List of weapons in the American Civil War facts for kids

The American Civil War was a huge conflict in the United States. It was fought between the Union (the North) and the Confederacy (the South) from 1861 to 1865. Both sides used many different kinds of weapons during this war. These included sharp weapons like knives and swords, firearms like rifles and pistols, and large cannons called artillery. New weapons like early grenades and landmines also appeared.

Many people call the Civil War one of the first "modern" wars. This is because it used the newest technology and ideas for fighting at the time. Some big changes included making lots of war supplies very quickly. Guns got better with "rifling," which made bullets spin and fly straighter. A new bullet called the Minié ball was also very important. Repeating guns, which could fire many shots without reloading, also started to appear. Trains were used to move soldiers and supplies, and some even had guns! Ironclad warships, which were ships covered in metal, were also new. Even submarines were tried out. People used hot air balloons to spy on the enemy from above. The telegraph helped send messages quickly. Medicine also improved, but old fighting styles from earlier centuries slowly changed.

Personal Weapons

Soldiers in the Civil War carried many different personal weapons. These included sharp blades and various types of guns.

Sharp Weapons

Soldiers used many kinds of sharp weapons up close.

• The Bayonet was a knife that attached to the end of a rifle or musket. Soldiers used it for fighting hand-to-hand.
• The Bowie knife was a large knife often carried by Confederate soldiers.
• Swords were also common. Cavalry (soldiers on horseback) used long, curved swords called sabers, like the Model 1840 Cavalry Saber. Officers often carried special swords, such as the Model 1850 Army Staff & Field Officers' Sword.
• Naval boarding parties, who attacked enemy ships, used short, heavy swords called cutlasses. They also had tools like harpoons and axes.

In 1862, the governor of Georgia, Joseph E. Brown, even suggested giving pikes (long poles with sharp points) to his state's soldiers. This was because there weren't enough guns. Thousands were made, but they probably weren't used much in battles.

Pistols

Pistols were smaller guns, often carried by officers or cavalry.

• The Colt M1851 Navy revolver was very popular. It was a .36 caliber pistol. The South especially liked this model, and they even made copies of it.
• The Colt M1860 Army revolver was a powerful .44 caliber pistol. It was made for the Union cavalry.
• The Remington M1858 revolver was another common pistol. It was a strong competitor to Colt's designs.
• A very unique pistol was the LeMat M1856 revolver. It had two barrels: one for regular bullets and a second, larger barrel that fired like a shotgun!
• The Smith & Wesson Model 1 was a smaller pistol that used new "rimfire" cartridges.
• The Deringer M1825 Philadelphia caplock pistol was a small, easily hidden pistol. One of these was famously used by John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.

Some Confederate cavalry units started the war with older single-shot pistols. These were often outdated by the time revolvers became common.

Rifles and Muskets

Rifles and muskets were the main weapons for most soldiers.

• The Springfield M1861 rifled musket was the most common rifle used by Union soldiers. It was a .58 caliber gun that fired the accurate Minié ball.
• The Enfield P1853 rifled musket was the second most common. Both the North and South imported many of these from Britain.
• Older smoothbore muskets, like the Springfield M1842 musket, were common early in the war. Many were later changed to have rifled barrels to fire the Minié ball.
• The Henry M1860 repeating rifle was a very advanced gun for its time. It could fire many shots quickly without reloading. It was a favorite for soldiers who could afford to buy one themselves. It was an early version of the famous Winchester repeating rifle.
• The Spencer M1860 repeating rifle was another important repeating rifle. The Union army, especially the cavalry, used it. It was loaded from a tube magazine.
• The Sharps rifle was a popular "breech-loading" gun. This meant it loaded from the back of the barrel, which was faster than loading from the front. The carbine (shorter) version was very popular with cavalry.

Early in the war, the Confederacy often used hunting rifles and even shotguns. This was because they didn't have enough military-grade weapons.

New and Interesting Weapons

The Civil War saw the first uses of some weapons that would become very important later.

Grenades

Soldiers in the Civil War used early forms of hand grenades. The Union used experimental Ketchum grenades. These had a wooden tail to help them land nose-first, which would set off the fuse. The Confederacy used round grenades that weighed about six pounds. They also had grenades similar to the Ketchum.

