As the breeding ground for modern warfare, the Civil War has long been known for its "firsts." It has been credited with dozens like these:

A workable machine gun
A steel ship
A successful submarine
A "snorkel" breathing device
Press correspondents in battle areas
American conscription
American bread lines
American President assassinated
Aerial reconnaissance
Antiaircraft fire
Army ambulance corps
Blackouts and camouflage under aerial observation
Cigarette tax
Commissioned American Army chaplains
Department of justice (Confederate)
Electrically exploded bombs and torpedoes
Fixed ammunition
Field trenches on a grand scale
Flame throwers
Hospital ships
Ironclad navies
Land-mine fields
Legal voting for servicemen
Long-range rifles for general use
Medal of Honor
Military telegraph
Military railroads
Naval torpedoes
Negro U.S. Army Officer (Major M.R. Delany)
Organized medical and nursing corps
Photography of battle
Railroad artillery
Repeating rifles
Revolving gun turrets
The bugle call, "Taps"
The Income tax
The wigwag signal code in battle
The periscope, for trench warfare
Telescopic sights for rifles
Tobacco tax
U.S. Navy Admiral
U.S. Secret Service
Withholding tax
Wire entanglements
Wide-scale use of anesthetics for wounded

Source: "The Civil War, Strange and Fascinating Facts" by Burke Davis

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