Modern Warfare: Military Technology in the Civil War

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Benjamin Scott

May 3, 2004

Modern Warfare: Military Technology in the Civil War

The American Civil War is considered by many historians to be the first modern war. It was the first war in which mechanized and electrified devices were used. Such technologies include photography, mines, submarines, torpedoes, rapid-fire guns, rifles, and the telegraph. Some of these innovations helped make the civil war one of the deadliest wars in history. Over 620,000 people died in the war; more casualties than all other wars involving Americans combined.

Practical photography technology was not developed until the early 19th century. Although the military did not have much interest in photography in the beginning of the war, there were several photographers who captured many disturbing images. One of the most famous photographers was Mathew Brady. He and his twenty assistants made a complete record of all of the events of the civil war. Each assistant had his own traveling darkroom so that plates could be processed on the spot.

In 1862, Brady shocked the country by displaying his photographs of corpses after the battle of Antietam. This was the first time the general public had seen images of the bloodshed of war. The New York Times said that Brady had brought "home to us the terrible reality and earnestness of war" (Congress). He also photographed soldiers and officers in uniform before going to the front lines, as well as 35 portraits of President Lincoln during his 1860 campaign. During the war, Brady spent $100,000 to obtain a collection of 10,000 prints. He expected to sell the collection to the government after the war, but they refused to until 1875. Even then, they only paid him $25,000 which led him to bankruptcy. Brady's work marks the first time that a war had been photographically documented, and the first time that the public could see what war was really like.
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The Confederate military developed the first naval mines in order to counter the Union's blockades. When a ship came in contact with a mine, it would explode and sink the ship. The Confederate mines were successful in destroying about forty Union ships, and led to the development of torpedoes and land minds.

The CSS H.L. Hunley was the first submersible torpedo boat to successfully attack a warship. There were two prototypes built prior to the Hunley, the Pioneer and American Diver. Those subs used various propellant methods including a steam engine and battery power. The Hunley was ...

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