New Weapons of War 1861-1865
The Civil War was one of the bloodiest periods of American History. Of course what do you expect when the only people getting killed are other Americans? Like all times of conflict, the period between the siege of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861(Fort Sumter) and the signing of the surrender at Appomattox court house on April 9, 1865 (Surrender at Appomattox, 1865)was a great time of innovation for the engines of death. Fearsome beast made from steel and lead stalked the land, the air, and the water, ending the lives of men who had once been country men and in some cases, brothers. But, what were these monsters? Where did they come from? And why were they made? These were questions I asked myself for a long time, and decided that, using market formulas, that if I had questions, that a hundred thousand other people must have the same questions I do. So I decided to read up on the subject and share my findings with others, and to finally answer the question of what were the new weapons that were being used during the American Civil War.
The Air
Just like during all battles since the inception of war, information was a commodity more precious the gold during the American Civil War. The old G.I. Joe slogan of “knowing is half the battle” is more accurate then those old Saturday cartoons made it out to be. Prior to the American Civil War, scouts or men in trees were the only way to get battle field information. These men were easy shots for sharp shooters and even if they survived, their information may have been too late to be useful. But, in January of 1862, a civilian balloonist name Thaddeus Lowe was given permission by the union army to operate some of their balloons. Using a telegraph wire attached to the balloon, he reported on enemy troop movements to officers on the ground that in turn used the information to direct artillery. Though Successful, the military use of balloons floundered causing the Union army to disband the Union balloon corps in 1863, before the beginning of the
The Water
By the 1860’s Americans were still using wooden ships to transport cargo, people, and to wage war with. That was until the Confederates seized the Norfolk Navy Yard on 20 April 1861. While they were poking around, they found a lot of valuable salvage, among which was the scuttled remains of a steam frigate, the USS
Submarines first showed up during the American Civil War as well. The first successful submarine, The CSS Hunley, though poorly built, was a marvel of engineering. Using its only weapon, a torpedo on a stick called a "Lee Spar Torpedo"; the CSS Hunley destroyed the USS
Small Arms
At the beginning of the American Civil War, flintlock muskets were the standard weapon for the infantry of both the
The famous Gatling Gun was also introduced during the Civil War, though there are no recorded uses of it in action. Created by Richard Jordan Gatling and patented on November 4th, 1862. The Gatling gun had from between six to ten barrels on a round frame connected to a base and a crank. By loading in a magazine of cartridge style bullets, an average rate of 300 shots per minute could be attained by a trained gunnery team. (Gatling Gun)
Artillery
During the beginning of the American Civil War, The United States of America was one of the world’s leaders in the production of artillery weapons. Artillery pieces were sorted into three separate groups based on their uses: Guns, howitzers, and mortars.
Guns did what they do today, fire projectiles great range with little too no firing arc, which is basically saying they shoot what they’re looking at. These were the cannons that were seen on the high seas or as coastal defense groups, where one shot could make all the difference and accuracy is key. The major change that Gun type artillery went through during the American Civil War was the addition of conical projectiles and rifling that small arms also received.
Mortars during the American Civil War were huge monstrosities that weighted tons. They are high trajectory weapons, which severely limits their range but allows mortars to be fired over walls and into the middle of groups of men. During the American Civil War, mortars were added to costal defense groups as close proximity weapons as well as being placed on ships, giving the mortar deadly maneuverability.
Howitzer is a catchall term applied to artillery pieces that were neither gun nor mortar. Howitzers were mostly antipersonnel weapons that relied on line of fire aiming.
Artillery ammunition also advanced. Explosive shells were used to a great degree, as well as new antipersonnel rounds that worked the same way as claymore mines work today.
The years of 1861 to 1865 were the bloodiest in American history because of the advancements made in weapon technology. Men were slaughtered at a rate that staggered the mind because of Gatling Guns, ship captains became wary of the very water that they traveled in, wondering if it shrouded unseen enemies in submarines, and the very skies were turned against your opponents when they could be seen from balloon. Because of the innovation that weapons received during this time, the number of men killed during war rose steadily higher.
Work Cited
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"Surrender at
“Innovation in Military
"CSS
"CSS H.L. Hunley." CSS H.L. Hunley. 2000. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER. 30 Nov. 2005
“Military Technology.” Encylopedia of the
“Gatling Gun.” Dictionary of American History. 7 vol. Charles Scribner’s Son’s, 2001. Reproduced in
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