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Admin. Review. Naval Comparison Diplomacy objectives. Lesson 8: The Civil War at Sea. Confederate Naval Strategy. Part of overall strategy of “Attrition Warfare”. Army will defend territory and threaten Washington. Coastal defense: Army forts and new naval weapons systems.
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Review • Naval Comparison • Diplomacy objectives
Lesson 8: The Civil War at Sea
Confederate Naval Strategy • Part of overall strategy of “Attrition Warfare”. • Army will defend territory and threaten Washington. • Coastal defense: • Army forts and new naval weapons systems. • Blockade-running: • Attempt to continue commercial trade with Europe. • Operations hurt by Southerners’ desires for luxury goods. • Union blockade’s increasing effectiveness increases profits. • Commerce raiding: • Successful cruises divert Union ships from blockade duty. • Privateers (1861): • Declaration of Paris - 1856. • Unable to secure prize courts (sovereignty problems).
Union Naval Strategy • Part of overall strategy of Anaconda plan • Army will defend Washington and capture Richmond • Navy will maintain strict blockade • Joint ops to split Confederacy in half
Am Rev v. Civil War • Was the war at sea (ocean) where each war was going to be won or lost? • How did the war on inland waters compare to the war at sea? • How did diplomacy work in each of these wars?
Early Naval Operations • Norfolk Navy Yard • Largest naval base and arsenal in the United States. • Captured by Confederate forces on 21 April. • USS Merrimack scuttled by retreating Union forces. • Large number of guns captured by Confederates. • Union blockade of the Confederacy: • “Paper Blockade” needs to become real as soon as possible. • Forward bases required for an effective blockade. • Amphibious operations launched to seize bases in the South.
Battle of Port Royal • Attempt to establish first Union base on Confederate territory at Port Royal Sound -- 7 November 1861. • Commodore Stephen F. DuPont • Superior naval gunfire: • Directed against Confederate forts defending the Sound. • Confederates abandon forts. • Union soldiers and Marines land unopposed. • Other Union amphibious operations will resemble Port Royal operation.
Three Theaters • Great Inland Rivers • Mississippi River Basin • Vicksburg • Red River • Atlantic and Gulf Coasts • Fort Fisher • Port Royale • Mobile Bay • Blue Water • CSS Alabama & CSS Florida
Battle of Mobile Bay • Union fleet commanded by David Glasgow Farragut. • Confederate fleet commanded by Franklin Buchanan. • Entrance to Mobile Bay heavily defended. • Torpedo buoys placed in entrance to the Bay. • Guns of Fort Morgan defend only open channel. • Union fleet outnumbers and outguns the Confederate fleet waiting in Mobile Bay. • Farragut positions “monitors” between the rest of his fleet and Fort Morgan. • Brooklyn’s captain stops and blocks the channel. • “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”
Commerce Raiding • What where the famous Confederate ships? • What effect did this have on Northern shipping? • Effect on outcome of the war?
Technological Innovations • Armor • Torpedoes • Rams
Interservice cooperation • How well was it coordinated on the southern side? • How well was intergovernmental agency cooperation?
Tactical Trends • Introduction of “ironclads”: • Strengths: Heavily armored • Weaknesses: Low mobility on the open ocean. • Question of a fleet's ability to suppress coastal fortifications unanswered. • Appreciation for combined (Army-Navy) operations. • Proper planning and coordination essential for success.
Costal Defense • Effectiveness of Forts? • Types • Are Monitors effective defensive weapons or offensive? • Torpedoes?
Technological Innovation • North — Monitor Class • Combination of steam, screw, armor, and a gun turret • Large numbers built • “Dahlgren Guns” effective at close range • Gives Union Navy the advantage on coastal and inland waterways • South • CSS Virginia -- Steam power and iron armor • The “Davids” • CSS Hunley- submarine • “Torpedoes” • “Laird” rams