New Technology Vs. Old Tactics Civil War Weaponry New Technology Vs. Old Tactics

New Technology The Civil War was the first “Modern War” New Weapons made battles more deadly Improvements in transportation allowed for men and materials to be moved more efficiently Improvements in communication allowed news and information to move more quickly

Old Tactics Military Tactics and Strategies were outdated Soldiers still marched in large groups, and fired in massive volleys, they fought this way because of the weapons available to them at the time. Inaccurate muskets Inaccurate ammunition Difficult and time consuming loading process

Rifles Muzzle Loaders- Ammunition is loaded down the barrel of the gun, 1 round at a time Breach Loaders- Ammunition is loaded through the back of the weapon, multiple rounds at a time Dramatic increases in rate of fire Rifles- Guns with groves cut on the inside of the barrel which causes the bullets to spin Dramatic increases in accuracy Dramatic increases in distance

Minie Ball (Minnie Ball) Developed by a Frenchmen No really a ball at all!! A Cone shaped bullet with a flat, hollow bottom 58 caliber, this is very large When Minie Balls hit bone, the bone shatters, and splinters New Rifles and Minie Balls caused bullets to spin like footballs, increasing accuracy and distance.

Gatling Guns Invented by Dr. Richard Gatling Saw limited use during the Civil War Basically the first functional Machine Gun Allowed for a small group of soldiers to have a very high rate of fire

Railroads The Union had far more railroads then the Confederacy Railroads increased the efficiency of transportation of men and material Cheaper Faster More Reliable

Telegraph Early form of communication over long distances Allowed commanders on both sides to issue orders over distance, as well as receive important information Also allowed for news reports to travel much faster across the country

Balloons Not party ones! Hot Air balloons were used as spotting platforms, so commanders could see the entire battlefield

Ironclads Ships that used iron or steel armor for protection Before Ironclads, ships were made of wood and would be vulnerable to fire and explosive ammunition Powered by steam, not wind