A synergy of tactics with technology during the civil war as demonstrated by their evolution
Civil war is the most devastating time in American history. The battle is still the lowest moment in the history of America. There were many dead casualties reported during this time. Technology played a factor increased number of casualties during that time. A range of weapons, structures, equipment, and vehicles used helped in the warfare. The technologies used during the civil war were in five categories. These categories include offensive weapons, defensive weapons, transportation weapons, communication technology, and sensors for guide (“Civil War Technology” 2019)[1]The offensive weapons harm the enemies while the defensive protect the soldiers from aggressive blows. The transportation weapons carried the soldiers and troops from one location to another. It enhanced the timely transfer of supplies and troops. Communication technologies helped in coordinating movements of the forces through the efficient passing of information. The sensors helped in detecting effects and guiding them to or away from the enemy.
The influence of technology during the time was two way. It was either positive or negative. The positive side is witnessed through consistent development and innovations, while the negative parts of these technological advancements seen in the many casualties it caused in the history of America (“Civil War Technology” 2019)[2]. Despite the fact the technological policy created a tension between the communities and the military; it enhanced efficiency and effectiveness in operations. The technical policy is to blame for military conflicts, but it was so beneficial to respective countries. The policy was responsible for a series of moves by the Soviet Union to increase warfare influence in Eastern Europe, Korea, Vietnam, China, and Latin America. The policy supported the fight between the troops to restore democracy in most countries. As a cold war foreign policy, it helped in stopping the expansion of an enemy to other countries. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
American history has displayed a direct link between the way wars occurred and the rapid change in technology. There were advances in firearms and the way troops engaged in the battlefield. It started with the dominance of wooden firearms and boats between 1800 to 1840, then caps, rifled cannons, naval shells, Telegraph, and steam propulsion from 1840 to 1870. Faster development occurred in the final years of the 19th century (“Hacker” 2016”)[3]Machine guns and rapid small firearms developed with excellent designs and the most significant technology. The civil war facilitated military and technological evolution, with its impact being felt up to date. The time of civil war marked the beginning of much social, political, economic, and technological advancement. It was the time things appeared differently and at least upgraded to meet the needs of the war. Many inventors and military personnel from different nations devised ways of making and developing weapons. Some of the better weapons designed include repeating rifles and submarine. These weapons changed the way the wars took place. Other technologies that improved include railroad and the introduction of the Telegraph. These technologies shaped the way wars were carried out during this period (“Roland 2016”)[4]. The civil war stimulated certain innovations that have led to 21st-century technical advances. In this paper, I will be analyzing some of the synergies of tactics that applied technology along with advancements, applications, and limitations.
Historiography of American Civil War
Civil war remains the most defining moment in the national history of America. It has become a subject of study that each scholar must come into terms with it. Civil war played a crucial role in the modern American nation. There was military technological change during the time that led to the current day innovations. Some different weapons and technologies developed during this time, and over the years, the arms were advanced to meet battlefield emerging demands, including new tactics to handle rivals.
Civil war has become so popular, especially when tracing American history, technological advancement, and culture. It is one of the most popular topics that traces Native American culture and innovations into the late 1800s. At that time, ‘most people were completely drawn into being primitive and showing a form of advanced civilizations.’[5] The question that each American was concerned about is how a weapon could completely change in a short period and become a deadly tool. The debate envisioned who was the mastermind in this system of innovations and adoption. Scholars and the society focused on how different changes in a country could relate to each other over a certain period [6].
Innovation and advancement during and after the civil war helped in the development of an excellent professional discipline that focuses on building technological, physical, and natural environment. The period of civil war created a ground for designing, construction, and maintenance of ‘rifles, balloons, roads, railroads, among other physical innovative works.’[7] Civil war activities improved the quality of life since there were many issues and problems associated with civil war.
Repeating rifles
Most soldiers used muskets to fight before the introduction of guns. The weapons were inaccurate for distances above 40 yards, and they took long reloaded. Rifles were introduced to gap the inefficiency of muskets. The new kinds of weapons typically became an effective way to tackle enemies. Before new weapons, soldiers carried muskets along with themselves to help in carrying several bullets for use in the field. There was no accuracy attached to old weapons, and a soldier had to stand closer to the target before firing. Introduction of the mini-bullet accounted for over 90% of civil war casualties[8]. The introduced repeating rifles worked effectively at a more excellent range than muskets. A musket only worked at a distance of 80 yards while a rifle worked at over 1000 yards.
The old rifles were not easy to be loaded, and also, the soldiers performed the task of pausing and reloading after every shot. It was quite inefficient and dangerous — the development of repeating rifles which allowed the soldier to load more than one bullet enhanced efficiency and effectiveness.
