Weapons of the Civil War 2
The American Civil War was probably the most important period of arms development in history. The Civil War was appropriately called "the last of the ancient wars and first of the modern wars". This was because many revolutionary breakthroughs occurred in this war, yet the military still relied on some of its old weapons and techniques. In this report, I will elaborate on some of the guns and ammunition used during the civil wars. I feel that the weapons are the most important part of a war. Weapons are the key element of war. They can determine who wins or loses. When it comes down to it, wars do not depend on the quality of fighting, they depend on the development of arms. Whoever develops the most advanced weapons will most likely be successful. This has been proved throughout history. The rifles and pistols used in the Civil War were basically more advanced versions of the ones used in the Revolutionary War. The rifles and pistols were more accurate, had a longer range, and were more powerful. The guns were much more efficient to use also. The Civil War introduced the world's first rifle and pistol cartridges and the first repeating rifles. This made reloading much
The first sniper style rifles were used in the Civil War. They were known as Benchrest Rifles. Now armed with a rifle which could fire a round accurately up to 1,800 yards, long range riflemen became a real threat. Benchrest rifles were so named because they were so heavy that they were easiest to fire with the barrel resting on a bench or other support. Before the war, primarily target shooters and sport hunters had owned these specialty muzzle-loaded rifles. With an average length of about 50 inches, a benchrest rifle weighed up to 40 pounds, making it an impractical choice for standard infantry duty. The very tight fit of the bullet and the bore needed for range and accuracy made the weapon very slow to load and put the user at a disadvantage on the battlefield. These guns usually were used with the long-tube telescopic sight. Morgan James invented this sight in 1848. It only had a mere 4x magnification, but for a good marksman, this was sufficient for an accurate shot. The Benchrest rifle was not only a rifle, but also a status symbol. Only the best sharpshooters were allowed the Benchrest rifle. Any soldier with one of these rifles were highly respected as a trusted soldier. easier and gave the soldier the ability to shoot faster. This was greatly improved from the 2 minutes it took to load in the Revolutionary War. All of these improvements in weaponry placed the odds greatly against the soldier. In fact, more people died in the American Civil War than in all of America's wars put together. The first machine-gun type weapon ever used in combat was built for the Confederate War Dept in Sept 1861 by Confederate Captain R.S. Williams. The Williams rap
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Approximate Word count = 1127
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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