A lot of men see the differences in generations within the military, but few can see that early military formed everything in to the way the military is today. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the Marine infantryman’s basic weapons of the 1940s and today, to include the rifle, machine guns and anti-tank weapons.…
During the 1850's, the vast differences between the North and the South brought about the impending notion of war between the two. The South knew that the North had them beat on every level. The North had manufacturing capabilities with factories that could produce supplies necessary for outfitting an army. Also, the North's population of 22 million was nearly three times the population of the South. The South only had nine million people, four million of whom were black slaves. This larger population provided a steady source of military and civilian manpower, and was important in a war of attrition. Lastly, the North grew most of the country's food, and a fighting army can get very hungry. The South had the plantations, but mostly cash crops were grown there.…
In Why the North Won the Civil War, Henry Steele Commager believed that there were multiple causes that led the confederacy to their defeat and that it was “an inevitability in history.” While many historians believed the North won due to their economic, military, diplomatic, and social aspects, Richard N. Current stated that the Union won the Civil War due to their “fundamental economic superiority.” He believed the North sustained a vast and overwhelming economic superiority in men and materials, giving them “an advantage of almost five to two” in everything. The Union succeeded because they were productive with their economy, unlike the Confederates.…
Historians have argued inconclusively for years over the prime reason for Confederate defeat in the Civil War. The book Why the North Won the Civil War outlines five of the most agreed upon causes of Southern defeat, each written by a highly esteemed American historian. The author of each essay does acknowledge and discuss the views of the other authors. However, each author also goes on to explain their botheration and disagreement with their opposition. The purpose of this essay is to summarize each of the five arguments presented by Richard N. Current, T. Harry Williams, Norman A. Graebner, David Herbert Donald, and David M. Potter. Each author gives his insight on one of the following five reasons: economic, military, diplomatic, social, and political, respectively.…
Old tactics and training became inefficient with the introduction of these modern weapons. Thus, the U.S Civil war became unparalleled in the advancement of military history. The war became the first to utilize rail and water ways combined with armored ships to create a battlefield stretching thousands of miles. The Union, in 1864, was the side to truly embrace this new technology coupled with older tactics to create a brilliant plan under the leadership of Grant. It was a three pronged attack strategy that would result in the military campaign to end the Civil…
Before the Gatling Gun was created, the Colt Revolvers and Springfield Rifles were the most preferred and most popular firearms used during the Civil War. Muskets were also…
One factor that had the greatest impact in driving the country in war was the economic difference. The North and the South had different opinion and beliefs making them divide as a region. The Invention of cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 made gathering cotton possible. This caused an increase in plantations to grow cotton which caused the great need for cheap labor. It meant that slaves were the cheap labor to get the work done. The southern economy became dependent on slavery and cotton. While in the northern states it was established on industry. North was purchasing raw cotton and turning it into finished goods. In the North people had to work together it didn't matter about their culture or class they were but rather had to put their…
The North took victory in the civil war against the South. The North had several of advantages when it came to defeating the other side.The blockade. As the war progressed the blockade of Southern ports slowly became more effective, closing the ports and thus cutting off the vital supplies needed to fight the war. This includes medicine. The South had to rely on Europe even more so than the North for supplies with which to fight the war so by eliminating more and more ports into which the supplies could come into the Confederacy the North slowly deprived the South of it's ability to properly fight. By the end of the war many Confederate soldiers didn't have the ammo, food, or even effective weapons required to campaign with. Attrition. The Union had more men…
The American civil war’s weaponry changed the way wars would be fought and is often referred to as the first “modern” war. The weapons used in the civil war include Long Range Rifles, the Minie Bullet, Repeaters, The Gatling Gun, Ironclad Warships, naval mines, and torpedoes. Long range weapons greatly boosted defense and increased the accuracy and range during wartime. These new rifles used Minie Bullets. These bullets allowed for more accuracy and a quicker reload of the gun, even without ramrods or mallets. These weapons were much deadlier than the muskets were, which changed how infantry fought in the war. Trenches and fortification were built to protect the infantry, even those who were far from the line of fire. Even though these…
There were several factors that allowed the north to win the Civil War, One of the main reasons is that the north had far more soldiers and resources than the south. Then on the Proclamation's provisions, the blacks were allowed enrollment into the military which added even more men to the Northerners side.…
When both the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South) entered into war with each other, neither side was thoroughly prepared for battle. Both the North and the South had issues gathering enough resources and raising funds to support their war efforts (Goldberg, ed. 7, The American Journey, 405). However, the Union did have an advantage over the Confederacy. The North had a large population, strong political and military leadership, and plentiful resources; while the South struggled to piece together an entirely new government and army. This early upper-hand by the Union was what helped them eventually wear down the Southern troops at the end of the war and win.…
In order to win the war, the Union had to think smart and play it to their advantage. In the book The Civil War: A Visual History, author John E. Stanchak declared, “During the 19th century, the new era of rail and steam that marked the Industrial Revolution was centered in the Northern states, and a summary of economics and human resources shows their advantages” (Stanchak 54). The North had a lot of railroads which helped them travel faster. They also had more money and organizations than the South. These advantages boosted them further into victory.…
When the confederates were fighting the north they did not have as many troops. (Civil War,In U.S. History). Most of the soldiers were farmers as well and not trained very well. (Who Fought? 1). They did not have the technology the North had either such as muskets, the same training, and different equipment. (Who Fought? 1 ). And even though the South wanted and needed slavery there were still African American soldiers who fought for the confederate side as laborers.(Who Fought? 1). As you can see the South had many disadvantages when it came to fighting the North, But their armies weren't the only differences the two sides economies were completely different. The South's economy relied almost completely on agriculture and slavery. The South did not have as many factories or railroads either.( Civil War, In U.S. History 1).The South suffered many disadvantages during this time…
First of all, one of the biggest advantages the North had was men. They had four times the soldier then the South had. The North also had better equipment (like cannons) and supplies to fight the Civil War. When fighting a war, you want to have the most of everything, in this case being supplies and equipment so that you wouldn’t run out of anything while the war is going on. One of the most important advantages was that they…
Guns started in China about one thousand years ago, but have been evolved in order to be more efficient in the amount and quality of ammunition shot as well as the accuracy and power of the guns. Gun use in America began when the nation was first colonized. The purpose of the guns were to help the colonists with gathering pelts and food, and defending them from attacks. Older guns were equipped with ammunition that was loaded into the gun from the muzzle, giving them their nickname muzzle loaders, and the hammer on the gun struck a flash pan that held gunpowder. These guns, known as muskets, have since been upgraded enough to have more advanced guns such as a Mossberg five hundred or an AR fifteen.…