The Union River Fleet
Mr. ami's Ii. Ends, of St Louis, has proposed tis a means ofdefense the employment of the bouts owned by the wrecking company of which he is a member, and has advised that said boats be taken by the Government and properly armed and equipped for that service It is ordered that the subject be referred to General McCtellan, who will consult with Mr. Each and with such naval officer as the Navy Department may send out for thai purpose, and then, as he shall find best, lake order Jor the proper...
Gunboats in Action
When the war began, nobody who was given command of a wooden gunboat on the Mississippi River knew what to expect when his vessel went into action. Although experienced naval officers had read the latest theoretical treatises and kept abreast of the latest developments in naval and ordnance technology, the effect of shell guns, steam engines and even armor cladding were largely untested when the war began. Similarly, the introduction of the ram was an unknown quantity. The gunboat captains 011...
Tinclads
It soon became apparent that the Union needed more than a few powerful ironclads and rams on the Mississippi. While the principal units of the River Flotilla were occupied in the seizure or bombardment of Confederate shore positions or the destruction of enemy warships, other river gunboats were needed to patrol the hundreds of miles of rivers which led through occupied territory. Their roles were to escort supply boats and troop transports, to patrol for signs of enemy activity, or to act as...
The Timberclads
When James B. Eads submitted a proposal to build a flotilla designed to wrest control of the Mississippi River from ihe Confederates, he was echoing the call by General Winfield Scott to make the river a major focal point of Union strategy. Eads was a successful St Louis businessman, and experienced in riverboat construction. The Navy was hard-pressed just to establish a blockade around the Confederate coastline, so the matter was passed to the War Department, which ran the US Army. What the...
Ship List Confederate
CSS Confederate States Ship LSNS Louisiana State Navy Ship OTHER CONFEDERATE GUNBOATS OPERATING ON THE MISSISSIPPI Sunk following heavy damage in action, April 1862 Destroyed to prevent capture, April 1862 Destroyed to prevent capture. April 1862 Destroyed to prevent capture. April 1862 Destroyed to prevent capture, April 1862 Destroyed to prevent capture, April 1862 Destroyed to prevent capture. April 1862 Damaged and abandoned. April 1862 salvaged, and used as a Union transport Destroyed to...
Mississippi River Gunboats of the American Civil War 186165 1
Angus Konstam Illustrated by Tony Bryan First published in Great Britain in 2002 by Osprey Publishing. Elms Court. Chapel Way, Botley. Oxford 0X2 9LP, United Kingdom. Email infaiiospreypublishing.com AJI rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright. Designs and Patents Act. 1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,...
Mississippi River Gunboats of the American Civil War 186165
Angus Konstam Illustrated by Tony Bryan ANGUS KONSTAM hails from the Orkney Islands and is the author of over 15 books, many of which are published by Osprey. His other maritime titles include Elite 67 Pirates 1660-1730, Elite 69 Buccaneers 1620-1700 and Elite 70 Elizabethan Sea Dogs 1560-1605. Formerly the Curator of Weapons in the Royal Armouries at the Tower of London, he also served as the Chief Curator of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. He is now based in London, where...