<P> The American Civil War, fought between the Union and Confederate forces, took place from 1861 to 1865 . During the war, a variety of weapons were used on both sides . These weapons include edged weapons such as knives and swords, firearms such as, rifled - muskets, breech loaders and repeating weapons, various field guns such as artillery, and new weapons such as the early grenade and machine gun . </P> <P> The Civil War is often to referred as the first "modern" war in history as it included the most advanced technology and innovations of warfare available at the time . Some of the innovations and advances of the Civil War included mass production of war materiel, rifling of gun barrels and the use of the Minié ball, the advent of repeating firearms and metallic cartridges, ironclad warships, advances in medicine, communication (especially the telegraph), and transportation (railroads), and the gradual decline of tactics from previous centuries . </P>

Weapons used in the civil war by the union