"Small arms are the firearms carried by individual soldiers. During the American Civil War (1861-65) small arms consisted of an incredible variety of muskets, rifles, carbines, revolvers, and even shotguns. Small arms, in the hands of both Union and Confederate soldiers, accounted for half of the war's 633,000 killed and wounded.
In 1861, neither the United States nor the newly-formed Confederate States were prepared to fight a major war. Years of peace, a small standing army, and a state militia system that was largely ceremonial, combined to severely limit stockpiles of military supplies. The most serious shortage was the lack of up-to-date small arms.
As thousands of volunteers rushed forward to join the armies of the cause in which they believed, the supply of arms in both state and national armories was soon exhausted. To meet the emergency, both Union and Confederate governments sent purchasing agents to scour the arsenals of Europe. Every type of firearm suitable for military purposes was pressed into service in the meantime. Many early volunteers found themselves armed with antiquated weapons, some even dating back to the War of 1812…"
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