USS Estrella , a 438-ton (burden) side-wheel steamship, was built in England in 1853. Reportedly captured as a blockade runner, she was obtained from the U.S. Army in the latter part of 1862 and placed in commission as a Navy gunboat. She was actively employed on the waters around the lower Mississippi River, taking part in several actions with the Confederates. In November 1862 and
January 1863 she engaged CSS J.A. Cotton , which was destroyed following the latter battle. Estrella also participated in the destruction of CSS Queen of the West on 14 April 1863 and, during the next three months, was involved the capture of Butte à la Rose, Louisiana, an expedition up the Red River and the
attacks that led to the fall of Port Hudson.
Following further activity in Louisiana's rivers, later in 1863 Estrella was moved to the coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. She captured a schooner at Matagorda Bay, Texas, in early April 1864 and in August of that year was a participant in the operations that seized the entrances of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Remaining in the Gulf after the
Civil War's end, Estrella was used as flagship of the Gulf Squadron. She was sent north at the end of June 1867 and decommissioned in mid-July of that year. Sold to private owners in October 1867, she was employed in commercial service until lost in 1870.
Painting depicting Estrella (at left) off the Pensacola Navy Yard, Florida, circa 1866-1867. USS Yucca (1865-1868) is in the middle distance. The sailing frigate at right is not identified.
"The Fight at Corney's Bridge, Bayou Teche, Louisiana, and Destruction of the Rebel Gun-boat 'Cotton,', January 14, 1863." Line engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", 1863, showing the Confederate gunboat J.A. Cotton engaging Federal gunboats, as Confederate troops fire from the shore. U.S. Navy
ships in this engagement were Kinsman , Estrella , Diana and Calhoun .
War, Technology, and Experience aboard the USS Monitor The
experience of the men aboard the Monitor and their reactions to the thrills and dangers that accompanied the new machine. The invention surrounded men with iron and threatened their heroism, their self-image as warriors, even their lives
Line engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", 1863, depicting CSS Queen of the West being destroyed in Grand Lake, Louisiana, during an attack by USS Estrella (extreme left), Calhoun (extreme right) and Arizona (second from right), 14 April 1863.
Line engraving after a sketch by H. Holtz, published in "Harper's Weekly", 1863, depicting the U.S. Navy gunboats Estrella , Calhoun , Arizona and Clifton (listed clockwise from lower right) engaging the Confederate gunboat J.A. Cotton off Butte a la Rose, Louisiana, on 20 April 1863. Confederate Fort Burton (shown at left) was captured on the same
day.
Civil War Musket Wood & Steel Frontier Rifle Designed After The Original
Rifle
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
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.
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 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
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. 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
Sources: U.S. National Park Service U.S. Library of Congress US Naval Archives
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