the 1860's

['Gunny]

in the 1860's and '70s we all know that Germany and Italy were unified. I am, however, having difficulty understanding the tactics employed by the armies. I am inclined to believe that they havent changed too very much since the Napoleonic era, however it seems that tactics would have evolved from marching regiments to a more irregular formation, especially due to invention such as the Needle gun, chassepot, and Breech loading artillery. I am wondering if anyone can point me to a good sight where i can find these things (as all my research has lead just to basic information, rather than actual tactics) The American Civil War seems like a good start, however I also believe the tactics may have been different (and I also seem to fully understand those tactics either, though information is more plentiful)
I am, in particular, looking for information regardig Prussian, French, and Uastrian tactics during the German Unification. Can anyone help me out?

[hellheaven1987]

Franco-Prussian War was largely about how European transfered the experience of American during ACW into an European conflict - that means, it was the strategy change that change the war. Railroad transportation, combined with universal conscription, are the two chief features during that war. Others, in tactical level, was the mobile trench warfare that has been seen using extensively during ACW by both North and South.

[Dr. Croccer]

Warfare changed considerably since Napoleonic times by 1870. Weapons were far more accurate and deadly and armies had grown to extremely large sizes. The American Civil War was one of the first cases of this kind of scale, and lead to a lot of problems.
The first and most notable commander to change warfare was Von Moltke. He witnessed the American Civil War and noted the flaws of commanders, and what they did right. His main problem with it was the command. The old manner of command, in which a commander had almost unchallenged power over his army was failing in the face of front-wide battles and such carnage. Officers had little to no personal initiative, and often blindly followed orders which were already outdated. A single commander trying to run a battle in the smallest details, and lower officers with no power leads to confusion or sluggishness inevitably. Von Moltke had already been reforming the Prussian army to avoid these problems, and the ACW only strenghtened his viewpoint. He turned the Prussian army into one with a decentralized command to achieve efficient centralisation of forces on the field. This allowed the Prussians to avoid bloodbaths like those of the ACW in their campaigns, and continue to wage a mobile war, by outmanouvering their enemies.