Technology's Role In The American Civil War

The American Civil War began April 12, 1861, and did not end until a gruesome four years later, on May 9, 1865. This war divided America into two groups: the Union and the Confederacy. During this time period, many new concepts and ideas from both sides were thought of and brought to life. Some examples of these new concepts were in an area such as naval and ground warfare, medicine, weaponry, transportation, and photography. Technology played a very important role in the American Civil War, shaping the conduct of war.
Long before the American Civil War, many conflicts overseas were fought by wooden, sail-driven ships. These ships conveyed as much cannon possible, attacking each other until one ship was so damaged that it could not carry
As stated in the above quote, naval warfare was not the only new and improved technology of the civil war. Artillery and other weapons were introduced as well. For example, the Civil War was the first time a mortar had ever been heard of. It was a stubby weapon that fired heavy projectiles in the form of a high arc. It was designed as an explosive with ten to twenty pounds of fragment. When a mortar shell exploded, that fragment would hopefully fall somewhere on an enemy. To protect themselves from the falling debris, some would build bomb-proof shelters. They were usually dug on the side of a bank and away from the enemy. Others were disguised as small huts with heavy layers of dirt along the sides. The mortars were masked from troops’ view, so they never knew when an attack would happen. They always had to go with caution, ready for anything to happen. Though mortars did severe damage almost every shot, they were most beneficial when the target was below the level line of sight. They allowed short mortars to efficiently operate. Mortars were sometimes even placed on decks of ships for defense against enemies, on barges, or on railroad flatcars. Another version of mortars were seacoast mortars. These were around
The rifle was invented long before the Civil War, used in many different battles, especially the American Revolutionary War from April of 1775 to September of 1863. During the beginning of the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy were using old fashioned, unaccurate, long-ranged muskets. A little after the Civil War began, instead of old fashioned muskets, arsenals began producing rifles. Compared to the muskets, rifles were superior. Inside the barrels of the rifles, there were groves that held on to ammunition tightly - this put a spin on the bullet, thus allowing for more accuracy and long range fire. To have a gun, one needs a bullet. Along with the upgraded rifles came new bullets - the round, led ball was no more. The new bullet was called the minnie ball - it resembles current bullets. When the rifle is shot, the bullet exits the gun whilst spinning at a high velocity. At the bottom of the bullet there were groves. Inside those groves was bacteria, so when a soldier was shot, that bacteria would enter the body and infect the soldier, causing infections. When a soldier got infected, the only option was to amputate.
Medicine played an important role in the Civil War. During the Civil War, both the Union and Confederacy were affected by diseases and illness. Because of this, many nurses, surgeons, and physicians were