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Civil War Weaponry and Medicine: A Disastrous Mismatch
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Author: Matthew Croson, Hamilton Middle School, Baltimore City Public School System
Grade Level: Middle
Duration: 1 period
Overview:
Like many modern wars, a good deal of the carnage during the American Civil War came from the fact that weapon technology outpaced the opposing side's ability to cope with and defend against it. This lesson focuses on what happened when the deadly "minie" ball replaced round bullets in American soldiers' rifles. The new ball tore through flesh and shattered bones at a much greater distance than older ammunition, and because of the unsanitary and sometimes crude field hospital practices, hundreds of thousands of soldiers died off of the battlefield. Students will engage with the dilemmas of Civil War doctors and nurses, and learn about new medical technologies of the period that did help soldiers survive the long struggle.
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