Essay On Civil War Weapons

The Effect of New Weaponry during the Civil War on Wounds

In the four relatively short but bloody years of the Civil War, an estimated 110,070 Americans died in battle or later died due to wounds inflicted to them. (White) This number is higher than any other war of American time. Furthermore, the technologies of our country are constantly changing and weapons are becoming more effective.

In times before the Civil War, such as the Revolutionary War, the Americans had an abundant amount of weapons for battle. The most common weapon was the musket which was very inaccurate in hitting a target. However, there were many other choices in weapons like the bayonet, pistols, tomahawks, swords, and different types of rifles. These pre-Civil War weapons were less dependable and more dangerous to use. Someone with a sword or even a musket would have to be at fairly close range to an enemy to do any damage. Having to be

Compared to other weapons of the time, the Gatling guns were more reliable and easier for soldiers to use. The original gun was used in the field and was not completely automatic, whereas the method of firing it meant using a hand crank. However, although manually operated, the Gatling gun made wiping out a whole group of men seem almost like nothing. These men would not have time to realize what was going on and order a retreat before half of their fellow soldiers had fallen to the gun. Many Gatling guns were mounted to ships and did their damage from the waterways. Having them aboard ships helped protect the people on the water by defending the ship and fighting off approaching enemies. On land, the gun would greatly increase the death toll by rapidly firing bullets into the masses. This means the amount of bullet wounds sky rocketed and the bullets would directly kill the victims and many suffered from gunshot wounds while little could be done about it with the lack of medical