Landmines

Landmines were first developed by Confederate General Gabriel J. Rains. These were usually iron containers filled with gunpowder and a special cap to make them explode. These hidden explosives were scary for soldiers. Some generals, like Union General William T. Sherman, strongly disliked them.

Rapid-Fire Weapons

Some early machine guns appeared during the Civil War.

• The Union used the Agar machine gun, also called the "coffee-mill gun." It had a hand crank and a hopper for cartridges, much like a coffee grinder. President Lincoln himself saw it and called it the "coffee grinder gun."
• The Gatling machine gun was another early rapid-fire weapon. It was bought by some Union generals, even though the main army leader, General James Wolfe Ripley, thought it would waste ammunition.
• The Confederacy used the single-barrel Williams machine gun.

Artillery

Artillery refers to large guns or cannons.

• Field artillery were cannons that could be moved around the battlefield.
• Siege artillery were much larger cannons used to attack forts or cities.

Special Weapons

Some other unique weapons were tried:

• Congreve rockets and Hale rocket launchers were early forms of rockets.
• Sea mines were explosives placed in water to damage enemy ships.
• The Winans Steam Gun was an experimental steam-powered gun.

Vehicles

Vehicles helped move soldiers and supplies.

Animals

• Horses were very important for cavalry and for pulling wagons and cannons.

Carriages

• Most carriages were horse-drawn.
• Some experimental steam-powered carriages were also developed.

Trains

• Armored trains were used to protect railways and sometimes carried cannons.

Ships

• The Union had many.
• The Confederacy also had a navy with various ships.

Submarines

Early submarines were also tested during the war:

• The USS Alligator was a Union submarine.
• The CSS Hunley was a famous Confederate submarine. It was the first submarine to sink an enemy warship.
• Other Confederate submarines included the CSS Pioneer and the CSS Bayou Saint John.

Aircraft

Air Balloons

• Both the Union and Confederate armies used hot air balloons. They floated above the battlefield to spy on enemy movements.

Airships

• The Andrews Aereon airship was an experimental airship design.

Images for kids

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  Muzzle loaders were used by both sides in hundreds of thousands. Bayonets attached to the guns were important during the war.

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  Jeb Stuart with a cavalry saber

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  M1832 artillery sword

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  M1850 regulation infantry officer's sword

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  M1860 light cavalry saber

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  Mameluke sword (top) and scabbard (bottom)

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  Allen & Thurber M1837 revolver pepperbox

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  Allen & Wheelock M1861 Navy revolver and Allen & Wheelock M1861 Army revolver

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  Beaumont–Adams M1862 revolver

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  Colt M1836 Paterson, Colt M1847 Walker, and Colt M1848 Dragoon revolvers

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  Colt M1849 Pocket revolver

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  Colt M1851 Navy revolver

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  Colt M1860 Army revolver

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  Colt M1861 Navy revolver

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  Colt Root M1855 revolver

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  Deringer M1825 Philadelphia caplock pistol used by John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln

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  Elgin M1838 cutlass caplock pistol

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  Lefaucheux M1854 revolver

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  Lefaucheux M1858 revolver

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  LeMat M1856 revolver

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  Moore M1864 revolver

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  Remington M1858 revolver

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  Remington M1860 Elliot revolver pepperbox

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  Smith & Wesson Model 1

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  Starr M1858 DA revolver

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  Volcanic M1855 repeating pistol

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  Burnside M1855 carbine

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  Colt M1855 revolver carbine

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  Enfield P1853 rifled musket

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  Enfield P1861 musketoon

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  Fayetteville M1862 rifle

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  Gallager M1861 carbine

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  Henry M1860 repeating rifle

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  Joslyn M1864 carbine

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  Lorenz M1854 rifled musket

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  M1814 Common rifle

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  Mississippi M1841 rifle

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  Richmond M1861 rifled musket

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  Sharps M1863 carbine

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  Springfield M1842 musket

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  Springfield M1855 rifled musket

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  Springfield M1861 rifled musket

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  Spencer M1860 repeating carbine

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  Tarpley M1863 carbine

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  Volcanic M1855 repeating rifle

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  Whitworth P1857 rifle

See also

• French weapons in the American Civil War