Maine at War: June 2020

Here’s what our friend Brian Swartz was up to in June at his blog, Maine at War:

June 3, 2020: Harper’s Ferry scenes for locked-down Civil War buffs

With many states requiring visitors to self-quarantine, Civil War fans are unable to visit war-related sites across the United States. Enjoy this virtual tour of Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park in West Virginia.

June 10, 2020: Sea fight on Albemarle Sound, part 1

After enlisting in the Navy as an acting master, Maine native Charles A. Boutelle reported aboard the USS Sassacus, a 974-ton warship mounting 10 guns. Assigned to blockading duty in North Carolina’s inland waters, the good ship and crew faced an ironclad foe in spring 1863.

June 17, 2020: Sea fight on Albemarle Sound, part 2

As the ironclad CSS Ablemarle attacked a Union blockading squadron on May 5, 1864, Acting Master Charles A. Boutelle handled navigation on the USS Sassacus as its skipper maneuvered to ram the Confederate warship.

June 24, 2020: Sea fight on Albemarle Sound, part 3

When a Confederate shell destroys a boiler aboard the USS Sassacus, a steam cloud scalds sailors aboard the warship and disables it. Acting Master Charles A. Boutelle helps save the ship when it breaks away from the ironclad CSS Albemarle.