Cannons
They aided in destroying enemy fortifications. The cannons were in for of balls or small irons with which they would know down any building even when fired at 1000 yards away. The most popular barrel was referred to as Napoleon, and it originated from French (“Civil War Technology” 2019)[9]. It served a significant role during the civil war. The Cannons could break strong walls and obliterate the territory of the enemy. Cannons caused several casualties during the period of civil war, and it majorly caused mass killings in buildings and camps.
Ironclads
The new technology started in naval warfare, which involved ironclad ships. The technology was designed from steel and armor plates to facilitate floating and make it difficult for the ironclad boat to sink. Submarines used this technology entirely, and it facilitated the movement of troops across the sea. It helped in attacking enemies across islands. The ironclads facilitated faster movement of the army from one locked sea region to the opposite side of the sea. Ironclad ships enhanced efficiency and effectiveness in mobility and transportation.
Balloons and Submarines
Submarines were used during the naval warfare, and the first ship belonging to sub sank in 1864 in the ‘USS Housatonic, and it was called H.L. Hunley’ (“Civil War Technology” 2019).[10] Further, an aerial survey was needed to facilitate communication during the war. Hot-air Balloons were used by union spies as modern weapons while sending information back to their commanders. The balloons were hydrogen-filled to enable the passengers to float in the air. The balloons would fly above enemy lines to locate and determine numbers, movements, and physical locations of enemies. The submarine used the balloons to send reconnaissance information back to their commanders.
The Railroad
The railroad aided in moving supplies and troops into vital areas. It allowed the soldiers to carry their equipment into the battlefield. It was among the larger-scale technological innovations during the civil war. When the war began, there were only 22,000 miles of railroad to the North and 9,000 miles to the South[11]. After the civil war, these railroads had extended quite enough to cover wide areas in the northern and southern regions. The railroads moved troops and supplies from one place to another. The railroads kept tracks and soldiers safe from attack. It also helped them move from one war zone to another. It was an effective means of movement.
The Telegraph
The Telegraph was invented in 1844 by Samuel Morse, and it quickly caught the attention of Northern and South Americans. The technology soon sprang up to the East Coast. Fifteen thousand miles of telegraph cable was for military use. The use of technology was for communication with troops on the battlefield. Wagons of the mobile Telegraph reported and received transmissions from military commanders and forces in the field. President Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be able to communicate with soldiers using the Telegraph while they were on the battlefield[12]. The Telegraph helped him monitor reports from the field while he was in the white house. Abraham Lincoln led a real-time strategy and delivered on time decisions based on consistent communication via Telegraph (“Gallagher, Gary, and Joan Waugh” 2015)[13]The Telegraph reported news promptly.
Limitations of the technological advancements
There is a need to support the programs established by President Johnson under the slogan of high society because they help in the development of certain critical elements that are significant to many Americans. Notable things that formed part of the “Great Society” include civil rights, arts and media, education, environmental conservation, immigration, consumer protection, housing and urban development, and health. These elements are unique in addressing some social issues that face Americans in day to day activities. However, technological advancements have not entirely created space for these elements. The impact that these technological advancements created is enormous; however, it created problems in the social and physical environment. Key issues that each environmentalist identified are the problems that developed after technological advancement. Civil war became the beginning of the modern environmental issues relating to climate change. It marked the beginning of the effect of waste disposal of energy and resources. There was pollution in the air, land, and water. The balloons, fumes from machines, railroad products like petroleum and fuel used in the Ironclads cause water, land, and air pollution[14]. Although civil war technological advancements improved the quality of life, waste, and air pollution from civil war and technical activities threaten quality and safety measures in the environment. Solving these threats is through implementing waste management policies and the use of hydropower.
The technological metric discloses levels of individuals in a nation, like the USA, have been affected by the civil war that some generations still haunted. Those individuals whose ancestors were part of the war are still recuperating from the harshness they faced. The government, however, does not recognize them and excluded from most policies. The present level of political drive cooperation still focuses on a more significant segment of individuals without houses and families due to the repercussion and technology applied in the civil war.
One motivation why the history of civil war kept on developing regardless of a dismal estimate is because of advances in technology, which have given a lift to the race of history in America. As it were, even with fewer individuals researching the effects of the war, every specialist has turned out to be more careful and cautious in handling the issue of civil war and its consequences to Americans.
Civil War Photography
The civil war was the first to be documented using the 3-D lens, and the images were among the first taken using photograph technology. The process was, however, too far from modern photography. The photos first were taken using a wet-plate, and the entire process was meticulous[15]. The process required more than one camera operator, and a lot of equipment and chemicals were applied. The images came as portraits and landscapes. The civil war led to the development of Stereo photography, which was the first technology on photography around the time of the Civil War. Most of the civil war photographs appeared in 3-D. 3-D printing is a technology popularly known as Additive Manufacturing. It refers to several processes that occur to synthesize a three-dimensional object. The methods of additive manufacturing result in successive layers of materials under a computer control system that creates the object. The technology is well known for turning 3D models into solid objects by setting them in layers (“Trust, Torrey, and Robert” 2012)[16]. Early 3D photograph technologies during the time of civil war, and since then, growth emerged in the industry to the current Additive Manufacturing system. 3D printing technology is presently encompassing a wide range of additive manufacturing technologies. Each builds objects in successive layers of about 0.1mm thin. All the 3D new technologies play a significant role in modeling and manufacturing of material objects using computer-aided design (CAD)[17]. Technological innovation had an impact on the way people fought and remembered for the many casualties reported in the field.
