Lecture 8 - Civil War (1861-1862) Battlefield Technology, Rising Casualties, Strategy & Tactics Flashcards
Understadn it (34 cards)
What is future lag?
Future Lag- means technology that- as a thing that kills lives faster than medicinal technlogy ( such as a muzzle loading single shot rifle) - as a culprit of so many deaths
How many loading stages were there before the war started?
About 24 different stages to load one round before, the war ( American Civil war)
What is a matchlock?
- Smoking string that ignites gun-power
- Problems?
o At night you are immediately seen
o Fighting in the rain / wet weather difficult
o Match lock is dangerous
What is a wheel-lock?
- Smaller first concealed weapon in Renaissance
- Expensive and fragile
- Need watchmaker to repair them
What is a flintlock?
- Piece of flint screwed up to the hammer
- Pulling trigger hits the a metal sending sparks to ignite gun powder
- Will be used in Napoleonic wars, various revolutions
- Last of the pre-industrial weapons
- A good soldier can fire 2 shots a minute
- Average soldier takes 40 seconds
What is a percussion lock?
- Small metal cap with merculary fermunite
- Cap goes on the ‘nipple’
- Cuts off 10 to 15 seconds of loading
- Large poach ammo, small poach is percussion caps
What is a cartridge ammunition?
- Pre-packed catridges
- Before people would measure powder out and drop the ball separately
- Soldier now bites of end soldiers now need teeth (to bite)
- Paper is greased with usually lard
o Creates problem in India (Muslims do not eat pork, Hindu do not eat beef)
o Britain got mutinies in India
Average Hit Rate ( Ordinance US TESTS 1855)
The Range - was determined
Average Hit Rate [US Ordinance Tests 1855]
Range Smooth Bore Rifle
100 yards: 80% 100%
200 yards: 65% 80%
300 yards: 18% 40%
What was one of the rifles between what is the difference between a musket and a rifle?
The rifle has too be rifiled, in which the many issues with rifled musslce loading percussion musket ( Springfield.58 Caliber Rifle)
What is a close order formation? And created by who?
Mr. Winfield Scott in 1835v - and then William J Hardee Rifle and infantry tactics came up with ( moves or ways to do different infantry tactics) -
In which
Winfield Scott Infantry Tactics (1835)
pace = 28-inches
common time - 90 pace/min
quick time - 110 paces/min
double time - 140 paces/min
William J. Hardee Rifle & Infantry Tactics (1855)
double-quick time - 165 paces/min (up to 180)
pace = 33-inches
What is the Claude Ettienne Minie?
He designed the modern ball, or the minie ball,in which caused so much destruction. In which he designed this ball around 1840.
What was the bulllet so good?
Minié round in subsonic (travels under the speed of sound). Therefore, if you get hit by a Minié round you get shot and then hear a sound.
This new bullet technology was not matched by innovation in tactics. This led to tragic causalities with horrible wounds.
Different types of formations?
For example, Indian Rushes, Sucicidal charges, artillery at point blank range, and majorty of causalities in point blank.
The type of formation known as Indian Rushes?
The type of charges, known as the Indian rushes, in which was used in which one side , clear the field, they hide in the trenches, in which the ar of the posiition to defend, in having the enemy attack you on the ground.
Suicidial charges
A type of use of artillery at point blank range, in which the majorty of casualities was killing a point blank range, due to this there was more causualites needing to update there tactics.
Now why did William J Hardee introduce? The concept of his solution, in which becomes the idea of the military manuals, in which makes the case that ( running faster) or the idea of double quick time - was that of 165 paces/ minute and that would average about 180
The concept of this was introduced, due to the fact - that mnay causalities were occuring, in which with this new tight formations, in which was touch of elbow to elbow, would create tighter formations.
The solutions for the instructions for solider to get in better shape?
- Instructs soldiers “should breath as much as possible through the nose than with mouth” run faster and breath through the nose is the answer
In the idea of ammunition and why the Claude Etienne bal was or the concept was interesting ?
Based on the factor , that in the idea that rifling, had occured ( in the manner that back then, you would have someone a shooter hammer the barrel ( or the solider have a servant ) just to hammer the ball - but as the bullet got tigghter and more tighter it would come out - this became the solution that was introduced by the Minie ball.
The concept of Mushrooming?
Mushrooming became the idea - that in fact - the grip of the barrel, was that it required a ball to become hammered into metal, in which Minie comes up with the bullet ( in which the hollowed out - as the slighter the smaller ( as the gas fills the hollow ( and it pushes the bullet( - tight when it come sout ( as when the hits, it hits something hard ( such as bone, flesh, stone wood etc, ( in which in comparison bullet flattens( this would create tremendous amount of physical damage
What are the drastic effects of mushrooming?
Mushrooming caused - fucked up effects, as if you were shot in the shoulder, your whole arm would be cut off.
What became about due to the mushrooming vs other bullets?
Mushrooming - empties the whole skkill - known as the keyhole, but bullets in general even at the top of your head just skims but with the Minie ball, your whole entire head gets blow off ( in which introduces new legislation
Hague Convention Concerning Expanding Bullets of July 29 1899
- Will ban these weapons in 1899
Link to Text - Bans the use of bullets that expand in human body
- In war rounds have to be metal jacketed; no hollow point.
- Hollow-point used by cops
- US found loophole though; difficult to say which is more tolerable
- Ammunition used in civil war was intolerable today
In the concept of Treating wounds -
- Chances of dropping dead in battle field from bullet (1 in 85)
- Chances of being wouded are 1 in 10
- 1 in every 4 wounded dies
- People are not so much dying from the battlefield but more so from the wounds
- No protocols of removing wounded, nobody thought of it; nobody could conceive that
- Wounded put under shade of tree; that’s it.
What were field hospitals?
- Field hospitals; 1 tent with many people waiting under trees
- In this era still did not understand how infections occurred
- Thought infections travel from the wind Miasma therefore upon window