The Civil War on the Mississippi: The USS Cairo, Ironclads, the River Fleet, & Combined Arms ⚓

General Grant and Brigadier General Rawlins are at the restored USS Cairo in Vicksburg, Mississippi to discuss the role of the US Navy in the Western Theatre of the Civil War.
#navy #navalhistory #militaryhistory #civilwar
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[@ccurtis]

Very informative! As a former US Navy submariner this gets rarely if ever talked about in the history of the US Navy. Not a lot out there on the river fleet, thanks so much for making this video!

[@ikistaer]

"Unconditional" Grant sure has a way of convincing people to work with him. That boat is still beautiful too.

[@EasternRomanHistory]

It is a good reminder that where there are rivers, there will also be ships and boats. Nice little video.

[@archemicon960]

It's hard to find good content like this on the Civil War brown navy. Thank you gentlemen.

[@hesavedawretchlikeme6902]

Our family has toured Vicksburg and seen this boat. So wonderful to see this preserved part of our history up close. Thank you for this video.

[@deezynar]

Grant was great military leader because he didn't let ego hinder his thinking.

[@MrEric_API]

Either through frugality or lack of piety, Grant only carried a toothbrush, is only item of personal effects.

[@cathleen6104]

On a side note, my ancestor transferred to the Union gunboat flotilla after a close call at Balls Bluff. He was 16 years old. He was at all the major brown water engagements and actions including taking a piece of tackle to his belly when the wheel house of the St. Louis/Baron De Kalb was blown up at Ft. Donelson. He was aboard at Vicksburg and the Yazoo Expedition and later on the Yazoo again when he was in the drink after being struck by a torpedo. When he went to apply for a pension after the war he was denied because when he transferred to the flotilla he was considered an employee of the Quartermaster General and not of the Army. That was a big surprise for him.

[@georgea.567]

The Navy certainly had a tough time on the river, whether dealing with boilers that made living conditions on the boats unbearable from the heat. The possibility of being shot by sniping guerrillas from the shore. The threat of mines and confederate artillery batteries. And if one of those confederate artillery shells pierced their armor and hit the boiler then the most of the crew was likely to be killed by scalding hot steam. They did have one benefit though, prize money. The Navy seized bales of cotton as contraband and sold them with each member of the crew being given a cut. The navy even sent expeditions miles in land to confiscate cotton for prize money. This understandably annoyed soldiers who's work was just as hazardous if not more so than sailors and didn't get any extra pay. The sailors weren’t technically supposed to take cotton from regular southern citizens, but only take cotton owned by the Confederate government or being directly used to further the confederate war effort. The sailors weren’t usually so picky though and took any cotton they could get their hands on. Sailors would stamp CSA on the cotton bales then USN over them to make it look like a legal prize. The soldiers, maybe a bit jealous they weren’t getting prize money, had a joke for this saying that “CSA USN” stood for the “Cotton Stealing Association of the United States Navy”.

[@davidspriggs5024]

Thanks for this side story on CSA USN. That’s why the Civil War is so fascinating to me, I’m always learning more.

[@imperialrussianempire4780]

Great video and photo at end.

[@kennethserfass5361]

thank you, that was a tin type with my late camp dog, Maddie posing with us. Lord Rivers was very nice to include her in our series.

[@kennethserfass5361]

my apologies for saying "Constitution" had a steam plant added. I cringe when I hear it here. Sorry.

[@TiglathPileser3]

Combined arms! What a novel idea.

[@theministryforhistory]

Talking to the Navy? It’ll never catch on!

[@barrychandler5250]

Was there a hospital ship called the Maria Dearing. My conf. Gr. Gr. granduncle 's dieing body was exchanged for a healthy bluecoat. He is buried in the conf. cemetery in Vicksburg.

[@johnnyg3030]

Awesome...

[@Ccccccccccsssssssssss]

Great video!

[@pigpaul]

Great video and historical facts!❤ thank you kindly.

[@anthonymorgan5923]

There were only seven, not eight, City class ironclads manufactured by Eads. Cairo, Carondelet, Cincinnati, Louisville, Mound City, Pittsburg, St. Louis (later remained Baron De Kalb).

[@kennethserfass5361]

thank you. We should let the NPS park know so they can change their wayside.

[@averdadeestalafora.2578]

Amazing, navy Brazil 🇧🇷 have a monitor ship. Navigating the Amazon River.

[@mcmax571]

Until the National Security Act of 1947 Both Army and Navy were separate branches of the Cabinet and only one office had equal authority over both, the President. So Combined Operations really depended on the commanders of each getting on with each other and agreeing to work together.

[@kennethserfass5361]

and that's pretty much what we said! lol

[@markgatz6127]

Did the US Navy continue to use the brown water ships after the ACW?

[@tyfon4429]

You should have shown more of that boat behind you in stead of your blabla… Love from Amsterdam 🇳🇱

[@theministryforhistory]

Indeed! 😂 We filmed this in 2020 when the Cairo closed during the Pandemic. This was as close as we could get.

[@tyfon4429]

@@theministryforhistory okay…. Got it 😂😁 explains a lot 💫

[@dirtydogvideo]

the brown water fleet......😆😆😆

[@kennethserfass5361]

lol