Trivia 11-5-18 Predates the ACW

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There were a number of sewing machines invented that didn't work. The first functional machine was invented in 1830 by Barthelemy Thimonnier in France, but it was a chain stitch machine--it caused a riot by unhappy tailors.

Per https://www.thoughtco.com/stitches-the-history-of-sewing-machines-1992460:
"In 1834, Walter Hunt built America's first (somewhat) successful sewing machine. He later lost interest in patenting because he believed his invention would cause unemployment. (Hunt's machine could only sew straight steams.) Hunt never patented and in 1846, the first American patent was issued to Elias Howe for "a process that used thread from two different sources." (bolding is mine)

According to wikipedia article, "Walter Hunt," Hunt's was a lockstitch machine, so he was first. BTW, he also invented the safety pin, the forerunner of the Winchester repeating rifle, and lots of other useful things still in use today.
Other sources naming Hunt as the lockstitch sewing machine inventor:
https://www.redirectify.com/people/walter-hunt.html
http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1070410
And many more! So while Howe had the first patent, Hunt invented the first lockstitch machine!
 
1845: Elias Howe & the Lockstitch
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The first American lockstitch sewing machine was invented by Walter Hunt in 1832.[7] His machine used an eye-pointed needle (with the eye and the point on the same end) carrying the upper thread and a falling shuttle carrying the lower thread. The curved needle moved through the fabric horizontally, leaving the loop as it withdrew. The shuttle passed through the loop, interlocking the thread. The feed let the machine down, requiring the machine to be stopped frequently and reset up. Hunt eventually lost interest in his machine and sold individual machines without bothering to patent his invention, and only patenting it at a late date of 1854.

Elias Howe (cousin of Nathaniel Banks, Union General) is also credited as the inventor of the first modern lockstitch sewing machine.
Based on his connection to the Civil War, I will assume the latter is the answer sought.
 
Walter Hunt
Source: "The first American lockstitch sewing machine was invented by Walter Hunt in 1832."
(Note: Hunt failed to patent his invention, leaving the way open for Elias Howe to make a fortune)

Edit - There are sources that say Elias Howe was first to invent a lockstitch sewing machine, so I am also giving credit for that as a correct answer, especially since Howe actually did have a connection to the Civil War, while Walter Hunt, who died in 1859, did not.

hoosier
 
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