This is a Picture of a Minie Ball. Certain parts of the Minie Ball made it very effective in war.
PerformanceThe pointed tip of the Minie Ball made it very aerodynamic. This bullet cut through the wind faster than any bullet ever created in its time. The design also made the bullet travel much farther. On average, each Minie Ball traveled between 200 and 500 yards.
The Minie Ball could be reloaded very quickly, which was very useful during warfare. All you had to do was pour in gunpowder, drop the bullet in the barrel, and jam it down the tube. The Minie Ball was one inch long, and it weighed 1.5 ounces. Because of its light weight, it was able to travel very far. But it also was heavy enough to travel in a straight line. |
Origination:
The Minie Ball was created in France, and shipped to the United States. Before the war started, when both sides were one country, the ammunition was shared among the sides. When the war began, both sides had access to the super-powered bullet. So combat was very intense. |
ProductionThe performance of the Minie Ball wasn't the only aspect that made it an unbeatable weapon. The Minie Ball could easily be mass produced, and it was very cheap. One person could mass produce about 3,000 bullets an hour. That's about 1 bullet per second!
The Minie Ball had such a high demand, that the Union army purchased about 470 million Minie Balls! (470,000,000) |