What's a Small Arm?
Small arms are usually classified as weapons that are held by a soldier. During the Civil War, small arms such as the musket-rifle, the carbine, and the pistol. The musket-rifle was the primary weapon of both the Confederates and the Union. New innovative weapons, such as the breech-loading rifle were developed; they began its service in both the Union and Confederate armies. Many different models of pistols were used as sidearms.