The American Civil War can reasonably be considered the first modern war because of the many interrelated changes and improvements in naval technology. Any war likely results in changes in the military and naval technologies of both warring sides. One side begins to use something new, the other quickly adopts technologies invented by the first or invents something new to protect itself from new military and naval developments. This project took place during the American Civil War, making many changes to the naval technology of the time and making it the first modern war in history. One of the first developments in naval technology of the Civil War was the improvement of naval artillery. In the 1850s, innovations in naval artillery allowed the military to increase the accuracy, power, and firing range of cannons. One of these important changes was made by John Dahlgren, a naval officer whose technique of reinforcing the gun breach increased the amount of gunpowder that a cannon could hold, allowing more shells to be fired. large at greater distances. Thus, by the end of the war, only John Dahlgren was responsible for the development and design of the 12-pounder boat howitzers in several weight classes, the 20- and 24-pounder howitzers. The beginning of the use of high-explosive shells followed shortly after improvements in artillery. Explosive shells were developed in the 1820s, but gained popularity during the Civil War. The shells contained a fuse that exploded after contact with the ship and was powerful enough to sink a wooden ship. The next innovation followed shortly after the introduction of modified artillery. The use of new, longer-range cannons and high-explosive shells had a dramatic impact...... middle of paper ... me, but took it to a whole new level, making civil war the first modern war in history. All changes in naval technology, on both the Union and Confederacy sides, were directly related to each other, pushing the development of technology further throughout the war. So when one opposing side started using a new technology, the other needed another new technology to deal with it. Just as the Confederates had to deploy torpedoes in order to protect their ports against the Union's newly developed ironclads. Thus, the enormous impact of the Civil War on naval technology can be explained by many different factors, but the main factor was the need for one of the belligerents to successfully confront the other. And this need pushed the development of technology even further, bringing more and more innovations and new inventions to naval technology..