ipl-logo

Weapons In The Civil War

868 Words4 Pages

"A battery of artillery is worth a thousand muskets." A battery is equal to twelve cannons and has the same results as 1,000 muskets. Which would you rather use? Advancements in weaponry brought about changes in the types of weapons that soldiers used in fighting the Civil War. The rifled musket, rifled cannon and repeating rifle played a significant role in helping the Union win the Civil War. The first weapon issued to soldiers in the North and South was the rifled musket. Soldiers in earlier wars had used the smooth bore musket. This was a single shot weapon that shot a lead ball with a charge of black powder. This infantryman’s weapon had a drill of up to twenty commands to load, handle the cartridge, pour in gunpowder, and …show more content…

Most cannons were made of bronze or steel and loaded at the muzzle. The advancements in barrel design gave cannons a smooth bore or grooved inside. Smoothbore cannons could fire different types of ammunition, but was not as accurate as the rifled cannon. The Howitzer – Model 1857 smooth bore cannon was most commonly used in battles. It was nicknamed Napoleon, after Louis Napoleon Bonaparte and was admired for its reliability, and killing power at close range.(Stanchak, pg 40) Both the Union and Confederate soldiers used the Howitzer. It could fire and hit targets up to a mile away. (Doeden pg. 23) Smoothbore cannons could fire canister rounds, which were tin cans filled with heavy lead slugs and sawdust. When fired, they sprayed lead balls in every direction. A case shot was a hollow iron ball filled with gunpowder and iron bullets. When it exploded, the cannon fragments injured or killed soldiers. (Stanchak, pg. 41) Rifled cannons had a grooved barrel design much like the rifled musket. Because of the grooves, ammunition spiraled in a straight path and could travel longer distances with greater accuracy. Advancements in rifled barrels on the cannons and musket led to the development of the repeating …show more content…

These weapons proved to be more accurate and deadly in war. The Rifled Musket, Rifled Cannon, and Spencer repeating rifle were upgraded weapons that stand out as advanced technology that helped both sides and the Union to ultimately win the Civil War.

Works Cited
Blashfield, Jean F. Mines and Minié Balls: Weapons of the Civil War. New York: Franklin Watts, 1997. Print.
Doeden, Matt. Weapons of the Civil War. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2009. Print.
"Small Arms of the Civil War." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
Stanchak, John E. Civil War. New York: Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2000. Print.
"Thomas' Legion: The 69th North Carolina Regiment." Thomas' Legion: The 69th North Carolina Regiment. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
"U.S. Spencer Lever Action Repeating Carbine." Www.nramuseum.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. .
"Warfare." Compton's by Britannica (2011): N.p. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
"Warfare." Compton's by Britannica. 2011. SIRS Researcher [OCLC]. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
"Weapons and Firearms." The Encyclopedia Americana. Danbury, CT: Grolier, 1994.

Show More
Related
680 Words | 3 Pages

Columbiads provided a multi-purpose, heavy hitting gun that could easily change the outcome of a battle. Invented by Colonel George Bomford in 1811, Columbiads eventually became a common weapon seen throughout various battles, especially during the Civil War. “Simply put, the columbiad was a large-caliber, smooth bore, muzzle loading artillery piece able to fire solid shot or shell at both high and low angles.” Columbiads were best used as seacoast defense weapons, extremely well suited against ironclad ships. During the Civil War, eight, ten, fifteen, and twenty inch (in bore diameter)

Read More
338 Words | 2 Pages

After that, In April 1861, the the first shot of the war was fired and more than 600,000 soldiers were killed and wounded. A large portion of the South was consumed by violent battles, making the Union nearly

Read More
852 Words | 4 Pages

The Battle of Gettysburg is well-known for the unprecedented cannon barrage that occurred on the third day of battle. The amount of artillery used was unreasonably high for an attack that was hardly devastating, as the Confederates kept overshooting. Union Colonel Chamberlain who witnessed the cannonade explains, "...too much smoke; possibly that's why the Reb shells were going overhead. Reb artillery never very accurate." (Shaara, 311).

Read More
380 Words | 2 Pages

It took about a minute to reload their guns. They had a big part in the Boston massacre. The muskets were what caused people to get angry at the soldiers. Because they

Read More
710 Words | 3 Pages

The civil war started on April 12,1861 at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. It all started when the union soldiers got bombarded at Fort Sumter.. One of the main reasons for the Civil War was the disagreement between freedom and slave states. The north against the south was another name for it.

