List of weapons in the American Civil War facts for kids

Muzzle loaders dominated the battlefields of the Civil War, being used by both sides in hundreds of thousands. The bayonets attached to the guns were an important force multiplier during the war

The American Civil War, fought between the Union and Confederate forces, took place from 1861 to 1865. During the war, a variety of weapons were used on both sides. These weapons include edged weapons such as knives, swords, and bayonets, firearms such as rifled muskets, breech-loaders and repeating weapons, various artillery such as field guns and siege guns and new weapons such as the early grenade and landmine.

The Civil War is often referred as one of the first "modern" wars in history as it included the most advanced technology and innovations of warfare available at the time. Some of the advances and innovations of the Civil War included mass production of war materiel, rifling of gun barrels and the use of the Minié ball, the advent of repeating firearms and metallic cartridges, transportation railroads with armed locomotives, ironclad warships, submarines, one of the first uses of air corps for aerial reconnaissance, communication (especially the telegraph), advances in medicine and the gradual decline of tactics from previous centuries.

Personal weapons
Rapid fire weapons
Artillery
Special weapons
Vehicles
- Animals
- Carriages
- Trains
- Ships
- Submarines
- Aircraft
  - Air balloons
  - Airships
See also

Personal weapons

Edged weapons

Model	Notes for the subject
Arkansas toothpick	Could be used as a sword in combat.
Bayonet	Attached to rifles and muskets.
Bowie knife	Often carried by Confederates instead of bayonets.
M1832 foot artillery sword	Issued to artillerymen. Based on the Roman gladius.
M1833 dragoon saber	Issued to the US Cavalry. An engraved version was privately purchased by senior officers.
M1840 army noncommissioned officer's sword	Issued to infantry sergeants.
M1840 cavalry saber	Issued to Union cavalry.
M1840 light artillery saber	Issued to mounted artillery.
M1850 army staff & field officer's sword	Regulation officer's sword, though in practice most officers used cavalry sabers. Southern officers sometimes carried ancestral blades from the American Revolutionary War or even from the War of 1812.
M1852 naval officer's sword
M1860 cutlass	Issued to naval boarding parties. Sailors also had access to harpoons, axes and grappling hooks.
M1860 light cavalry saber	Issued to Union cavalry.
Mameluke sword	Carried by Marine officers.
USMC noncommissioned officer's sword
Jeb Stuart with a cavalry saber M1832 artillery sword M1850 regulation infantry officer's sword M1860 light cavalry saber Mameluke sword (top) and scabbard (bottom)

In 1862 Joseph E. Brown governor of Georgia, proposed issuing pikes to the State militia to compensate for the shortage of guns. Thousands were made and issued but not known to have been used in combat.

