Technical advancements of war.

I know you pacifists will say that nothing good comes out of war.
But you have to admit that there are technical advancements made.
And common sense says that those that have the most are likely to win.

There were quite a few advancements made in the Civil War.
Maybe I'm a nerd, but, they seem interesting to me.

Take that little bronze cannon on the right.

It sure is a pretty shade of color. It's called the Napoleon.
But in some battles, like at Gettysburg, it was rarely fired.

That's because it could reach one mile but with very poor accuracy.

It is likely to hit somewhere between that first and second fence.

On the other hand….take a look at this guy:

See that obelisk 2 miles away?
This 1862 "rifle" could not only hit, but it could hit it repeatedly and at whatever height they wanted to aim at!

This is why:

Compare it with the smooth-bore old-styled Napoleon: 

See the wide grooves inside the bore of the newer one?
They make the shell rotate throughout he bore in a specific way that increased it's accuracy tremendously.

In fact, at the end of the war  they asked an Union artillery commander if it was true that they could hit something 3 miles away.
His response: "If I can see it, I can hit it."


Some make a big deal about how the Union, with its advanced manufacturing techniques, had much more of this type of equipment.
Well, let me tell you that all these pictures I have shown you are form the Confederate side of the Gettysburg line.

And take a look at these old style cannon balls, like the 12 pounder shot by the Napoleon above….

 vs. these much more modern shells.

Well, these were found at the Confederate side of where Grant crossed the Mississippi, south of Vicksburg.
Yep, those Rebels did have modern stuff, just not as much.

I know this might be TMI…
But, before I quit, I should show you one thing that did indeed give the Union a clear advantage:

The Rebels just didn't have these.
It's the Spencer repeating rifle, with multiple cartridges fed from it's buttocks, whenever the lever is activated.

Yes, both sides had learned about "rifling" their muzzle loaders to increase accuracy so a good hunter-type guy, while standing, could shoot his enemy at 300 yards.
No more need for that War of Independence order: "Don't shoot till you can see the whites of their eyes" (50 feet to 50 yards at the most).

By Gettysburg in 1863, the Union had these repeaters in the hands of many in the calvary. And by 1865 everyone in the calvary plus many footmen had these.
No need to stop and reload  after every shot with old-style single shoot muzzle-loaders or even the quicker single-loading breech-loaders! 

It explains why, despite Lee's fame as a great military leader,

1. Casualties at Gettysburg totaled 23,049 for the Union (3,155 dead, 14,529 wounded, 5,365 missing). 
   Confederate casualties were 28,063 (3,903 dead, 18,735 injured, and 5,425 missing), more than a third of Lee's army.
   
   
   Hope this has shown some of the "advancements" that war can bring.