Since the discovery of gunpowder by the Chinese, the world as we know it has made more efficient and powerful weapons. Throughout the history of warfare from the medieval times to present day, explosives have been used as an Offensive and Defensive weapon. When a castle or army was under siege the attacking army would surround the objective and cut off all supply lines and try to starve the enemy into submission. With the invention of gunpowder it made the siege obsolete. This was empowered by the cannon and other forms of field artillery, which allowed the objective to be overthrown quickly. Military grade explosives are used for benign reasons also. Within the past few years an emphasis has been placed upon demining war torn …show more content…
The Confederate strongpoint in the lines of fortification and trenches was known as Elliott’s Salient. Lieutenant Colonel Henry Pleasants of the 48TH Pennsylvania who was a coal miner by trade before the war had started saw the importance of this salient and proposed the mission of mining under the salient to blow it up in order to end the stalemate. The Union Army Engineers saw the task as impossible to accomplish. Work began on June 25TH 1864 to excavate a 510 foot long shaft from the Union lines and extend under the Confederate stronghold. On July 23RD 1864 the mining was completed. The work included the 510 foot long tunnel and a branch to the left and right for a total of 200 meters wide to cover the width of the salient. Once the work was completed the Union Army loaded 320 25 pound black powder kegs in to the mine. To control and direct the force of the explosion, sand bags were packed in and around the kegs of gunpowder. This is an example of the modern day shape charge. The sandbags would force the energy of the explosion upward in the direction of the salient and weaken the confederate defenses to aid in the ending of the siege. On July 30TH 1864 at 0444 hrs the mine was exploded. The explosion threw bodies and cannons of the Confederate Army in to the air. When the debris, bodies and cannons landed there were cannons buried up to the breach. The crater created by
He therefore ordered an all out assault at the heart of the Union lines hoping to break them with one massive attack. The plan was for artillery to open fire and break down the Union soldiers and then follow the barrage immediately with Pickett’s Charge. Pickett’s Charge was the name given to the frontal assault of the Union lines. After the Confederate artillery onslaught began, the Union artillery did not respond for about twenty minutes because they wanted to conserve ammunition for an anticipated assault. When the Confederates began the assault, it slowly progressed forward and finally reached the Union lines only to be stopped without any further progress.
Upon arriving to Malvern Hill, the Confederates had a lack of information, affecting their understanding of the contour of the land. This greatly affected their use of artillery movement and emplacement, causing the Confederate artillery to be ineffective. This was caused by the swamps, not allowing the caissons to maneuver through (Hill M. , 2012). Because of this obstacle, the Confederate had to push their reserve artillery pieces down Willis Church Road, causing them to be exposed to the open field, which they were then bombarded by Union artillery fire (Krick, 2014). The Union had the advantage over the
Said Martin Luther King Jr. after the Birmingham Bombing (“16th Street Baptist Church”). The 1963 Birmingham Church Bombing was a devastating event. Lives were lost and you were defined by your skin color.
At Henry Hill, Gen. Jackson along with several others formed a large defensive line in order to support the disorganized retreated troops. The Union and the Confederates spent the beginning of the battle with their artillery firing at each other. But, the Union lacks the support for their artillery batteries and the Confederates take advantage of that fact. This is where the Union begins to crumble. The Union sends its troops in piece by piece, unable to permanently hold their artillery pieces. While
The bombings of Darwin was the most catastrophic events in the Australian war history. Darwin and Australia was shocked at the time knowing that they were being targeted by the Japanese. The coming of Darwin was extraordinarily significant within Australian History. Some of the short term effects were that the buildings were turned into rubble and long term many of the families lost members and suffered.
At 8:15am on July 18, 1863 the second battle of Fort Wagner commenced. It was initiated by four federal land batteries and the Federal Fleet that shelled from the sea using 11 ships to include the “USS New Ironsides, a veritable floating gun platform sheathed in iron.” The Confederate soldiers incased all 14 cannons in sandbags hoping they would last the unrelenting shelling of the Federal Fleet, which hurled shells at the Fort weighing up to 400 pounds. The Confederate men retreated to the belly of the Fort where they held out the shelling suffering zero casualties and amazingly loosing few
The Battle of Gettysburg has been known to many as the decisive turning point of the Civil War. The battle itself was a Union victory that forced the Confederacy into a defensive posture which ended General Lee’s most ambitious attempt to invade Union Territory (Gettysburg Foundation, 2017). The Battle of Gettysburg alone consisted of 67 Battery’s in which totaled 362 guns making it the largest artillery attack in United States history. This battle was a historical landmark for the field artillery, as it established the field artillery as an effective firing weapon system and paved the way for more accurate fires (Herhily, 1931).
