“The Civil War started because of uncompromising differences between the free and slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in the territories that had not yet become states (McPherson).” The war occurred in the years 1861 and 1865 between were free states and the Confederate States of America which were slave states. According to many, it is known as the first modern war in terms of weaponry (West). As the “War Between States” progressed during the mid 19th century, major changes were introduced to both the Union’s and Confederates weapons. These weapons would serve as predecessors for the weapons that are used in war today.
In 1832, Captain John Norton of the British 34th Regiment developed a “cylindrical bullet with a hollow base.” This was in order to give the bullet a tighter seal that would increase its range. Four years later, a London gunsmith named William Greener improved the design of the bullet by turning it into more of an oval shape. This version of the bullet would travel even further than its former. However, in 1849 the design of the bullet was improved even more by two French army captains, Claude-E’tienne Minie’ and Henri-Gustave Delvigne. They created a “soft-lead bullet with four rings” in a conical shape with a hollow base (West) that increased the distance the bullet can travel, increased the accuracy of the shot, and that also made the loading process a breeze (Howey 34).
The bullet was first introduced by both opponents during the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, in December of 1862 (Smithsonian). The two sides were led by General Ambrose E. Burnside for the Union and General Robert E. Lee for the Confederates. The estimated amount of casualties at this battle resulted in almost 18,000 people (Fredericksburg). The newly introduced Minie Ball had a major influence on many of these deaths.
While the Minie ball was used for a very short time, its evolution dates all the way to present times. Due to the slow loading process of ramming gun-powder and individual bullets into the stems of rifles, breech-loading carbines were introduced. This got rid of the need for Minie balls whose shape could not be fit into the breeches. However, the cartridges that held the conical shaped bullets evolved from the designs of the Minie ball (Howey 37). Without the design of the bullet, weapon designers would not have figured out a way to improve the loading process of rifles.
“Doctor Gatling’s Rapid-Fire Gun” is another technological advancement in weaponry that affected modern warfare. In 1862, Dr. Richard J. Gatling introduced a weapon that would be capable of firing up to 800 shots per minute (Colby). C.B. Colby described the weapon as such:
This .58-caliber weapon consisted of several barrels mounted on a wheeled carriage. Cartridges were fed by a hand crank to the barrels in turn, from a hopper above the breach…. As the crank was turned, another barrel was revolved into place before the breach, a cartridge was inserted and fired, the empty shell extracted and another barrel rotated into position. (37)
The Gatling Gun was first put into use during the Union’s siege of Petersburg, Virginia (Hogg 54). In June of 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant of the United States army formed a siege around the Confederates’ army, resting in Petersburg, Virginia. General Robert E. Lee’s army did as much as they could to stave off the Union as much as they could, but they were no match for the Union’s Gatling Guns (Petersburg). According to Michael C. Hardy, Grant’s introduction and use of the Gatling Gun resulted in over 3,000 Confederate casualties.