What weapons were used....
The army consisted of three branches or specialties. The infantry was by far the largest group. They were the common foot soldiers. The model 1861 and 1863 Springfield rifle musket was the primary weapon for the infantry. These rifle muskets were almost 5 feet long, single-shot muzzleloading weapons. They were issued with a “spike” bayonet nearly 2 feet long. Most Federal infantrymen were armed with this weapon or the Enfield. There were 53 pieces in the model 1861 Springfield including the bayonet and ramrod. In 1861 it cost $14.93 to manufacture. All parts were interchangeable. The model was slightly improved in 1863 and 1864 but the model 1861 rifle musket remained, practically unchanged, as the basic infantry weapon of the war. The Endfield rifle musket was the most popular of the Confederate-used long arms, and one of the most popular with the Federals.
The second group was the cavalry. These soldiers were trained to fight on horseback. They were called “the eyes and ears of the army”. Each trooper of the calvary was armed with one or two revolvers, one sabre, and one carbine. The carbines were almost always Spencer and Sharp models.
The third branch was the artillery. The artillery consisted of horse-drawn guns, commonly called cannons. Cannons on wheels were hitched to caissons (ammunition carts ) and pulled by horses. This was usually referred to as “fieldpieces”. Fieldpieces traveled with the army. Field artillery equipment included the devices for laying and firing the piece, for loading, cleaning, and repairing the weapons, and miscellaneous tools used in the battery. Almost all guns were muzzleloaders. There were two basic types of guns, the smooth-bore and rifled. The predominant smooth-bore cannon in use was the bronze Napoleon. It weighed about 1,200 pounds and had a diameter of 4.62 inches. The predominant rifled guns were the 3 inch ordance rifle and the Parrot.

What Was The Function For Each Weapon?
In the Infantry the Springfield rifle musket was primarly used to shoot people at distances up to 500 yards. It was also used as a club for hand to hand combat. The bayonet could be put on the muzzle, and the entire weapon became a 6 foot long spear to stab people.
The cavalry was soldiers trained to fight on horseback. Carbines were short breechloading rifles specifically designed for fighting while on a horse. The Union soldiers had a carbine called a Spencer model. This new weapon was a repeating rifle. This would dramatically change the way the cavalry could fight. The sabres they used were for close hand to hand combat.
Field artillery was used on battle fields with infantry. Artillery was used against enemy artillery and to destroy infantry attacks. One gun was served by nine men. Two guns were called a section. Six guns of three sections was called a battery.

How Did These Weapons Work?
The modification used on muskets was called “rifling.” This refered to the grooving of the inside of the barrel. This causes a pointed bullet to spin as it leaves the barrel. This spinning bullet could travel very far to hit its target. The Springfield rifle musket was loaded in a nine step operation and with practice could be loaded three or four times a minute.
The breach loading rifle could be loaded while riding a horse. The Spencer rifle and carbine rifle (its cartridges fed through a tube in the butt) were first used by the Federal cavalry and were the first example of repeating weapons used in warfare.
The sabres were used for cutting, hacking, and slashing. Basically it was a really big knife.
The range of field guns during the war varied from about 1/2 mile to a little over 1 mile. The artillery fires projectiles, which are very large in varied forms of bullets. The traditional projectile was the “solid shot.” This was a solid ball of iron. “Spherical case shot” was a hollow ball of iron with powder inside it. The powder was ignited in flight by a fuse which sent sharp iron fragments through the air. The most common projectile shot was the “canister shot”. The canister was actually a thin metal can with lots of small lead or iron balls inside. Canister was used for short range up to 300 yards against infantry and cavalry attacks.

What Were The Advantages and Disadvantages in Battle?
The Springfield Rifle Musket was lethally accurate at five hundred yards and sometimes even more. No longer could armies march shoulder to shoulder to within a very short distance of their enemy without being slaughtered. It also meant a soldier could hide behind a tree or a rock for protection against enemy fire. The disadvantage for the Federal army was they kept their rifles too shiney. A Federal soldier pointed out that it was poor judgment in Federal units for keeping their firearms brightly polished. At night the Confederate army could see their moves in the moonlight.
The bayonet inflicted only 2% of the wounds in battle, most of which usually healed. They were most often used as a candle holder and a tent stake. In that sense, the bayonet did help soldiers to read, write letters, play cards, cook and anything else that required light between battles.
The advantage of the breechloading carbine was that it could be loaded on horseback. The Spencer repeating rifle would have a huge impact on the cavalry. This short rifle could be handled on horseback, but typically the rider dismounted and used it on foot. It could fire many times before it had to be reloaded. Union cavalry could dismount, hide behind a ridge and block a road using Spencer rifles, delaying an advancing army. Col. R. Ernest Dupuy, U.S.A., Ret., wrote that the use of the Spencer “turned the cavalry from the saber-brandishing arm of shock-action into a supple combination of fire and movement in which the horse became a vehicle transporting the rifleman to the proper place to exert overwhelming fire-power at the proper time.”
Cannons were used to strike targets at great distances. They would “soften up” the army before sending in the infantry to attack. Cannons were also used defensively at close range against enemy forces who were about to overrun the cannons position.