| Tango01 | 03 Sep 2016 10:31 p.m. PST |
"The Civil War was by far the most deadly war in American history. The bloody four-year conflict between the northern and southern states of the America would end up consuming the lives of an astounding 2 percent of the prewar national population—620,000 dead and a further 1.1 million wounded. The number of casualties is even more remarkable considering the most deadly weapons of the Industrial Revolution—the machine gun, the aircraft and the tank—hadn't been invented yet. The Civil War had its share of deadly weapons. From handguns to field artillery, here's a look at the top five…"
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Armand |
| John Thomas8 | 04 Sep 2016 3:14 a.m. PST |
Kind of annoying it listed the Gatling Gun, which may have fired as many as 2,000 rounds during the war. |
ScottWashburn  | 04 Sep 2016 4:10 a.m. PST |
That's probably about a thousand more than all the LeMat pistols in use during the war and it's on the list, too! :) |
| GildasFacit | 04 Sep 2016 4:28 a.m. PST |
Probably should list a surgeon's knife amongst those too – and disease and infection killed more than any weapon. |
79thPA  | 04 Sep 2016 6:59 a.m. PST |
My guesses were dysentery and consumption. |
| Dynaman8789 | 04 Sep 2016 7:15 a.m. PST |
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 Bobgnar | 04 Sep 2016 9:07 a.m. PST |
Dittos to the last three comments. Is there a breakdown of those killed out right by bullets or shells (or bayonets) compared to those who died of disease and infection? |
| donlowry | 04 Sep 2016 9:13 a.m. PST |
It was the bloodiest war in U.S. history because: 1. Casualties on both sides count against the U.S. total. 2. It was an all-out war of conquest/political survival (no armistice, not truce, no terms). 3. It was fought at a time when the practice of medicine was still rather primitive. (More men died of disease than wounds.) |
| epturner | 04 Sep 2016 9:23 a.m. PST |
I was thinking salt pork and hardtack. Eric |
| wrgmr1 | 04 Sep 2016 10:43 a.m. PST |
Poor nutrition, pneumonia, septic wounds, unclean hospitals and yes dysentary. Add to the mix many bad doctors that ended up in the army. |
| Tango01 | 04 Sep 2016 2:28 p.m. PST |
Good points. Amicalement
Armand |
 Legion 4 | 04 Sep 2016 2:54 p.m. PST |
Yes, most losses were not due to combat. As already noted, diseases on all sorts, etc., … were about 2/3s of the overall deaths. It always amazed me how many actually survived the surgeon's saw as well. |
| skippy0001 | 04 Sep 2016 3:10 p.m. PST |
7 out of ten men died of wounds. |
| Rudysnelson | 04 Sep 2016 7:06 p.m. PST |
The number of men dying of wounds were under reported to higher commanders in both the ACW and the War of 1812.
None combat wounds were very high but that was not the question. The deadliest weapon?
Considering the size, caliber, of the average rifle, I would say that. |
| EJNashIII | 04 Sep 2016 8:29 p.m. PST |
I'm curious. Do we have any document CW Gatling gun deaths? I know some Requa battery guns got some use at Battery Wagner. However, they were used to suppress sniper fire (force them to keep their heads down) when the construction crews were building the trench parallels. I don't know that they ever killed anyone. Where were any Gatling guns actually used in combat? Anyone killed at all? |
| donlowry | 05 Sep 2016 8:51 a.m. PST |
I think Ben Butler had a few around Petersburg or Bermuda Hundred, but I doubt if there are any known casualties caused by them. (Doesn't mean there weren't unknown ones, of course -- when someone gets shot on a battlefield who bothers to figure out who/what did it?) |
| MadDrMark | 05 Sep 2016 9:55 a.m. PST |
Do generals with bad judgement count as "deadly weapons"? Because a lot saw action on both sides in the Civil War. |
 Panzerfaust | 05 Sep 2016 1:34 p.m. PST |
Deadliest weapon? 12 pounder napoleons firing canister.
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| Brechtel198 | 06 Sep 2016 2:30 a.m. PST |
The infantryman with his rifle musket and field artillery. |
| mwindsorfw | 06 Sep 2016 7:11 a.m. PST |
If we are talking most bang for a single shot, what about naval mines (torpedoes) or mining efforts such as The Crater? |
| donlowry | 06 Sep 2016 9:00 a.m. PST |
I would bet that most casualties (aside from disease) were caused by rifle bullets and musket balls. |
| John the Greater | 06 Sep 2016 12:35 p.m. PST |
don – you are correct. I have seen estimates that upwards of 90% of battle casualties were from small arms. But, as pointed out above, disease killed twice as many men as combat. Drinking water killed more men than anything else. The statistics for various water-borne diseases are staggering. |
| Tango01 | 15 Jan 2020 9:29 p.m. PST |
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| Trajanus | 16 Jan 2020 4:36 a.m. PST |
Most lethal things in the Civil War? 1. Disease 2. Generalship |
| 138SquadronRAF | 16 Jan 2020 11:09 a.m. PST |
I think Ben Butler had a few around Petersburg or Bermuda Hundred, He had two batteries and he'd purchased himself since the War Department wanted nothing to do with the weapon. It was adopted by the US Army until 1866. Eight Gatling gun were fitted on various gunboats. The design wasn't really adopted any European navy and by 1880 it had been superseded by the Nordenfelt 1" Quickfire Gun. |
| Tango01 | 16 Jan 2020 12:31 p.m. PST |
Many thanks my dear cousin!….
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Armand
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| Blutarski | 17 Jan 2020 9:39 p.m. PST |
1 – 12-lbr canister at 200 yards.
2 – Spencer repeating rifles. B |
completes a Confederate river ironclad.
