#1 Compare and contrast the Union and Confederate naval forces during the American Civil War.  Include strategies, tactics, naval administration, key personnel and technological advances in naval warfare.

a.       Union           b.  Confederate

 

I.                     Strategy / Tactics

a.        Main: Blockade

                                                               i.      Amphibious operations; Transports functions

                                                              ii.      Maintain supply depots inside confederate territory

b.       Main: Protect coastline, ports, inland waterways

                                                               i.      Commerce raiding; Exploration of new technology

 

II.                   Naval Administration

a.        Gideon Welles

                                                               i.      Chief of Bureau of Provisions and Clothing in the late 1840s; Journalist post-Mexican war

                                                              ii.      Started out of touch – no plans for ironclads

                                                            iii.      Good manager, performed well under the circumstances

b.       Stephan Mallory

                                                               i.      Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Naval Affairs

                                                              ii.      Current on naval issues; wanted ironclads – Did well from scratch

 

III.                 Key Personnel

a.        Union

                                                               i.      General Scott Winfield

1.        Recommends strangle the south via blockade; take MS river; large army to protect DC

2.        Criticized – none believed war would take that long

                                                              ii.      ADM David Dixon Porter

1.        Ferries Grant’s troops inland – “running the gauntlet” – lost one vessel

2.        Grant’s troops win 5 battles and take Vicksburg, which Lincoln thought key to the war

                                                            iii.      RADM Dupont

1.        Took 1st Confederate port (Port Royal)

a.        Steamed in an elliptical pattern to bring all guns to bear

2.        Tries to take the heavily defended Charleston Harbor with 8 monitors

a.        Fires few shots; takes 50+ hits per ship, sinking one

b.       Relieved as a result

                                                            iv.      RADM Dahlgren

1.        Blockades Charleston Harbor after Dupont’s defeat

2.        Invented Dahlgren Guns

                                                             v.      COMMO Farragut

1.        Mobile Bay – many forts, well-protected, CSS TN (best CSS ironclad), 3 wood gunboats

a.        Many blockade runners

b.       Special formation to protect wood ships

c.        Mine sinks ironclad

d.       CSS TN rammed by wooden ships until steering shot out

e.        Defenders overwhelmed

b.       Confederacy

                                                               i.      Raphael Semmes

1.        CSS Sumter – 18 merchants, 6months; stuck by blockade at Gibraltar

2.        CSS Alabama – “ghost raider”; from England; 69 prizes, 22 months

a.        First CSS to fight USS warship; sinks USS Hatarus

b.       Sunk by USS Kearsage (had been on tour, gunpowder less explosive)

 

IV.                 Technological Advances

a.        Union

                                                               i.      Aircraft carrier (USS Fanny)

                                                              ii.      Dahlgren guns – high caliber, muzzle loaded, smooth  / rifled, land-based vs ships

                                                            iii.      Explosive Ordnance, Grapeshot

                                                            iv.      The Dictator (220lb, 2mi, 17ton)

b.       Both (Confederacy first though)

                                                               i.      Submarines (CSS Hunley)

                                                              ii.      Mines / Torpedoes (USS Cairo first sunk)

                                                            iii.      Ironclads (CSS Merrimack, USS Monitor)

                                                            iv.      Ramming (CSS David)

#2 Describe why the United States went to war in the summer of 1812.  In your opinion, how effective or ineffective were American naval forces in the battles on the various lakes to the single ship frigate duels.

 

I.                     Reasons for War

a.        Impressment

                                                               i.      6,000 US sailors impressed

                                                              ii.      Chesapeake-Leonard Affair

1.        James Barron takes her to sea unprepared; deck littered

2.        HMS Leopard fights until Barron surrenders

3.        Takes 4 American sailors (3 Brit deserters)

b.       Government Policies

                                                               i.      Orders in Council

1.        All merchants to Europe had to be inspected by the British

                                                              ii.      American policy

1.        The Embargo Act – no trade with Europe allowed

2.        Non-intercourse Act – no France, Britain

3.        Macon’s Bill #2 – will trade only with country (France or Britain) who acts peacefully to US

a.        France accepts 1810

                                                                                                                                       i.      No Brits allowed in US waters

                                                            iii.      Rodgers attacks the HMS Little Belt accidentally

 

