Mr Mr

Everyone is familiar with the 1800's percussion muskets. The "typical

Civil War, muzzel-loading muskets, (mostly Springfields and Enfields). Pour in the black powder, drop in the round lead ball, pack it down with the ramrod, and BOOM! Fire away!

But, although those were the most common Civil War weapons, companys like Colt Firearms and Remington, Spencer, Sharps, and many others, were quick to capitalize on the demand for weapons in the Civil War. They developed new, more advanced Civl War weapons. Carbines, repeating rifles, and Gatling guns were part of the arsenal of Civil War weapons.

. There was the Civl War revolving carbine, and "breechloading"Civil War rifles and carbines. Breech-loading rifles and carbines were loaded from the back. The Spencer carbines and rifles, as well as Sharps, and Smith carbines used cartridge rounds.. And there was the forerunner to the famous lever-action Winchester, the Henry Rifle in the Civil War.( The Henry rifle is the rifle used by General Buford's men at the Battle of Gettysburgh).

This is, in large part, why the casualties of the Civil War were so high. The tactics were a hundred years behind the weapons used in the Civil War. And, as the war progressed , so did weapons development. Besides the rifled muskets, and breechloading rifles and carbines, weapons of the Civil War also included some very odd, and unique weapons. Weapons like the Billinghurst-Requa batteries, and the first machine gun type weapon was used in the Civil War, the Williams breech loading rapid fire gun.