New Technology In The Civil War Era
My research project is about the new technology that was used during the Civil War. There was new weapons used during the war and also other technologies that helped with the war. These helped change the way people lived and made life easier for them.
The Repeating Rifle was used during the Civil War by 1863. These guns could fire more than one bullet before they needed to be reloaded. The most popular one was called the Spencer Carbine and it could shoot seven shots in 30 seconds. The Minie bullet was Claude-Etienne Minié created this bullet. This also used, and the new rifling or grooves in the musket’s barrel made these bullets spin and travel up to 900 feet. They increased the range and accuracy of the muskets these bullets did a lot more damage to bone. .(Judy,2012) (Falton, 2001).
Naval Mines And Torpedoes were also used. Mines were developed by the confederates. Mines were used first and later on torpedoes were used, and they sank over 40 Union ships. They were successful and this led to the creation of land mines and grenades that were used in other wars after the Civil War ended.(Marten,2012)
Railroads were used, and the Civil War was the first war to use them. The North had over 20,000 miles of track, and the South only had 9,000 miles of track. The Generals would move all their soldiers, supplies, and armor from the war to wherever they were needed. Sometimes the train stations would be attacked by their enemies, as they waited for them to get there. The ideas of the railroads were encouraged to be used by Abraham Lincoln, as he himself was a former railroad lawyer. He understood how important the railroads were for moving their men and supplies from place to...
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...them in the war. Lowe built 7 more war balloons and hired people to fly them. They formed a balloon corps and they called the balloons Lincolns flying spies. Lowe also designed mobile gas generators that could produce hydrogen for inflating the balloons on the battlefield. The balloons had large rounded netting covering the perimeter of the entire balloon. The soldiers would stand in a basket that hung under the balloons spying down on their enemies below in the battlefield.They would send information back down to the commanders and would let them know what was happening down below. They could watch down from 15 miles away. The Intrepid was the largest balloon used during the Civil war and could carry 5 men in the basket. They would attach a large rope to the balloon and anchor it to the ground when not in use. (Haydon, 2000) (Jarrow, 2010) (Wikipedia Ballooning)
Farmers began to cultivate vast areas of needed crops such as wheat, cotton, and even corn. Document D shows a picture of The Wheat Harvest in 1880, with men on earlier tractors and over 20-30 horses pulling the tractor along the long and wide fields of wheat. As farmers started to accumilate their goods, they needed to be able to transfer the goods across states, maybe from Illinios to Kansas, or Cheyenne to Ohmaha. Some farmers chose to use cattle trails to transport their goods. Document B demonstrates a good mapping of the major railroads in 1870 and 1890. Although cattle trails weren't used in 1890, this document shows the existent of several cattle trails leading into Chyenne, San Antonio, Kansas City and other towns nearby the named ones in 1870. So, farmers began to transport their goods by railroads, which were publically used in Germany by 1550 and migrated to the United States with the help of Colonel John Stevens in 1826. In 1890, railroads expanded not only from California, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada, but up along to Washington, Montana, Michigan, down to New Mexico and Arizona as well. Eastern States such as New Jersey, Tennesse, Virginia and many others were filled with existing railroads prior to 1870, as Colonel John Stevens started out his railroad revolutionzing movement in New Jersey in 1815.
The Civil War was unlike any other war ever fought in America and had many effects on the home front for both the North and the South. It is stated to be the first ever total war, which is a war against not only the civilians but also the armies. The Civil War is also considered the first modern war fought by the U.S. troops. Lincoln asked volunteers to sign up for only three months. Many people thought the war wouldn’t last long. However, the war continued on for four years. The Union armies had around 2,500,000 to 2,750,000 men and the Confederate army had approximately 750,000 to 1,250,000 men. The entire North and South society was affected by the war and desired for many social and economic assets. The Civil war brought new military techniques which caused the armaments to be more destructive. Ironclad ships and railroads were sufficiently used within the war. The north had a motive; they wanted to weaken the South’s longing to victory. The North tried to achieve this last motive by inflicting wholesale destruction upon the South (Janda, 1995). More than a hundred people seemed to be spies or secessionists in Maryland. In time, they were arrested due to not being faithful to the union and their state. Pro-secessionist newspapers were shut down, and telegrams and mail were censored (Perret, 2004).
One weapon used in the Civil War is a Sharps Carbine. It was developed primarily for Calvary, because of the shorter barrel. They were much easier to handle on horse back than their longer brother the Breech-Loader. Sharps were preferred because they could be loaded on a moving horse, something virtually impossible with a Muzzle-Loader. Also, Breech-Loaders carbine which fired moisture proof metallic cartridges, where more reliable than rifles that fired paper cartridges. As I said be fore it is easier to load a Sharps than a Muzzle-Loader. A Muzzle-Loader took 9 long hard steps just to fire one shot. Even the most skilled solder could only get three rounds off in a minute on the old Civil War Muzzle-Loader. And No wonder. After each shot you have to (1) steady the gun on the ground take out a new cartridge out of a belt pouch. (2) Tear open a piece of paper with your teeth. (3) Empty the powder in the barrel and insert a bullet in to the muzzle. (4) Draw the long “rummer” out of its carrying groove under the barrel. (5) ram the bullet all the way down. (6) Return the rod back to its groove. (7) Lift the weapon half-cocked the hammer. (8) Fully cock the hammer, aim, and finally,(9) fire.
