Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Gatling gun: Arguably the most successful Civil War machine gun, the Gatling gun could sustain 150 rounds a minute thanks to its rotating barrel design. Although Chief of Ordnance James Wolfe Ripley was against its adoption, that did not stop individual generals like Benjamin Butler from purchasing them for their own use.
One of the best-known early rapid-fire firearms, the Gatling gun saw occasional use by the U.S. forces during the American Civil War, which was the first time it was employed in combat. It was later used in numerous military conflicts, including the Boshin War , the Anglo-Zulu War , and the assault on San Juan Hill during the Spanish–American ...
During the American Civil War, an assortment of small arms found their way onto the battlefield.Though the muzzleloader percussion cap rifled musket was the most numerous weapon, being standard issue for the Union and Confederate armies, many other firearms, ranging from the single-shot breech-loading Sharps and Burnside rifles to the Spencer and the Henry rifles - two of the world's first ...
For an American Civil War soldier, owning a Henry rifle was a point of pride. [5] Just 1,731 of the standard rifles were purchased by the government during the war. [6] The Commonwealth of Kentucky purchased a further 50. However, 6,000 to 7,000 saw use by the Union on the field through private purchases by soldiers who could afford it.
Nine-pounders were universally gone well before the Mexican War, and only scant references exist to any Civil War use of the weapons. The 12-pounder field gun appeared in a series of models mirroring the 6-pounder, but in far less numbers. At least one Federal battery, the 13th Indiana, took the 12-pounder field gun into service early in the war.
Rodman guns saw little action during the Civil War. Two 10-inch columbiads were used in 1864 and 1865 in Union operations against Fort Sumter . [ 7 ] It seems likely, due to the time period in which they were used, that these were Rodman guns rather than earlier model columbiads.
Dahlgren guns were muzzle-loading naval guns designed by a United States Navy Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren (November 13, 1809 – July 12, 1870), mostly used in the American Civil War. Dahlgren's design philosophy evolved from an accidental explosion in 1849 of a 32 lb (14.5 kg) gun being tested for accuracy, killing a gunner.
By the end of the Civil War, both sides were using this type of gun extensively. Parrott rifles were manufactured in different sizes, from the 10-pounder up to the rare 300-pounder. [5] The 20-pounder was the largest field gun used during the war, with the barrel alone weighing over 1,800 pounds (820 kg). Both the 10- and 20-pounders were used ...