Category Archives: Navies

Robin Hood & The Civil War: Robin Hood Got Sunk (Part 2)

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Sarah Kay Bierle

Part of a series Well, not the Medieval outlaw from Sherwood Forest, but—believe it or not—one of the ships in the infamous “stone fleet” at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1861 was named Robin Hood. Here is that saga: Robin Hood … Continue reading →

Posted in Navies | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

“Praise the Lord and Admiral Porter”: Running the Vicksburg Batteries

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Dwight Hughes

“We still live,” wrote Lieutenant Elias Smith of the USS Lafayette. “The whole gunboat fleet passed the Vicksburg batteries on Thursday night [April 16, 1863], without receiving material damage. All praise to the Lord and Admiral Porter.” As far as … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles, Navies, Western Theater | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Home Libraries: A Salty Civil War Library

Posted on September 22, 2020 by Dwight Hughes

Back in the 90’s, Judi and I loved cruising beautiful Virginia country byways and rural towns always seeking that musty little used-book store. She headed for the garden section and I, of course, made a beeline for the Civil War … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Navies | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Question of the Week: 9/7-9/13/20

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Emerging Civil War

Great answers for last week’s question with a Federal focus…today we ask the question again with a Southern angle. What’s your favorite Confederate ship? Any craft that steams or sails, blue or brown water, qualifies in the loose designation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Navies, Question of the Week | Tagged , | 18 Comments

What Doomed the Crew of the HL Hunley?

Posted on September 5, 2020 by Dwight Hughes

On February 17, 1864, the Confederate submarine H L Hunley became the first combat submarine to sink a warship when she snuck up on and rammed her spar torpedo into the hull of the screw sloop-of-war USS Housatonic outside Charleston … Continue reading →

Posted in Material Culture, Navies, Preservation, Weapons | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Question of the Week: 8/31-9/6/20

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Emerging Civil War

What’s your favorite Union ship? Any craft that steams or sails, blue or brown water, qualifies in the loose designation of “ship” for the question. (Save your Confederate answers for next week!)

Posted in Navies, Question of the Week | Tagged , | 17 Comments

My Hunt for the C.S.S. Alabama

Posted on July 16, 2020 by Sean Michael Chick

Among my first introductions to the American Civil War was Robert Paul Jordan’s 1969 book The Civil War. It was a volume in a series of National Geographic Society illustrated books. Most were about regions, but there were the odd … Continue reading →

Posted in Navies | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

What’s In a (Confederate) Name?

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Dwight Hughes

Visitors to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis are engulfed in history. The magnificent grounds on the Severn River (known officially as “the yard”) abound in monuments, plaques, halls, and displays memorializing the nation’s naval heritage. Names of heroes … Continue reading →

Posted in Memory, Monuments, Navies, Ties to the War | Tagged , , , , , , , | 69 Comments

Maine at War: June 2020

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Emerging Civil War

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 … Continue reading →

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A Most Peculiar Target of Naval Gunnery

Posted on July 8, 2020 by ECW Guest Post

ECW welcomes Neil Chatelain The USS Rhode Island was operating in the Caribbean Sea on July 30, 1863, part of Acting Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes’ West India Squadron, having just completed a convoy of the Panama steamer Ocean Queen through … Continue reading →

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