II.                   Lakes

a.        Lake Ontario

                                                               i.      1 US ship in 1812

                                                              ii.      COMMO Chauncey (in charge of Erie too, but stays on Ontario) builds fleet from scratch

                                                            iii.      Takes York (Toronto) but loses Detroit

                                                            iv.      Does not engage Brits; standstill, doesn’t want to lose fleet

b.       Lake Erie

                                                               i.      COMMO Perry builds/buys/captures 11 vessels and mans them with Army men

                                                              ii.      Defeats Brits and transports US Army across Erie

c.        Lake Champlain

                                                               i.      COMMO Macdonough – 3 sloops, lost 2; bought steamer (Vermont) but converts it to sail

                                                              ii.      Makes more ships; has a number of gunboats and galleys, a sloop, schooner, brig, and ship

                                                            iii.      British displace more (2400 vs 1800) and have more guns

                                                            iv.      Macdonough positions ships so British have to sail into the wind and also come into his carronades range (or run aground) [he had slight carronade advantage)

                                                             v.      Uses kedging anchors to spin ship to bring all guns to bear against Brits

                                                            vi.      Won, capturing frig, brig, 2 sloops

                                                          vii.      Won because Gov. Prevost ordered unreadied Brits to attack

 

III.                 Ship Duels

a.        Early Fights US dominates

                                                               i.      Wasp > Frolic, United States  > Macedonian, Constitution > Java … but British still hoping US will back down

                                                              ii.      Essex – captured number of merchants and first Brit warship (HMS Albert)

                                                            iii.      Constitution – Narrowly escapes British fleet; no wind; kedged; squall allows it to escape; later defeats Guerriere (2nd Brit warship lost)

b.       Later

                                                               i.      HMS Lawrence vs. USS Chesapeake -  Ches loses rigging; boarded; crew below; lost

                                                              ii.      Essxex – many captures in Chile waters; loses mast and then captured by Brits when he leaves port

#3  Citing specific examples, discuss the US Navy’s role, in times of war and peace, from the American Revolution through the American Civil War.  (internal naval policy = what a navy should be; external = what a navy should do)

                a = should be; b = should do

 

I.                     Revolutionary War

a.        Congress orders 13 frigates; GW buys merchant ship and arms it; difficulty making cannon

b.       1) Annoy enemy … 2) Transport/Support US Army … 3) Find overseas allies to aid US

 

II.                   Post-Revolution

a.        Many considered it an unnecessary expense; wanted ships that could beat bigger ships and outrun enemies if necessary; ie they wanted the impossible (“super frigates”)

b.       Protect sea trade (from Barbary States)

 

III.                 Quasi War

a.        New frigates built-to-order; end of war SecNav Stoddert reco Congress build ships of the line

b.       Escort merchants; attack trade lines (West Indies)

 

IV.                 Jeffersonian Naval Policy / Barbary Wars

a.        SecTreas Gallatin wanted Navy destroyed (war over) and rebuilt (if war recurred)

                                                               i.      Tripoli  captures ships; Algiers forces US Captains to carry tribute to Constantinople

                                                              ii.      Congress orders building of shallow water craft w/carronades

b.       Blockade Tripoli

 

Post Barbary Wars

a.        Naval personnel limited; gunboats authorized; did not want to challenge Brits

b.       Coastal defense

 

V.                   War of 1812

a.        Mostly gunboats; only 16 ships; on the Lakes navy built from scratch

b.       Protect coast, raid commerce, control lakes

                                                               i.      Gunboats incapable of protecting anything

                                                              ii.      US Frigates praised for their quality by Brits

 

 

VI.                 Naval Transition, 30 Years of Peace

a.        Board of Navy Commissioners sent ships in for repairs b/c Congress paid for it (ships would come out completely different [ie new ship])

                                                               i.      Naval Act of 1816 – gradual naval buildup

                                                              ii.      12 frigs, 9 ships of the line, 3 steam boats – most never completed (ships of line) or even started (steamers)

                                                            iii.      Steven’s Battery

b.       Frigates to protect and encourage trade

 

VII.               The Mexican War

a.        Little change in fleet

b.       Blockade, Take West Coast

 

VIII.             Civil War

a.        Major change: large growth; ironclads and steam become common; submarines emerge

b.       Blockade, transport, commerce raiding, recon (CV)