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…
St. Augustine, Florida, a slave trade center of the Southeast, has been under Union control since the capture of the city on March 11 by the United States Navy. The following day, Jacksonville fell to the Union Navy. In both cities slaves were freed while white citizens’ communication with the Confederacy was curtailed. Four days…