Machine guns were a hit during the Civil War. Used by both sides, the machine gun was one of the most popular weapons in the war. Many kinds of machine guns were also developed, including the Gatling gun, which was used by the Union, and the Williams gun, which was used by the Confederacy. Machine guns were normally used when guarding bridges and other locations, and they seemed to be inaccurate when shot. The earliest forms of the machine gun were invented around this time, and was a large step in both weaponry and technology.