Rifling During The American Civil War

American Civil War The American Civil War started in April 12, 1861. During this time artillery pieces were rapidly developed from smooth bores to bores with rifling. Rifling was first invented in the late 1850s The United States Army had started experimenting and implementing bore rifling at the start of the American Civil War. It was believed that two-thirds of the confederate armies light howitzers where taken from the union forces. Artillery was rapidly shifting its capabilities of being able to fire multiple projectiles. The civil war rooted over many problems with slavery as the main issue.

The two largest artillery pieces used during the American Civil War were the Columbiads and Rodmans. They were strategically placed in forts
guarding Washington and cities through the north and south. The nuzzles ranged from eight inches to fifteen inches in width. The projectiles shot by these pieces ranged from sixty-five pounds all the way up to four-hundred and twenty-eight pounds and had a maximum range of four thousand one hundred and fourteen point eight meters. Along the coast they would use smaller artillery pieces and mortars. These artillery pieces had a maximum range of ten thousand fifty-eight point four meters. Shooting rounds varied in weight from thirty-two pounds up to two-hundred pounds. These pieces where strategically emplaced throughout the south coastline forts protecting southern cities. Some of these howitzers were seized from fort protecting southern cities by the confederacy. Between the years of 1861 and 1865 over three-thousand eight hundred large bore artillery pieces were purchased by the federal ordinance department, these howitzers were the first large bore weapons allowing howitzers to fire larger projectiles.

These heavy artillery pieces made effective contributions to the war effort. Even though these howitzers were available armies still preferred lighter artillery pieces. The lighter artillery pieces were fitted with muzzles that ranged from three inches to four point six inches in width. These howitzers were light enough to be towed by six horses. These howitzers were accurately capable of firing projectiles ranging from the conical shells and balls. These projectiles weighed from six pounds up to twelve pounds. These howitzers could shoot accurately at targets from a few hundred meters away all the way up to one thousand nine hundred meters. Over four thousand howitzers were purchased by the union to help cavalry and infantry troops in effort to decimate enemy forces. What captured the attention of infantry commanders was that cavalry infantry brigades were accompanied by light field artillery.

In the late 1850s armies from all over the world began experimenting with rifling.
Rifling is a system of lands and grooves in a barrel which cause a projectile to rotate as it exits the muzzle, in doing so it improved trajectory and accuracy. Grooves are cut into the smoothbore piece lands are the original diameter and spaces left after the rifling process. Due to the greater amount of stress inflicted by the tight seal necessary for the projectile to rotate as well as greater pressure in the breech, rifled weapons had to be stronger. During the beginning of the Civil war, many artillery guns were smoothbore. Americans succeeded in adding rifling to existing artillery pieces in early 1861 as they tasked for re-boring and rifling the old smoothbores to be compatible with new ammunition being industrialized. In order to be accurate the projectile needed to engage the rifling but still must remain small enough to load from the muzzle during battle. This was reached in diverse ways, which fall into three major classes: expansion - where a ring or cup of soft lead or copper expanded at the rounds base by the gases at firing; forcing cone - where the rear of the projectile (paper-Mache, lead ring -iron cup) was forced toward the front, expanding a band of soft metal into the rifling; and shaped - where the projectile was the same shape but a smaller diameter, and had ridges or flanges which fit into the rifling (Melton, 1994). A very famous howitzer of the civil was Whistling Dick. An eighteen-pound confederate siege and garrison weapon. Whistling Dick was originally a smoothbore howitzer model 1839 now rifled. Due to some inconsistent rifling, all projectiles fired from the howitzer made a unusual whistling sound, hence the name “Whistling Dick”. The unwillingness of the United States Government to even consider progress in artillery ended on April 12, 1861 at 4:30 am. When the confederate army. Lieutenant Henry S Farley fired his mortar at Fort Johnson, South
Carolina. The projectile that he fired went high over Charleston harbor and detonated over fort Sumter, starting the first sustained artillery duel of the civil war. Even though this was not the first aggressive shot fired, it did indicate the start of four years of bloody war.

Over time, both artillery and infantry have learned the benefits and importance of massing artillery, and focus in one target at a time. The General of artillery consolidated his artillery units into both batteries and battalions. While fighting in this battle the south had recognized that having their artillery batteries and battalions structured would have a deeper impact. Both armies, they were divided into two-gun sections, normally commanded by a lieutenant. Each platoon had one gun and limber pulled by another four horses, one caisson and limber pulled by another four horses, and approximately twelve to twenty-six cannoneers and drivers. The artillery detachment, were better known as the ultimate team unit in civil war combat due to none of the cannoneers were authorized to carry a personal weapon. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of horses to the field artillery in the civil war. Horses were fundamental for both armies, they even paid to ranchers more money for an artillery horse than a cavalry horse. During this conflict, it is estimated that up to 2 million horses were used. Both armies made extensive use of manuals such as the Artillerists’ manual, Instruction for field artillery, and the Hand book of artillery. During this battle four different types artillery projectiles; against fortifications and enemy artillery it was used a Solid shot; for earth works and buildings made out of wood they used Shell hollow projectile, this one was filled with gunpowder’ against infantry it was used the spherical case also a hollow, and filled with musket balls’ for the close range, the best option was the canister round which was a metal container, filled with iron balls and lead, basically it worked like a shotgun shell. This battle was fought in the southern states of the nation, because of that some of the manufacturing facilities located in the northern states were not destroyed, and they were able to provide with all equipment needed to continue this battle. Commanders on both sides were aware of the superior effectiveness of the Union artillery, all this because of the high competence of its men, and the variety and quality supplies and equipment

The American Civil War ended on June 2, 1865. With all the innovations throughout the Civil war this changed battle field tactics of war until this present time. Although artillery was not the winning factor for the American civil war it was a crucial element to the cavalry and infantry units. The American Civil War was the first of modern war leaving behind prehistoric warfare tactics.