Compare And Contrast Civil War Navies

Comparing and Contrasting Civil War Navies The Civil War is one of the best known wars in American history. It was the bloodiest war that was ever fought on American soil. Most people don’t know this, but the Union and Confederate navies played a big role in the war. The Union navy caused the Confederacy’s defeat. In comparison of Civil War ships, the size of Civil War navies, and the role Civil War navies played in the war. The navies of the Civil War used a variety of ships. The Confederacy began the war with few ships. Instead of building new wooden warships, the Confederacy invested their money in new kind of ships, ironclads. These ships were plated with iron. The Union’s wooden navy stood no chance against the new ironclads.

The Confederacy had thirteen ships including one French ship. The Union began the war with eighteen warships (“Civil War Navy Ships”). The majority of the shipyards in America were under Union control. The Confederacy had only a few shipyards to build their new warships. They decided to buy ships form European countries. Most ships the Confederacy bought never made it. One ship arrived after the war was over (“Ironclad Warships”). The Confederacy had many cruisers around the world that were used to disrupt the Union’s trade with other countries. Three of the main cruiser were the Shenandoah, the Florida, and the Alabama (“Confederate Cursers”). The Union used an assortment of old ships including ferries, steamers, whalers, and schooners. The Union put guns on any vessel that they could so that they could secure the blockade (Ketchum 170-171). The Union had few ironclads to begin the war with. The majority of the navy stayed with the Union which gave them a naval advantage. The Union had one of the oddest navies the world had ever seen (“Ironclad

They needed to blockade over three thousand miles of coastline. The Union also need to take control of all of the western rivers (Ketchum 170-171). They built dozens of new warships and converted many other ships into blockaders (“The Navies of the Civil War”). The action of blockading the south led the Europeans to believe that the Confederacy was its own country. The attempt to blockade the south was successful. The lack of supplies and goods to the south slowly choked the Confederacy to their defeat. The Confederacy’s trade was almost completely cut off. The Confederacy could not get enough supplies to survive (Ketchum 170-171). The Confederacy’s main goal was to break through the Union blockade. Most attempts to break through failed. The few captains who did get through did not have a big enough impact to make a difference in the outcome of the war. The Confederacy’s last official act was a naval act made by one of the cruiser in the Pacific (“The Navies of the Civil War”). In comparison of Civil war navy ships, the size of Civil War navies, and the role Civil War navies played in the role. The navies of the Civil War had a great impact on the Civil War and on history. They introduced a new age of ships and the Union navy played one of the biggest roles in the Confederacy’s defeat. The Civil War will always be one of the most important wars in American