Field artillery in the American Civil War
Field artillery in the American Civil War refers to the artillery weapons, equipment, and practices used by the Artillery branch to support the infantry and cavalry forces in the field. It does not include siege artillery, use of artillery in fixed fortifications, or coastal or naval artillery. Nor does it include smaller, specialized artillery classified as small arms.
M1857 Napoleon at Stones River battlefield cemetery.
Firing demonstrations of Civil War era artillery pieces at the Springfield Armory, June 2010
M1857 12-Pounder "Napoleon"
M1857 12-Pounder "Napoleon"
Infantry in the American Civil War
The infantry in the American Civil War comprised foot-soldiers who fought primarily with small arms and carried the brunt of the fighting on battlefields across the United States. The vast majority of soldiers on both sides of the Civil War fought as infantry and were overwhelmingly volunteers who joined and fought for a variety of reasons. Early in the war, there was great variety in how infantry units were organized and equipped - many copied famous European formations such as the Zouaves - but as time progressed there was more uniformity in their arms and equipment.
Company E of the 4th United States Colored Infantry Regiment (1864)
Officers of the 80th New York Infantry, Culpeper, Virginia, 1863
Deployment of a 10-company infantry regiment in line formation
Union sharpshooters skirmishing at Malvern Hill