Weapons that Changed the World

Before the Minie ball you had two real options for small arms: the musket and the rifle. Neither option was perfect. The musket could be loaded quickly, but it wasn't all that accurate. The rifle was a little more accurate, but took longer to load.

Minie ball ammunition, invented in the 1840s, let infantrymen have the best of both worlds. Unlike regular rifle shot, the Minie ball's diameter was smaller than the barrel of the rifle. That meant the Minie ball could be rammed down the muzzle, instead of being loaded from behind. This significantly cut the time needed to load a rifle.

With an accurate weapon that could be loaded quickly, an army could do a lot of damage. And damage they did. The first time two opposing infantries both armed with Minie ball rifles met was at the bloody Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., in December 1862.