When war broke out between the North and the South in 1861, the United States was still a growing nation, living with traditions of the past and beginning to improve life with new technological advances of the future. The Civil War was a conflict during which both sides experimented with old and new methods, machines, and weapons - all of which were dependent upon developing technologies. Exploding shells, hot air balloons, anesthesia, land mines, submarines, and the telegraph are a few of the unique technologies that Union and Confederate leaders used in their struggle to win the war. ""Technology and the Civil War"" explains the role of technology for Americans before, during, and after the conflict.