The Civil War was without a doubt one of the most important events in American
history. It tested the nation, and it changed the United States forever. For us it is easy to look only at the negative effects the war had on the United States. It took approximately 620,000 lives, entire towns were destroyed, and it would take the South decades before it fully recovered.
Furthermore, it showed just how fragmented the nation had become, and it was long before the South incorporated itself back into the Union. In fact, one can argue that even today there are still wounds that are yet to be healed. However, Lincoln saw the Civil War simply as a test for democracy. Looking back on it we can say that it is up for debate whether the war was a test for democracy or not. However, what we can say is that the Civil War catalyzed technological advancements in American society, and that is one thing that the American society could be thankful after the four years of carnage.
As the war continued both the Union and the Confederacy kept looking for
way to gain the upper hand in the war. Therefore during the Civil War America witnessed the fast development of new kinds of weapons. One of the most important inventions of the Civil War was the invention of “repeaters”, or repeating rifles. At the beginning of the war soldiers had to fight rifles that fired Minié bullets. They were easy to load, but soldiers had to load them after every shot. Now that they were using repeating rifles soldiers could shoot up to seven bullets in thirty seconds. This increased the efficiency of the army in battle, but unfortunately also led to more deaths. Although military inventions are not always made for the best reasons, the advancements made during the Civil War did after all help the Union and the Confederacy create powerful armies. On top of that, the Civil War and the Mexican-American War also witnessed the rise of a great generation of generals, such as General Lee and General Grant. Military innovation and the rise of dynamic military leaders during the Civil War would prove to be a stepping stone as the United States kept developing into one of the greatest military powers of the world.
Other important inventions were the balloon and the warships. During the Civil
War Union spies would use balloons to float over Southern armies. This way they were able to exchange crucial information amongst themselves while avoiding being captured. The Union also pioneered in the use of ironclads. They would use these ships to create blockades around the South. The South, however, would not let the Union get ahead so easily. They too boasted of some powerful ironclads. On top of that they were the first ones to use submarines, and at times they would use submarines to sink the ironclads. Again, these military inventions were not necessarily made for the best purposes. However, it did change the way America would then wage warfare against other nations. It would also cause America to diversity its approach to war and become strong on the sea as much as it was becoming strong on land. In addition, the casualties that were caused by these innovation in the Civil War served as a warning to the American people of just how much destruction a war could leave behind. Therefore, the United
States would be better prepared mentally as it entered the Great War, unlike the European nations who were dreaming of a short, glorious war.
One could argue that the greatest invention at the time was the railroad. Towards
the end of the war the Union relied heavily on railroads to transport ammunition, food, and soldiers. The South, however, did not have as many miles of railroads as the Union did, and in the last stages of the war this would turn out to be a massive disadvantage. The Confederate army just could not move supplies nor men the way that the North did, and General Grant knew it. After the Civil War more and more railroads would be built throughout the entire country, and they would soon become a key ingredient of the Industrial Revolution. Since the best material that would be used for the construction of railroads was steel, Andrew Carnegie seized his opportunity and led the enormous expansion of the steel industry in the United States. Railroads would also be used to transport materials that were needed for the construction of certain products.
Another important invention was the telegraph. Abraham Lincoln was the first
President that could ever communicate on the sport with his officers on the battlefield. This helped Lincoln to monitor battlefield reports, develop strategies, and deliver orders to his men. People back then would have never imagines that after the Civil War communication would only keep improving by leaps and bounds. However, the telegraph definitely provided a solid starting point.
All in all, technological inventions were being made at a frenetic pace during the
Civil War. This massive conflict had just forced both the Union and the Confederacy to be resourceful and efficient with the resources they had at their disposal. This mindset would not only help the United States survive and recover after the war, but it would also lead to the growth of industries.
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I agree with you that the invention of the railroad was perhaps the most important of the ones you mentioned here, and was most definitely a key part of the Union success in the Civil War. Without it, there would have been no way to transport either men or supplies quickly and efficiently across large distances; seeing as the large number of men and the abundance of supplies in the North were precisely what gave it an advantage during the war, the invention of the railroad was hugely important in helping the North leverage its strengths against the less-industrialized South.
ReplyDeleteTechnology greatly impacted the civil war, and increased efficiency, but how do you think the outcome of the war would have been different with less or none of this technology?
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