The Civil War was one of the most significant wars that America fought in. “War means fighting, and fighting means killing.” (Nathan Forrest) This is what the new technologies of the Civil War meant for the two American armies. Wartime is a time for expansion of military technology. During World War I we invented the first tanks, during World War II we invented the atomic bomb and just like those wars; during the Civil War, they had their own line of technological breakthroughs. The weapons used in the beginning of the Civil War were not as effective as the weapons used in the end of the war. New technologies like handguns that replaced centuries old weapons, the Minié ball a new bullet, and rifling inside the barrels of all firearms managed
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The old-style bullet were lead balls. At close ranges the lead ball was very dangerous due to their large size, weight, and density. At long ranges on the other side the lead ball was almost ineffective. If the bullet even managed to hit its target due to its large size and weight the bullet would not have enough force to even break the skin. At long ranges the lead ball would simply bounce of its target leaving only a bruise. When soldiers are in battle they fire and reload there firearms several times. With black powder guns after each shot there is left over black powder stuck to the inside of the barrel making its circumference smaller. The lead balls were designed and built to be roughly the same size as the barrel of the guns, so as the black powder remanence accumulated in the barrel of the gun it became more and more difficult for soldier to reload. In order to get the bullet all the way down into the gun the soldiers carried hammers incase they had to beat it down inside the barrel. This process was time consuming and a change was needed immediately. Mr. Ian Drury and Mr. Tony Gibbons inform us on how the Minié ball works in the statement below:
The Minié bullet was invented by a French army captain 15 years before the war. The bullet had a hollow base with an iron plug inserted. Although it did not engage the rifling on its way down the barrel, the moment the rifle was …show more content…
There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over. “(William Sherman) The Civil War was a great time for advancements in firearms technology except that it led to a brutal outcome. Rifling, the Minié ball, and carbine rifles devastated more than just the battlefield. In the Civil War two percent of America’s population was lost fighting amongst each other. As tragic as the losses of people’s friends and families were the Civil War showed use the amount of power that the new weapons technology possessed. General Robert E. Lee once said, “It is well that war is so terrible, or we would grow too fond of it.” General Lee reminds us that the mass amounts of death that these new technologies brought upon America let us know that war is not just a game. The world saw what the new technology was capable of and the new technology paved the way for future
The old-style bullet were lead balls. At close ranges the lead ball was very dangerous due to their large size, weight, and density. At long ranges on the other side the lead ball was almost ineffective. If the bullet even managed to hit its target due to its large size and weight the bullet would not have enough force to even break the skin. At long ranges the lead ball would simply bounce of its target leaving only a bruise. When soldiers are in battle they fire and reload there firearms several times. With black powder guns after each shot there is left over black powder stuck to the inside of the barrel making its circumference smaller. The lead balls were designed and built to be roughly the same size as the barrel of the guns, so as the black powder remanence accumulated in the barrel of the gun it became more and more difficult for soldier to reload. In order to get the bullet all the way down into the gun the soldiers carried hammers incase they had to beat it down inside the barrel. This process was time consuming and a change was needed immediately. Mr. Ian Drury and Mr. Tony Gibbons inform us on how the Minié ball works in the statement below:
The Minié bullet was invented by a French army captain 15 years before the war. The bullet had a hollow base with an iron plug inserted. Although it did not engage the rifling on its way down the barrel, the moment the rifle was …show more content…
There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over. “(William Sherman) The Civil War was a great time for advancements in firearms technology except that it led to a brutal outcome. Rifling, the Minié ball, and carbine rifles devastated more than just the battlefield. In the Civil War two percent of America’s population was lost fighting amongst each other. As tragic as the losses of people’s friends and families were the Civil War showed use the amount of power that the new weapons technology possessed. General Robert E. Lee once said, “It is well that war is so terrible, or we would grow too fond of it.” General Lee reminds us that the mass amounts of death that these new technologies brought upon America let us know that war is not just a game. The world saw what the new technology was capable of and the new technology paved the way for future