Florida Lighthouses in the Civil War

Jupiter Inlet Light (designed and built by Lt. George Gordon Meade): Florida ranks seventh among the states in the number of lighthouses/lig...

The CSS Neuse Moves to New Home

I have written a rather lengthy post describing the move of the CSS Neuse , which took place yesterday in Kinston, NC. Rather than rehash h...

Keeping the James River in Rebel Hands

Union Navy fails to fight past  Drewry's Bluff below Richmond in May 1862.   Nowhere did Matthew Fontaine Maury best deliver his servi...

James River Flotilla from Harpers Weekly, 21 June 1862

The following is an excerpt from the 21 June 1862 edition of Harpers Weekly .  In it, the author remarks on the flotilla lying below Richmo...

Lots of Civil War Navy Goings On in North Carolina

The remains of the Confederate ironclad CSS Neuse are scheduled to be moved from the current site to a new location in downtown Kinston, NC...

The Naval Siege of Vicksburg Begins

When attempting to capture a city, fortress, or other strongpoint, the formal rules of siege craft require the opposing force to ask the aut...

Navy Cutlasses in the Civil War

One of the many things I like about portraying a US Navy Seaman at CW living history and re-enactment events is that we get to wear and use ...

Iron Men Afloat: Rams at the Battle of Memphis

6 June marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Memphis.  The short yet decisive battle was one of the only fleet vs. fleet actions duri...

CSS Sumter Cruise Comes to an End

After a successful cruise across the Atlantic, the Confederate cruiser CSS Sumter made port in Cadiz, Spain to fix a leaky hull in January...