The Evolution of Infantry Tactics During the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, the fielding of new weapons technology resulted in an evolution of Infantry tactics and experiments in unit organizations in reaction to the changes in the increased range, accuracy and the rapidity of fire of improved small arms. While recent scholarship examines the introduction of the increasingly lethal rifles issued during the war, most authors suppose that their deadly impact resulted in the stagnation of maneuver and prolonged what should have been a short conflict. The widespread conclusion of many scholars is that the leaders on both sides did not anticipate the changes wrought by more effective Infantry arms and that they were simply not talented enough to use the new forms of technology to achieve rapid victory. This paper examines the impact of those new rifles on combat and how the commanders on both sides evolved formations and specialized units to respond to the introduction of these new weapons.