Naval Warfare in the American Civil War: Key Events and Developments

Introduction

• The American Civil War was unique in the significant role played by naval forces.
• Confederate economy heavily reliant on overseas trade, making sea lanes crucial.
• Importance of achieving naval supremacy in both brown (inland) and blue (ocean) waters.

Union and Confederate Naval Strategies

• Union Navy: Enforce blockade, control inland waterways, combat Confederate ships.
• Confederate Navy: Protect ports, break Union blockade, and focus on quality over quantity.

Pre-War Naval Conditions

• US Navy had 90 ships, with outdated technology and lacking organized command.
• Confederates captured some mothballed ships, but the Union retained significant naval resources.

Early Naval Engagements

• Battle of Hampton Roads (March 8-9, 1862):
  • First clash of ironclads, USS Monitor vs. CSS Virginia (formerly Merrimack).
  • Marked the end of wooden warship dominance.

Blockade and Blockade Running

• Union Blockade: Lincoln’s 1861 blockade declared; unprecedented scale, covering 3500 miles of coastline.
• Blockade Running: Legal under international law, but risky; mostly run by British firms using stealthy ships.
• Blockade significantly reduced Southern trade by 95% from 1860 to 1865.

Confederate Response

• Focused on technological innovation due to lack of resources.
• Built few ironclads; CSS Virginia was a notable example but faced construction issues.

Notable Naval Battles

• Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip (April 1862):
  • Key for Union control of the Mississippi; New Orleans captured.
• Battle of Mobile Bay (August 1864):
  • Farragut’s decisive victory; famous for the command "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"

Technological Innovations

• Use of spar torpedoes and attempts at submarine warfare, notably the CSS H.L. Hunley.
• Commerce raiders built in Britain, like the CSS Alabama, sank Union ships globally.

Conclusion

• Union naval supremacy established by 1865 with 671 active-duty ships.
• Confederate naval efforts largely unsuccessful but notable for innovation attempts.
• Final Confederate actions ended with the commerce raider Shenandoah firing the war’s last naval shot.