Their principle value comes from being able to lob shells behind an obstacle such as a fort or a hill. Unlike modern mortars, those used during the Civil War were bulky devises and mounted at a fixed angle usually between 45 and 50 degrees. They were not very accurate and depended solely upon the amount of propelling powder to determine their point of impact. .
Shells, hollow ammunition filled with gunpowder and equipped with a fuse, were the most common type of explosive artillery round used during the Civil War. Fuses could be either timed so the round would explode after a certain number of seconds had elapsed, or were percussion so the ammunition would explode upon striking an object. Shells were generally used as long range rounds, meant to explode among an advancing enemy or used to blow apart enemy forts. .
Solid shot was a kinetic energy round. Its speed and mass were used to penetrate walls, fort and armor. To produce any type of casualty effect, the round would have to actually strike the target. Solid shot was particularly used against ironclad ships where a shell would do little or no damage. During one test an 8 inch Brooke rifle with 16 pounds of powder fired a 140 pound ball 260 yards and penetrated eight inches of iron backed by 18 inches of solid wood. .
While there are many accounts of troops charging bravely into a "hail of grape" there is little fact in this. Grape shot was used very little on the land battlefield during the Civil War. The ammunition encountered by the soldiers was called canister, one of the war's most deadliest rounds. Canister was basically a tin packed with sawdust and musket balls which, when fired, spread out and turned the artillery piece into a giant shotgun. At close range against masses infantry this round was devastating, cutting huge swaths through the attacking men. .
Grape shot was widely used in the 19th century wars, but by the time of the American Civil War, grape was primarily used by navel gun crews.
Did you know, America's bloodiest battle fought on American soil, was the Civil War? The Civil War was fought between the northern states and the southern states. ... These two different views are one of the major reasons that led to the Civil War. ... Brown's attack was one of the final causes that sparked the Civil War. ... Almost everybody had a family, relative, or friend that died in the Civil War. ...
Was The Civil War A Just War Or Not In the United States of America the Civil War was one very controversial issues at the beginning of the United States weather it was a just war or not. Now, there is the major factor in the contribution to the Civil War slavery, was it just or was it unconstitutional. ... The Civil War had a just cause by having the right intentions by not wanting to split the US in half. ... At the end of the Civil War the north had obviously won against the south but had suffered severe casualties to attain this goal. ... In the Civil War the war wa...
This problem that arose both during and after the Civil War, was whether or not the American Civil War was actually a civil war. ... Some people argue that the Civil War, fought between 1861 and 1865, was not an actual civil war at all. Nevertheless, the American Civil War was rightfully named, and was indeed a civil war. The Civil War was in fact a civil war for multiple reasons. ... All in all, even though others disagree that the Civil War was rightfully named, it was actually a civil war. ...
To continue, the most popular of the civil war nurses was Clara Barton. ... Because of the power given to women throughout the civil war, women carried on the power after the war ended. ... In conclusion, the Civil War transformed the nation in more way than one. ... Because of the civil war, women were able to gain more power politically, socially, economically. ... At the heart of this evolution was the civil war and its resounding effects on American society. ...
The Civil War made a huge impact on the United States as a whole. ... He knew that European involvement in the war was on the horizon so he had to devise a way of giving them a war the European countries would want no part in. ... All in all a lot was learned from the Civil War in both the North and the South. In a way this gruesome and terrible war lead to the unity of two polar opposites. It sounds bad but the Civil War was something that the country didn't want but severely needed. ...
It is the day that the Civil war began. ... The Civil War is important because it affected African Americans and their future in America. ... When Lincoln was elected the south withdrew from the Union, and the Civil War began (Ngeorgia). ... African Americans played a major role in the Civil War. ... Soon after the Civil War, there was Reconstruction, a period of recovery from the war. ...
The primary cause of the Civil War has been a topic debated for years because there were many causes of the Civil War that were intertwined together to produce the most devastating war in American History. The primary cause of the Civil War was not states" rights; the primary causes of the Civil War were the expansion of slavery and sectionalism. ... If slavery never existed, it is likely that the Civil War would have never begun. ... The indirect and most crucial cause of the Civil War was the existence of slavery. Ineffectual leadership was another cause of the Civil War. ...
Why did the south lose the Civil War? The American civil war began in 1861 with a victory for the North. ... Another factor to consider why the south lost the civil war was the lack of support from foreign powers. ... Many USA officers joined the confederacy at the start of the civil war. ... The South's victory was short lived at the beginning of the war, but as the war went on the south took a turn for the worse. ...
Causes of the American Civil War No issue dominates the history of early eighteenth and nineteenth century America like the problem of slavery. It is amazing that even today, over 130 years after the Civil War started, there is still passionate debate regarding the "cause" of the Civil War. ... Whatever the case, the reasons a nation goes to war are usually varied and complicated, and the American Civil War is no exception. ... The following persons support the theory that slavery was the cause of the Civil War Russell B. ... Frederick Douglass A freed slave and out-spoken black aboli...
