In the darkness of early morning and under the cover of a midwinter haze in the Southern port city of Charleston, South Carolina, the Confederate Navy makes a surprise attack upon the federal blockade that has shut down commercial activity in the city. Firing upon and ramming unprepared Union vessels, Confederate gunboats Chicora and Palmetto…
Memphis, Tennessee, citizens watch in horror as the United States Navy overwhelms Confederate naval forces on the Mississippi River. Although the number of vessels on each side is nearly even, many of the Confederate ships are converted commercial steamers manned by civilian captains, setting the stage for the Union rout of the Southern navy. Less…
Robert Smalls, an African Baptist from South Carolina who recently obtained his freedom from slavery by seizing the Confederate steamer Planter and making a daring escape through Confederate defenses at Charleston, has since provided valuable information to the United States Navy. Acting on Smalls’ knowledge of Confederate defenses of South Carolina’s coast, the Union Navy…