|
|
#46
08-18-2017, 03:48 PM
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
One of the ironies of the Civil War is that there were as many , if not more , casualties from disease that had nothing to do with fighting or being captured . 
|
|
#47
08-18-2017, 03:59 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
One of the things about the Civil War was that it was one of those times when the technology had advanced far past the tactics and resulted in horrendous casualty figures at every conflict. The war started as engagements of massed infantry fire, same as the Revolution almost 100 years earlier. However, the muskets were now rifled and firing .577 conical bullets, not round ball. They were now accurate and deadly out to 200-300 years and beyond.
It was also the first major conflict where repeating arms played a big role. Both sides favored Colt or Remington revolvers, or copies, and each had 6 immediate shots available. Common practice in the cavalry was to have multiple revolvers onboard so each man might have 24 shots before reloading. Prior to this, cavalry relied on sabers, bad enough but nothing compared to 24 .44 caliber bullets firing at 700 FPS or so. Henry, the inventor of the lever action rifle tried to get the Union War Dept to order his guns early in the war. The 16 shot rifles were rejected as it was felt it would encourage troops to be "wasteful' with ammunition. Some units purchased them out of pocket and they proved pretty devastating. Southerners referred to it as "the dam Yankee rifle they could load on Sunday and shoot all week" As deadly as the arms were, even survivable wounds were bad. More soldiers probably died in hospitals from infections or complications of medical treatment as died instantly on a battlefield. After the war, in places like Crossville, TN, there were no males in the population between the ages of 20 and 60.
|
|
#48
08-18-2017, 04:44 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
 .
|
