How2Day: The Weapons Used During the Civil War

The American Civil War (1861-1865) is considered the first modern war. From the use of machine gun prototypes and grenades to the razing of cities, the Civil War brought about the ideal of "total war." The development of new weaponry led to a booming arms industry that continuously competed against each other to create new weapons for the Union and Confederate armies.

Colt supplied the Union with Army Model 1860 a .44 caliber six shooter that had a shooting range of 75 to 100 feet. The Confederacy preferred the 1851 Navy Revolver with its 1,000 foot per second velocity. Remington, the chief competition to Colt, sold the Model 1858, which had a quick reload time. LeMat, created by a New Orleans gunsmith, supplied Confederate soldiers for a while, but the LeMat quickly fell out of favor due to its unreliability.

The most popular rifle used in the Civil War was the Springfield model 1861. This rifle was known for its range, accuracy and reliability. At a weight of 9 lbs and a range of 200 to 300 yards, it could be loaded quickly and was easier to carry than previous rifles. A good soldier could fire off three rounds per minute. The rifle, and other new guns like it, literally changed the way wars were fought. Because the enemy could now take aim and cut down soldiers at a great distance, the time-honored attack method of massing soldiers for firepower and charges became a high risk maneuver. By the war's end, both sides favored a trench warfare mentality with a greater emphasis on long-range weapons -- a mindset that future generals would adopt for their ground wars.

These bombs, introduced in 1861, would often have a plunger at the end that would blow up on contact with another object. Variations included the Ketchum grenade, which had a tail and a nose for a more accurate attack. The Ketchum was the most widely used grenade. It had three different varieties at 1, 3 and 5 lbs.

A rapid fire, multibarreled, .58 caliber weapon, the Gatling gun could fire 300 rounds per minute without overheating. The Confederate side had actually used rapid fire weapons in 1861, but abandoned them because overheating made them unreliable. Richard Gatling's improved version was not without its own problems, and only a few Union armies actually put Gatling's on the field. But it did work well enough that the Gatling was adapted for official army use in 1866.

Artillery was used to support the infantry and to siege fortified areas such as forts. The smoothbore 12 pounder Napoleon was one of the more efficient Howitzer models available with a range of 5,600 feet.

The Union army effectively used heavy mortars as siege artillery. Mortars came in either an 8 or a 10 inch size with a 2,225 and 2,064 foot range respectively. The Confederacy used some similar artillery but only in defense of fortifications.

Civil War swords are mainly remembered as ceremonial items -- it was common practice for a captured officer to present his sword to an enemy officer. But some soldiers, especially calvary, still used them as a primary weapon in close quarters. Many Civil War accounts of calvary battles talk about troopers having to "slash" their way out of trouble. One common model was a 3-lb, 33-inch sword that was first issued in 1862.

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