What Northern military tactics ended the American Civil War?

It wasn't tactics. Both sides used pretty much the same battlefield methods, which were often less brilliant than they should have been. read more

The Northern victory in the U.S. Civil War was a triumph of superior politics above all. But the politics did create and channel military might. That might, however, was measured in numbers, organization and logistics, not battle rsults. read more

Both the Union and Confederate armies employed very similar battlefield tactics, described as 'linear' during the Civil War. They were tactics which would have been familiar to Napoleon fifty years earlier. Infantry attacks were launched at roughly the double quick and it was thought that massed bayonets were essential for victory. read more

In Civil War tactics, the principal combat arm was infantry. Its most common deployment was a long "line of battle," 2 ranks deep. More massed was the "column," varying from 1 to 10 or more companies wide and from 8 to 20 or more ranks deep. read more