Weapons



Top after the fighting there on 2 July, 1863, and instructed his men still using Enfields to exchange them for Springfields. While rifles were preferred for their long range and accuracy, many older smooth-bore muskets of foreign and domestic manufacture saw service as well. Chief among these was the 1842 Springfield. This weapon had a 42 inch long, .69 caliber barrel. It fired one solid .69 caliber round lead ball, along with three small buckshot. Produced until 1855 at Springfield, Massachusetts and at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, 172,000 were made. Some of these (about 10,000) were later rifled in the pre-war period. While rifles were preferred for their long range and accuracy, many older smooth-bore muskets of foreign and domestic manufacture saw service as well. Chief among these was the 1842 Springfield. Henry Rifles carried 16 shots that hurt the confederates to a very big disadvantage only 10,000 were made but they did a lot of damage. The Confederates could not beat this weapon which was an advantage to the Union. (RH and ZB) || All fire arms larger than small arms are known as artillery or cannons. Although there were dozens of different types of cannon used during the civil war, they all fell into one of two categories: smoothbore or rifled cannon. They were further designated by the weight of their projectile(12-pounder, 24-pounder, 32-pounder,ect) the caliber or size of their bore diameter (3-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch) method of loading (breech or muzzle), and often their inventor or the factory in which they were made (i.e. Dahlgren, napoleon, Rodman, parrot, Whitworth) a further distinctive involved the path of their trajectories: guns had a flat trajectory, mortars a high, arching path and a howitzer a trajectory between the other two. Civil war artillery was a very power full thing an 8-10inch 45-90 pound shells could fire 2,000 yards and still make an avalanche from a mountain. 10-pdr cannons could shoot 2,300 yards and shoot accurately. II. Small Arms A small arm that was used a lot was the 45.caliber bolt action. Also a 56.caliber shot was the most accurate shot. There where rarely used. III. Edged Weapons Edged weapons were the main key to winning. When an enemy was close they would stab the enemy. There were 3 main groups on edged weapons. Guns with daggers on the end, swords men, and a few hundred feet back artillery. I hope any one who’s reading that you learned a lot!!! JJ (CK & RH) ||  ||
 * The basic weapon of a soldier was the single-shot, muzzle-loading musket. The Enfield fired bullets of .577 calibers the same distance as a Springfield so they were used to, and the ammunition was interchangeable between the two. Externally, there were few differences .Col. Joshua Chamberlain, noted the number of abandoned Springfields around his position on Little Round
 * I. Artillery
 * 1) Robby and I found out some fascinating stuff about the war.
 * It was a bloody war.
 * They had artillery.
 * They had small arms
 * I. Artillery Artillery is larger than ordinary guns. Almost all artillery is very large and heavy. They had very large shells that weigh up to 90 pounds. It could fire at a range of 250 yards or less. That is very far. The favorite artillery piece in both the Union and Confederacy was the Napoleon. The North enjoyed an overwhelming advantage because they had more artillery. II. Small arms Any smaller weapons than a cannon carried by a soldier is a small arm. Rifles were considered as a small arm. Also just like in artillery they had many more small arms than the Confederacy did. Also, the Confederacy mostly got their guns by smuggling them. III. Minie Balls Minie balls were a lead rifle bullet from the civil war. It was brand new technology. It was a great responsibility for deaths on the battlefields. For it to work they had to jam the bullets into the muzzle hole and it took a lot of time to load and reload. It actually took about 25 seconds to reload the musket. It could hit a soldier from 250 yards away. The minie bullet was a defensive favor. IV. Edged Weapons Bayonets, Sabers, Swords, Short swords, Cutlasses, Bowie Knives. 250,000 were wounded and treated in the union hospital. Injuries caused by Edged Weapons. Edged weapons were an officer’s authority, and served their primary function in the Civil War. Horseman had trouble handling their horses with a weapon in their hand at the same time. Most of the time edged weapons were used to kill horses while trying to escape. (ZR, GF & TH) ||  ||
 * I. Civil War Small Arms MUSKET, RIFLES, SHOULDER GUNS, PISTOLS, REVOLVERS, SPRING FIELD, HARPERS FERRY RIFLE, MUZZLE LOADERS, BREACH LOADERS, SPENCER CARBINE, .52 CALIBER CARTRIDGES, HENRY REAPEATING RIFLE, 44 CALIBER CARTRIDGES, COLT REVOLVER, FRENCH LEMAT REVOLVER, P.G.T BEAUREGARD, 557 CALIBER SHOT, STUART, 700,000 WERE USED BY THE CONFEDERATES

II. EDGED WEAPONS BAYONETS,SABERS,SWORDS,SHORT SWORDS CUTLASSES,BOWIE KNIVES,PIKES,LANCES, 250,000 WERE WOUNDED BY THESE WEAPONS

III. ARTILLERY RIFLE CANNON, GATLIN GUN, GUN HOWITZER, PARROT RIFLE, NAVAL AND SIEGE CANNONS, 12 POUND RIFLE, GRAPE SHOT, SMOOTHBORES, CHAIN SHOT,

IV. MINIE BALL HALF INCH LEAD RIFLE BULLET (SD & NB) ||  ||