The Whitworth RifleThe age of snipers began in 1861 when there was a request for “one shot, one kill” weapons. The first sniper rifle ever created was the Whitworth rifle. These sniper rifles were able to shoot targets about 800 yards away. These sniper rifles were capable of shooting .38 caliber rounds, capable of doing horrible damage to infantry. Sniper rifles made a big difference in the Civil War’s warfare.

Civil War CannonsDuring the Civil War there were two main artillery weapons. The first was the cannon and the special artillery weapon was the mortar cannon. The cannon was used for direct attacks on forts and boats, while the mortar cannon was used for angled attacks from the ground to forts and boats. Each cannon used a 3 to 5 inch cannon ball weighing from 10 to 20 pounds. These weapons were used for mass destruction of forts and boats and was a game changer in the warfare of the Civil War.

The Revolver During the Civil War there was a growing need for repeating pistols. Single shot flintlock pistols were not handy when it came to secondary weapons with higher fire rate. The most powerful revolver ever invented was the Colt .44 caliber revolver. This pistol was designed to do incredible damage to a soldiers. These revolvers saved the lives of many soldiers making them dependent on their secondary weapon. These devastating handguns were a big step in the warfare of the Civil War.

The Gatling GunThe Gatling gun was a weapon of mass destruction, and was the first heavy machine gun. The Gatling gun was a six barrel, hand cranked heavy machine gun, capable of firing 600 rounds a minute with each barrel firing 100 rounds a minute. This weapon fired .58 caliber rounds, and about 1000 rounds per cartridge. This strongly helped the Union defeat the Confederacy and win the Civil War.

The CSS Virginia

The CSS Virginia is an ironclad ship stolen from the Union and turned into a Confederate warship. It was commissioned in mid February 1862. This ship was invulnerable to contemporary fire. This ship had ten guns and an iron ram allowing it to ram other ships. It first went into combat on March 8, 1862. In this battle the CSS Virginia rammed the USS Cumberland and shelled the frigate Congress into submission.

The USS MonitorThe USS Monitor is a 987 ton armored turret gunboat designed by John Ericsson. It was commissioned on February 25, 1862. John Ericsson created a ship designed for inshore fighting with a shallow-draft iron hull topped by an armored raft that provided good protection against ramming and cannon fire. The Monitor left New York on March 6.

The AlligatorOn May 1, 1862 the 47 foot long oar-propelled Alligator became the first submersible warship of the U.S. Navy designed by French inventor Brutus De Villeroi. It was designed to clear obstacles, but not to sink ships. In 1863 it’s oar system was replaced with the screw propeller. In 1863 the Alligator was caught in a storm and was never seen again.

Civil War SubmarinesThe first submarines were steam powered. On October 5, 1863 the first steam powered sub attacked the USS New Ironsides disabling the ship but not sinking it. The first submarine to successfully sink a ship was the 40 foot long Hunley which was powered by eight men turning a crank attached to the propeller shaft. On February 16, 1864, under the cover of darkness, the Hunley sank the USS Housatonic.

Battle of the IroncladsAt dawn on March 9 1862 the CSS Virginia and the USS monitor prepared for combat. All at once both ships began to fire at each other trying to disable the other, but their iron armored sides prevented vital damage. The CSS Virginia smokestack was shot which reduced it’s mobility. Soon the Virginia hit the Monitor’s pilothouse which blinded the Monitor’s commander. Before the Monitor can recover the CSS Virginia retreated back to Norfolk. The first battle between the ironclads ended in a stalemate.