Artillery in the Civil War was a reliable, capable and technological advantage for the Union and the South. During this time, some cannons could range up to three-quarters of a mile to one and a half miles. Some imported or larger artillery pieces could range even further distances. When Union soldiers and Confederate soldiers moved across the territories, their artillery pieces would move with them, mobility was essential. During intense battles, positioning of the field artillery was important and the artillery could be used to go forward or sent back, depending on the orders. Positioning and movement meant everything to the field artillery. The field artillery could accomplish its mission only by moving to strategic areas of importance. …show more content…
For both the Union and the Confederacy, these animals were a priority target on the field. One tactic used was to shoot down the horse or the particular animal that belonged to that battery. If you were able to injure or kill the animal that belonged to that battery, repositioning that artillery piece would be next to impossible for those soldiers. The heavy artillery pieces used by the Union army in the battle were twenty pound and thirty pound Parrott siege rifles. The 4.2-inch thirty-pound Parrott rifle was the most popular used siege gun because it was dependable, superior and able to mount on a standard siege carriage. The design of this particular Parrott rifle had a newer style elevation screw that ran along the cascabel as opposed to the older style that ran under the breech, though effective it was prone to break. The 4.2-inch Parrott was the weapon of choice over the larger siege rifles because of the type of shells that were used; it had a longer effective range and was not prone to muzzle bursting. Not just from the Battle of Malvern Hill, but the Civil War itself, what lessons can be learned from the past and what is still relevant today? The dynamics of combat power and how systems operate is still crucial in today’s