Wall Of Fire - The Rifle And Civil War Infantry Tactics

Wall Of Fire - The Rifle And Civil War Infantry Tactics
Author: Major Richard E. Kerr Jr.
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2015-11-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782899413

This thesis examines the effect the rifle had on infantry tactics during the Civil War. It traces the transition from smoothbore to rifle and the development of the Minie ball. The range and accuracy of various weapons are discussed and several tables illustrate the increased capabilities of the rifle. Tactics to exploit the new weapon are examined, primarily those of William Hardee. Using Hardee’s tactics as the standard rifle tactics before the war, the change in how infantry soldiers fought is documented with two battle analyses. The 1862 Maryland Campaign shows the start of tactical evolution as soldiers seek cover, expend large quantities of ammunition and are decisively engaged at greater distances. During the 1864 Wilderness-Spotsylvania battle, the concepts of fortification defense and skirmish offense take hold. Examining several current books that deal with the rifle and its effects, the thesis concludes that the rifle’s increased firepower was a major factor in the move away from Hardee’s formation tactics.

From Flintlock to Rifle

From Flintlock to Rifle
Author: Steven T. Ross
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2012-10-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 1136301992

This is a comprehensive study of the major changes in infantry tacticts from the time of Frederick the Great to the beginning of what many see as the era of modern war, in the 1860s. Ross lays social and political change side by side with technical change. He argues that the French revolution, due to the fervour and loyalty it inspired in its participants, led to huge citizen armies of devolved command which were able to make use of new tactics that swept the poorly paid and poorly treated professional armies of their enemies from the field. Shortly after the Napoleonic wars other European countries experienced similar social change and by the middle of the Nineteenth Century these massive conscript armies were equipped with breech-loading rifles and more powerful artillery. The battlefield of the late 1860's had become a place where close infantry formations could not survive for long in the linear formations of the past.

Civil War Infantry Tactics

Civil War Infantry Tactics
Author: Earl J. Hess
Publisher: LSU Press
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2015-04-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 0807159387

EARL J. HESS is Stewart W. McClelland Chair in History at Lincoln Memorial University and the author of fifteen books on the Civil War, including Kennesaw Mountain: Sherman, Johnston, and the Atlanta Campaign ; The Knoxville Campaign: Burnside and Longstreet in East Tennessee ; and The Civil War in the West: Victory and Defeat from the Appalachians to the Mississippi.

Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics

Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics
Author: William Joseph Hardee
Publisher: Legare Street Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023-07-18
Genre:
ISBN: 9781019386897

First published in 1855, 'Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics' is a military manual designed to provide detailed instructions on the tactics and maneuvers used by light infantry and riflemen during the mid-19th century. Drawing on his experience as a veteran of the Mexican-American War, General William Hardee provides a comprehensive guide to the use of firearms in combat, covering everything from skirmishing and marksmanship to bayonet drills and fortifications. A fascinating and informative window into a bygone era of warfare. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.