2017 ECW Symposium Admission
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Category Archives: Navies
My Favorite Historical Person: Eugene Matthew O’Brien
Eugene Matthew O’Brien is among those obscure Civil War multitudes whose collective stories inspire for their courage, dedication, and sacrifice even if we know little about them individually—although his story is a bit unusual. O’Brien was a steam engineer who … Continue reading
On Location: Fort Fisher
At a recent speaking engagement along the Cape Fear River, I had the opportunity to spend some time at one of the Confederacy’s strongest spots: Fort Fisher.
Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Navies, On Location
4 Comments
Does That Star-Spangled Banner Yet Wave?
I must admit, they sat breathless as I spun the tale about two young men aboard the ship HMS Minden, traveling from Baltimore under a flag of truce to see if they could free their friend Dr. William Beanes from … Continue reading
The Great Naval Leaders
On May 10 I lectured about the Battle of Midway to Old Dominion University’s Institute of Learning in Retirement. Over the course of a wonderful discussion, I assessed one of the U.S. commanders, Raymond Spruance, as “one of the greatest … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership--Federal, Navies, Personalities, Ties to the War, Trans-Mississippi, Western Theater
Tagged Admiral David G. Farragut, Battle of Lake Erie, Battle of Mobile Bay, Battle of Perryville, David Dixon Porter, David Farragut, David Porter, Fall of New Orleans, Fort Fisher, George Dewey, Lake Erie, Manila, Midway, Mobile Bay, Okinawa, Oliver Hazard Perry, Perryville, Philippine Sea, Raymond Spruance, Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter, Red River Campaign, U.S. Grant, U.S. Navy, Vicksburg Campaign, War of 1812, World War II
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Failed Ironclads: CSS Mississippi and CSS Louisiana at New Orleans
In October 1861, the skeletons of two strange iron monsters began to emerge from the Mississippi bank at Jefferson City, just north of New Orleans. They would become the CSS Mississippi and CSS Louisiana. Confederate Navy Secretary Stephen Mallory had … Continue reading
ECW Weekender: The Farthest Battlefield—CSS Shenandoah at Pohnpei
This Civil War site is a paradisiacal place to pass a weekend—if you can get there. April fool’s day, 1865: In the misty glow of dawn, soaring emerald peaks sprouted from azure seas as the CSS Shenandoah, last of the … Continue reading
ECW Weekender: The USS Monitor Center
Have you ever been aboard a Civil War ironclad, or two? You can come close in The USS Monitor Center nestled in a beautiful setting at The Mariners’ Museum & Park, Newport News, Virginia. The Monitor Center is the official … Continue reading
Modern Photography: No Monuments on the Ocean
There are no monuments on the ocean, no crossroads in the great waters, no places echoing in heart and mind—Gettysburg, Shiloh, Chickamauga. But our Civil War ancestors were out there too and some of them still are. Names that resonate … Continue reading
Question of the Week: 2/27-3/5/17
Who is your favorite Civil War era admiral or captain? Why?
Posted in Emerging Civil War, Leadership--Confederate, Leadership--Federal, Navies, Question of the Week
Tagged admirals, blockade runners, captains, navy
7 Comments
