Article ID: CBB787655726

Union and Confederate Views on Guncotton (May 2015)

unapi

This essay investigates why guncotton was not commonly used by both sides of the American Civil War, despite it being a more powerful explosive than the standard explosive (gunpowder/black powder). The question hitherto has not been fully answered; it is proposed that both sides did realize its superiority yet chose different modes of action. The Union army tested the material in America, but chose the British course of action, to wait until the material, with its known instability, was improved. The Confederate navy was willing to take the risk and looked in mid-1864 for large amounts in Europe for use in certain types of sea and river mines (“torpedoes”). Large quantities did arrive, but were too late to be used. The types of torpedoes to be employed with guncotton are not known but it is estimated that the material was intended for those types where gunpowder limited their effectiveness.

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Authors & Contributors
Bergman, Yoel
Browning, Judkin
Michael H. Creswell
Heitz, Jesse A.
Gregory N. Stern
Tommy Jamison
Concepts
Military technology
Confederate States of America
Ironclads
Torpedoes
Explosives
Naval warfare
Time Periods
19th century
21st century
20th century
Places
United States
France
South Carolina (U.S.)
Great Britain
Institutions
West Point Foundry
Springfield Armory, Springfiled, MA
Great Britain. Admiralty
Macon Arsenal, Macon, GA
Harpers Ferry Armory
United States Navy
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