Union Artillery had a great advantage over Confederate artillery. They had well trained officers in charge, and factories that manufactured their weapons. The start of the Civil War sent both sides into high gear as they devised and plotted with metal and iron to make cannons of every imaginable variety.
The North was highly industrialized, and therefore had factories that could manufacture these weapons. The South was more agricultural, and did not have the capacities the North had for great artillery, because they lacked the necessary factories to produce them. The North had massive industrial capabilities that would rival the larger older nations of Europe.
The Union Army primary set up their artillery in batteries. A battery consisted of 6 guns all lined up in a row. Eight men operated each gun in a battery. A lieutenant was in charge of two guns per battery, and a captain was in charge of the battery.
The Union Army also used brigades, which consisted of five batteries in control by a colonel. Each infantry corps had the support of at least one infantry brigade.
The Union Army also used Parrott rifles. Parrott rifles were composed of a combination of cast iron and wrought iron. Robert Parker Parrott invented the Parrott rifle, and they ranged in size from 10 to 300 pounders. Both armies used the 10 to 20 pounders. Many men did not like the Parrott rifle because it wasn’t very safe.
