New Bullets and Civil War

The start of the civil war and events leading up to the war triggered many advancements in science and technology. The earlier spread of the railroads helped move goods and transport troops during the war. Spread of communication occurred due to the invention of the rotary press and application of steam power used for printing. This led to rapid development of different news outlets and cheaper prices of news papers making new available to a larger audience. The invention of the telegraphy made it easier to gather information that happened in different locations because you no longer had to rely on mail to receive news and information. The telegraphy also made communication during the war more instant for commanders.

This new surge of news outlets made it easier to spread word from abolitionist and other activist helping fuel the fire of the civil war. Once the war began access to the news made it easier for people to know what was going on during the war allowing them better insight then in any previous war due to images and reports making the war seem more real and close to home. The civil war led to the development of better weapons such as the Gatling the first machine gun, landmines and naval mines. Although these items were rarely used due to wastefulness. The musket was used originally but was the in accuracy of the shot led to the mass production of the riffle which was far more accurate due to the better design of the barrel.

This new riffle led to the development of new bullets like bullets used today, the bullet had grooves that helped it spin through the barrel and carried bacteria causing infection once inside the target. The main way to combat these infections was to amputate. Due to the improvement of combat weapons more prosthetic limbs began to be produced and improved. The goal was to make more natural looking prosthetic for amputees and have better functioning using different ball bearings and springs.

The civil war also led to developments of new more modern naval ships. These new ships were made of iron and equipped with guns on either side so the ship did not have to turn to fire. Also developed in the civil war was the first submarine. The need for improvements of weapons and long distant communication led to the development of these new inventions and ultimately helped the north win the war over the south. Weapons built during the civil war were further improved leading to better weapons for WWI an improved fighting tactics.

Cite this page