Why Ironclads Won The Civil War

Mine Mastermind The Confederates were tired. They needed an idea. Rains had a plan. He said he would use mines like he did before when fighting Indians in the Seminole War. Apart from being a General, Gabriel Rains was also an inventor. He invented the keg torpedo, land mine, grenade, and many others. These weapons caused much controversy, because some thought they were barbarous and unfair. Others thought they were necessary to win the war because the newfangled ironclads were beginning to develop into a threat. “Ironclads are said to master the world, but torpedoes master ironclads,” Rains said. One such torpedo is the keg torpedo. (Waters 71) The first one used was in 1862. It sunk the unsuspecting USS Cairo in about twelve
He also invented land mines. Torpedoes, which are known as land mines today, were mainly used by Confederate soldiers. While there were many different kinds of torpedoes, the main kind used by the Confederates was an iron canister with gunpowder inside and a fuse. Before the Civil War, land mines usually had a trigger that was pulled to detonate the bomb. During the Civil War Rains designed a land mine that it would explode because of pressure when someone stepped on it. The Confederates planted shells everywhere, including underground, underwater, in forts, and under anything lying on the ground. Many lives were claimed by these devices, including Confederate soldiers. General Sherman of the Union Army forced his unfortunate prisoners of war to walk in front of his troops to set off any land mines that might be in his way. Mines are used today by the United States. Many countries believed that mines should be banned, and they constructed a treaty in 1997 stating that they would not use them. Although many countries signed the treaty, the United States did not. The United States felt like land and water gjmines were a critical part of defending themselves and their allies. (Croll