Although it's common to think of Civil War soldiers ramrodding their shoulder arms in the same way soldiers of the American Revolution did, there was a very dramatic improvement in weaponry — a major reason why the war had so many casualties. Smoothbore muskets gave way to rifled muskets that were more accurate and deadly over long distances. Soldiers also began to use breechloading and repeater rifles, vastly increasing their firepower. And artillery could cause more human and material damage than ever before.