THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT WON THE WAR Civil War Technologies

New Technologies Throughout the Civil War, the Union (North) was much better at using and adapting new technologies to gain an advantage on the battlefield. As the Civil War continued on, these advantages became a bigger and bigger factor in the North’s ultimate victory. The two most important and effective technologies used by the Union in the Civil War were:  The RailroadThe Telegraph

The Railroad  A track made of metal rails on which a self-propelled vehicle (locomotive) can push or pull train cars. First railroad in the United States was completed in 1830 Between 1850 and 1890, 1/3 of all the railroad mileage built on planet earth was built in the United States.

How did the Railroad help the Union win the Civil War? The Railroad allowed troops and supplies to move much faster and cover longer distances.  Union Troops could travel much quicker and easier  Union Troops never had to worry about running out of supplies  Food, Weapons, Clothing, etc.  Confederate Troops were constantly running out of supplies North = ~ 24,000 miles of Railroad South = ~ 9,000 miles of Railroad

The Telegraph  A system that uses electrical current to transmit coded text messages across long distances, almost immediately  The first working telegraph in the United States was developed by Samuel Morse in  Telegraphic messages are sent in “Morse Code”  A series of dots and dashes that represent letters

How did the Telegraph help the Union win the Civil War? The Telegraph allowed Abraham Lincoln to control the entire Civil War from the White House  Lincoln could plan strategies for the entire War, not just one battle at a time  News from the battlefield was received within minutes, not days  Orders could be given to commanders, and put into action almost immediately