Numerous Civil War weapons were used by our forefathers in the Northern or the Southern regions and almost every citizen of the United States is in some way linked with the events of that era. Every type of weaponry used during those times has its own value as well.
And having a unique relic is extremely costly and not for any weapons enthusiast. Here are some of the most important types of weaponry that forged that history of America.
British Enfield
This was just like the Springfield and it was owned by both the Confederate and Union military. Troops could use the exact top quality ammo in the Enfield guns as in the Springfield. However, the Enfield was not bulk manufactured like the Springfield, and many soldiers did what they could to return the Enfield for a Springfield.
Austrian Lorenz
This was another commonly used of the Civil War weapons, and it was too in the property of the Confederate and Union armies. Some light-bore muskets, such as 1842 Springfield, have been used regularly too, though against opponents equipped with guns, these were not very efficient.
Short Barreled Carbines
It was the one of the main weapons of the Civil War for any cavalry troops, since it was efficient up to 200 meters. Around 20 different kinds of carbines were used by Northern states. Cavalry on each side used the Sharp, a 0.52 caliber weapon. They were commonly used by Gen. Buford’s army departments when they forced back the Confederate march towards to in 1853. They were single shot weaponry, but could be packed quickly enough for a soldier to fire 5 bullets every minute, compared to 3 from a muzzle musket.
The Confederates created their own Sharp duplicates, but these were not so efficient since only 5,000 have been produced and plenty were faulty, according to records by Gen. Lee. Instead, the Confederates on horses used taken Union breach-loaded weaponry and short-barreled guns.
The .52 caliber Spencer
The Union armies used a top quality Spencer that was trademarked in 1860 and which could shoot 7 bullets in just 30 seconds. This regularity of the fire power confused the Confederates who were using their more slowly muzzle-loading musket.
An unusual .44 caliber model was another well-known repeater that had the Confederates at an obvious disadvantage. Even if Confederates soldiers got their hands on such weaponry, they had to produce unique refills.
Handguns
Both Union and Confederates units were more similarly matched when they used new handguns, especially those created by Samuel Colt. Even if most Colt revolvers were sold to the Union military, the Confederates had their provisions of weapons before the battle at Fort Sumter.
The .36 caliber revolvers were also acquirable to the Confederate army and were great guns for horsemen. Remington provided revolvers to the Union soldiers, and these had simple design and a strong structure, offering them both more power and less costs to mass produce them than the Colts.
After the Civil War, Union soldiers were given the possibility of buying the side guns, and the majority of them selected the Remingtons rather than the Colts.
Smith Revolvers
Smith created the .22 and.32 caliber weapons used in the Civil War, but in little amounts. The majority was purchased independently and Lefaucheux revolvers for sale in France were bought by Union military in the Western fights, while the Confederate troops purchased a large number of Kerr revolvers.
At the mass manufacturing of the weaponry used in the Civil War, Southerners had a great drawback due to deficiency of technology and raw components necessary for producing the guns. Sometimes cathedral bells were melted to provide the parts to make arms.
Source: Wikipedia.org