The first conflict to use iron-clad gunboats, metallic cartridges, and submarines, the Civil War also introduced such inventions as the telegraph and military balloons, utilized by the Signal Corps. This comprehensive reference describes these and many other forms of arms and military equipment employed during the war, including pontoon bridges, percussion grenades, "freak guns," siege artillery, mines, and torpedoes. Profusely illustrated with the author's own drawings, the text provides a fresh perspective on how military resources decided the outcome of not only battle - but the war as well.