Common Types Of Civil War Weaponry
There were several different types of weapons that were used in the civil war. Of course they did not have near the sophisticated, technology laden weaponry that is used in wars today. The soldiers in the civil war used weapons from one of three categories. These categories were artillery, small arms, edged weapons.
In the category of artillery, both the union and confederacy enjoyed using the Napoleon which is a gun-howitzer. This gun could hit a target up to over 1,000 feet away. They also used cannons and rifles.
The small arms used by both the union and the confederacy were revolvers, Springfield rifles and muskets. The revolvers that the soldiers carried weighed between 2 and 4 pounds. The muskets were often enhanced with an angular type of bayonet.
Edged weapons that were carried by the soldiers in the civil war were the bayonet, the saber and knives. The bayonets came in various sizes. The average length was eighteen inches and some were 2 feet beyond the muzzle of the rifle. One of the most cherished sabers for both sides was the cavalry sabers. Finally, when the soldiers of the civil war carried a knife it was usually the Bowie knife.