The American Civil War ( 1861 to 1865), fought between Confederate and Union forces, was by so far the most bloody and deadly affair in the world’s history. There were many different technologies and weapons used on both sides during the civil war. These new weapons and technologies completely changed the way wars were fought with the future of war. Some of these weapons and technologies were also used in a major war for the very first time.

1. 5 Unique American Civil War Weapons

2. The American Civil War ( 1861 to 1865)
● Fought between Confederate and Union
forces, was by so far the most bloody and
deadly affair in the world’s history.
● There were many different technologies and
weapons used on both sides during the civil
war and it changed the way wars were fought
with the future of war.
● Some of these weapons and technologies
were also used in a major war for the very first
time.
The American Civil War had its share of unusual
deadly weapons. Here’s a look at the top five
weapons:

3. 1. Muskets And Rifles
● Despite advancements in technology, the soldiers in
both Confederate and Union forces on the battlefield
fought with the old style guns, muskets.
● These muskets had very smooth bores and these were
also unreliable as it took a very long time to reload
them. These were also inaccurate for distance longer
than 40 yards.
● Rifles on the other hand, occurred more reliable during
the war period as rifles had shallow spiral grooves and
they were accurate for a longer distance range than
rifles.

4. 2. Cannon
● Cannons played a major role and were used by both
Union and Confederate forces during the entire war.
● They were loud,huge and packed a punch. There
were variety of cannons used in the American Civil
War, including M1857 12-pounder “Napoleon”, 24-
Pounder Howitzer and the 20-pounder parrott rifle.
● These cannons were the best weapon, used against
the enemy fortification to destroy them . They could
fire a bunch of smaller iron balls or a large solid
cannon ball.

5. 3. Hot- Air- Balloons
● Hot- air balloon was one of the interesting new
technology used by the Union force.
● These balloons were used to determine the
movements, locations and other activities of the
enemy troops. Balloonist would fly right above the
enemy armed forces.

6. 4. Knives, Swords And Bayonets
● Many swords and knives were used widely in
the civil war, including Model 1832 Dragon
Saber, Model 1832 Foot Artillery, Model 1840
cavalry Saber, Model 1932 Dragoon Saber,
Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber, Model 1850
Army Staff and Field Officer’s’ Sword as well
as the Bowie Knife.
● Much of the time the soldiers would use a
knife like spike attached to the end of their
rifles called a bayonet. Soldiers often had
pistols or swords that they use in close battle.

7. 5. Ironclad Warships
● Ironclad warships were another great innovation
of American Civil war. Like hot air balloons, the
ironclad warship was not exactly invented during
the war but Civil War was only the period these
ironclads saw effective use.
● These were the ships made of canvas and wood
and equipped with iron, which made them much
stronger and impervious to attack.

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