 | Frank Bergquist graduated from Eddyville, IA, high school in 1958. After graduation, he entered the Army, serving 20 years in Missouri, Maryland, New Mexico, Germany, Iowa, Turkey, Kansas, S.E. Asia, and finally retiring in 1978 in Louisiana. Before retiring, Frank was assigned as an ROTC instructor at WSU and Kemper Military School until 1974. In 1978 he served as the Non-Commissioned officer in charge of operations at Fort Polk, LA. He has served as the Veterans Counselor (DVOP) with the Kansas Job Service Center National Service Office, with the Disabled American Veterans at the VA Regional Office in Wichita; Veterans Employment and Training Coordinator with the US Dept. of Labor at Ft. Riley, KS; Service Coordinator with Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation; Dept Adjutant-Treasurer and the Dept. Executive Director Dept. of Kansas Disabled American Veterans; and past President of the Wichita Civil War Round Table. Currently he is doing graduate work as an instructor in Genealogy and Military History at Wichita State and Kansas State Universities, and is the CEO for the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Stores in Wichita, KS. Bergquist has an AA from Kemper Military School and College from Boonville, MO. and a BGS from Wichita State University. He can be reached by telephone at 316-262-6501. He is located at 926 N. Mosley Wichita 67214. |
Veteran Affairs
2011-01-01 10:18:00
The Civil War
Question: What was different about the Civil War and wars fought before this war?
Answer: The American Civil War was the first of the “modern” wars, from 1861-1865. The American Civil War was the result of decades of sectional tensions between the North and South. Focused on slavery and states’ rights, these issues came to a head following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Over the next several months eleven southern states seceded or tried to secede. They formed the Confederate States of America. During the first two years of the war, Southern troops won numerous victories but saw their fortunes turn after losses at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in 1863. From then on, Northern forces worked to conqueror the South, forcing them to surrender in April 1865. It was a gradual defeat lead by the union taking control of Southern strong points.
The American Civil War the first “modern” war. It saw a wealth of new technology and weapons come onto the battlefield. Advances during the conflict included a transition from muzzle-loading rifles to repeating breech-loaders, as well as the rise of armored, iron-hulled ships. Here’s an overview of some of the weapons that made the Civil War America’s bloodiest conflict.
A favorite of both North and South, the Model 1861 Colt Navy revolver was a six-shot, .36 caliber pistol. Produced from 1861 to 1873, the Model 1861 was lighter than its cousin, the Model 1860 Colt Army (.44 caliber), and had less recoil when fired. Unable to field a navy the size of the Union’s, the Confederacy opted instead to send out its few warships to attack Northern commerce. This approach, known as guerre de course, caused tremendous devastation among the Northern merchant marine, raising shipping and insurance costs, as well as pulling Union warships away from the blockade to chase down raiders. Although the commerce raiders were a bother to the North, the quantity of Northern commerce was such that it didn’t have a great effect on the North, when it is compared to the North’s blockade of southern commerce.
The most famous of the Confederate raiders was CSS Alabama. Captained by Raphael Semmes, the Alabama captured and sank 65 Union merchant ships and the warship USS Hatteras during its 22-month career. After the civil war, several European countries had to pay damages to the Union due to the commerce raiders
Typical of the many rifles imported from Europe during the war, the English Model 1853 .577 caliber Enfield was employed by both armies. A key advantage of the Enfield over other imports was its ability to fire the standard .58 caliber bullet preferred by both the Union and Confederacy.
Developed by Richard J. Gatling in 1861, the Gatling gun saw limited use during the Civil War and is often considered the first machine gun. Though the US Government remained skeptical, individual officers such as Major General Benjamin Butler purchased them for use in the field.
The USS Monitor and its Confederate adversary CSS Virginia ushered in a new era of naval warfare on March 9, 1862, when they engaged in the first duel between ironclad ships in Hampton Roads. Fighting to draw, the two ships signaled the end for the wooden warships of the navies worldwide. For the remainder of the war, both the Union and Confederate navies would build numerous ironclads, working to improve upon the lessons learned from these two pioneering vessels.
Designed and named for the French Emperor Napoleon III, the Napoleon was the workhorse gun of the Civil War artillery. Cast of bronze, the smoothbore Napoleon was capable of firing a 12-pound solid ball, shell, case shot, or canister. Both sides deployed this versatile gun in large numbers. The Napoleon or Light Napoleon was the weapon of choice. There is a Light Napoleon on display at the Ft. Dodge Soldiers Home in South West, Kansas. The only real difference in the two cannons is that the regular Napoleon had a separate firing chamber located at the end of the rifled portion of the barrel. The Light Napoleon was rifled throughout the barrel.
Pictured is horse drawn Napoleon canon, guarded by a guard with a 3 band Enfield rifle with a bayonet attached. The guard is probably a member of a black unit. Note that he is equipped with a proper uniform.
