Essay About Civil War

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English Research Paper During the Civil War over 620,000 Americans were killed, and over 1,000 soldiers were wounded at some point in the war( Civil War Statistics). That is more Americans killed than in any other war the United States has been involved in. And prior to the Civil War all wars combined did not match up with the total of lives lost in the Civil War. Contributing to that number is the fact that both sides of the war were Americans. The Civil War is the single most devastating war in United States history. The Civil War was incredibly devastating partly because it put Americans up against Americans. There was an incredible amount of division in the country leading up to the Civil war over the issue of slavery. Even before …show more content…
Two of the biggest inventions that caused a considerable amount of damage were the minie ball and the rifled musket. The minie ball was a new type of bullet that was highly destructive. It was shaped and made for higher accuracy and an ability to shoot from farther range ( Alchin, Linda ). Before the minie ball there were just round balls which were highly inaccurate. The rifled musket was also an improvement on accuracy and range, as the grooves in the barrel made it so the bullet was guided through the barrel and into the shot ( Alchin, Linda ). These inventions were ahead of the style of war use in the Civil War, and were part of the reason that casualties were unbelievably high. Another invention that contributed to the speed of warfare being able to be waged, was the railroad. The railroad made it easier for both sides to transport their troops faster, and transport their weapons at a greater speed ( Feature Civil War Innovations ). The telegraph was another invention that contributed to a new style of warfare with old styles of battle strategy. There was able to be communication between all units of the army and their commanders ( Feature Civil War Innovations ). Some of these inventions are quite useful to society like the railroad and telegraph, but they partly contributed to the casualties of the

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