Civil War Inventions

Civil War Inventions

Unit 8, Exploring the impacts of Sectionalism and Technology

Open Ended

What war technology do you think was used in the U.S. Civil War?

(Think about types of guns and other weaponry)

Many inventions were created and widely used during the Civil War.

​War often brings about new inventions, and the Civil War was no different.

Rifling weapons were introduced. Rifling is the name of the shallow spiral channel on the inside of the rifle barrel. It caused the bullet to spin as it was forced through the channel on the inside of the rifle barrel. The spinning caused the bullet to go faster without wobbling. This caused the speed and distance a bullet could go, as well as the accuracy of the weapon, to be greatly increased. Another improvement to the rifle was making it breech loading and using cartridge rounds. New carbine rifles shot metal cartridges which were not ruined if they got wet, as the paper cartridges did. Samuel Colt designed new revolvers for the Union Army and Navy.  He also introduced a new kind of revolving rifle which allowed marksmen to fire six shots in place of a single bullet. Marksmen came into their own during the Civil War. Using long rifles and telescopic sights, they were able to pick off targets 1,800 yards away.  

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was not an improvement made to rifles?

• breech loading

• metal cartridges

• Colt revolvers

• rifling

• All were improvements made during the civil war

Multiple Choice

Marksmen were not used during the Civil War.

• True

• False

In addition to hand weapons used by soldiers, there was the artillery such as Gatling guns, howitzers, and mortars. The Gatling gun, or early machine gun, was also invented during the Civil War. It could fire multiple bullets very rapidly. The bullets dropped from a large bin into the firing chamber so they did not have to be loaded one at a time. These cannon like guns would shoot a high speed shell and were most useful against forts, ships, and large buildings. Howitzers would shoot shells at a slower speed. They usually planned to have the shells burst over the heads of soldiers so the shrapnel did more damage. Mortars were usually mounted in one place and were great for lobbing shells over walls and barriers.

Multiple Choice

What gun shot shells at a slower speed?

• cannons

• howitzers

• mortars

• torpedoes

Both Confederate and Union leaders knew war ships were important. They covered wooden ships with thick metal plates. These Ironclads, as they were called, were strong enough to survive cannon fire from the shoreline. These ships were used to blockade Southern ports, cutting off supplies to troops.  

Multiple Choice

What were Ironclads?

•  iron covered ships

• men wearing armor

• extra strong cannons

• forts with metal walls

Naval mines were also widely used for the first time during the Civil War.  The South’s navy was not as strong as the North’s.  They needed something to make up the difference. The South decided to use mines, or torpedoes as they were called at the time.  They were successful in sinking over 25 Union boats.  The South also used these “torpedoes” on land as well, introducing the first landmine.

Multiple Choice

Why did the South use mines?

• They wanted to get gold.

• The mines were called torpedoes.

• They needed something to beat the Union Navy.

• They sunk over 25 boats.

In 1864, the H. L. Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy ship during wartime. It was just over 39 feet long and just under 4 feet wide. It was powered by crew members who cranked a propeller by hand. The submarine was built to ram a torpedo into a target and then back away, causing a trip line to set off an explosion. The Hunley successfully sank the Union warship Housatonic.

Multiple Choice

Which side was the Hunley on?

• Union

• Confederacy

Open Ended

What are the names of new weapons used during the Civil War that you remember learning about Wednesday?

The Civil War also saw the beginnings of a militarized air force. While the South saw more success in the naval arena, the Union had success with its hot air balloon corps. The Union Army Balloon Corps consisted of six hot air balloons - the Eagle, Constitution, Washington, Union, Intrepid, and Excelsior - whose uses reconnaissance and aerial observation for map making and troop observation. These hot air balloons were mostly tethered for safety but also so they could give real time reports to generals via signal flags or the use of a telegraph. The portable helium pump was also invented during this time due to the necessity of filling the balloons on the battlefield.

One of the safest ways to send messages was to write them in code. Special alphabet wheels called ciphers were created that allowed scrambled letters to be coded (or decoded). Troops were given cipher wheels that could be adapted for a constantly changing series of codes. These wheels were so valuable that soldiers were expected to destroy them-- and themselves, if necessary-- before they could be captured by the enemy. The Union Army created their own coding system, but the Confederacy used an old European system. Sometimes the messages were so complex that by the time they were decoded, they were no longer useful.

Multiple Choice

Why did the troops use codes?

• The Confederacy used an old European code.

• The Union created their own code.

• The codes were complex.

•  It was the safest way to send messages.

The Union Army needed a way to feed their hungry troops. Although tin cans had been in America since 1817, there was no reliable way to open. In 1858 Ezra J. Warner patented the first can opening device. When the Civil War broke out, the Union Army realized the value of supplying troops with individual metal containers and a reliable way to open them. Warner’s can opener was included in each soldier’s standard equipment.

Multiple Choice

Which invention helped feed hungry troops?

• Gatling gun

• the Hunley

• the can opener

• Ironclads

Open Ended

Which Civil War invention is most surprising to you? Why?

Please answer in at least two complete sentences.