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Major_Fool

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I know this should be in the "What If" section but The people in this section would answere the question better.

Using only tech available in 1861 but ANY tech available at the time (including stuff in advanced RnD) how would you equip and arm your army? Remember resupply is unimportant. You will get all you want.
 
I am going with the obvious Spencer rifle with bayonet for the infantrymen, Remington Modle 1858 with sword for the officers, Henry rifles for skirmishers, Henry rifles and Remington Model 1858 with sword for cavalry. Special weapons units with Gatling guns. Now for arty I would go with the 12-Pounder Whitworth Breechloading Rifle in 2 gun dedicated counter-battery teams and 4 gun battery -M1857 12-Pounder "Napoleon" for infantry support. Also 2 gun battery -M1841 Mountain Howitzer for cavalry support. Also double barrle 10 gage shotguns for the crewmen.
 
Antipersonnel weapons could be highly effective from the tinclads' point of view. The way they compensated for this sometimes was to take on board a group of 'sharpshooters' from an infantry unit, but it seems to me that a high-rate-of-fire piece could do as well or better. The need was for suppressive-type fire against batteries of field artillery, horsemen, or small infantry detachments. Going after those targets with howitzers could be a challenge.

Gatlings'd be less useful on the ironclads, which were more concerned with taking on forts and (potentially) other vessels.
 
Yep. The "tinclads" were (very roughly) analogous to river patrol craft during the Vietnam War, intended to patrol and secure the waterway as opposed to a stand-up fight against enemy vessels. The ability to put out a very high volume of small-caliber fire would be very useful. (Although you would want to keep at least one 24-pounder howitzer on board for duck-hunting.)

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"Resupply is unimportant. You will get all you want"you say? Ok this is easy, I'd have Henry rifles for every single infantryman with a few sharpshooter battalions armed with whitworth rifles and sharps rifles. I'd have breech loading armstrong guns, 12 pounder Napoleons, and 3 inch rifles for every field battery, 12 pounder mountain howitzers for every horse battery (field batteries that work with cavalry), 12 pounder Napoleons and 12 pounder mountain howitzers for every mounted artillery battery (batteries assigned to operate with infantry). All cavalry armed with Henry rifles, LeMat revolvers, and sabers. And a few artillery battalions of gatling gun batteries to operate with infantry. We'd whip all the world in one week :D
 
Yep. The "tinclads" were (very roughly) analogous to river patrol craft during the Vietnam War, intended to patrol and secure the waterway as opposed to a stand-up fight against enemy vessels. The ability to put out a very high volume of small-caliber fire would be very useful. (Although you would want to keep at least one 24-pounder howitzer on board for duck-hunting.)

Antipersonnel weapons could be highly effective from the tinclads' point of view. The way they compensated for this sometimes was to take on board a group of 'sharpshooters' from an infantry unit, but it seems to me that a high-rate-of-fire piece could do as well or better. The need was for suppressive-type fire against batteries of field artillery, horsemen, or small infantry detachments. Going after those targets with howitzers could be a challenge.

Gatlings'd be less useful on the ironclads, which were more concerned with taking on forts and (potentially) other vessels.

Do not know much about watery battlefields so just learned something new. So your arguments sound good but how about a visual aid? Anyone have schematics on tinclads? And more importantly where would the gatts go? And what about a Puckle gun instead of the gatling?
 
"Resupply is unimportant. You will get all you want"you say? Ok this is easy, I'd have Henry rifles for every single infantryman with a few sharpshooter battalions armed with whitworth rifles and sharps rifles. I'd have breech loading armstrong guns, 12 pounder Napoleons, and 3 inch rifles for every field battery, 12 pounder mountain howitzers for every horse battery (field batteries that work with cavalry), 12 pounder Napoleons and 12 pounder mountain howitzers for every mounted artillery battery (batteries assigned to operate with infantry). All cavalry armed with Henry rifles, LeMat revolvers, and sabers. And a few artillery battalions of gatling gun batteries to operate with infantry. We'd whip all the world in one week :D

Well sir, we seem to be using the same book but are not on the same page. So...
Why Henry and not Spencers for the infantry? I would think the heavier round and more powder would be better for the infantry?
And I forgot about the snipers. So Sharps rifles I get but why bother with the Whitworth rifle?
Now Armstrong gun? Not familiar. And I still think the Whitworth gun to be much better, so why ther with the 3inch rifled gun?
No I am not familiar with how things were organized but why do you have field battery and mounted artillery battery? Are they not the same thing? Now the horse battery we agree on.
I thought the LeMats' were unreliable?

This has brought up another thought. With these weapons the TOnE would look much different, and not just the E. S how would you set up units?
 
Do not know much about watery battlefields so just learned something new. So your arguments sound good but how about a visual aid? Anyone have schematics on tinclads? And more importantly where would the gatts go? And what about a Puckle gun instead of the gatling?

A number of riverine gunboats (and a number of monitors) had light "breastwork" shields to protect riflemen; I don't see why they couldn't have a Gatling mounted en barbette behind them. The advantage that a vessel-mounted Gatling would have would be that it's carrying its magazine around with it, instead of depending on wagons and limbers for a reload... higher capacity. It'd take away from the storage room for large-caliber ammunition, of course, but you could easily sacrifice a lot of grapeshot or canister if you've got a gatling available instead.

I'm referring to a Gatling mainly because it's been mentioned before in the thread, but what I'm really talking about is a sub-caliber high rate-of-fire antipersonnel weapon. Could be a "Coffee-Mill," Union Repeating Gun, or what-have you; though I would prefer the Gatling because of the multiple barrels.
 
though I would prefer the Gatling because of the multiple barrels.

I forgot about that with the Puckle. One barrel would overheat quick. I like the visual of a paddleboat with armor and Gatlings in the corners blasting away dropping off a platoon of sharpshooters. The civil war version of a special forces river insert. : )
 
I forgot about that with the Puckle. One barrel would overheat quick. I like the visual of a paddleboat with armor and Gatlings in the corners blasting away dropping off a platoon of sharpshooters. The civil war version of a special forces river insert. : )

To bend your mind even further, picture a development of the Mississippi Marine Brigade doing it... not just infantrymen landing, but cavalry!
 
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