SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Isaac Singer made major improvements to the sewing machine shortly before the Civil War. His sewing machines were faster, cheaper, and more efficient to make then before, so clothes could be produced in larger amounts.

The minie ball was a conical bullet that was designed to rotate when shot. Though it was invented much earlier, it was first used widely in the Civil War. It traveled faster than other bullets if the time and cause most of the injuries and deaths on the battlefield.

Telegraphs were very important to the success of the Union. Abraham Lincoln was a frequent occupant of his telegraph office, and many people, both civilians and the military, relied on the telegraph to communicate quickly and receive the latest news.

Railroads were also prominent during the Civil War, as many people used them to transport supplies. The Union’s railroads gave them a clear advantage, because the many miles of tracks in their territory helped them to move soldiers and supplies swifter than the South’s underdeveloped rail system.