The American Civil War can reasonably be considered the first modern war due to the many interconnected changes and improvements in naval technology. Any war likely brings changes to the military and naval technologies of both warring sides. One side begins to use something new, the other quickly adopts the technologies invented by the first or invents something new to protect itself from new military and naval developments. This scheme took place during the American Civil War bringing numerous changes to the naval technology of the time and making it the first modern war in history. One of the first Civil War developments in naval technology was the improvement of naval artillery. In the 1850s, innovations in naval artillery allowed the military to increase the accuracy, power, and firing range of cannons. One such significant change was made by John Dahlgren, a naval officer whose technique for reinforcing cannon breach increased the amount of gunpowder that could be retained by a cannon, allowing larger shells to be fired at greater distances. So, at the end of the war, only John Dahlgren was responsible for the development and design of 12-pounder boat howitzers in different weight classifications, 20-pounder and 24-pounder howitzers. The beginning of the use of explosive shells came shortly after improvements in artillery. Exploding shells were developed in the 1820s, but gained their popularity during the Civil War. The shells contained a fuse that exploded upon contact with the ship and was powerful enough to sink a wooden ship. The next innovation followed shortly after the introduction of modified artillery. The use of the new long-range guns and explosive shells had a dramatic effect... half-baked on paper... for me, but it took it to a whole new level, making the Civil War the first modern war of the history. All changes in naval technology on both the Union and Confederate sides were directly linked to each other further pushing the development of technology during the war. So when one opposing side started using a new technology, the other needed another new technology to deal with it. Just as the Confederates had to deploy torpedoes to protect their ports from the new Union ironclads. So the enormous effect of the Civil War on naval technology can be explained by many different factors, but the main factor was the need for one of the warring sides to successfully confront the other. And this need was further pushing the development of technology by bringing more and more innovations and new inventions to naval technology.