War has been a recurring part of American history for the past few hundred years. From the 1700s to today, America has found itself in numerous situations and turmoil, which ultimately led to the wars we currently study and know about today. Technological advancements in warfare were necessary and were a great obligation during times of war. This was pursued with drastic improvements. From the transformation of the use of smoothbore muskets during the Civil War to the industrial revolution that led to postwar weapons innovations, the nature of warfare changed dramatically. These developments proved effective in battle. In the midst of these hundreds of years, while many technological advances have proven effective in battle, the machine gun has been one of the most significant technological advances that has changed the face of warfare through the transformation of operations and strategy. During the Civil War before the introduction of machine guns, Union soldiers predominantly used smoothbore muskets. "The rifle's low muzzle velocity and resulting high parabolic trajectory made long-range shooting difficult, especially because soldiers engaged in little target shooting and received virtually no training in estimating distances or using adjustable sights to compensate for the curved flight of the projectile. The intricate terrain of most battlefields – and the black powder smoke that engulfed every battle – often rendered enemy soldiers invisible until they were within range of smooth fire” ( Hess 288). This was assumed to be why the war was prolonged and combat losses were higher during the smoothbore era. Howey), this rat... means of paper... blacksmith, Dolf L. and R. Blake Stevens. The Devil's Paintbrush: The Gun of Sir Hiram Maxim. Toronto: Collector's Grade Publications, 1989. Print. 2. Hess, Earl J. The Rifle Musket in Civil War Combat: Fact and Myth. Lawrence, Kan: University Press of Kansas, 2008. Print.3. Howey, Allan W. "Weapons: The Rifle-Musket and the Minié Ball » History Net." Historical network. Weider History Group, October 1999. Web. May 12, 2012. .4. Lee, Loyd E. World War II. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1999. Print.5. Popenker, Max R. "Modern Firearms - Machine Guns." Max R. Popenker, 1999-2010. Network. 10 May 2012. .6. Simkin, John. "Machine gun." Spartacus Educational - Home page. John Simkin. Network. May 10 2012. .