USS Sassacus
Union Double-Ender side-wheel gunboat
American Civil War

USS Sassacus (1863-1868)

USS Sassacus was built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, as the first of a class of twenty-eight 974-ton "Double-Ender" side-wheel steam gunboats. Commissioned in October 1863, she spent several months undergoing repairs and then joined the blockade off Wilmington, North Carolina. In February 1864, Sassacus was involved in the destruction of two blockade runners, one after a long chase. She began operations in the North Carolina Sounds in April 1864, and on 5 May closely engaged the Confederate ironclad CSS Albemarle. During this action, Sassacus was badly damaged when she rammed the enemy ironclad, which escaped essentially unhurt. Despite her damages, she remained on duty in North Carolina and Virginia waters until September 1864, when she could finally be released for refit.

Sassacus returned to war service in November 1864 and took part in the two assaults on Fort Fisher, N.C., in December and January. She then operated on the rivers leading to Wilmington, N.C., and Richmond, Virginia, during the remaining months of the Civil War. Sassacus decommissioned in May 1865 and was sold in August 1868.

"The Steamship 'Sassacus' Ramming The Rebel Ram 'Albemarle'"
Engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", 4 June 1864, depicting USS Sassacus ramming CSS Albemarle , during the Confederate ironclad's engagement with U.S. Navy gunboats in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina, 5 May 1864


"Wood versus Iron"
19th Century photograph of an artwork by Acting Second Engineer Alexander C. Stuart, USN, 1864.
It shows CSS Albemarle engaging several Federal gunboats on Albemarle Sound, North Carolina, on 5 May 1864. USS Sassacus is in left center, ramming the Confederate ironclad. Other U.S. Navy ships seen are (from left): Commodore Hull , Wyalusing and Mattabesett . The Confederate transport Bombshell , captured during the action, is in the right background.

Kindle Available
Naval Strategies

Naval Strategies of the Civil War: Confederate Innovations and Federal Opportunism
Compare and contrast the strategies of the Southern Secretary of the Navy, Mallory, against his rival in the North, Welles. Mallory used technological innovation and the skill of individuals to bolster the South's seapower against the Union Navy's superior numbers



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Reign of Iron

Reign of Iron: The Story of the First Battling Ironclads, the Monitor and the Merrimack
The first ironclad ships to fight each other, the Monitor and the Virginia (Merrimack), were the unique products of American design genius





Civil War: Flags, Badges, c.1895
Civil War: Flags, Badges, c.1895
40 in. x 26 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com
Framed


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Wood & Steel Frontier Rifle Designed After The Original Rifle





Civil War soldier toys 102 pieces
Civil War Soldier 102 Piece Playset
 
  • 25 Union and 25 Confederate Soldier Figures, 18 Horses, 10 Cannon
  • 2 Covered Wagons, 2 Tents, 2 Canoes, 2 Flags, 16 Fences
  • Size: Figures Stand up to 2-1/8 inches tall
  • Scale: 1/32nd, Wagons and Horses slightly smaller
 

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American Civil War Naval Book Titles
Hatteras Island
The Civil War on Hatteras Island North Carolina
New light on the experiences of Civil War soldiers stationed on the Outer Banks. It follows the crucial maritime battles along the Outer Banks and the famous Burnsides Expedition. Aa fascinating history of how one of America's most treasured islands played a significant part in the Civil War
Kindle Available
Raising the Hunley

Raising the Hunley: The Remarkable History and Recovery of the Lost Confederate Submarine
For more than a century the fate of the Hunley remained one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Civil War. Then, on August 8, 2000, with thousands of spectators crowding Charleston Harbor, the Hunley was raised from the bottom of the sea and towed ashore.
The Story of the CSS Hunley
The Story of the H.L. Hunley
During the Civil War, Union forces blockade the port of Charleston so the Confederate army seeks a way to attrack the Yankee Ships. George Dixon is part of the group of men given the task of creating and building the "fish boat," a submarine. The H.L. Hunley ultimately sets out on its mission to sink Yankee ships, but fails to return, its whereabouts unknown.
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Wolf of the Deep

Wolf of the Deep: Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama
In July 1862, the Confederate captain Raphael Semmes received orders to report to Liverpool, where he would take command of a secret new British-built steam warship. His mission: to prey on Union commercial vessels and undermine the North's ability to continue the war

Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles
Halls of Honor
Halls of Honor
The U.S. Navy Museum takes you on an informed and entertaining romp through one of North America s oldest and finest military museums. The museum has been in continuous operation at the Washington Navy Yard since the American Civil War
Raise the Alabama
Raise The Alabama
She was known as "the ghost ship." During the Civil War, the CSS Alabama sailed over 75,000 miles and captured more than 60 Union vessels. But her career came to an end in June of 1864 when she was sunk by the USS Kearsarge off the coast of Northern France
Blue and Grey
The Blue and the Gray
The Complete Miniseries

The Civil War proved a backdrop for this 1982 miniseries. Complete and uncut three disc set. Two families divided by the War Between the States. A Southerner caught when he becomes a war correspondent for the Northern newspaper. He finds himself  where history's in the making from the Battle of Bull Run to Abraham Lincoln's assassination
Blue vs Grey
Blue Vs. Gray - Killing Fields
Relive the most vicious fighting of the Civil War, in which General Ulysses S. Grant forcibly reversed the tide of the conflict by paying with the blood of thousands. It was a desperate time for the Union


American Military Gear Recruiter and History
United States Marines gear history and support of Semper Fi Fund
United States Army History Timeline

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