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Weapons In The Civil War

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"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.

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