be brought up behind the firing line or in the vicinity when ever possible so that the men could refill their boxes. Units were also drawn off line and replaced by fresh units (if possible) when ammunition ran low.