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Hambredd t1_j9rsxev wrote

Reply to comment by PaoliBulldog in TIL about the 1938 Gettysburg Reunion, where veterans of The American Civil War met, they were on average 94 years old. by VengefulMight

The Gatling gun and submarines (if you can even call them that), were barely used. Balloons are hardly aerial warfare and were used in the Napoleonic wars. What about artillery the single most important weapon of World war 1? It was still used like the Napoleonic armies had. The infantry still fought in massed ranks.

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emcee_pern t1_j9s3mp7 wrote

The Siege of Petersburg towards the end of the war was nine months of trench warfare that very much looked like an early version of the front lines of WW1.

Also artillery was extremely important during the Civil War. It wasn't as advanced of course but there was still plenty of it having a large impact on battles.

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Hambredd t1_j9s4z3l wrote

Trenches have been in sieges seen ancient times. The Battle of Alesia, of the siege of Vienna both had stagnant trenches.

Artillery was used like it had been for hundreds of years. Sit a battery on a hill and fire at the enemy you can see. A far cry from the millions of high explosive rounds constantly fired from 20 miles away.

This is just the old american exceptionalism myth , the same is the idea american revolution invented light infantry.

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KindAwareness3073 t1_j9scx71 wrote

If you want to claim your nation deserves more credit for the industrial scale senseless slaughter of human beings I am sure the US will give that to you.

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[deleted] t1_j9sdj74 wrote

[removed]

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TheGallant t1_j9u2fwn wrote

We're getting downvoted to oblivion, but I'm with you: Civil War is in no way a harbinger of the First World War. Anyone who says otherwise does understand the unprecedented scope and scale of the Great War.

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