Ironclads in the Civil War, 1862-1865: Give us a Navy of Iron

As the Civil War began, revolutions in naval technology resulted in iron-plated steam-powered warships. Both the United States and Confederacy began an arms race to build armored vessels, with Americans demanding that Abraham Lincoln "give us a navy of iron." Both sides obliged, with scores of armored warships rushed into production and pressed into service.

Ironclads were employed in virtually all areas of the Civil War's maritime environs. The first battle between ironclads was fought between USS Monitor and CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads in March 1862, but that was just one battle of many. These armored marvels fought along the Confederacy's Atlantic seaboard such as the sweeping 1863 campaigns at Charleston, in the Gulf of Mexico at the dramatic 1864 Battle of Mobile Bay, along the James River near the Confederate capital of Richmond, and spanning the length of the Mississippi River Valley.

Confederate ports remained open to blockade-runners because of Rebel ironclads. The Confederacy was split in half thanks to Federal ironclad support. Business leaders, maritime engineers, naval architects, polticians, and even foreign diplomats all impacted production and employment of armored vessels. In this Casemate Illustrated Special volume, award-winning naval historian Neil P. Chatelain provides an operational history of Civil War ironclad activity by exploring the battles and campaigns the ships took part in, how these ironclads were built and maintained, who served aboard them, and how they became a critical element of wartime strategy for both sides.