Naval History of the American Civil War

Naval StrategyNorth

(Gideon Welles)

• Isolate• Divide• Control Territory• Protect Shipping

South(Stephen Mallory)

• Discredit Blockade• Disrupt Northern Shipping• Protect Key Territory

Resources

North

• Northeastern Nautical Tradition

• Shipyards• Industrial Base• Most Navy Officers did not

follow the Confederacy• Manpower• 40 ships

South• Weak Industrial Base• Limited Maritime

Experience• ZERO ships

Technology

• Sails• Steam Engines• Screw Propellers• Ironclad Ships• Torpedoes• Submarines

Blockade

• Cut off commerce of an opponent.• Field a credible Naval Force to interdict

shipping and enforce blockade.• Blockade can be broken and lifted if the

blockading ships can be driven off.• Declaring a blockade held serious political

implications for the North.

Blockade Running• Small fast boats to bring in vital supplies• Tendency was toward luxury items that bring a large market

value instead of strategic military stores• One or two successful trips could make a crew rich• Support from non-belligerent countries

Commerce Raiding

• Goal is to cripple an adversaries international trade and limit their peaceful use of the seas• Destroyed US merchant marine fleet and fishing fleets.

Effects linger to this day.

• Privateers – Letter of Marque• Commerce Raiders – Confederate Navy– Compact, frigate-sized warships built and armed

abroad due to a lack of Confederate industrial base.

Commerce Raider

River Wars

• Extensive system of Western Rivers facilitated internal trade in the Confederacy and provided avenues of advance to the Union.

• Forts vs Ships

River Gun Boat

The Two Navies

Union• Line of Battle Ships

– Frigates– Cruisers

• Gunboats• Ironclads• River craft• Much better cooperation

between the Navy and Army due to Grant’s relationships and successes.

Confederate• Commerce Raiders• Ironclads• Submarine

– CSS HUNLEY

KEY NAVAL BATTLES

FORT SUMTER

Forts Henry and Donelson

MONITOR/VIRGINIA (MERRIMACK)

New Orleans/Mobile Bay

USS KEARSARGE/ CSS ALABAMAsummary notes