Emerald Sharp

Weapon Types

• Artillery– Firearms larger than small arms

• Small arms– Any weapon smaller than a canon and carried

by a soldier

• Edged weapons– Bayonets, sabers, swords, short swords,

cutlasses, Bowie knives, pikes and lances

Artillery Classification

Rifled

Smooth bore

Weight of Projectile

12/24/32 - pounder

Caliber of bore diameter

3/8/10 - inch

Method of Loading

Breech/muzzle

Inventor/Factory

Dahlgren/NapoleonRodman/Parrott

Whitworth

Path of Trajectory

Gun = flatMortar = high arch

Howitzer = between

Tactical Deployment

FieldSeacoast

Siege artillery

Weapon Material

• Depended on material availability

• Steel

• Bronze

• Iron

Napoleon

• Smoothbore, muzzle loading, 12-pounder “gun howitzer”

• Favorite artillery weapon for Union and Confederacy offensively and defensively

• Developed in 1857 under Louis Napoleon of France

Napoleon

• Made from bronze until South ran out, then iron

• Max range-1700 yards• Most effective at 250

yards• Probably caused most

causalities of all artillery pieces

Parrott Rifles

• Model 1861 2.9 inch– Developed in 1859-60

– Distinguished by muzzle swell

– First workable rifled gun for either side

– Union produced it quickly, inexpensively and in mass quantities

• Model 1863 3-inch– Could use same ammo

as 2.9 but 3 inch ammo often jammed the 2.9 guns

– Phased out mid-way through the war

– End of the Civil War ended the Parrott’s career

Model 1861

2.9 inch

Model 1863

3 inch

Parrott Rifle

3 inch Ordinance• One of most used guns• Most accurate, longer range (up to 2300 yards)• Long range meant that the shooter had to see the target to be

accurate• Rifled cannon was good for knocking down fortifications

– Key at Vicksburg and Atlanta

Model 1861 3-inch Ordinance Rifle

• Original was named “Griffin Gun” after John Griffin

• Found a procedure to strengthen iron and keep the barrel from bursting

• Lethal under 1 mile; effective at 1 ½ mile• 100 pounds lighter than the Parrott • Union produced about 1,000• Confederacy lacked the technology

12 pound Mountain Howitzers

• Manufactured by Armstrong and Whitworth

• Smallest and most portable

• Useful in the mountains of the Western theater

Dahlgrens/Rodman Smoothbores

• Naval and siege cannon

• Heaviest and most powerful

• 8-10 inch siege howitzers range was over 2000 yards

• Fired 45-90 pound shells

Artillery Ammunition

• Solid shot– Long range, fixed target

• Grape• Canister• Shell

– Long range, fixed target

• Chain shot– Used against masts and rigging of ships

                             

Solid shot

Grape shot

Canister

Shell

Chain shot

Canister Shot

• Scattershot projectile

• Small iron balls were incased in a canister, resembling a tin can

• Upon firing the canister disintegrated

• Effect was of a sawed off shotgun

• Lethal at 250 yards or less

Grape Shot

• Worked exactly like canister shot

• Only difference, it was wrapped in cloth or canvas

• Was not very practical for field artillery use

Small Arms

Musket•Smoothbore•Long-barreled shoulder arm

Rifle•Shoulder gun with spiral grooves cut into the inner barrel

Carbine•Short-barreled rifle

Handguns•Pistol•Revolver

Small Arms• Classified by caliber; mode of loading

(breech/muzzle) and maker• Most used was .58 cal Springfield Musket

and .69 cal Harper’s Ferry Rifle– Both muzzle loading and fired mini ball– These rifles changed infantry tactics

• Before, soldiers would be in mass groups and charge the enemy

• After, with greater accuracy and longer range (lethal at over ½ mile) frontal assaults were very deadly

.58 cal Springfield Musket

.69 cal Harper’s Ferry Rifle

Other important small arms

Henry Repeating Rifle – 15 rounds of .44 cal cartridges

Sharp’s Carbine

.44 cal Model 1860 Colt Revolver

Minie Ball• Before – use of rifles was impractical because

ammo was expensive and loading was time consuming

• 1848 – French army Capt. Claude F. Minie developed smaller, hollow-based bullet– Easier loading, expanded upon firing and spun out of

gun barrel. The spin made them more expensive but very accurate and far traveling.

• 1855 – Harper’s Ferry Armory worker James H. Burton found a cheaper way to make the ball

• Became the standard bullet for both sides

Minie Ball

Edged Weapons

• Bayonets

• Swords

• Sabres

• Short Swords

• Cutlasses

• Bowie knife

• Pikes and lances

Edged Weapons• Mostly served as decoration• Out of about 250,000 wounded treated in Union hospitals

only about 922 were injured from an edged weapon; most were from private disagreements

• Sabre– Cavalry sword– Lethal with trained mounted soldiers– Volunteers created many lop-eared horses

• Sword– Sign of officer’s authority

• Lance– Deadly with trained troops– Shortage in the South

North vs South Comparison

• North had a huge advantage over South in all artillery and higher percentage of rifled cannon to smoothbore cannon.

• Union had about 1,200 Napoleons produced for them; Confederacy produced between 500-600 on their own.

• In small arms, the South depended on smuggled imports from England and France.

• South was at disadvantage in majority aspects of weapons simply because of the lack of material availability and technology.

Bibliography

• http://www.civilwarhome.com/weapons.htm

• http://www.civilwarhome.com/artillery.htm

• http://www.civilwarartillery.com