The present existing civil war technologies as per the 2015 analysis include Material extrusion, Vat photopolymerization, Material jetting, Binder jetting, powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition, and Sheet lamination. The four categories of 3-D printers in printing technology included; technologies that mold into semi-liquid Material, technologies that solidify the resin, printers that bind and fuse the granules of powder and finally printers that stick together cut sheets of paper, plastic or metal[18]. They expected to develop these technologies to better printing systems that can offer much more quality work. With the rapid growth in 3D printing technologies, the 3D model continues to foreshadow with the 2nd, 3rd and, even, 4th Industrial Revolution in the technology industry. It is because of the significant impact that 3D printing is establishing on the industrial sector and the vast potential impact that 3D printing would demonstrate on the lives of most companies and the future of consumers[19]. The logic behind some of the military conflicts that followed after the civil war centered on technological advancement, communism, and democratic rule. All the wars experienced were mainly caused by the cold war from the two significant aspects. U.S. troops formed part of the multinational peacekeeping force while in support of democracy. They also helped Lebanon’s in 1982-1984 when the Lebanese government maintains power. The soldiers, with the help of technology, also improved in all the previous warfare conflicts on communism and democracy.
In a nutshell, the diffusion of technology was uneven and gradual, and it is still part of today’s technology. Transport at the time of civil war was slow, but it developed to the current faster and efficient modes of transportation. Communication at the time was quite inefficient, but it is faster and effective in the modern-day. Telegraph developed to a more modern tool for official communications. Most of the innovations during the civil war have played an essential role in the contemporary military and civilian life. The history of civil war led to significant changes that occasional in modern military systems. The civil war technological advancements became the face the contemporary warfare.
Bibliography:
“Civil War Technology.” 2019. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/civil-war-technology.
Angevine, Robert G. “Astride Two Worlds: Technology and the American Civil War ed. by Barton C. Hacker.” Technology and Culture 58, no. 4 (2017): 1081-1083.
Carmichael, Peter S. “Relevance, Resonance, and Historiography: Interpreting the Lives and Experiences of Civil War Soldiers.” Civil War History 62, no. 2 (2016): 170-185.
Cross, Gary, and Richard Szostak. Technology and American society: A history. Routledge, 2018.
Gallagher, Gary, and Joan Waugh. “The American War: A History of the Civil War Era.” (2015).
Giles, Paul. “Enlightenment Historiography and Cultural Civil Wars.” In The Atlantic Enlightenment, pp. 33-50. Routledge, 2017.
Hacker, Barton C., ed. Astride two worlds: technology and the American Civil War. Smithsonian Institution, 2016.
Rafuse, Ethan S. The American Civil War. Routledge, 2017.
Roland, Alex. War, and Technology: A concise introduction. Oxford University Press, 2016.
Trust, Torrey, and Robert W. Maloy. “Makerspaces and 3D Printing: New Directions for History Learning.” Social Education 83, no. 2 (2018): 101-106.
[1] “Civil War Technology.” 2019. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/civil-war-technology.
[2] “Civil War Technology.” 2019. HISTORY
[3] Hacker, Barton C., ed. Astride two worlds: technology and the American Civil War. Smithsonian Institution, 2016.
[4] Roland, Alex. War and Technology: A concise introduction. Oxford University Press, 2016.
[5] Carmichael, Peter S. “Relevance, Resonance, and Historiography: Interpreting the Lives and Experiences of Civil War Soldiers.” Civil War History 62, no. 2 (2016): 170-185.
[6]I bid, 181
[7] Ibid 182
[8] Angevine, Robert G. “Astride Two Worlds: Technology and the American Civil War ed. by Barton C. Hacker.” Technology and Culture 58, no. 4 (2017): 1081-1083.
[9] “Civil War Technology” 2019. HISTORY
[10] “Civil War Technology.” 2019. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/civil-war-technology.
[11] Ibid 1084
[12] “Civil War Technology.” 2019
[13] Gallagher, Gary, and Joan Waugh. “The American War: A History of the Civil War Era.” (2015).
[14] Cross, Gary, and Richard Szostak. Technology and American society: A history. Routledge, 2018.
[15] Gallagher, Gary, and Joan Waugh. “The American War.
[16] Trust, Torrey, and Robert W. Maloy. “Makerspaces and 3D Printing: New Directions for History Learning.” Social Education 83, no. 2 (2018): 101-106.
[17] Ibid 103
[18] Ibid 105
[19] Ibid 106