What weapons were used by Civil War soldiers?
During the Civil War, small arms included muskets, which were smoothbore, long-barreled shoulder arms; rifles, shoulder guns with spiral grooves cut into the inner surface of the barrel; carbines, short-barreled rifles; and handguns, including pistols and revolvers. Like artillery, small arms also were designated by their caliber, mode of loading (breech or muzzle), and maker. The principal small arms on both sides were the .58 caliber Springfield musket and the .69 caliber Harpers Ferry Rifle, both muzzle loading arms that fired the deadly mini ball. Bayonets, sabers, swords, short swords, cutlasses, Bowie knives, pikes, and lances, classified as “edged weapons,” appeared in considerable profusion during the Civil War. Although they served to decorate their original possessors and delight modern collectors, they inflicted few casualties. All firearms larger than small arms are known as artillery or cannon. Although there were dozens of different types of cannon used during the Civil W
