Transcript Civil War Infantry

Civil War Infantry
Weapons and Equipment
Infantryman Overview
Cap/ “Kepi”
Bedroll
Cap Pouch
Haversack
Wool “Sack” Coat
Cartridge Pouch
Musket
Canteen
Bayonet
Wool Pants
Shoes/ “brogans”
Smooth Bore/Rifled Muskets
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The invention of the “rifled” musket and “Minie”
ball revolutionized warfare and made many Civil
War tactics deadly and obsolete.
Prior to the Civil war, muskets were “smooth bore”
that shot a round “ball.” These muskets were only
accurate to about 100 yards or less.
A “rifled” barrel, shooting a conical “Minie” Ball
was deadly at three hundred yards, and up to ½
mile in the hands of an excellent shot.
Smooth Bore Muskets
Springfield “Smooth Bore” Musket
Buckshot
Musket ball
Powder
“Smooth Bore” musket balls
“Buck and Ball,” the most
deadly round fired by a
“smooth bore” musket
A picture of a “buck and ball” cartridge
The “Irish Brigade”
The Irish Brigade carried smooth bore muskets
Loaded with buck and ball. This combination was used
With devastating effect at the battle of Antietam on
Sept. 17, 1862
“Rifled Muskets”
The “rifling” of a gun barrel.
The .58 caliber Springfield “rifled musket” was the most
Popular rifle used in the Union army. It was deadly
Accurate and extremely reliable.
“Rifled Muskets” Cont’d
The Enfield .577 caliber “rifled musket” was manufactured
in England. This musket was the most commonly used rifle
in the Confederate Army, but also saw widespread
use in the Union Army as well.
The “Minie” Ball
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The “Minie” ball was invented in the 1840’s by
French army Captain Claude Etienne Minie.
When fired, the expanding gas pushed forcibly on
the base of the bullet, deforming it to engage the
rifling. This provided spin for accuracy, a better
seal for consistent velocity and longer range.
The American Civil War, which often had many
thousands of infantrymen armed with this type of
rifle, resulted in mass casualties on a scale which
was inconceivable to contemporary strategists.
The Standard .58 caliber lead
Minie ball used in the Civil War
The “Minie” Ball Cont’d
Civil War Small Arms
Civil War Small Arms Cont’d
The Colt Model 1860 .44 caliber, six shot
“Army” revolver was the most widely used
revolver of the war, both North and South.
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Civil War Small Arms Cont’d
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Similar to the “Army” revolver was the smaller .35
caliber six shot Colt model 1851 “Navy” revolver.
Civil War Small Arms Cont’d
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One of the most unusual and innovative
revolvers of the Civil War was the LeMat.
Developed by Dr. Jean Alexandre LeMat of
New Orleans, and produced in France for the
Confederacy, the LeMat boasted a 9 shot .40
caliber cylinder with an 18 gauge shotgun barrel
underneath.
Civil War Edged Weapons
Bayonets
Springfield bayonet and scabbard
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Enfield bayonet and scabbard
Bayonets were sharp, pointed metal objects fixed to
the end of rifles to make them lethal as a stabbing
weapon even if the rifle wasn’t loaded. Only about
1% of Civil War deaths were from bayonet wounds.
Civil War Swords
A Civil War Militia NCO Sword
A variety of officers swords and sabers
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For the most part swords were for ornamentation
during the Civil War, being primarily carried by
officers. However, occasional Civil War cavalry battles
were fought using sabers when the combatants had run
out of ammunition. As with bayonets, few deaths were
a direct result of sword wounds during the Civil War.
Infantry Equipment
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The average infantryman carried his musket, a canteen,
a haversack (containing rations, extra socks and
ammunition etc…), a bed roll, a cartridge box
containing 40 cartridges (60 if battle was imminent), a
cap pouch, a bayonet, and the uniform he was wearing.
The uniforms were generally made of heavy wool,
which was itchy and uncomfortable, as well as
incredibly hot in summer, and heavy when wet with
winter rain!
Infantry Equipment Cont’d
Union cartridge holder
Canteen with Cork Stopper
Cap Pouch
Canteens and Haversacks
“Hard Tack” the
staple of the
soldiers diet
You could smell them before you saw
them…
Civil War infantry soldiers rarely had time to bathe, and slept in their uniforms
for weeks at a time. When Confederate soldiers under Robert E. Lee invaded
Maryland in 1862, one Maryland woman stated, “They were the dirtiest bunch
of ruffians I’ve ever seen! I could smell them before I could see them.”
Soldiers make camp
Confederate soldiers in camp
Union soldiers in camp