Civil War Weapons smoothbore musket

Infantry tactics at the time of the Civil War were based on the use of the smoothbore musket, a weapon of limited range and accuracy. Firing lines that were much more than a hundred yards apart could not inflict very much damage on each other, and so troops which were to make an attack would be massed together, elbow to elbow, and would make a run for it; if there were enough of them, and they ran fast enough, the defensive line could not hurt them seriously, and when they got to close quarters the advantage of numbers and the use of the bayonet would settle things. But the Civil War musket was rifled, which made an enormous difference. It was still a muzzle-loader, but it had much more accuracy and a far longer range than the old smoothbore, and it completely changed the conditions under which soldiers fought. An advancing line could be brought under killing fire at a distance of half a mile, now, and the massed charge of Napoleonic tradition was miserably out of date. When a defensive line occupied field entrenchments-which the soldiers learned to dig fairly early in the game-a direct frontal assault became almost impossible. The hideous casualty lists of Civil War battles owed much of their size to the fact that soldiers were fighting with rifles but were using tactics suited to smoothbores. It took the generals a long time to learn that a new approach was needed.
Much the same development was taking place in the artillery, although the full effect was not yet evident. The Civil War cannon, almost without exception, was a muzzle-loader, but the rifled gun was coming into service. It could reach farther and hit harder than the smoothbore, and for counterbattery fire it was highly effective-a rifled battery could hit a battery of smoothbores without being hit in return, and the new 3-inch iron rifles, firing a 10-pound conical shot, had a flat trajectory and immense Penetrating power. But the old smoothbore-a brass gun of 4.62-inch caliber, firing a 12-pound spherical shot-remained popular to the end of the war; in the wooded, hilly country where so many Civil War battles were fought, its range of slightly less than a mile was about all that was needed, and for close-range work against infantry the smoothbore was better than the rifle. For such work the artillerist fired canisters tin can full of iron balls, with a propellant at one end and a wooden disk at the other-and the can disintegrated when the gun was fired, letting the iron balls be sprayed all over the landscape. In effect, the cannon became a huge sawed-off shotgun, and at ranges of 250 yards or less it was in the highest degree murderous.

Civil War Uniforms

The uniforms of the Civil War helped distinguish between the Union soldiers of the North, and the Confederate soldiers from the south. But early in the war, uniforms were provided by states, towns and wealthy individuals. This resulted in a confusing variety of styles and colors on both sides. Over time, blue became the official color for the North and gray for the Confederate uniforms

Civil war Clothing for Children’s

Civil war Clothing for Children’s, during the Musket Civil War, was not just the fluff and ruffles one might see in the popular fashion plates of the time. Most children's clothing served functional purposes. Boys' shirts and trousers would have buttoned to other under things, as did some of the clothing for the girls.

Black powder rifles

Black powder rifles have been around since the dawn of firearms themselves. Historically black powder cannons were the first widely used black powder firearms, until muzzle loaded firearms started to become commonly used around the thirteenth century, when Europeans began making custom firearms for hunting and war. Now the muzzle loaders are considered to be a hobbyist firearm, rather than sole option

Civil War Swords

Our Civil War swords are modeled after actual historic swords. All are crafted to the exact specifications as their historic counterpart using the only the highest quality materials. These Civil War swords make a wonderful addition to any collection and are perfect for any history buffs. To view the Civil War swords that are available

Civil War musket

Infantry tactics at the time of the Civil War were based on the use of the smoothbore musket, a weapon of limited range and accuracy. Firing lines that were much more than a hundred yards apart could not inflict very much damage on each other, and so troops which were to make an attack would be massed together, elbow to elbow, But the Civil War musket was rifled, which made an enormous difference. It was still a muzzle-loader, but it had much more accuracy