davem - I've heard of the firestarting using BP as well. I can start a fire pretty fast with a flint and steel if I have DRY char and tinder. I can only imagine the problems though in doing it in a snowstorm or rainy weather. I would think that the BP would be just the ticket as long as you didn't use too much and char your eyebrows as well!
During the Civil War there were so many "new ideas" and "better ideas" that had Pantents applied for that I think if would really be interesting to be able to sit back and watch them demonstrated. As far as combustible cartridges for the revolvers, they obviously were available and used. It's too bad that there isn't an abundance of "first person" documentation available for the average "Joe Blow" that tells just what they did use. I'm not talking about Army issue . . . . I've always wondered just how "available" combustible cartridges were in regards to the settlement of the West and the average pioneer . . . in regards to availability and affordability. I've got to think that a good number of them cast their own balls and loaded from a flask when it came to their revolvers - whatever make they were lucky enough to have or afford the same way that they cast their own balls and used their hunting pouches to load their muzzle loading rifles. Unfortunately it's something we'll probably never have a clearcut answer on as there just aren't than many primary resources that exist that tell those sorts of things. Most of us that enjoy this hobby have a number of pistols, rifles and smoothbores. Some of the guys really become good shots with them . . . all you have to do is watch at Friendship. For myself, I probably couldn't hold a candle to my forefathers as I try to shoot too many different types of guns. I don't think that many of our forefathers had that luxery and as they say . . . "beware of the man who shoots just one gun". I have a feeling that they could serve me up a large slice of "humble pie".