Technology Impact On Civil War

The basis for my research paper is to illuminate the ways in which new (for the time period) technologies changed the way the American Civil war was fought. Similar to technology used in any other field, war technology is constantly being processed and innovated towards a more advanced ,and or effective way of operating the proposed task. Some innovations at this time were from the north and another portion were from the south yet, they all played a part for either side to the way in which the battle was fought and ultimately won. These technologies were in the fields of weaponry, transportation, communication and health each one of these categories impacted the way America fought it’s Civil War.

Starting with the most conspicuous

technology of war, the weaponry. Spanning over the course of four years from 1861 to 1865 the conflict was between the North or Union armies and their opposing confederate arms in the south . This conflict led to the death of over six hundred thousand with millions more left injured(). From the times of hand to hand combat all the way to this war, the ways in which we fight have been an evolving art. Prior to the Civil war most soldiers carried muskets with a small range of roughly two hundred and fifty yards().Yet, in itself this was not an effective range. For them to accomplish any accuracy one would have to come in close contact with their intended target. This would take time to come closer to their target and still maintain some safety. They would have to come with in approximately eighty yards of their opponent to gain any accuracy. In addition, the bullet sometimes had to be pounded into the barrel with a mallet or ramrod to load, adding again to the time between shots(). For its time the musket was a great advancement but more advancements were to come. Being brought to the table in 1848, we have the mini ball originally the “Minie ball” deriving from its inventor, French army officer Claude Minié. This bullet was shot out of a muzzle loading rifle.It had a cone shaped led bullet that was able to be loaded quickly. This was because the bullet had a smaller diameter than the barrel.The bullets hollow base expanded when shot. Prior to this a bullet had to have the same diameter as the barrel due to the rifling inside. The word rifle derives from the Anglo Saxon word meaning grove(). The rifling inside a barrel is there to cause the bullet to spin. With this rotation you get a straight shot. This all led to the accuracy and speed associated with the rifle and it's mini ball. All of these combined provided a more accurate shot with the additional long range needed for land based warfare. Also these guns could be shot from trains or ships and still hit their intended target. This proved the bullet to be lethal for it's accuracy even over the long distances like that of a battlefield terrain.
Rapid fire at this time was one of the biggest advantages one could have. Introduced during the civil war in 1861 by Richard J Gatling. The gatling gun was comprised of many barrels that all revolved around a rotating center point. The gun was powered with a hand crank and each barrel would individually fire one after the other. This time inbetween solved on of the main problems of overheating that was seen when developing a rapid firing gun. On average one gun could fire one hundred to two hundred rounds per minute.

Even though the gatling gun didn’t see much combat its introduction into the world changed even how we fight wars today. The same fundamentals for the original are used today in the America’s modern gatling gun which shoots four thousand rounds per minute.
Another weapon to hit its brink in the civil war was the primitive model of the torpedo which is what we now know as the mine. Originally one form was invented by General Gabriel J. Rain. His model was made up of iron containers fixed with gunpowder, a fuse and a brass detonation cap. Also, another style of torpedo was used to float on the water or just below the surface. The explosive chemicals were stored in vessels referred to as demijohns or carboys. Normally used for alcoholic fermentation, these containers could be sealed airtight which could prevent the powder from mixing with the water. These weapons were used on both sides the union and confederate. On the union side the electronically detonating torpedo was more popular because, the union had a larger navy and more ships coming in and out so they could use the electronic detonators to allow war ships through and still have the security of the torpedo when needed. Along with the the fact that the union had more access to the copper and platinum wire and acetic batteries needed to create such electronic explosives. For the union Benjamin S.H Maillefert was a Spanish engineer with a major in underwater detonation who with the B. Maillefert & Co. company used electronic batteries and iron rods to set off explosions. These explosions could even be triggered under the surface of the water.
Although primitive the torpedoes came to be a great asset in the war. They were one way that troops could keep soldiers out of harm by using triggered attacks. These torpedoes or mines are still in concept used today and for the civil war they came to modernize what way in which America thought of warfare. Having objects fight for them instead of actual people. One more step towards a more advanced style of fighting.

