Sunday, September 17, 2006
This Day in American History
On this day in 1862, more than 23,000 Americans were killed or wounded in the Battle of Antietam, the most American casualties in a day. Because most of the weapons had to be loaded standing up, the Civil War generals retained the tactics of massed troop movement from the Napoleonic Era, when the weapons were muskets without rifling and accurate out to at best 70 yards. Unfortunately, the weapons had improved, were rifles accurate to 300 yards and the failure to change tactics for changed technology resulted in tremendous casualties, not repeated even when weapons went through additional layers of technological advancement.
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 8:04 AM 
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Euro arrogance is no new thing. Many European observers travelled with both the Union and Confederate armies throughout the ACW. Yet in spite of watching the effect of rifled small arms on battle, in the Austro-Prussian and Franco Prussian Wars a few years later (1866 and 1869-70), the armies used the same sanguinary tactics proven to be problematic in the ACW. After all, what could civilized nations learn from colonists?
Arguably, the Europeans didn't really learn the lessons of the ACW until 1918, with the German creation of Stosstruppen (assault or storm troopers).
Arguably, the Europeans didn't really learn the lessons of the ACW until 1918, with the German creation of Stosstruppen (assault or storm troopers).
Great points, and the rifles were going through the next technological changes (breach loading and cartridge with firing cap) and Americans were thinking about and then making the first machine guns. It is German revolutions in tactics that changed things in the 20th. Since their defeat, we and the Brits have been carrying the load.
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