Sidearms

Model	Notes
Adams M1851 revolver	A double-action only revolver and predecessor to the Beaumont–Adams M1862.
Allen & Thurber M1837 revolver pepperbox	With the shortage of pistols in the American Civil War, many soldiers on both sides carried these as a backup arm.
Allen & Wheelock M1861 revolver
Beaumont–Adams M1862 revolver	Imported by both the Union and the Confederacy.
Butterfield M1855 transitional revolver	A transitional revolver with tape primer invented in 1855 by Jesse Butterfield of Philadelphia. Two thousand were ordered by the US Army, but production was canceled in 1862.
Colt M1836 Paterson revolver	The first true revolver produced by Colt in 1836.
Colt M1847 Walker revolver	Issued to the US Cavalry. A heavy .44 caliber revolver invented during the Mexican War and designed for killing the mounts of charging enemy troopers.
Colt M1848 Dragoon revolver	A .44 caliber revolver that was developed from the Colt M1847 Walker.
Colt M1849 Pocket revolver	A popular revolver that was never officially issued but was often bought privately.
Colt M1851 Navy revolver	Colt's most popular revolver for the 1850s civilian market in .36 caliber. The name 'Navy' came from the cylinder of the revolvers being engraved with a scene of the victory of the Second Texas Navy at the Battle of Campeche on May 16, 1843. The preferred sidearm of the Confederacy. Copies such as the Griswold & Gunnison were made all over the South.
Colt M1860 Army revolver	A .44 caliber revolver made for the US Cavalry to replace the heavier Colt M1848 Dragoon. The Bessemer steel process invented in the 1850s made a lighter stronger revolver in .44 caliber possible.
Colt M1861 Navy revolver	Updated version of the .36 caliber Colt M1851 Navy with lines similar to the Colt M1860 Army.
Colt M1862 Police revolver	The .36 caliber Colt M1862 originally made for the New York Metropolitan Police Department.
Colt Root M1855 revolver	The first of Colt's revolvers to use a "creeping" loading lever mechanism.
Deringer M1825 Philadelphia caplock pistol
Elgin M1838 cutlass caplock pistol	Issued to navy personnel but proved unpopular and was quickly replaced with the M1860 cutlass.
Kerr M1855 revolver	A five shot back-action revolver made by the London Armoury Company was used by Confederate cavalry.
Lefaucheux M1854 revolver	A pinfire revolver imported from France by Union and Confederate officers.
Lefaucheux M1858 revolver
LeMat M1856 revolver	Perhaps the most well known foreign designed revolver during the Civil War. It had two barrels, a .42 caliber barrel on top and a 20 gauge shotgun barrel underneath. The creator, a French doctor living in New Orleans, Jean Alexandre LeMat, moved back to France to create more revolvers for the Confederacy. The French made revolvers, however, proved unreliable and difficult to manufacture.
Moore M1864 revolver	A seven shot revolver firing the .32 teat-fire cartridge.
Remington M1858 revolver	Colt's chief competitor, the Remington Repeating Arms Company, also made revolvers during the Civil War. The most common was the Remington M1858 New Army in .44 caliber. The .36 caliber version referred to as the Remington M1858 New Navy.
Remington M1860 Elliot revolver pepperbox
Savage-North M1861 Navy revolver	A proto double-action revolver with a second trigger underneath the first. Used by the Navy and a few Army regiments.
Smith & Wesson Model 1	Used as an alternative to the Colt and Remington revolvers. These usually fired brass rimfire cartridges.
Smith & Wesson Model No. 2 Army	A larger version of the Smith & Wesson Model 1 chambered in .32 caliber rimfire.
Spiller & Burr M1861 revolver	A cheaper version of the Whitney M1857 with a frame made from gunmetal (bronze) instead of iron and the steel in the cylinder was replaced with twisted iron. The muzzle was also rounded instead of having sharp edges.
Starr M1858 and M1863 revolver	A double-action revolver which was briefly used in the western theater of the war, until the U.S. Ordnance Department persuaded Starr Arms Co. to create a single-action variant after the discontinuation of the Colt revolver. The company eventually complied, and the Union acquired 25,000 of the single-action revolvers for $12 each.
Tranter M1856 revolver	The first model also had a proto double-action with a second trigger underneath the first. But in a later model this was reduced to a single trigger that could work with both single-action and double-action.
Volcanic M1855 repeating pistol	A lever-action repeating pistol made in 1855 and chambered in .44 rimfire. Privately owned by those who could afford them.
Walch M1859 revolver	A very rare 12 shot revolver. Fewer than 200 were made.
Wesson and Leavitt M1850 Dragoon revolver	A large single-action revolver in .40 caliber.
Whitney M1857 revolver	First produced in 1857, this .36 caliber percussion revolver was the first to be produced with a solid frame, which meant that it was much sturdier than the traditional Colt revolver.
Allen & Thurber M1837 revolver pepperbox Allen & Wheelock M1861 Navy revolver and Allen & Wheelock M1861 Army revolver Beaumont–Adams M1862 revolver Colt M1836 Paterson, Colt M1847 Walker, and Colt M1848 Dragoon revolvers Colt M1849 Pocket revolver Colt M1851 Navy revolver Colt M1860 Army revolver Colt M1861 Navy revolver Colt Root M1855 revolver Deringer M1825 Philadelphia caplock pistol used by John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln Elgin M1838 cutlass caplock pistol Lefaucheux M1854 revolver Lefaucheux M1858 revolver LeMat M1856 revolver Moore M1864 revolver Remington M1858 revolver Remington M1860 Elliot revolver pepperbox Smith & Wesson Model 1 Starr M1858 DA revolver Volcanic M1855 repeating pistol

Some Confederate cavalry units were equipped with single-shot caplock or even flintlock pistols early in the war. Some pistols were of the military make and had been issued to the US Army but were obsolete by the time of the Civil War due to the introduction of revolvers.

