More ammunition, which neither army had in great supply. Because breechloaders were able to fire more rapidly, they created a need for One of the greatest small arms controversies during the war involved theĭebate over breechloaders and muzzle-loaders. Confederate cavalrymen might be armed with a wide variety of handguns, shotguns, muzzle- loading In addition to Sharps and Spencer carbines, dozens of other types of breech-loaders, from. Union cavalrymen were initially armed with sabers and handguns, but soonĪdded breech-loading carbines. Officers generally carried both single- and multiple-shot handguns.Īlthough the types of handguns used by both sides were innumerable, two of the most common were six-shot revolvers producedīy Colt and Remington, both in. In addition, 100 rounds per man were held in the brigade or division trains Who placed them in his uniform pockets or knapsack. When a large action was expected, 20 additional rounds were issued to each soldier, The basic ammunition allowance for each infantry soldier wasĤ0 rounds in a leather cartridge box. Although the maximum range of a rifled musket might be over 1,000 yards,Īctual fields of fire were often very short, the emphasis of musketry fire resting upon volume at close range rather than Of loading and firing three aimed shots per minute. To fire the weapon the hammer was cocked,Īnd when the trigger was pulled the hammer struck the cap and ignited the powder charge. A copper percussion cap was then placed on a hollow cone at the breech. One end with his teeth, pour the powder into the muzzle, place the bullet in the muzzle, and ram it to the breech using a Procedure required the soldier to withdraw a paper cartridge (containing powder and bullet) from his cartridge box, tear open Was muzzle loaded, its rifled barrel taking a hollow-based cylindroconical bullet slightly smaller than the bore. 58-caliber rifled musket, adopted by the U.S. In a dust covered chest or box in the attic or storage facility, and in an old book in your community library.ĭuring most of the war the standard infantry weapon was the Perhaps the elusive photos are between the pages of grandma's old bible on a bookshelf, and
Remained with Stanton, whose son preserved it. It is also believed that the majority of the Civil War photos thatĮxist have never been circulated. Stanton, Lincoln's Secretary of War, had ordered this photograph to be destroyed. The discovery startled historians, because Edwin Library in 1952, a 14-year old boy was reading an old book and he found an envelope tucked between the pages that containedĪ photograph of President Abraham Lincoln in his coffin on April 24, 1865. Such photo discovered was of President Abraham Lincoln in a casket. Present-day, however, occasionallyĪ Civil War era photo is discovered and displayed allowing more insight into the war and the art of photography. Today, many read and study the conflict from history books and websites,īut at the time, they endured the unimaginable, the unthinkable, and it was personal and up close. The war killed 2% of the total US population, 620,000 Americans,Īnd every community was scathed in some manner. Released until 40 years after the war, innumerable photos were discarded because many Americans merely wanted to putĪny and all thoughts of the carnage of war behind them. While many of the photographs of the dead were not Of the war's photos were not released immediately for circulation. Although the Civil War witnessed the first use of photography in combat, most Than all other Civil War weapons combined. (Above) Weapons referred to as small arms and firearms killed more soldiers