Some people thought that the winner of the Civil War was determined by the side with the most guns, but the North's victory involved much more. The Civil War produced new technological advances and Lincoln used them to his advantage. One example is how he used trains and the telegraph to help him win the war. During the American Civil War the Union had a number of advantages against the South. Abraham took advantage of his knowledge of the railroad system to help him win the war. The invention of the telegraph allowed lincoln to communicate directly to the generals giving Lincon yet another advantage during the war. Also the size of the North's population instantly boosted the Norths odds of winning the war.
The Civil War had more deaths than all previous wars combined. Most people think those soldiers in the Civil War died of wounds or amputations, but the truth is that most died from common diseases that they never had been exposed to. Twice as many soldiers died from diseases than those soldiers who died in battle.
Doctor Richard Gatling patented the Gatling gun in 1861. This gun would become one of the deadliest weapons of the war. The Gatling gun was a six-barreled gun and would fire...
Springfield Model 1861: The Springfield Model 1861 was the most common weapon used during the Civil War. The Springfield’s barrel was 40 inches long, fired a .58 caliber Minié ball, and the total weight of the rifle was approximately 9 pounds. Because this was a single shot, muzzle-loading gun it was able use a percussion cap mechanism to fire at an effective range of 200 to 300 yards.
Nevertheless, Lincoln made use of this advantage by tapping and capitalizing on electric communications. This is considered as something remarkable because it is utilized without precedence and it was use in a time where war was waged in America during the Civil War.
These wars have caused great advances in technology and different techniques of fighting. The Civil War was based on men fighting men with muskets and swords as the only fighting tool, this war caused over 600,000 Americans to lose their lives. World War I technology played a larger role with the introduction of the airplane, explosives and armored vehicle. By the end of World War II technology was fighting the war, less men were needed to fight on the ground and battles were taken to the air. The airplane has been modified from the balloons used in the Civil War to have a powerful role in combat.
The primary long gun of the Union Army was the M-1861 Springfield Rifle. The 1861 Springfield was a .58 Caliber, muzzle loading, single-shot rifle. The 1861 Springfield rifle used the 500 grain .58 caliber bullet and 60 grains of powder. It had a muzzle velocity of 950 Fps and was accurate up to 300 yards with a maximum range of 500 yards. The 1861 Spring...
Advancements in technology and science contributed to one the most gory and bloodiest war in the annals of human existence. These new technological advancements revolutionized how people regarded war. War was no longer where the opposite forces fought in a coordinated battle. War evolved into game of cunning strategy where the side with the bigger, powerful, and smarter toys played better. This led to a fierce competition where each side tried to create the smarter machines and better weapons, leading to deadly mass killing weapons in the process. One weapon or machine was created and an even better one was made. New developments such as machine guns, poison gas, tanks, and new strategy to thwart trench warfare affected how WWI was fought and it came with catastrophic results.
The radio revolutionised the way families spent time together and receive information. The movie theaters had an impact on how people forgot about the depression and made life seem better. Many homes in the 1920s also just got access to electricity while many homes were still lit by candle light, but became more prominent as the time period continued. Labor saving appliances of the 1920s made the household chores easy to accomplish than it used to be. The 1920s was enriched by many technological achievements that helped changed the way americans communicated, managed their health, and partook in leisurely activities.
As the Union and Confederates were bound to fight, the Union gave orders to a professional aeronaut, named John Wise, to create a plan of attack towards the confederates and take action. This was a very unsuccessful request because the balloon escaped from its tethers and had to be shot down before the Confederates had seen the new and improved idea of the Union. Soon after that, Thaddeus Lowe had foreseen the creation of military ballooning and the advantages of the entire idea. By writing letters to the government and Abraham Lincoln, the Union explained the advantages of their ideas, such as putting electronic devices in the balloon as a way to e...
During the civil war before the introduction of the machine guns, union soldiers predominantly used smoothbore muskets. “The rifle’s low muzzle velocity and consequent high parabolic trajectory made for difficult long-range shooting, especially since soldiers engaged in little target practice and received virtually no training in estimating distances or in using the adjustable sights to compensate for the bullet’s curved flight. The tangled terrain of most battlefields—and the black powder smoke that engulfed every battle—often rendered enemy soldiers invisible until they were within smoothbore range” (Hess 288). This was assumed to be the reason of why the war was prolonged, and the combat losses were higher during the smoothbore era. Also with an ability of only firing a “maximum of three rounds per minute” (Howey), this rat...
During and after this war, new and traditional techniques and technological advances were used during this war. The Civil War was a war mainly to preserve the union. President Lincoln himself has said [1]" My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it.” He used slavery to gain supporters to win the war.