Civil War Weaponry

Civil War Weaponry

            During the Civil War the production of weapons greatly increased. There was a new demand for more reliable firearms. Prior to the Civil War most soldiers carried muskets which only could only carry one bullet at a time. So after every shot the soldier was forced to reload the musket which could take several minutes to do, most times they would have to force the ball down the barrel using a mallet due to the balls diameter being almost the same as the barrels. The musket had a range of around 250 yards but was only effectively accurate up to about eighty yards.

Most of the soldiers carried rifles during the Civil War. These rifles could shoot a bullet up to about 1000 yards (four times as far as the musket).It was also far more accurate due to the new discovery of the process and  benefits of rifling the inside of the barrels of the guns. Rifling is the shallow spiral engraving down the inside of the barrel causing the bullet to spin. This forced the enemy to change the way they moved, even troops far from the line of fire was forced to take cover and build trenches and other types of fortification to protect themselves from fire. Not only did they carry these long range rifles they also carried a new form of bullet called the Miniѐ Bullet. This development transformed warfare during the nineteenth. The new bullet was slightly smaller than the old ball so it slid down the barrel easily making them easier and faster to load. This new bullet was also cylindrical in shaped (much more like modern bullets than the older lead balls). The cylindrical bullets contained a hollow base that expanded when fired giving it lethal accuracy at a longer range. It is estimated that the rifle and the Miniѐ Bullet account for about ninety percent of all civil war casualties. 

            In 1863 a whole new gun came to the battlefield known as a repeater.  These guns were headlined by the Spencer Carbine which was able to shoot seven times before the soldier would have to reload. They came with a box capable of holding ten seven round spring loading magazines. However these new guns were only available to the union soldiers from the north. The south did not have the equipment, resources, or knowledge to produce these ground breaking rifles. Even if the Confederates did manage to get ahold of these rifles they did not have the copper to produce more ammo. These rifles became a favorite for Union generals and soldiers alike.  Major-General James H. Wilson wrote the following about them "There is no doubt that the Spencer carbine is the best fire-arm yet put into the hands of the soldier, both for economy of ammunition and maximum effect, physical and moral. Our best officers estimate one man armed with it is equivalent to three with any other arm. I have never seen anything else like the confidence inspired by it in the regiments or brigades which have it. A common belief amongst them is if their flanks are covered they can go anywhere. I have seen a large number of dismounted charges made with them against cavalry, infantry, and breast-works, and never knew one to fail.”

 

            In Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling had the first successful true machinegun manufactured. The gun contained six steel barrels that rotated around a central shaft when the operator turned the crank. The gun was gravity fed and depending on the stamina and strength of the operator could fire about six hundred rounds per minute. Again this piece of machinery was only available to the north and was used in front of Petersburg in 1864.

The more advanced weapons available almost exclusively to the Union armies gave them a great advantage on the battle. With the combination of better weaponry, transportation of people and equipment, and just more soldiers to fight for them gave the Union the edge in the war.

Pritchard, Russ A. Civil War Weapons and Equipment. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press, 2003. Print.