Download The Paradox of Technology in the American Civil War

Answer Key
Date:
Core:
U.S. History
The Paradox of Technology
in the American Civil War
The American Civil War is often referred to as the first “modern war”. The Industrial
Revolution provided both the Union and the Confederacy with many new technological
advancements that had never been used in warfare before. These new technologies had both a
positive and negative effect on the war. As you watch excerpts from this episode of America: The
Story of US, take notes on the positive and negative consequences of technology.
Technology and Its Harmful Effects
Technology and Its Helpful Effects
The Minie Ball (bullet) – travels a longer
Bromine: a chemical that kills bacteria and stops
the spread of gangrene (a disease that killed
wounded Civil War soldiers)
Harmful Effect: More soldiers are killed and
Helpful: More wounded soldiers survived as a
result of this discovery – roughly 75% of all
amputees survived their operations because of
bromine.
---------------------------------------Embalming Process: People used chemicals to
preserve the bodies of people who had been killed
in battle – allowing bodies to be transported back
to their families in a presentable state.
distance and is more accurate than previous
bullets. Easier/faster to reload.
wounded – more American lives lost in the Civil
War than in all other wars combined. Soldiers
still used “old school” battlefield formations
which increased the number of soldiers killed.
*factories allowed the bullets to be manufactured
very quickly in the North (half billion Minie balls
produced for the Union during the war)
----------------------------------------Photography: People were able to take mobile
cameras onto the battlefield and capture images
of the destruction (and death) caused by the Civil
War
Harmful: Seeing the graphic images of the war
(i.e. dead bodies on the battlefield) was upsetting
to many people who viewed the pictures. Those
with family members in the army may have been
upset by these images – it created even more
anxiety for them.
Helpful: Families were comforted by the fact that
they could say goodbye to their loved ones who
were killed in battle and give them a dignified
(proper) funeral
-----------------------------------------Photography: People were able to take mobile
cameras onto the battlefield and capture images
of the destruction (and death) caused by the Civil
War
Helpful: It helped Americans to understand the
brutalities of war and caused both citizens of the
Union and Confederacy to pressure their
governments to end the war quickly