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Civil War Weapons. Civil War MREs. Civil War Food. According to military intelligence, food was 3 rd on the list of supply importance behind weapons and shelter. Samples of food: Beef Jerky Acorn coffee Crawdad stew small bird roast Swamp cabbage stew Hardtack
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Civil War Food • According to military intelligence, food was 3rd on the list of supply importance behind weapons and shelter. • Samples of food: • Beef Jerky Acorn coffee • Crawdad stew small bird roast • Swamp cabbage stew Hardtack • Most foods were eaten at night in order for the soldier not to see what may be crawling on or in his food.
Repeating rifles • Union Army introduced the Spencer .52 caliber and the Remington .44 caliber rifles. • Breech loading repeating rifles. • Could hold between 8 and 15 bullets in rifle. (Fire 15 – 25 rounds per minute) • The main problem was that both sides were running out of ammunition for their rifles.
Sidearm Revolvers • Only officers carried a sidearm. • Each revolver could carry 6 shots. • Minnie Balls and black powder pellets were used. • The range of sidearm(non-rifled barrels) was less than 20 yards.
Minie Ball • ½ inch lead bullet revolutionized the battlefield. • Reduced reloading time from 25 seconds to 3 to 5 seconds. • Bullet, paper wad, and black powder all together. • Range was 250 yards. • The minie ball made open field fighting obsolete.
Civil War Cannons / Ammo • 3 types of cannons used: • Smooth barrel (Medium range 300 to 600 yards) • Rifled (Long ranged > 1,000 yards) • Mortar (Short range < 300 yards) • Cannon Ammunition: • Solid core shells • Explosive core shells • Canister shells • Cannons were used as artillery to attack the enemy at greater distances.
IRONCLADS U.S.S. Monitor
Ironclad Battleships • Iron plated shells help to protect the internal of the ship from musket and cannon fire. • The ironclads had permanently mounted cannons. • The U.S.S. Monitor had the 1st revolving gun turret. • The main drawback to the ironclads was excess water. If the ships took on any extra water, the ironclad would sink.
Fortification Ft. Pulaski
Fortifications • During the Civil War, many older forts from prior battles were beefed up to be effective during the Civil War. • Earth fortification was the most effective tool against enemy artillery. • Large Brick walls were erected to help protect from enemy bombardment. • These brick walls were usually around 6 to 10 feet thick. • Many forts built moats around the fort to help prevent troops from storming the walls.
Hand Grenades • The hand grenades ranged from about 4 lbs up to 16 lbs. • They had the same explosive power as a small cannon shell. • The main idea of the grenade was to put artillery in the hands of a soldier.
“Gatlin Gun” – Machine Gun • The first effective machine gun developed. • 6 - .52 caliber barrels which revolved. • The Gatlin Gun could fire up to 600 rounds per minute. • The gun was very inaccurate. • The Gatlin Gun was only used once during the Civil War. (Battle of Petersburg, VA – 1864)
Hot Air Balloon • Was not used to fire weapons. • The main purpose of the balloons was to locate the enemy and design maps of enemy troops locations.
Civil War Medicine • The medicine and surgical techniques used during the Civil War was perfected during the late 1700’s. • 1 out of every 4 soldiers that was wounded died because of poor medical procedures. • Because of demand for surgeons, the surgeon training took place over an 8 week period. • Over 5,000 women served as nurses. (Clara Barton, a Civil War Nurse, help to establish the Red Cross) • The surgeons became known as “Butchers” because over 47,000 amputations during the 4 year war. • Contrary to the myth, chloroform was used in most cases. • Of the 620,000 men who died, only about 210,000 died on the battlefield.