Allison Miller
Mrs. Horvath
Honors US History 173
21 November 2017
Civil War Technological Advancements
February 17, 1864. The H.L. Hunley, a 25-foot-long converted boiler tank, is gliding through the Charleston Harbor, ready to defend the Confederate name by demolishing a fleet of wooden ships belonging to Union soldiers. Her crew consists of eight soldiers, six of whom are cranking her propellor to reach the rapid speed of nearly four miles an hour. It is unclear as to whether the heroic vessel earned her passengers fame and glory or if she merely gained a victory for the Confederate army (Davis). Regardless, this memorable journey would not have been possible if it were not for the advancements made to submarines, and all transportation, throughout the Civil War. This ship's journey showed the importance and opportunity in undersea warfare throughout the war, which naturally led to an increase in underwater fighting methods. Examples like this, and many others, show the massive importance of the creation of new innovations during periods of war. The Civil War had a major effect on technological advancements in weaponry, transportation, and communication.
Firstly, in any war weapons are of major importance, and a great focus is placed on ensuring that soldiers are equipped with the best possible weapons for fighting. In past fighting experiences, soldiers were frustrated with their machinery poor “loading, reliability, and the firing of sustained bursts (Gatling Gun). Among these things, fighting was slow and inefficient, as the need to reload your gun after every round shot opened soldiers up a high likelihood of being shot in the interim. Invented by Richard J. Gatling, the Gatling Gun was the first major attempt to solve these problems. According to research done by members of the History Channel, the hand driven machine gun consists of multiple barrels that revolve around a central axis, making it possible to fire rounds off at a quick pace (Gatling Gun). Despite the success of the Gatling Gun, there were still many problems with this new machinery, including “the complicated process through which rounds were loaded, fired, and extracted, and the fact that it was a hand-cranked weapon” (Gochenour). Historians at PBS presented that Gatling invented the gun in the hopes that a weapon so catastrophic in its damage would convince men to stop waging war (Civil War Innovations). Unfortunately, its efficiency in killing only made war more deadly.
Simply put, the Gatling Gun was not the primary piece of weaponry used in the Civil War, as there were many other highly destructive and highly dangerous innovations available. One of these was the Minié Ball, “a cylindrical bullet with a hollow base that expanded when fired, proved lethally accurate over relatively long distances” (Minié Ball). With the ability to successfully shoot at the enemy from far away, soldiers were able to not only increase their likelihood of ensuring safety but also maximize their number of targets. During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate troops were armed with the Minié Ball, as its long-range accuracy allowed for successful infantry and cavalry assaults could be successful (Minié Ball). Additionally, the hollow base of the Minié Ball allowed for soldiers to quickly reload their rifles regardless of the gun’s cleanliness, as built up gunpowder collects there is less space to enter a bullet. The Minié Ball is thought to account for nearly ninety percent of all Civil War casualties – a number reaching nearly 180,000 individuals. (Minié Ball). This innovation, while small in size, caused a major impact on the deadly effect of the Civil War and proved the importance of advancements in weaponry throughout the Civil War.
Secondly, while weapons are vital to any war, they would be unnecessary if the soldiers could not quickly and efficiently reach their fighting destinations, which prompted a need for advancements in transportation. As encouraged by President Lincoln, railroads were used to in both the north and south, despite that “the North had a distinct advantage, with superior infrastructure (20,000 miles of track), better equipment and their own locomotive factory” (Civil War Innovations). According to the History Detectives at PBS, despite the South’s disadvantage, they used their railroads first to send supplies to vital areas.
The importance of ensuring that railroads covered the entire United States also helped to bring the Union together and help put an end to the war. After the passing the Pacific Railroad Act,
The first of several acts passed in the decade that allocated funding for the construction of the transcontinental railroad, allowing for the rapid growth of the manufacturing sector and the continued expansion of the rail network Westward, linking the Northeast to farm and grazing areas of the Midwest and the Plains. Total railroad mileage in the United States more than doubled in the first decade after the war. Expansion continued through the turn of the century, leading to growth in the iron, steel, and mining industries (Civil War and Reconstruction).
With the United States working towards expanding railroads, there was an influx of jobs, a boost in the economic growth, and development in various metal and mining industries — all of which benefitted our country. According to Frank Salamone, an Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at Iona College and a Certified Advanced Facilitator of the University of Phoenix, “railroads improved the movement of goods and people, forging ties that served both sides well during the Civil War. Better transportation fostered increasing trade within the country but brought little government regulation” (Civil War and Industrial). Unlike weapons, railroads provided many productive and safe opportunities for American citizens and helped progress the Civil War.
Lastly, communication was also of major importance during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln’s need to communicate across the entire continent led to Samuel Morse’s inventions of the telegraph and Morse Code. Using a telegraph guaranteed that messages could not be stolen, as they were being passed through a current. As mentioned in the New York Times,
Among the advantages claimed by the new system are the readiness with which it is learned, the case with which a message can be translated after it is received, and the impossibility of stealing it from the wires during transmission by the use of a sounder (The Pacific Telegraph).
A large number of benefits made telegraphs a widely popular and profitable market. Telegraphs were highly desirable for Army captains to communicate across the nation. Due to the high demand for telegraph communication, over 15,000 miles of telegraph cables were laid for military purposes alone, in addition to hundreds of miles added for non-military purposes (Civil War Innovations). With the newly added railroads laid across the country, the installation of telegraph cables was simplified greatly, allowing for quicker communication throughout the nation. As mentioned in the Encyclopedia of the American Military, “railroads and the telegraph allowed decisions to be made and executed more quickly and accurately” (Jessup 1180). These benefits make the telegraph a necessary source of communication, especially during a war.
The inventor of the both the telegraph and Morse code, Samuel Finley Breese Morse, was a Yale educated painter/sculpture. After founding the National Academy of Design in New York City, Morse invented “an apparatus for an electromagnetic telegraph” (Morse, Samuel Finley). According to information from Issues and Controversies in American History,
In 1843 the U.S. Congress appropriated $30,000 for Morse to construct an experimental telegraph line between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md. The line was successfully installed, and on May 24, 1844, Morse sent the first message: "What hath God wrought!" Morse was subsequently involved in much litigation over his claim to the invention of the telegraph, and the courts decided in his favor. He received many honors (Morse, Samuel Finley).
Morse’s invention allowed for news to be spread throughout the country within minutes — something never imaginable at this time period. According to a newspaper article published on October 26, 1861,
“The work of carrying westward the transcontinental telegraph line has progressed with so little blazonment, that it is with almost an electric thrill one reads the words of greeting yesterday flashed instantaneously over the wires direct from California” (Progress of the Telegraph).
The ability to communicate worldwide during the Civil War allowed for new war tactics to be attempted, battle victories to be broadcasted throughout the nation, and the ability for everyone to better communicate with each other, making technological advancements in the Civil War incredibly important.
Until World War II, the H.L. Hunley was the only American submarine to sink an enemy vessel (Davis). This achievement led to an era of innovation and an excitement towards creating new things. The many accomplishments and failures of the Civil War would not have been achieved had it not been for new technologies being developed and for their successes and failures to prompt the innovation of new inventions.