In the CIvil War, soldiers used musket loaded rifles, and fired lead balls. These rifles with their ammunition were difficult to reload because the soldier had to jam the ball down the rifle and sometimes the ball could jam. Rifles would also jam because of residue from the lead ball being scraped off from the grooves. The balls also did not expand properly, which caused inaccuracy. Battles were fought at about 100 yards and closer in lines charging each other, cavalry was used, and soldiers armed their rifles with bayonets.
Because of all of these difficulties, the military seeked a way to create a bullet that was cheap, could be mass produced, and was easy to use for soldiers. They came up with a couple designs in 1818 and another design in 1849, but they were too expensive for military use. Early models of the Minie Ball were found in Britian and France. They were a cylyndrical shape with a bored out end for expansion into the rifling, but used a iron plug to avoid destroying the bullet when fired.
In the early 1850's James Burton at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, took the Minie Bullet design and improved it by removing the iron plug which was used in Britain. This made it possible to mass produce ammunition, and the mine ball was adapted for military use in 1855. The bullet was then used by both sides of the American Army (Confederate and Union).
The minie ball was the solution for reloading rifled muskets.
The Minie Ball changed the status quo because the Minie Ball was a cheap, efficient resolution for using the hard to reload musket rifles. The Minie Ball was easy to reload, which made firing rounds faster therefore increasing firepower in the military. The Minie Ball also was easy to mass produce and cheap, making it affordable and a logical choice for the military. Another advantage the Minie Ball had was the damage it could do. The bullet would desintagrate when it hit the target causing a massive hole on the exit side, which could blow off limbs, cause catastophic damage, and have one hit kills.
The Minie Ball changed the course of the war. The way the bullet was used by everyone, massed produced, and the damage it did changed the course of the war to a bloody, brutal and catastophic war. The bullet is proclaimed to cause 90% of the deaths and wounds from the civil war. The bullet would sever limbs, tear men apart and spread disease on top of that from the wounds. The Minie Ball also changed the course of the war in how the war was fought. At first, the war was fought in lines and enemies charged at eachother. Now, the Minie Ball had incredible accuracy which made those tactics obsolete. The enemy could be picked off from a further distance and made the battles fought at longer distances. This new method of war created Snipers in the military, marksman designed to pick off enemies and high risk targets at a distance. The snipers would sit back behind all of the troops and shoot at the enemy and get multiple kills without being in danger.
The invention of the Minie Ball was an intentional status quo change. The bullet was invented because rifles were hard to reload and they wernt always accurate. The Minie Ball was also invented to create a bullet that would cause catastrophic damage because that would cause battles to be more one sided and the war to end quicker. The Minie Ball did not have many limitations as it was easy to use, easy to fire, and it could be mass produced inexpensively.
The Minie Ball had two different impacts depending on the way you look at it. For warefare wise the Minie Ball had a good impact for the side using it because it had a lot of advantages and it was easy to mas s produce for troops. It also gave you more firepower on the battlefield. Another advantage it had for the side using it was that it caused devastating damage to the enemy. The negative impact could be that also. The Minie Ball did cause many deaths and damage. The Minie Ball was such a lethal bullet it caused hundreds of thousands of deaths in the civil war. It devastated soldiers when they were hit with it.
The Minie Ball was the first successful bullet to be a cylindrical shape. Today that is what a majority if not all bullets are shaped like. Bullets are not muzzle loaded anymore, but they do carry a lot of the Minie Ball with them. Not only the shape of the bullet, but its trajectory, the way it comes out of the barrel when its fired, and the way the damage they cause are all similar. The Minie Ball was a crude bullet, but was an engineering feat because if the reliability, cost, damage, and especially how it changed the course of the war.
The war was a gruesome and bloody war. It is said that the Minie Ball had to do with 90% of the deaths of the war. Without the minie ball the war would have lasted longer, and possibly the war could not have been as deadly. The invention of the Minie Ball was a huge factor in the war and changed history. The amount of impact the Minie Ball had on the Civil War and American History is larger than any other war technology of that time. For the first time rifles could be easily reloaded and used effectively. The already deadly weapon (rifle) was made twice as deadly with the Minie Ball. Without the Minie Ball we would not have the types of bullets we have today.
