Rifle-Muskets Used During The Civil War

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1. Rifle-Musket The most popular gun during the Civil War was the rifle loaded with minié balls. Both the Confederates and Unions used the rifle-muskets, but the Springfield was more popular among the North and the Enfield was more popular in the South. Since there was a weapon shortage for an amount of time the Union and Confederates had to get guns shipped from Europe or had to use their personal hunting guns. 2. Minié Ball The minié ball was a new bullet that was more destructive and had better long-range accuracy then previous ammunition being used. It was the most common ammunition for the Union and Confederate soldiers during this time. Around 90% of the casualties during the Civil War were caused by the minié bullet. 3. Landmines …show more content…

It could be triggered by pulling trip wires or having been pressure activated. It was gunpowder, fuse, and detonation caps in iron containers that were sometimes thought of as unethical by numerous people. 4. Hand Grenades One type of hand grenade, the Ketchum grenade, was used by the Union as an explosive that could be thrown as if it were a dart. When thrown a plunger would ignite a percussion cap releasing a large amount of gunpowder which was overall deadly. The only downfall about hand grenades during the Civil War was the fact that they could sometimes be caught and thrown back at the thrower. 5. Preston Brook’s Cane On May 22, 1856, Preston Brooks, a proslavery U.S. congressman at the time, decided to let Senator Charles Sumner know about what he thought about his speech from the previous days in a violent way. Brooks walked onto the almost deserted Senate floor and started hitting antislavery supporter, Sumner, with his cane senselessly until his cane shattered then he walked out. Sumner almost died due to the wounds he was given during this attack and it took him more than 2 years to recover from his injuries, although many side effects of the accident stuck with him. This attacks hinted at the brutal war to come from the debates of

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