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Article: An awesome arsenal: from muskets to missiles.(U.S. Army undergoes transformations in sophisticated weapons )
- Article from:
- Cobblestone
- Article date:
- May 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The U.S. Army has undergone major transformations in its arsenal over the years. In fact, today's highly sophisticated weapons would be unrecognizable to America's first soldiers, who served in Colonial times.
Personal Firearms
The basic weapon of the American soldier always has been a personal firearm, usually a musket or rifle. The earliest soldiers had muskets that used black powder and fired one lead ball at a time. Because they were loaded from the end of the barrel, or muzzle loaded, firing was a very slow process. In addition, muskets were not very accurate, as they were smoothbore weapons; that is, the barrels were smooth on the inside. These ...