Civil War Journal - Battle of Gettysburg: Weapons and Tactics

Civil War Journal explores various aspects of the Battle of Gettysburg.

 

The Battle of Gettysburg saw the opposing armies using a variety of weapons. Bayonets, swords and revolvers were used, but the primary infantry weapon was the single-shot, muzzle-loading, rifled musket, measuring 4.7 feet long and weighing a little more than 9 pounds. The most common were the Springfield and British-made Enfield rifled musket. They had a maximum effective range of 400 yards. Black powder, used as a propellant, was ignited by a percussion cap, sending a conical-shaped soft lead slug (or Minie ball) out of the barrel at high speed. The rifling inside the barrel caused the projectile to spin, giving it greater range and accuracy. The armies had a limited number of units equipped with smoothbore muskets that fired a lead ball with a maximum effective range of 100-150 yards. A well-trained soldier could load and fire his musket three times a minute.

Breech-loading small arms were also used at Gettysburg. Federal cavalry were equipped with Sharps and Burnside single-shot carbines. Sharps rifles were carried by a few Federal infantry units. A small number of Spencer repeating rifles were used by Federal cavalry on July 3.
The repeating rifle represented the newest technology available in small arms, but its impact at Gettysburg, given that it was in short supply, was relatively small.

Infantry and cavalry on both sides were supported by artillery. The Federal army had 360 cannon; the Confederates had 270. Artillery, like the musket, was either rifled or smoothbore. Both types were in use at Gettysburg. The principal smoothbore cannon was the 12-pounder Bronze Napoleon. It could fire a solid iron ball weighing 12 pounds almost a mile. The most common rifled pieces were the 10-pounder Parrot and the 3-inch Ordnance rifle. They hurled a solid, bullet-shaped, 10-pound projectile about 1 ½ miles.

The artillery used three types of ammunition. All cannon could fire solid shot. They also employed hollow shells, which contained a bursting charge of black powder, a timed fuse to set it off, and held musket balls or shrapnel. A canister round looked like a tin can, holding golf-ball size iron or lead balls. The can burst apart on firing, hurling the balls out like a giant shotgun blast.

Tactics were influenced by the weapons used. When forming for battle, infantry formations marched and fought in a two-rank line of battle, with the men shoulder to shoulder. A line of battle gave the commander the ability to concentrate the firepower of these weapons at a given target. When opposing lines closed within musket range, they opened fire at their opponents. The object was to gain/turn the flank of their opponent’s line, or drive them from the field. This was effective in the early part of the 19th century, when soldiers were equipped with smoothbore muskets and had to close within 100 yards of their opponent before opening fire. Once rifled muskets became the primary weapon, soldiers could close to 400 yards and load and fire their weapons three or four times before getting into hand-to-hand combat range. This caused horrific numbers of casualties, but tactics were slow to change.

The armies at Gettysburg were organized with three to five regiments forming a brigade, two to four brigades forming a division, and two to three divisions forming a corps. Cavalry engaged in classic mounted charges, especially in the large cavalry actions fought on July 3. They frequently fought on foot (dismounted) like infantry.

The artillery supported the infantry and cavalry. Batteries with four to six guns deployed on the crests of ridges and hills to achieve better fields of fire. They formed on the forward lines where they had protection from supporting infantry on their flanks or rear. Artillerymen normally aimed their fire at targets within sight, called direct fire. Firing at targets out of sight (indirect fire) and employing forward observers would be a development in the future.

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