Artillery
"As we did so, I heard a thud on my right, as if one had been struck with a heavy fist. Looking around I saw a man at my side standing erect, with his head off, a stream of blood spurting a foot or more from his neck. As I turned farther around, I saw three others lying on the ground, all killed by this cannon shot. The man standing was a captain in the 42nd Va. Regt., and his brains and blood bespattered the face and clothing of one of my company, who was standing in the rear."
From the diary of Pvt. John H. Worsham,
21st Va.
From the diary of Pvt. John H. Worsham,
21st Va.
Above is an example of the damage done to forts by artillery,
As shown, artillery played an incredibly large role in the Civil War with massive implications both strategically and emotionally. With the introduction of incredibly powerful artillery, armies could be devastated even before going to the battlefield. The brutish force of artillery also had a very strong psychological impact on the every-day soldier as shown in these quotes.
"Thomas Hyde was standing near the corps commander when a stray cannonball decapitated a New Jersey private a few yards away. The bloody head struck Hyde full in the face, momentarily blinding him and filling his mouth with brains and gore. Friends moved to help the shaken aide to his feet.
"Noah Andre Trudeau,
Bloody Roads South,
page 66.
"Noah Andre Trudeau,
Bloody Roads South,
page 66.
"Not only do the guns exert a tremendous moral effect in support of their infantry, and adverse to the enemy, but they do far more. They often actually preclude heavy damage from the enemy by preventing him from essaying an assault against the position the guns occupy. Then, again, by forcing the enemy to seek cover, they eliminate their antagonists to that extent...Let us hear no more of artillery efficiency as measured by the number of its victims."
Paddy Griffith, Battle Tactics of the Civil War, 1989, p.171
Paddy Griffith, Battle Tactics of the Civil War, 1989, p.171