With a plentiful supply of factories and skilled workers, the north was far ahead of the game in the race of manufacturing. New technologies such as submarines, multiple-shot weapons, and exploding bullets aided the northern manufacturing economy. Handguns played a major role in the Civil War as far as weaponry was concerned. For instance, the most popular sidearm in the Union army was the Colt Army model 1860, which was a .36 caliber. The Army model 1860 was remodeled after the 1848 Dragoon, which was used in the Mexican War.
The Colt Army Model 1860 was a more advanced model of the 1848 dragoon used in Mexican War. It quickly became the most popular sidearm of the Union Army#. What made this revolver so popular was the interchangeability of parts. The Colt model 1860 was a .44 caliber six shot weapon and weighed almost three pounds#. The cost of the Colt Army model 1860 was $13.75, which was more expensive than those made by Remington or Starr and the Government ceased the order for the gun in 1863.
The North was more fortuitous than the South in multitudinous ways. One of which includes the fact that their industrial society allowed them to produce a larger amount of weapons of a higher quality. One of the major reasons the Union triumphantly defeated the Confederate army was because of their more superior types of weapons. A popular weapon used by both sides was the rifle. Rifles were invented before the Civil War and were greatly used in the War of 1812.
One of the fist developments in the naval technology of the Civil War was the improved naval artillery. In the 1850s innovations in naval artillery enabled the military to increase the accuracy, power and shooting range of the guns. One of those significant changes was made by John Dahlgren, a naval officer whose technique for reinforcing the cannon breach increasing the amount of gunpowder that could be hold by a cannon, which allowed to shoot larger shells at greater distances. So by the end of the war only John Dahlgren was responsible for the development and design of 12-pounder boat howitzer in several weigh classifications, 20- and 24-pounder howitzers. The beginning of use of the explosive shells followed shortly after the improvements in the artillery.
There were many key factories: the money, the resources, the commanders, the manpower, the skill and determination and the most important the advanced weapons. Civil War was considered the first modern War in the World, because of new advanced weapons- rifled muskets, that cold reach 300 yards. Although, both sides had access to these weapons, North had the larger quantity. Union solders, were free people and some of Confederate solders were slaves, so the did not really care to fight. What were they defeating: slavery?
Many men like to reancate what happen in the war so they use longbows to fight each other. Cannons are very commonly used for wars, for example revolutionary war, civil war, the war 1812, WWI and WWII are all good examples of when cannons were uses in later times in history as we know it. Still today the cannon are in every army that there are, meaning that the cannons have gutten better and more powerful over the years. To conclude the technology was advancing over time for better war strategy. Longbow for a long time was one of the best range hand weapon in it time.
From the many inventions that emerged from the American Civil War, the Ironclad, designed by Captain John Ericsson and Robert L. Stevens, has impacted the world by advancing naval warfare technology. It gave America more influence in Europe and put America ahead of Europe in naval matters. The impact and influence changed naval warfares forever by forcing wooden ships to become obsolete. The Ironclad was among the first technological and modern tools of war. Its impact on technology in navies can still be seen today in the designs and the construction of naval ships.
The musket, armed with its bayonet as well as the cannon proved to be worthy weaponry advancements in the infantry together with various pistols. The Civil War introduced the revolving pistol as well as the Gatling gun which enabled soldiers to produce rapid fire and destroy enemies in large quantities with a single round. New technological advancements in transportation such as the railroad, enabled large quantities of troops to travel to a given area in nearly half the amount of time. However, the turn of the twentieth introduced new technological advancements in the country as well as the military. This ignited a century of technological advancements in the military that has enabled the United States to excel in militaristic domination.
Huge industries such as the textile, steel, and coal industry came out and had a profound effect on the industrial revolution but, they would not have been extremely successful if it was not for railroads. The railroads played a vital role in the development and success of other industries. The railroads triggered the biggest leap in transportation in history. Through technological and entrepreneurial innovations and the creation of steam-powered locomotives, the development of trains as public carriers of passengers and freight, brought forth the railroad. The railroad industry changed the nature of production because it became an important energy source that replaced human and animal power.
The Revolution also brought changes in warfare at sea. Instead of ships made of wood, iron and steel were the new materials of choice. The products of the Industrial Revolution that had the most impact on the war were by far the weapons created by the new machines and materials of the revolution. The book, Warfare in the Twentieth Century, states that "industrialization dramatically increased the destructive capacity of armies by providing them with weapons of enhanced range, accuracy, and fire..." (3). The weapons of World War I are a perfect example of how reason and progress are not always without consequence; they can sometimes bring about horrible suffering and pain.