The Mine’ bullets were bullets that both the North and the South had carried with them. The bullets were cone shaped like the bullets we have today. In the South, they had the best trained officers since there were seven of the eight military colleges at the time. This also allowed them to have the best trained military and officer. Since the war for the South was a defensive effort, the North did not know what they were getting into. The South only had to do so much damage to the North and because of this they lost their moral to fight the war. The military of the South was vicious. The South had more and better leaders. While having a broader base of recruits. They did not have as many people than the North. And the South’s technology was no match for the North’s (“Strengths
Since Sunday September 15, 1963, Birmingham received its nickname Bombingham. Many people would think that a church, a place of God, would be the last place to be blown to pieces. Four people lost their lives the day of the bombing. The enemy didn’t seem to care about the people inside but the color of their skin. The Birmingham church bombing also brought influential people, major details surrounding the crisis, a difference in society, and a change in history.
Around noon, Union and Confederate cavalry troops battled three miles east of Gettysburg but Stuart was eventually repulsed by cannon fire led in part by Gen. George Custer and the Union Cavalry. The diversion attempt failed. Back at the main battle site, just after 1 p.m. about 170 Confederate cannons opened fire on the Union position on Cemetery Ridge to pave the way for the Rebel Charge. This was the heaviest artillery barrage of the war. The Federals returned heavy cannon fire and soon the battlefield was covered in smoke and dust. Around 2:30 p.m. the Federals slowed their rate of fire, then stopped firing, to conserve ammunition and to fool the Rebels into thinking the cannons were knocked out-and that's exactly what the Rebels thought too. But as the Rebels got within range, Federal cannons opened fire using grapeshot which is a shell containing iron balls that flew apart when fired, and they also used deadly waves of rifle fire. Soon the Rebel army was torn apart but they still moved forward. Pickett’s charge was almost more after the once majestic army of 13,000 had its numbers of troops dwindle.. The Rebels still move forward, shooting then charging with bayonets. The battle lasted for about an hour mostly of hand-to-hand combat. Finally what was left of Pickett’s charge (5,500) retreated. Lee admitted this was his mistake and the tide of war now turned in the North’s favor. The Union lost (either dead, wounded, or missing) about 23,000, and the Confederates lost about
The history of the Western hemisphere is full of war and conquest. One of the most significant and defining of those conquests is the downfall of the Mexica/Aztec Empire. While there are many other events to choose from, this one stands out since it was one over one of the largest empires in Central America. It is also important to look at because of the immense cultural impact it had. The story of this takeover reads like a movie script, a small band of Spaniards single handedly takes down the most powerful empire in Central America. It was an epic battle, which unfortunately led to the destruction of a magnificent culture. As in any major historical event there are many underlying themes and storylines
Some people like to shoot guns for hunting, some like to shoot them for recreation. Whatever the reason, when using guns, there are steps you need to take to be safe, whether shooting or storing them.
Johnston originally planned to attack Grant on April 4, but delays postponed it until the 6th. Attacking the Union troops on the morning of the 6th, the Confederates surprised them, routing many. Some Federals made determined stands and by afternoon, they had established a battle line at the sunken road, known as the "Hornets Nest." Repeated Rebel attacks failed to carry the Hornets Nest, but massed artillery helped to turn the tide as Confederates surrounded the Union troops and captured, killed, or wounded most. Johnston had been mortally wounded earlier and his second in command, Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, took over. The Union troops established another line covering Pittsburgh Landing, anchored with artillery and augmented by Buell’s men who began to arrive and take up positions. Fighting continued until after dark, but the Federals held. By the next morning, the combined Federal forces numbered about 40,000, outnumbering Beauregard’s army of less than 30,000. Beauregard was unaware of the arrival of Buell’s army and launched a counterattack in response to a two-mile advance by William Nelson’s division of Buell’s army at 6:00 am, which was, at first, successful. Union troops stiffened and began forcing the Confederates back. Beauregard ordered a counterattack, which stopped the Union advance but did not break its battle line. At this point, Beauregard realized that he could not win and, having suffered too many
The first battle in Fallujah during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) is known as Operation Vigilant Resolve. This battle is regarded as one of the biggest single defeats that the United States Military has suffered throughout all its campaigns during OIF. The United States and international media outlets exploited this defeat, which in turn, bolstered Al Qaeda recruiting in Fallujah. This offensive failure and retreat was backed by a huge public outcry for troop withdrawal and successful exploitation of recruiting propaganda by the insurgents.
Guns and crime. These two words sound interesting, right? Now think about it deeply, do they really link to each other? Do guns surely lead to crime and violent issues? If so, should governments set restrictive rules for people who own and use the guns, such as provide the mental health reports, and test the shooting skills before purchasing the guns? These questions have been mentioned and discussed over and over again in today’s world. We can often hear the news about gun violence, such as a tragic mass shooting somewhere around the world and tons of victims who died from the accident, or husband that shot his wife by accident. Thus, many people, especially people in America, are asking, and even doubting whether or not it is beneficial to own guns at home without a license. In my opinion, I think that owning a gun can be helpful sometimes in some ways, as it can always be the extremely powerful and helpful weapon for self-defense, especially when help from the law enforcement officers are not available.