Because of all of these difficulties, the military seeked a way to create a bullet that was cheap, could be mass produced, and was easy to use for soldiers. They came up with a couple designs in 1818 and another design in 1849, but they were too expensive for military use. Early models of the Minie Ball were found in Britian and France. They were a cylyndrical shape with a bored out end for expansion into the rifling, but used a iron plug to avoid destroying the bullet when fired.
In the early 1850's James Burton at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, took the Minie Bullet design and improved it by removing the iron plug which was used in Britain. This made it possible to mass produce ammunition, and the mine ball was adapted for military use in 1855. The bullet was then used by both sides of the American Army (Confederate and Union).
The minie ball was the solution for reloading rifled muskets.
The Minie Ball changed the status quo because the Minie Ball was a cheap, efficient resolution for using the hard to reload musket rifles. The Minie Ball was easy to reload, which made firing rounds faster therefore increasing firepower in the military. The Minie Ball also was easy to mass produce and cheap, making it affordable and a logical choice for the military. Another advantage the Minie Ball had was the damage it could do. The bullet would desintagrate when it hit the target causing a massive hole on the exit side, which could blow off limbs, cause catastophic damage, and have one hit kills.
The Minie Ball changed the course of the war. The way the bullet was used by everyone, massed produced, and the damage it did changed the course of the war to a bloody, brutal and catastophic war. The bullet is proclaimed to cause 90% of the deaths and wounds from the civil war. The bullet would sever limbs, tear men apart and spread disease on top of that from the wounds. The Minie Ball also changed the course of the war in how the war was fought. At first, the war was fought in lines and enemies charged at eachother. Now, the Minie Ball had incredible accuracy which made those tactics obsolete. The enemy could be picked off from a further distance and made the battles fought at longer distances. This new method of war created Snipers in the military, marksman designed to pick off enemies and high risk targets at a distance. The snipers would sit back behind all of the troops and shoot at the enemy and get multiple kills without being in danger.
The invention of the Minie Ball was an intentional status quo change. The bullet was invented because rifles were hard to reload and they wernt always accurate. The Minie Ball was also invented to create a bullet that would cause catastrophic damage because that would cause battles to be more one sided and the war to end quicker. The Minie Ball did not have many limitations as it was easy to use, easy to fire, and it could be mass produced inexpensively.
The Minie Ball had two different impacts depending on the way you look at it. For warefare wise the Minie Ball had a good impact for the side using it because it had a lot of advantages and it was easy to mas s produce for troops. It also gave you more firepower on the battlefield. Another advantage it had for the side using it was that it caused devastating damage to the enemy. The negative impact could be that also. The Minie Ball did cause many deaths and damage. The Minie Ball was such a lethal bullet it caused hundreds of thousands of deaths in the civil war. It devastated soldiers when they were hit with it.
The Minie Ball was the first successful bullet to be a cylindrical shape. Today that is what a majority if not all bullets are shaped like. Bullets are not muzzle loaded anymore, but they do carry a lot of the Minie Ball with them. Not only the shape of the bullet, but its trajectory, the way it comes out of the barrel when its fired, and the way the damage they cause are all similar. The Minie Ball was a crude bullet, but was an engineering feat because if the reliability, cost, damage, and especially how it changed the course of the war.
The war was a gruesome and bloody war. It is said that the Minie Ball had to do with 90% of the deaths of the war. Without the minie ball the war would have lasted longer, and possibly the war could not have been as deadly. The invention of the Minie Ball was a huge factor in the war and changed history. The amount of impact the Minie Ball had on the Civil War and American History is larger than any other war technology of that time. For the first time rifles could be easily reloaded and used effectively. The already deadly weapon (rifle) was made twice as deadly with the Minie Ball. Without the Minie Ball we would not have the types of bullets we have today.