Newly issued Sharps carbines were instrumental in repelling the Confederate charges

On the field of combat, Hooker's strategy to increase the cavalrymen's firepower was successful. The new Sharps carbines could fire up to 16 rounds per minute, a vast improvement above the standard Civil War soldier weaponry.

The success of a cavalry charge depends on overpowering the opposing line before countervolleys can sap the assailants of their momentum, hence the substantially improved rate of fire was especially crucial for mounted operations. Before defenders with muskets could load and fire more than one shot at a time, horsemen could often cover several hundred yards. However, with the advent of carbines, this situation altered. At Kelly's Ford, almost any Confederate charges ever made it to hand-to-hand combat before being repulsed by Union weaponry.