Rifle-Musket

American Firepower and Tactics
1861-1865

Conclusion and Bibliography

By Ed McDonald
Wayne Praeder
Mike Bianchi-Rossi
Soldier figure drawings by E. Schweig

Conclusion

"The first ground handful of nitre, sulphur and charcoal drove monk Schwartz's pestle through the ceiling: what will the last do?"

-- T. Carlyle

The trend in increasing firepower which began in the Civil War was to affect the conduct of the infantry, cavalry, artillery and engineers profoundly. As a result, the face of battle itself was to be changed from the "attack of the bayonet" into the "attack by the bullet." As great as these changes were in the Civil War, the changes were but a forewarning of the coming firepower crisis.

For the infantry the masses used in the Napoleonic wars were being forced into a series of tactical changes demanded by the increasing firepower. The advance by rushes, heavier skirmish lines, advancing in successive lines and, finally, the use of hasty entrenchments were designed principally to keep infantry losses low and the attack moving through the storm of musketry. By the end of the Civil War, the technological breakthrough of the mid-nineteenth century was beginning to force in fantry to dig for survival as at Petersburg, Vicksburg and Atlanta.

With the cavalry, the age of the shock and saber was ending. Instead, the carbine and the ability to fight more like infantry was to change the role of cavalry from the romantic warrior of Napoleon's time into hard-hitting dragoons capable of raiding, skirmishing and seizing key terrain features. Even the tactics of the partisan cavalry under Morgan, Forrest and Mosby were to foretell the effect of small guerrilla bands when well armed and skillfully led.

In the artillery, the change was even more apparent. Gone were the days when cannoneers could gallop almost into point-blank range and deliver raking charges of grape and canister. The new rifle-musket effectively outranged these projectiles. The artillery in the attack had to drop back into a longer-range support role for the attack in order to avoid the deadly effects of musketry. Even this meant that the effectiveness of the attacking artillery was being challenged by the power of the new rifle-musket.

With the arms of battle undergoing change, the conduct of battle itself was to change. Although the basic roles of the arms remained unchanged and the principles of battle were to continue, "fire" was beginning to be dominant over closed ranks and the "bayonet." As the Civil War continued, firepower increased while mobility and mass decreased in importance. In order to deal with this crushing new firepower, the attacker was forced to rely more on fire to wreck the enemy's morale and positions.

When the Civil War ended, the trend toward increasing firepower was just beginning to unfold. In the next fifty years, machine guns, high explosives, breech-loading rifled artillery pieces and the magazine rifle were to mushroom the effect of firepower upon battle until, by 1915, firepower had completely ended the fluid mobility in war.

Observing the fantastic growth in firepower in 1880, Lt. Charles Totton of Strategos remarked:

    "The Saturday Reuiew recently advanced the hypothesis that after a few more improvements in firearms there will be no more battles . . . Knowing that when these forces are marshaled for battle they might under certain contingencies be exterminated, they forbear to run the risk of exposure to hopeless destruction .... War will assume the character of a game. When two armies face each other, one of them will realize the assault upon the other imports practical extermination of the attacking force, and will gracefully throw up the sponge."

Ed McDonald has been a wargamer for the past ten years, devoting the last few years to a comprehensive study of 19th Century weapons and tactics. Since graduation from Cal State Sonoma, he has been living in Stockton, California, giving lectures on the Civil War and working on a new project concerning the American Indian Wars of 1865-1878.

The Rifle Musket project took nine months to complete. Wayne Praeder assisted extensively in the research while Mike Bianchi-Rossi aided by proofreading.

Bibliography

Board of Officers. Ordinance Memoranda Nos. 17, 18, 19. Washington, DC.: US Gov't Printing Office, 1874-1887.
Buell & Johnson, Eds. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. 4 Vols, New York: Centuary Company, 1884-1887.
Chandler, David. The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: MacMillan Company, 1966.
Chief of Ordnance. Small Arms Report, 1855. Washington, D.C.: US Gov't Printing Office, 1854-1856.
Chief of Ordnance. Report of the Chief of Ordnance, 1860-1880. Washington, D.C.: US Govt. Printing Office, 1880.
Dennison, T.D. A History of Cavalry. London: MacMillan, 1877.
Fuller, J.F.C. Conduct of War, 1789-1961. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1961.
Gilham, William. Manual of Instructions for the Volunteers and Militia of the Confederate States. Richmond: West & Johnson, 1862.
Lewis, (?). Small Arms and Ammunition in U.S. Service, 1776-1865. Washington, DC.: Smithsonian Institution, 1956.
Mahan, D.H. A Complete Treatise on Field Fortification. New York: Wiley & Long, 1836.
Mahan, D.H. Aduanced Guard-Outpost and Detached Service of Troop. New York: Wiley & Long, 1847-1870.
Totton, Charles. Strategos. New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1880.
Upton, Emory. Infantry Tactics. New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1874.
Wagner, Arthur L. Organization and Tactics. New York: Kimberly & Company, 1897.
War Department. Cavalry Tactics. Washington, DC.: US US Govt Printing Office, 1841.
War Department. Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. 70 Vols. Washington, DC.: US Gov't Printing Office, 1882-1900.
War Department. Instruction for Field Artillery. Washington, DC.: US Gov't Printing Office, 1861.
War Department. Instruction for Patrol and Outpost Duty. Washington, DC.: US Gov't Printing Office, 1863.

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