As early as 1896, flamboyant inventor E.J. The invention of the internal combustion engine freed the fighting vehicle from the confines of the rails. More thinly-armored rifle cars filled with troops accompanied the railway monitors to provide infantry support either by dismounting or by firing through ports in the cars' walls. One Union design placed a naval gun on top of an armored boxcar in the vein of waterborne monitors, adumbrating later fighting vehicle layouts by giving the ordnance a free field of fire. These armored railway monitors, again armed with artillery pieces and featuring loopholes from which mounted infantry could fire their rifles, acted as rolling fortresses to provide protection to railway repair workers, point installations, and supply trains, and also to perform offensive missions.
Though this initially occurred on a local level, more organized arming and armoring programs quickly followed on both sides, drawing inspiration from ironclad naval vessels. After Confederate attacks on Union trains, a Federal engine was proofed against small arms fire with iron plating as early as April 1861. Artillery pieces were soon mounted to give the trains a greater punch and the artillery greater mobility. Battle-ready troops were carried for reconnaissance, patrolling, raiding, or escort duties, and soldiers occasionally dismounted from trains directly into action. Vietnam to Desert Storm: The Struggle for ModernizationĪs far back as the American Civil War, trains were used to quickly and easily move men and supplies across large distances. Development persisted, and today the armored vehicle is a ubiquitous component of the ground forces of the United States. Mechanization of American armed forces has not always followed a smooth path, but its origins predate even the internal combustion engine. The United States military has had a long, if at times strained, relationship with the armored vehicle.
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