USS Estrella (1862-1867)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. "The Fight at Corney's Bridge, Bayou Teche, Louisiana, and Destruction of the Rebel Gun-boat 'Cotton,', January 14, 1863." |
 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 Kindle Available  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 |
Kindle Available 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 |
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  Civil War Soldier 102 Piece Playset
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Civil War Ships and Battles Civil War Submarines RAM Ships Civil War Naval Timeline American Civil War Exhibits State Battle Maps Civil War Summary Civil War Timeline Women in the Civil War Battles by Campaign |
 Civil War Confederate Suede Grey Kepi Hat  Civil War Model 1851 Naval Pistol |
 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: 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 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. |
Kindle Available 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 |
 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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Battle of Shiloh Civil War Map First Manassas Civil War Pictures Civil War Cooking Gettysburg Civil War Ships |
