When the guns fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861, the Union government had about five hundred thousand shoulder arms held in arsenals in Northern states.  About eighty percent of these were .69-caliber smoothbores.

The Southern states possessed only about a third as many long guns – many seized from federal arsenals.

Both sides could raise more troops than they could quickly arm, and there was a massive effort to build or buy as many guns as possible.  Eventually millions more muskets, rifles, carbines, and revolvers would be delivered to Union and Confederate soldiers between 1861 and 1865.

The Civil War would lead to dramatic advancements in the technical progress and historical record of the American firearm -- and would lead to the dawn of modern warfare. 

60 minutes - Color, 1080HD