Rifles and muskets

Model	Notes
Augustin M1842 musket	The Augustin was an Austrian musket that featured in the U.S. Civil War in very small numbers.
Ballard M1861 rifle
Brunswick P1836 and P1841 rifle	A British percussion rifle imported in small numbers by the Confederacy.
Burnside M1855 carbine	A breech-loader invented by Ambrose Burnside and issued to the US Cavalry.
Charleville M1816 and M1822 musket	French muskets converted to percussion cap from flintlock and used in small numbers.
Colt M1855 revolver carbine and rifle	The Colt M1855 was an early repeater that was not favored by the troops because it tended to discharge all of its cartridges at the same time.
Deringer M1814 Common rifle
Deringer M1817 Common rifle
Enfield P1853 rifled musket	The Enfield P1853 was used by both the North and the South in the American Civil War, and was the second most widely used infantry weapon in the war.
Enfield P1861 musketoon
Fayetteville M1862 rifle
Gallager M1861 carbine	A single-shot breech-loading carbine with 17,782 sold to the US Army.
Hall M1819 rifle	A single-shot breech-loader invented in 1811. A few were used by the Confederacy.
Hall-North M1843 carbine
Harper Ferry M1803 rifle
Henry M1860 repeating rifle	The Civil War precursor to the Winchester repeating rifle based on early lever-action repeating rifles made by New Haven Arms Company Co. These highly prized weapons were privately purchased by those who could afford them.
Jenks M1841 Mule ear carbine	All of these carbines were manufactured for the Navy and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service.
Joslyn M1855, M1861, M1862, M1864, M1865 carbine and rifle	The Joslyn was made in both percussion and rimfire configuration.
Lorenz M1854 rifled musket	This Austrian firearm was the third most common rifled musket and imported by both sides. Many were modified to fire the same .58 caliber Minié ball as the Enfield and Springfield rifled muskets.
Maynard M1851 carbine
Merrill M1858 carbine
Mississippi M1841 rifle	A 2 band rifle with a sword bayonet which was issued to Confederate NCOs.
P1839 and P1842 Brown Bess musket	A caplock conversion of older flintlock muskets imported by the Confederacy.
Potzdam M1831 musket	Prussian caplock muskets converted from flintlock and imported during the conflict.
Richmond M1861 rifled musket	A Confederate copy of the Springfield M1855 without Maynard tape primer.
Sharps M1848, M1850, M1851, M1852, M1853, M1855, M1859, M1863, M1865 carbine and rifle	The Sharps rifle was a falling-block rifle used during and after the American Civil War. The carbine version was very popular with the cavalry of both the Union and Confederate armies and was issued in much larger numbers than the full length rifle.
Sharps & Hankins M1862 carbine	Carbines manufactured for the navy that were made with a protective leather barrel cover.
Smith M1857 carbine	Patented by Gilbert Smith in 1857.
Spencer M1860, M1865 repeating carbine and rifle	The Spencer M1860 was a manually operated lever-action repeating rifle fed from a tube magazine with cartridges. It was adopted by the Union army especially by the cavalry during the American Civil War, but did not replace the standard issue muzzle loading rifled muskets in use at the time. The Spencer M1860 carbine was a shorter and lighter version of the Spencer M1860 rifle.
Springfield M1795 musket	The first .69 caliber smoothbore flintlock musket made in the US for the military.
Springfield M1812 musket
Springfield M1816 musket	Many of these old flintlock muskets were converted to the percussion system and some of the barrels were even rifled to accept the Minié ball. The quality of these conversions varies from manufacturer.
Springfield M1822 musket
Springfield M1835 musket
Springfield M1840 musket	The last flintlock musket manufactured for the US military. Most were converted to percussion and rifled.
Springfield M1842 musket	The first musket produced with a percussion lock and last .69 caliber smoothbore. A large number were rifled prior to the start of the war.
Springfield M1847 musketoon
Springfield M1855 rifled musket	First standard issue rifled musket and in .58 caliber. Used both the Maynard tape primer system and the Minié ball.
Springfield M1861 rifled musket	Most widely used rifled musket of the civil war. Main feature was the elimination of the Maynard tape primer from the earlier Springfield M1855.
Springfield M1863 rifled musket	A slightly modified version of the Springfield M1861.
Starr M1858 carbine
Tarpley M1863 carbine	A Southern breech-loader which was not widely produced due to mechanical flaws.
Volcanic M1855 repeating rifle	Used the same system as the Volcanic M1855 repeating pistol but with the exception of having a longer barrel, magazine, a larger lever loop and a stock. The repeating rifle was never issued but was bought privately.
Wesson M1859 carbine and rifle	The Wesson M1859 was a breech-loading, metallic rimfire cartridge rifle used during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. The carbine was used by US Cavalry, typically purchased by state governments or individuals.
Whitworth P1857 rifle	Mainly imported by the Confederacy as a weapon for sharpshooters.
Burnside M1855 carbine Colt M1855 revolver carbine Enfield P1853 rifled musket Enfield P1861 musketoon Fayetteville M1862 rifle Gallager M1861 carbine Henry M1860 repeating rifle Joslyn M1864 carbine Lorenz M1854 rifled musket M1814 Common rifle Mississippi M1841 rifle Richmond M1861 rifled musket Sharps M1863 carbine Springfield M1842 musket Springfield M1855 rifled musket Springfield M1861 rifled musket Spencer M1860 repeating carbine Tarpley M1863 carbine Volcanic M1855 repeating rifle Whitworth P1857 rifle

