Civil War Weapons

What weapons were used during the Civil War? The revolver was made especially for the war. This gun would shoot easily. It was strong and long lasting. The man who made the revolver sold 12,000 of these guns to the government for the soldiers. The soldiers in the North used these guns. These guns were so well built that some people smuggled them to the soldiers in the South.

Rifles were also very important in the war. They were made out of wood and metal. Most of them were very heavy. They had a wooden handle and long barrels. Most rifles used gunpowder.

There were at least 12 different types of rifles to buy. The most useful was the rifle that was copied from the British. It was called a musket. It could shoot up to 1,100 feet and hit most of the targets. It only weighed 9 pounds and 3 ounces. Most rifles were much heavier. They also came with a knife on the end of the gun called a bayonet. This was very helpful when the soldiers were fighting by hand.

The revolver and the rifle were the most useful weapons of the Civil War.