One of the biggest differences between the Civil War and previous wars was the weaponry used. In the time since the previous wars weapons had advanced making them more accurate and more deadly. Among the weapons used were cannons, guns, and the Minié ball. In previous wars, soldiers had typically carried muskets. Muskets which only held one bullet at a time and had an "effective" range of only about 80 yards. Because of this soldiers had to be pretty close to their target to get an accurate shot. During the Civil War, however, soldiers carried rifles, a much more advanced gun. The original rifle had a much farther range, about 1,000 yards. This made it so soldiers didn't have to be quite so close to their targets. However, the bullets were still big and a soldier would have to reload after each shot, which was a slow process. Thus in 1848 came in the invention of Minié balls. A French officer named Claude Minié invented this cone-shaped bullet with a diameter that was smaller than that of the rifle. Rifles with minié bullets were much more accurate and thus more deadly. As a result during the war, troops who were far from the line of fire had to protect themselves by building trenches and other fortifications. Even with the minié bullet soldiers still had to reload after each shot. However, by 1863, there was a new invention. These rifles were called: repeaters. These rifles could fire multiple bullets before needing to reload. The most famous of these rifles was the Spencer Carbine, which could fire seven shots in 30 seconds. These advancements gave the north a huge advantage over the south as the south did not have the equipment to nor knew how to make these new rifles. The advancement in war weaponry lead to a much greater number of casualties than any other war and is part of what made the Civil War stand out from all other wars that America had fought.
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/civil-war-technology
http://www.historynet.com/minie-ball
I'm glad you researched this topic, because it's actually something I'm very interested in! I like how you give a lot of examples of the specific advancements in weaponry that allowed the Civil War to be considered the "first modern war". I think it also really connects to how the Civil War was the first war to occur in America after the Industrial Revolution, hence the better weapons and tech.
ReplyDeleteI like that you included some interesting data in your blog. It is interesting because the Civil War seems to me to be the midpoint between old styles of warfare (such as the Napoleonic wars or the wars fought by the Concert of Europe) and truly modern warfare (present in WW1). Next time I think you should add some pictures of weaponry used.
ReplyDeleteI really like your post because it is very informative and also provides context to why the Civil War was so bloody and had so much carnage. The detail to each weapon and how it contributes to the timeline of American history was really interesting. Also, the way you connected each weapon to how it was used in the war and how you described the severity of consequences was really insightful.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post about advancements of these guns during the civil war. It's cool to imagine that about 150 years ago wars were fought by huge standing armies from both sides. Now a days, countries with nuclear weapons can just send a missile to another country without losing a single life on their side. It's scary, how fast technologies have been advancing.
ReplyDeleteI like how you went further in depth to this topic, and expanded on a detail we heard in class. I find it scary that they weren't aware at first on how powerful these new weapons actually were, and had to learn the hard way. At that time, the world was clearly not ready for technology like this.
ReplyDeleteI found this super informative. I had heard about the carbine rifle but did not know that it was first implemented in the Civil war. I think that it really shows how the civil war was the bridge between pre and post industrial warfare.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post, as I am very interested in historical weaponry. I agree with your point that more advanced weapons lead to deadlier wars and more casualties. I would also like to point out that the Minié ball was able to have a diameter smaller than that of the barrel (which allowed for faster reloading) and still engage the rifling (the spiral grooves inside the barrel which add spin to the bullet and make it more accurate) by having two or three grooves and a conical cavity in its base. This design causes the gases created by the gunpowder after firing a shot to expand the base of the bullet, which causes it to engage the rifling. Minié balls were not only able to be fired quickly and accurately but also were heavier and had a faster muzzle velocity. Wounds inflicted by Minié balls were much more deadly.
ReplyDeleteI found this to be very interesting. I heard about the mini balls but didn't expect them to be that effective during the civil war. It really shows how technology can drastically change the battlefield.
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