How Did Technology Affect the Civil War? Research Paper Example

The America Civil War became the first modern war due to the application of technology. Technological advancement had a significant impact on the American Civil War. The period prior to and during the Civil War wascharacterized by the development of military, transport and communications technology (Dumenil 34-44). The militarytechnology included ironclad ships, submarines, military tactics referred to as Total War and the rifled musket. Transporttechnology during the civil war was the railroad system while communications technology was mainly the telegraph andphotography.

The rifled musket is considered to be a significant development that had a positive impact during the Civil War. The rifle had an advanced design and used cone shape bullets instead of the ball-like bullets. The cone shape bullet is more streamlined and highly aerodynamic. As a result, it can penetrate obstacles easily. Unlike the revolutionary musketswhose bullets could only afford a range of 100 yards, the aerodynamic cone shape bullets of the rifle musket had range of 500 yards. The vast range of the bullet is due to its aerodynamic nature. In addition to the rifle, the Gatlin gun was alsodeveloped during the civil war. Gatling gun is the predecessor of the machine gun. It is a rapid-fire gun containing eight separate barrels (Smith 1861-1865).

The development of the ironclad ships was a great milestone in military technology during the civil war. Theironclad ships were very powerful since they could not be destroyed easily. Shots from cannon balls were not enough to destroy them. The ships were fitted with steel plates on their sides. The ironclad ships were the first steel ships to be usedin the ocean during the civil war. The steel hull of the ships made it impossible for them to sustain a critical damageduring a war. Submarines were first successfully used during the civil war. Land mines and naval mines such as theTorpedoes was a dominant civil war technology (Howard 633).

In addition to the weaponry, the developments of the transport and communication channels are also vital civil wartechnology that had a great impact on the war. Railroads were critical in sustaining the war by moving troops and suppliesfrom one place to another. The Union had a powerful railroad system than the confederate (Watson 467). Telegraph andpictures were useful communication tools during the civil war. The telegraphs were used by the commanders and leadersfor instant communication. Observation balloons were also helpful in watching battles and monitoring the movement of the enemy troop (Erickson 869). The development of photography made it possible for events of the civil war to be captured in pictures. The pictures brought out the reality of war in a manner that has never been seen before.

Works Cited

Dumenil, G., and D. Levy. “The Historical Dynamics of Technology and Distribution: The U.S. Economy Since the Civil War.” Review of Radical Political Economics (1992): 34-44. Print.

Erickson, Joe. “Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails: The Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War (review).” Technology and Culture: 861-62. Print.

Howard, Robert A. “Interchangeable Parts Reexamined: The Private Sector of the American Arms Industry on the Eve of the Civil War.” Technology and Culture: 633. Print.

Mountjoy, Shane. Technology and the Civil War. New York: Chelsea House, 2009. Print.

Nevins, Allan. “A Major Result Of the Civil War.” Civil War History: 237-50. Print.

Smith, Merritt Roe. “Civil War Time: Temporality and Identity in America, 1861-1865 (review).” Technology and Culture: 424-26. Print.

Watson, Samuel. “The Railroad and the State: War, Politics, and Technology in Nineteenth-Century America, and: Nations, Markets, and War: Modern History and the American Civil War, and: The Business of Civil War: Military Mobilization and the State, 1861–.” Journal of the Early Republic: 467-77. Print.