In the area of transportation, a technology that made its debut during the Civil war was the steam rail locomotive. The first working model was fabricated in the late eighteenth century by a number of contributors. Coming in second only to waterways the locomotive was a great tool for transportation and any logistical need. These steel giants could transport supplies, reinforcement troops,food or nourishment and even amo to the areas in need . There were twenty two thousand miles of track laid in the north and nine thousand five hundred laid in the southern region. The railroad was a very expensive technology to maintain between the rails the men working them and the accidents that led to devastation of much supplies. Even so trains came in handy when moving supplies. Without supplies such as ammo, food, water, guns and reinforcements an army is nothing. The trains provided a quick way to fill these needs for troops. Oddly enough steam trains were sometimes used as scouting vehicles. The could come close to an enemy area scout the perspective enemy and then just as fast go into reverse and get away. Steam engines at this time for the most part topped out at sixty miles per hour. This was fast enough to escape enemy fire and following cavalries if needed in emergency. In addition they could be armed with men and ployed as decoys. While the army was planning an attack from an opposing direction they could send in a small steam engine to distract the enemy. Due to the North having a more industrial base, they had more use with trains. In the sought here was a sparse availability of locomotive construction supplies such as iron, steel and other metals. The north also had the advantage of a larger coverage of rail.
In competition at this time with the steam locomotive was the use of river transportation. This for the most part came in the form of steam boats. At this time America was not the leader in Naval warfare. So neither the north or the south were not experts in the topic of hydro transportation. With the advantage of so many rivers the Americans did quickly learn.With the Mississippi River the confederates had an advantage with waterways. These boats came to be used for logistics and combat. In the north their navy with the assistance of James Buchanan Eadse devised the USS St. Louis, a “city class” ironclad gunboat . Other steam boats were just used to transport needed supplies or relief troops. On average steam ships could hold between one hundred tons to one thousand seven hundred tons. This was enough supplies to last an army for a few days. Even though in contrast to the railroad system river transportation seemed much slower it made up for the time with its load capacity.
Along with the physical transportation another factor was the ability to transport some goods.Supplies for nurrishment prior to the Civil war were strictily what you could find or carry with you fresh.Due to the fact that soldiers were on foot they couldn't just stop and order food. Each soldier had to carry food or have food rationed to them. Other than some high ranks who had cooks, soldiers were in charge of feeding. Canning and preserving foods helped soldiers to obtain food that is sanitary and easily prepared. With canning soldiers could eat more of the foods they would have if they were at home. Foods such as blueberries, lobster, beans and other meats could be preserved and kept in small portable tin containers. During the war condensed foods also became common. Such as coffees or milk products they could be condensed for easy transportation. Having there foods in the containers made it easy to transport them to regiments in need in the proper rations so that everyone could be nourished. Having preservers in the food made the supply strength because they didn't have to constantly worry if the foods have gone bad. They exaggerated the time periods between when the foods would go bad and spoil. Having the foods in tin cans or glass bottles protected them from contamination. While in battle running water is not common so washing foods before you eat them was rare. Due to the protective containers the food kept from being contaminated by any outside substances.

At this time in history long distance communication was not a plausible idea.

Communication in the nineteenth century involved physically moving from point A to point B. Most communication came in the form of handwritten letters. Some would be transported. If the letter was to be captured or never make it the sender may never find out and the message could be seen by the enemy leaving them with an upper hand. This remained so until the eighteen forties when Samuel F.B Morse sent the first code along a telegraph system. The message that he sent was “What hath God wrought?” which derives from the christian bible in the book of John, due to Morses religious affiliations.The telegraph is an arrangement of wires from the person sending the message and all the way to the person needing to receive the message. Along the wire the sender can put out electrical impulses that create an impression on a paper that is with the receiver. These impressions are an arrangement of dots and dashes, which could then be translated into letters and further into a message. Stations would be set up on either side of the wire where translators would wait and translate the incoming messages. They had charts the depicted what letter each arrangement symbolised. Not long after the war broke out many of the translators became so familiar with the code’s translations that they could read the message without the assistance of the guide. With this advancement people could send messages miles away and

with no one else knowing. The codes were and still are referred to as Morse code. In addition to the luxury of long distance communication having the messages received in a code assisted on preventing enemies from easily accessing the messages meaning. This would help armies to plan out attacks or even for generals to communicate the situations in other areas.The lines could help notify when forces were in need of help or in need of supplies.
Alongside that, another form of communication that proved to be vital the same year as the peak if the civil war was photography. First commercially introduced in 1839 photography swept the nation in its ability to freeze and capture instances in time. Yet it's biggest advancement came in 1861 with wet plate photography. Photographers could now develop their photographs quicker. Even though photographers went through a lot of lugging around heavy equipment and developing materials usually in wagons, the images that they captured proved to be worth it. The public wasn't used to such a violent and real side of war they only experienced the romanticized aspects from their home fronts.This changed much of the public's outlook on war. The photographs also provided a medium for better planning. Generals could collect photographs and draw out more elaborate plans for attack. The photographs served as records from each place that the came from recording moments of each battle.They could then piece together a better perspective on how to strategize each battle. Photography is a big part of how we study the wars of our pasts today.
In communication codes and photographs both serve as new ways for needed information to be presented evaluated and projected to their respective destination. We can also use these technologies documented from the time of war to better evaluate the war as a whole. This assists people in their ability to learn from the mistakes of their previous battles.

