Smithsonian Institution
Civil War at Smithsonian: Weapons
Examples of many of the weapons used in the Civil War are included in this exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution. Find rifles, swords, pistols, and hand grenades along with descriptions of who used them and how they were manufactured....
PBS
Pbs: Who Made America?: Innovators: Samuel Colt
One-page profile of influential innovator, Samuel Colt, whose vision and ideas created the revolving pistol that was later used in the Mexican American War and the Texas Revolution.
Other
Florida Reenactors: Civil War Revolvers of the North and South
A comprehensive review of the different kinds of revolvers used by both the Union and Confederate armies in the Civil War.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Sam Colt (1814 62)
Brief article, with biographical details, about Sam Colt's invention of the Colt revolver, the first weapon with a revolving cylinder that could hold six bullets.