Technology and the 1800s Civil War Influence

A World in Transition People were migrating away from farms and the agrarian lifestyle and more towards urban areas to make their livings. Times were hard in America, in both the North and the South: You worked very long, hot hours in the sun on a farm or plantation making little to nothing or you worked very long hours in a factory where machinery was dangerous and health hazards were numerous. Children worked in both settings. Machines were changing the way people worked and lived, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

Technology- the Game Changer Technology came in on a wave of ideas and trial and error. America both expanded and shrunk as communication became quicker with the advent of the Morse code and rails allowed people to move- quickly Mass production became the way of the factory after Eli Whitney again changed the world with interchangeable parts, which sped up mass production, or the efficient production of large numbers of identical goods.

Gatling Gun Adopted by the U.S Army in 1866, the Gatling gun was a significant addition to United States military arsenal. This weapon played a big role after the Civil War in giving the army staggering advantages over the western Native Americans, who had no such weaponry or defense against such things. Europeans used it their Asian and African colonies against local forces. Would later go on to be modified into the helicopter- mounted Vulcan minigun, which fired 6,000 rounds per minute. It was used specifically in the IndoChina war and could take out an entire village in one burst.

Naval Mines and Torpedoes Confederacy developed the torpedo. During the American Civil War the torpedo was called a contact mine. It floated on or below the water surface using an air-filled demijohn or similar flotation device. Apt to prematurely explode. They would be detonated on contact with the ship, or after a set time, although electrical detonators were also occasionally used. The USS Cairo was the first warship to be sunk on 1862 by an electrically detonated mine. 

Contact Mine or Torpedo

Spar Torpedo Spar torpedoswere also used; an explosive device was mounted at the end of a spar up to 30 feet (9.1 m) long projecting forward underwater from the bow of the attacking vessel, which would then ram the opponent with the explosives. These were used by the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley to sink the USS Housatonic although the weapon was apt to cause as much harm to its user as to its target.Effective! Sunk 40+ Union ships

Minie Ball- Adopted by the US Army in 1855. Made from lead Replaced the Round Shot from the less accurate smoothbore muskets. Most bullets were made in factories during the Civil War, which could make 3000 bullets per hour. A very deadly and more accurate bullet, used from 1863 on.

The Submarine While the submarine concept has been on the human agenda for since the early 1600s, early attempts at constructing successful submarines were largely unsuccessful and often sank. Though some designs made it onto the scene during the mid 1800s, they were not a viable weapon during the Civil War, though a few attempts were made.

Balloon Corps: Reporting and Reconnaissance

Railroads Railroads were one of the Unions greatest weapons in the Civil War. Transported both soldiers and supplies South had much fewer, less sophisticated rails

Early Rail Footage *Railroad video* Snipets. 5:30-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXASAFl59Q0

Ambulance Corps Jonathan Letterman regimented the ambulance system. Ambulance attendants were usually soldiers who were unfit to fight. Medical care was still significantly inadequate for the types of injuries caused by the advanced weaponry of the war. Today military ambulance procedure is still largely based on Letterman’s idea

Ironclads- varied designs and applications, used for naval battles, blockades, carrying arms.

USS Midway- another step is Naval Warfare How does the USS Midway differ from the Iron clads? Midway: Longest serving aircraft carrier in 20th century

1800s Technology Quotes