Compare And Contrast The French Revolution And The American Civil War

American civil war and Napoleonic conflicts

Introduction

There are questions as to whether the American civil war was the first modern conflict or it was similar to Napoleonic conflicts. The American civil war occurred between 1860 and 1865 and therefore, some scholars have argued that it was both the last ancient war and the first modern conflict. While the Napoleonic conflicts employed ancient tactics and strategies, the American civil war was the first conflict to employ the efficiencies of production occasioned by the industrial revolution. The war also involved the entire population of either side of the conflict . Therefore, an analysis of the characteristics of Napoleonic conflicts and the American civil war shows that the later is more similar to the modern conflicts than it resembled the Napoleonic conflicts.

Military technology

During the American civil war, there was an explosion in military technology. The railroad system was used to transport men and supplies in military operations. This meant that soldiers could be transported to the battlefield more easily

The war is considered the first modern war because it relied heavily on industry, telecommunications, and rapid transportation for its conduct. The Telegraph, for example, enabled generals to communicate with forces in far-flung areas. Journalists could also file stories with newspapers as photographs were extensively taken than in previous conflicts. As a result, the war was highly documented. Balloons were also widely used in the conflict. They often had a telegraph line for communicating with the troops on the ground. The balloons were used for aerial observation. Although the balloons were also used in the Napoleonic conflicts, it was on a limited scale. One striking difference is that they did not have a telegraph line for communicating with ground forces