With all the advancements in artillery, transportation and communication on the other hand in the area of health we have a different story. The civil war was a time for much advancement yet medicine was not one of those. Due to this lack Americansfix thiswere forced to be creative and work harder in the fight to save their soldiers. One of the ways they made up for the lack in advancements in the area of health was by establishing shelters and help facilities. Major Jonathan Letterman a medical director for the Army of the Potomac and a Jefferson Medical college graduate was one of the people to make a contribution. Also known as the “Father of modern battlefield medicine” , Letterman designed an evacuation routes and also regulated ambulance systems. Prior to the ambulance system injured soldiers had to stay where they lay and fend for themselves or be cared for by a comrade.Dressing stations were used for immediate medical attention and evaluation. Such as providing bandaging and tourniquets to assess wound severity. If the soldier was deemed in need of further medical attention they would be transported to a field hospital.The field hospitals in the majority were located on the sidelines of the battlefield in barns or homes. Here doctors could perform emergency surgery. After surgery patients could then be moved to the nearest general hospital.At the generyal hospital there were a staff of doctors and nurses, usually only afew that could look after the patient until they could be approved and properly discharged. The structure of this system is still generally used today. Woman, even though at this time they didn't have much opportunity on the combat side of war still actually made huge contributions to the war efforts especially pertaining to health. Woman such as Clara Barton. Also referred to as the “Angle of the battlefield” Clara born Clarissa Harlowe Barton on christmas day 1821 was a hero from many union soldiers and confederate prisoners. Clara came to establish the American red Cross. An organization that works to relieve those in need. She worked to provide people with medical attention and nourishment to meet their basic needs. She used her wit as a nurse and teacher to arrange it all gathering able men to assist her. The American red Cross is still intact today and holds the same purposes plus more.

In addition another group established in the American Civil war was the Sanitary Commission. Introduced in 1861 their soul purpose was to supply , support, and educate the American military. They raised awareness of the need to be cautious around the ill and even raised funds to fill gaps in government funding. During the civil war just a few of the many illnesses prominent at the time were dysentery, typhoid fever, pneumonia,mumps, measles and even tuberculosis. Along with all of this spreading around the Army’s the germ theory wasn't discovered until the end of the nineteenth century. This came years after the start of the war. Yet one step the hospitals did take towards helping the spread of illnesses was adjusting the new hospital architecture. They changing the structure from a cramped area with beds side by side to new layouts that included spacing between each patient and going for a more spread out pavillion style. Having the pavillion style help to aerate the area . This provided better ventilation for the patients and medical staff. Another contribution to the advancements in the civil war was the hospital lay out and hygiene handbooks. William A. Hammond was the one who designed and standardized the divisions of a hospital's layout. He separated patients into three different categories that would decide where they could stay. The categories were mortally wounded wounded or those that were surely going to die,slightly wounded or those who just needed bandages or non surgical care and, surgically wounded or those who needed surgery to save. This helped to separate the doctors into the areas they needed to be based on what they were educated on and also to keep those who were going to die away from those who still had a chance.

At this time time surgery was primitive. Most ended with amputation. Due to another Civil war technology , the mini ball amputation in most cases was life saving. The mini ball caused larger wounds that even led to whole bones shattering. With this the only way to prevent infection of the wound would be to amputate it. No form of antibiotic was around yet. Poet Walt Whitman was a journalist in the civil war and he wrote about he saw a a general hospital.
“Spent a good part of the day in a large brick mansion on the banks of the Rappahannock, used as a hospital since the battle – seems to have received only the worst cases. Outdoors, at the foot of a tree, I notice a heap of amputated feet, legs, arms, hands, &c., a full load for a one-horse cart.”

Today's anesthetics were unknown at this time so if any was to be used it was in the form of chloroform and was only a temporary sedation.

The treatment of other nonsurgical illness were also primitive as the doctors had just started to veer away from the practice of bloodletting to clear out ones system. One of the ways physicians were encouraged to treat diseases like syphilis with mercury. It was trials like this that came to educate the medical staff of these hospitals, even though many were lost through this trial and error.

The constant need for advancements in medicine is what drove so many “practicing” physicians to explore more into the human body. All these advancements in health during the civil war has helped to pave the way for how we practice medicine today.

Conclusion

Overall war technologies shaped the way the Americans engaged in warfare in the American Civil war. With more advanced weaponry, transportation, ports of communication and better ways to save their mens health the Civil war would have been completely different without such technologies. For American the Civil war can be referred to as the first modern war incorporation the tactics that still hold today. Altogether these advancements have pulled America from the days of full hand to hand combat to what we have today where a war doesn’t even mandatorily require men or woman on the front

lines.