Read More
817 Words | 4 Pages

Comparing and Contrasting Civil War Navies The Civil War is one of the best known wars in American history. It was the bloodiest war that was ever fought on American soil. Most people don’t know this, but the Union and Confederate navies played a big role in the war.

Read More
954 Words | 4 Pages

The canons that were used had the head of the canon was straight. There were 2 types of cannons used, the Smooth Borne canon, and the Rifle Canon. There were 2 models for each canons, the Smooth Born canon had an 1841 model and the confederates had 45 of them and the Union zero. Another model was the 1857 Model Napolean, the Union had 108, and the Confederate army had 27. The Rifle Canon had a Parrot Rifle and the Union had 42, and the Confederates had 36.

Read More
1076 Words | 5 Pages

Some of the most advanced and most common howitzers that you would have seen used in this battle were the M1857 12 pound light gun-howitzer, 3in Ordnance Rifle, and 20 pound Parrott Rifle. The M1857 12 pound was also known as the Napoleon as this famous gun was French-developed under Emperor Napoleon III in 1856(Downey, 1996). There were more of these pieces on the Campaign than any other type (Downey, 1996). The tube of this Howitzer was constructed of bronze and implemented a smooth bore. It weighed 2355 pounds and had a range of 1619 yards with a 12 pound round.

Read More
991 Words | 4 Pages

With the combination of gunpowder and a bamboo tube, the first form artillery was created. Being able to launch rock, metal, and arrows, people soon took a keen interest in the new tactic of war. Artillery began to expand rapidly throughout Asia and the 13th century Europe. Cast iron tubes with smooth bores were developed with the capabilities of firing iron balls and scrap metal.

Read More
546 Words | 3 Pages

The Civil War was many battles all together that caused extreme changes. The Battle of Gettysburg, for example, was the bloodiest battle in the Civil War with over 50,000 casualties. The Gettysburg Address was a speech said by Lincoln which stated the battle of Gettysburg and many things he wanted for the country. The Civil War was in the middle of when women didn’t have rights` in the country. Slavery was also the reason for the start of the Civil War .

Read More
946 Words | 4 Pages

The Chinese came up with all of this before inventing any sort of gun. The fire lance, one of the earliest ancestors of the firearm, was first used in 1132 (Max Distro, 2013). The fire lance consisted of a spear attached to a flamethrower, and it was capable of firing projectiles from a barrel made of bamboo or paper (Max Distro, 2013). It wasn’t until the late 14th century in Europe when the safety and thoroughness of incorporation was improved by wet grinding the ingredients of gunpowder (Max Distro, 2013). The paste was then rolled into balls to make travel and storing more

Read More
759 Words | 4 Pages

Thompson tell us in the eighteenth century, in order to use a Flintlock rifle, you’d had to have the knowledge and skill to operate it. He also mentions that during battles like the American Revolution, farmers would bring their hunting rifles to war, angering the British and having them establish a law that decrees if “Any man caught with a rifle would be hung.” Thompson mentions the best part reload time between the Flintlock musket and rifle. For the Flintlock rifle, “It takes two or three minutes to

Read More
850 Words | 4 Pages

In the Civil War they used many weapons from close combat melee weapons to firearms such as rifles and pistols. “The civil war brought many advancements in gun technology.” (historynet.com) Common weapons used were artillery field guns, muskets/rifles, machine guns, grenades and

Read More
1922 Words | 8 Pages

In modern society, guns are seen as a form of control. Those who have guns are able to overpower those who do not. This trend was set when guns were first invented and has stayed the same throughout history. The one place where guns are not a symbol of power and control is in literature, specifically “The Old Gun” and Hamilton. In Mo Yan’s short story “The Old Gun”, the protagonist is a hungry boy who does not even know how to use the titular firearm.

Read More
1164 Words | 5 Pages

Artillery units assisted in as much as they could including battalions and other companies. Air defense Artillery sections helped defend armor, field artillery, infantry units, and airfields. Weapons were used to fire directly and indirectly, as they were designed to be used for air defense missions. The weapons made and used were the M163 Vulcan, M42A1 Skysweeper, and MIM23 Hawk, meanwhile these

Read More

More about Weapons In The Civil War

Related Topics

Open Document