Download Civil War Technology

Civil War Technology
Civil War Technology made the American Civil War the first industrial and modern war.
Technologies ranged from hot air balloons to submarines. New weapons such as rifles
allowed soldiers to fire accurately at long distances. The use of Photography meant that
the war was the first conflict to be recorded on a large scale with actual photographs
instead of paintings. Commanders in the Civil War also made great use of the telegraph
on a massive scale. Never before in warfare had communication been made so easy and
instantly. The telegraph allowed generals to relay information in real time with each
other. The use of railroads on both sides became critically important in transporting
troops and supplies.
Civil War Technology – Weapons
Nashville Tennessee Railroad Depot, 1864
Of all of the technological advances made by the time of the Civil War, the rifle
made the biggest impact. The rifle was created long before the Civil War.
It was used in limited numbers and typically by specialized troops during the
Revolutionary War. At the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 both sides were still
primarily using the old smooth-bore muskets. These muskets were not accurate and
did not have a long range. The musket had a smooth barrel which used a round lead
ball as ammunition.
Union Soldiers with Rifles
When fired the lead ball would bounce around inside the barrel. This resulted in very
inaccurate results. The reason soldiers lined up shoulder to shoulder in the Revolutionary
War was because muskets needed to be used in a massed volley in order to have any
chance of actually hitting anything. After the Civil War had begun arsenals began mass
producing rifles instead of the old smooth-bore muskets. Rifles were a far superior
weapon in every way. They had groves in the barrel that gripped ammunition tightly
which put a spin on the bullet allowing for deadly accurate and long range fire. With the
new rifle came a new bullet. Gone was the round led ball. In it’s place was a bullet that
resembles today’s modern bullets. It is called a minie ball, this bullet exited the barrel of
a rifle spinning and at a high velocity. The bottom of the minie ball had little groves in it
that helped it grip onto the inside of the rifles barrel. These groves also carried bacteria,
when a soldier was shot this bacteria entered the wound and caused infections. The only
way to deal with these infections during the Civil War was to amputate.
Civil War Technology – Torpedoes (Landmines and
Naval Mines)
During the war the Confederacy was always trying to come up with innovative ways of
stopping the Union army. One of these ideas was by using torpedoes, this was just
another name for landmines and naval mines.
They used torpedoes in land and at sea. They did some damage here and there but it
wasn’t something that was going to win the south the war.
Civil War Technology – Ironclads
The Civil War also saw the beginning of modern naval ships. These new ships were clad
with iron earning them the nickname “ironclads”.
Some ironclads like the monitor class of ships are very similar to today’s warships.
The Union Ironclad monitor Onandaga
They sat low in the water and had either one or two rotating gun turrets, which enabled
them to fire in any direction without having to turn the ship.
After the introduction of ironclads in the Civil War naval warfare never went back to
wooden sailing ships. After ironclads came dreadnoughts.
Civil War Technology – Submarines
Civil War technology also saw the first successful use of a submarine. The Confederates
created a submarine called the Hunley, named after it’s creator. The Hunley was powered
by eight men who sat on a bench and turned a propeller with a hand crank. It was a crude
method of propelling a boat but it worked. The Hunley only went on one mission against
the Union navy. In February 1864, the Hunley quietly approached and attached a naval
mine to the USS Housatonic. When the mine exploded the USS Housatonic became the
first ship in history to be destroyed by a submarine. Only minutes after successfully
sinking the USS Housatonic the Hunley also sank.
Civil War Technology – Railroads
Railroads proved to be a vitally important Civil War technology. Railroads were essential
for keeping the war moving and keeping troops supplied. The Union Railroad Train
system was far superior to Confederate Railroads.
Civil War Locomotive J.H. Devereux
The north was a very industrialized society with large cities and massive infrastructure.
The south was an agricultural society, with little infrastructure. Most of the United States
railroad system prior to the war was built in the North. The south had railroads as well
but they had far fewer tracks and locomotives than the north. This would hinder the
south’s ability to wage war, however they used what rail they did have to great effect.
One example was the timely reinforcement by rail of Confederate troops during the First
Battle of Manassas. These reinforcements helped the Confederates win a devastating
victory over the Union. Rail transport was also instrumental for the Confederacy when
they captured Harper’s Ferry.
Civil War Technology – Telegraphs
The telegraph was perhaps one of the most effective technologies used during the Civil War.
Telegraph Operators for the Army of the Potomac, August 1863
It allowed commanders to instantly communicate with each other and provide almost real
time information about battle results, enemy troop movements, unit locations etc…
Abraham Lincoln used the telegraph daily, often spending long nights waiting for news
from the front. He wanted to know exactly what was happening on the various
battlefields and he could easily issue orders to his commanders.
Union Observation Balloon during the Battle of Fair Oaks, 1862
Telegraph lines were strung up as soon as an army arrived at any location.
Civil War soldiers grew adept at putting up telegraph lines since they were doing it so
frequently. In conjunction with the telegraph the Union military also employed
observation balloons to watch battles and monitor enemy troop movements.
These movements were then relayed to ground commanders who could adjust their own
troop movements accordingly or telegraph back to headquarters what they had witnessed.
Civil War Technology – Pictures
Civil War pictures showed war in a way that had never been seen before. In prior wars
and even during the Civil War painters often accompanied armies on battlefields.
They later sat and painted what they saw. These paintings looked nice with gallant
soldiers bravely fighting in a battle, however they failed to capture the brutality of war.
They never showed the bloated corpses littered across a battlefield, or the destroyed
cities, or the starving prisoners of war.
Painting of the Battle of Shiloh, April 6th – 7th 1862
Photographs showed these things. Warfare could never be seen the same way again after
the Civil War. The most famous Civil War photographer was Alexander Gardner. Most
of the pictures you see today of the Civil War were taken by him. His boss and studio
owner Mathew Brady is usually the person who gets credited for most of the photography
of the Civil War. It was however, Alexander Gardner and his team who were out in the
field taking the pictures.
Civil War Technology – Food
Civil War technology was not very good when it came to food. Food is one of the most
important things to any soldier in an army.
Union Soldiers Eating
However the only thing technology really had going for it when it came to food was
canned food. Napoleon Bonaparte is credited as being the first person to use canned food
to feed his army. When the Civil War started cans were commonly being used on both
sides. Canning certainly made it easier to transport and store food, however they were
also difficult to open and they were heavy.
Civil War Technology – Aftermath
Often during wartime technology advances at a far greater speed than it ever does during
peacetime. This is simply because during war there is a great need to get an edge on the
enemy. The technology that came out of the American Civil War had long lasting
implications. The Civil War technology was improved upon and used in the first world
war.