The US Civil War (1861-1865) took place between the Union and the Confederacy. The war saw increased adoption of modern technology and weapons, including more powerful and accurate artillery and guns, both on land and at sea such as:
Telegraph- During the war, 15,000 miles of telegraph cable were laid purely for military purposes. Mobile telegraph wagons reported and received communications from just behind the frontline.
Aerial reconnaissance - Both sides used hot air balloons for aerial reconnaissance of battlefields during the Civil War. Combined with the telegraph, troops would know where to accurately aim their fire for greater effectiveness.
Railroads - The Civil War was the first war to use railroads, encouraged by President Lincoln, who understood how vital they were for moving men and supplies.
Army ambulance corps - Jonathan Letterman, Medical Director of the Army of the Potomac, was responsible for creating the first organized transport of the wounded. They would go into the field, pick up the wounded, deliver them to dressing stations, and then to field hospitals.
Naval mines and torpedoes - Naval mines were developed by the Confederates in the hopes of counteracting the Union's blockades of Southern ports. The success of these mines led to the creation of land mines and grenades that would be used in later wars.
The Gatling Gun - the ancestor of the modern machine gun, the Gatling Gun was the most successful of several rapid-fire guns that were born before the war.
Long-Range Weapons and the Minie Bullet - An important defensive development that increased the range and accuracy of muskets was the newly developed grooves in the musket barrel. This allowed bullets to spin and travel up to 900 feet.
The Minie bullet made defense even safer. When used in the rifled musket it spun faster, traveled further, and was five times more accurate than any single-man weapon. Able to kill at half a mile, it was the largest contributor to battle wounds (more than 90%).
"To Make Something Out of the Dying in This War": The Civil War and the Rise of American Medical Science
Journal of the Civil War Era, Vol. 6, No. 2 (JUNE 2016), pp. 149-163 (15 pages)
Railroads in the Civil War
National Defense Transportation Journal, Vol. 21, No. 2 (March
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US Civil War steam frigate, 1863
Sailors manning the yards of a steam frigate (with paddle wheel) at the Washington Navy Yard, Washington DC, USA, during a visit by Abraham Lincoln, the President of the USA. Lincoln, leading the Union side during the US Civil War (1861-65), visited the Washington Navy Yard on 15 January 1863 to meet with Admiral John Dahlgren and to observe the testing of new weapons. The visiting party's boat and a Union flag are at lower right. Photographed by US Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner (1821-1882) in January 1863.
US Civil War steam frigate, 1863. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 Mar 2017.
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US Civil War train, 1863 - US steam locomotive, the W. H. Whiton, crossing a newly built railroad over a river. This crossing took place in 1863, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The W. H. Whiton was built by William Mason in the USA in 1862. This locomotive, part of the Union railroads, was used to pull Abraham Lincoln's presidential train carriage, and, later, his funeral carriage. This photograph is from the Matthew Brady Collection, a collection of photographs from during and after the US Civil War.
Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
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US Civil War photographer, 1860s - Wagons and camera of US photographer Samuel A. Cooley, with the wagons proclaiming his designation as part of the US Army Department of the South. Cooley was from Hartford, Connecticut, and also employed camera operators from New York. The locations he visited and worked in during the US Civil War (1861-1865) included areas of South Carolina, as well as Jacksonville and St Augustine, both in northern Florida. After the war, he settled in Beaufort, South Carolina, selling prints of his wartime photographs and his photographs of the sea islands of South Carolina. He later returned to Connecticut.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Confederate marine explosives. Confederate torpedoes, shot, shell and other marine explosives and equipment in the arsenal (armoury) at Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Photographed in April 1865.
Confederate marine explosives, 1865. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 Nov 2020.
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John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren (1809-1870), US weapons inventor.
Dahlgren served in the US Navy during the US Civil War (1861-1865), rising to the rank of Rear Admiral. He designed several guns and cannons that helped the Union forces defeat the Confederacy. His Dahlgren gun was an improved cannon that was thicker at the breech end than the muzzle. However, further advances in artillery technology soon rendered this design obsolete. Photographed during the US Civil War (1861-1865).
John Dahlgren, US weapons inventor. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
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US Civil War submarine, Louisiana, 1957 - Arriving at its new display location, the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans on April 24, 1957. This submarine was discovered in 1878 during the dredging of Bayou St John; it is sometimes known as the Bayou St John submarine.
US Civil War submarine, Louisiana, 1957. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2 Nov 2020.
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Model of ironclad warship USS Monitor
USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship built by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. Designed by John Ericsson in 1861 and assembled in 101 days, this revolutionary vessel was powered by steam and had a revolving gun turret. She engaged with the Confederate ironclad vessel CSS Virginia at the Battle of Hampton Roads, Virginia, 9th March 1862. This episode was the first meeting in combat of ironclad warships and signaled the end of the era of wooden ships. Although the confrontation was inconclusive, with neither ship able to sink the other after three hours of exchanging fire, the Monitor prevented Virginia from gaining control of Hampton Roads and thus preserved the Union's blockade of the area.
Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 31 Aug 2017.
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THE UNION TELEGRAPH, 1863 - Union Army telegraphers setting up the wire as a battle rages in the background.
Wood engraving, American, 1863.. Fine Art. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016.
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