The .69 caliber muskets (mostly percussion, but some flintlocks as well) were common in the early part of the war (either in their original form or converted to rifling). Early in the war the Confederates used civilian firearms including shotguns and hunting arms like the Kentucky and Pennsylvania rifle due to the shortage of military weapons. The British officer Arthur Fremantle observed that revolvers and shotguns (especially double barreled models) were the favored weapons of Confederate cavalry and mounted infantry during his 1863 visit to the South.

Grenades

The American Civil War belligerents did have crude hand grenades equipped with a plunger that would detonate upon. The Union relied on experimental Ketchum grenades with a wooden tail to ensure the nose would strike the target and start the fuse. The Confederacy used spherical hand grenades that weighed about six pounds sometimes with a paper fuse. They also used Rains and Adams grenades which were similar to the Ketchum in appearance and firing mechanism.

Landmines

Originally developed by General Gabriel J. Rains, were typically iron containers, loaded with gunpowder, a fuse and also a brass detonation cap. Some of these still-activated landmines were recovered in Alabama in the 1960s.

Landmines were an intimidating method of psychological warfare but were viewed as unethical. Union General William T. Sherman also hated them and declared them as not warfare but murder. Confederate General James Longstreet banned their use for a time.

Rapid fire weapons

Similar weapons of the Union included the .58 caliber Agar machine gun also known as "coffee-mill gun" which was similar to the Claxton machine gun. Like the Gatling I and Gatling II machine gun, the cartridges of Ager's invention were fed by a hand crank with a hopper on top and had a steel guard, and this is why some people believe that President Lincoln called it "the coffee grinder gun". Other infantry support weapons included the Billinghurst Requa Battery volley gun which had eight banks of cartridge chambers that were rotated into alignment behind the row of 25 barrels.

Chief of Ordnance, General James Wolfe Ripley was against issuing repeating rifles and rapid fire weapons to the Union army as he believed it would waste ammunition. Nevertheless, several generals, including General Benjamin Butler and General Winfield Scott Hancock, purchased Gatling machine guns that were the logical outgrowth of the trends portrayed in the Ager machine gun and the Ripley machine gun.

The Confederacy used the single barrel hand cranked Williams machine gun that was similar to the single barrel hand cranked Gorgas machine gun and the Vandenberg volley gun that was similar to the French De Reffye mitrailleuse and the Belgian Montigny mitrailleuse.

Artillery

Field artillery
Siege artillery

Special weapons

Congreve rocket
Hale rocket launcher
Sea mine
Winans Steam Gun

Vehicles

Animals

Horse

Carriages

Horse drawn carriages
Steam powered carriages

Trains

BLW Armed train

Ships

Ships of the Union Navy
Ships of the Confederate Navy

Submarines

USS Alligator
CSS Hunley
CSS Pioneer
CSS Pioneer II (Also known as CSS American diver)
CSS Bayou Saint John