Channel Islands Maritime Museum, Oxnard, CA.—The museum has officially opened its newly renovated Civil War naval exhibition. Exhibitions and Collections Manager Olivia Williamson says, “Some folks are still unaware that the West had such a heavy effect on the outcome of the Civil War. We want to shed light on the role California played, in both positive and negative capacities. We hope the new exhibit will encourage our guests to thoughtfully examine how California influenced such a critical time in our country’s history.” In addition to the collection of Ironclad models, this rendition of th ..read more

Channel Islands Maritime Museum, Oxnard, CA.—“Sailor’s Pockets” is an exhibit taking a  close look at the odd, intimate, and useful objects sailors carried with them at sea. Sailors endured cramped living spaces and dangerous working conditions, and could only carry what was vital to them and their seafaring way of life. This exhibit features a small number of items that will be rotated regularly for 6 months to explore a variety of time periods and a diversity of people. The exhibit will showcase incredible things sailors used to eat, drink, smoke, and play. Some of the Civil War sailor ..read more

The commanding officer of a warship is wholly responsible for the vessel and sailors under his command. Such responsibility requires officers with unparalleled attention to detail, a trait that benefitted postwar examinations of Civil War fighting by vessel commanders. One such naval officer was Henry Walke, who in 1862, commanded USS Carondelet, a city-class ironclad campaigning down the Mississippi River that was famous for passing batteries at Island Number 10 and for battling against the Confederate ironclad Arkansas. Walke’s postwar Naval Scenes and Reminiscences of the Civil War in the U ..read more

Andrew Duppstadt, Education & Interpretation Supervisor, NC Historic Sites, September 15, 2021, Kinston, NC—On Saturday, September 4, the CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center opened a new temporary exhibit titled, “Lt. Francis Lyell Hoge, CSN: ‘An Able and True Officer’.” The exhibit is based on the article of the same title published in the Fall 2019 issue of Civil War Navy—The Magazine, by Duppstadt, who also curated the exhibit. Artifacts for the exhibit (as shown in the published article) were loaned to the museum by Hoge descendant Laurence Evans II of Glen Dale, WV. Hoge served as ..read more

Perusing the notes section in articles about naval forces in the U.S. Civil War likely means you have seen the acronym ORN listed many times. These three letters represent the largest readily available resource for researchers and enthusiasts alike in examining the war’s naval operations and understanding what exactly the ORN is can help everyone better perceive how vital it is to researchers. The ORN are the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion (the Introduction overview from Volume 1 is provided here) It is a 31-volume collection (27 volumes in the ..read more

In April 1862, David G. Farragut led a U.S. naval squadron up the Mississippi River. His forces, ocean-steaming warships, improvised gunboats, and mortar vessels, invested Forts Jackson and St. Philip before steaming past the positions, destroying the Confederacy’s naval flotilla supporting the position in the process. New Orleans then quickly fell, remaining occupied by Union military forces for the rest of the war. The loss of New Orleans left the Confederacy without its largest city, including its major shipyards and iron works, a loss that would significantly impact its warfighting abiliti ..read more

In the naval service, uniforms are both a formalized sign of rank and position, as well as utilitarian. Uniforms sailors wore daily typically helped them in the performance of their duties, whether it was a kerchief that could be used as an impromptu tourniquet, or open-legged pantaloons that allowed for free movement across a crowded and swaying deck. During the Civil War, the U.S. Navy had the benefit of decades of activity to tailor their uniforms appropriately. The Confederacy, though creating a naval service along with a country, reflected those decades of knowledge within their own unifo ..read more

The brothers Thomas F. and Percival Drayton are commonly referenced in the Battle of Port Royal Sound, the first major Union naval victory that secured a base of operations for the Union blockade of the Confederacy. Both South Carolinians, Thomas commanded the Confederate fortifications defending Port Royal, while Percival commanded USS Pocahontas in the assault to seize the area, a direct case of brother fighting against brother in the conflict. Questions often arise as to why Percival, the naval officer, remained loyal, considering his brother joined the secession movement. Situated to obser ..read more

Flag Officer Rear-Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont commanded the Union’s South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, responsible for the coast from South Carolina to the tip of Florida. He was not at Charleston, South Carolina, when Flag Officer Duncan Ingraham’s Confederate ironclads sortied on January 31, 1863, delivering a stinging embarrassment to the Union blockaders, but as squadron commander, he was responsible for the Union actions that day. Du Pont’s postwar collection of dispatches provides wonderful insight into this Confederate attack. Du Pont died in June 1865, just after most Confederate f ..read more

Resource Spotlight: Stephen Blanding’s Training as a Ship’s BoyNeil P. Chatelain Stephen F. Blanding’s book Recollections of a Sailor Boy: or Cruise of the Gunboat Louisiana (click title to download book) recounts his experiences as Ship’s Boy, and later Carpenter’s Mate. It is an excellent source to learn how newly enlisted Union sailors spent their initial days of training and acclimation to naval life. Blanding, a teenager from Providence, Rhode Island, enlisted in the navy without his parents’ knowledge in June 1862. His vivid recounting of his initial naval experiences is a worthy read. A ..read more