Was the Civil War the first modern war or the last Napoleonic war? This question has preoccupied historians for years. Joseph Dawson, author of the article “The first of modern wars? argues that the Civil War was the first modern war. His point of view is the commonly accepted one. Alternatively, in his book Battle Tactics of the Civil War, Paddy Griffith compares the tactics used during the Civil War to those used in Napoleon's time. He opposes common belief and argues that even though the Civil War had new weapons and techniques, it was still a Napoleonic war. He draws the conclusion that even though Civil War soldiers used more advanced weapons; they still used Napoleonic tactics. By examining the rifles used during the Civil War, the way commanders chose to control their mass armies, and the drill manuals from which soldiers were trained, it is evident that the Civil War was indeed the last Napoleonic war. Dawson says that one aspect of modern warfare is having advanced artillery. During the Civil War, Americans had the modern technology necessary for modern warfare. Their artillery was improved; they began using single-shot muzzle-loading rifles, which was a major advance over smoothbore muskets. Dawson claims this led to larger battlefields than before since the new muskets had a longer range. Griffith supports this statement by saying: "Even with these marvelous new weapons, in fact, it remains doubtful whether a true revolution in firepower has actually taken place." » The new rifles did not have as much impact as Dawson claimed. The new musket could fire accurately and at three times the distance, but it was not until late in the war that all soldiers had the improved musket. Additionally, the rifle tended to be used on the battlefield or trying to use old tactics with their new weapons, both failed miserably. The Civil War did have mass armies like a modern war, but the commanders did not know how to control them properly and so they were not used effectively. Commanders had good communication through telegraphs, but with unsophisticated staff work this did not matter. Eventually, the soldiers were given the newer drill manuals, but because commanders were unable to successfully train in the new tactics, the soldiers used Napoleonic tactics. Although the Civil War had aspects of modern warfare, these features were not used effectively and were therefore still Napoleonic, resulting in the Last Napoleonic War. Works Cited Dawson, Joseph. “The first of modern wars? » Griffith, Paddy. Civil War Combat Tactics. United Kingdom: The Crowood Press, 2001.