CSS Governor Moore
Confederate Cotton Clad Ram
American Civil War

CSS Governor Moore (1862)

CSS Governor Moore , a 1215-ton side-wheel "cotton-clad" ram, was originally the civilian steamship Charles Morgan , which had been built at New York in 1854. Seized at New Orleans in January 1862, she was converted to a warship by the State of Louisiana and attached to the Confederacy's Mississippi River Defense Fleet.

During the night battle off Forts Jackson and St. Philip, below New Orleans on 24 April 1862, she twice rammed the Federal gunboat Varuna , an assault which, with the support of CSS Stonewall Jackson , sank the Varuna . Governor Moore then attacked USS Cayuga but was badly battered by gunfire from the Federal fleet. She lost a large number of her crew and went ashore, where she was burned to avoid capture.

"Fight between the 'Varuna' and the 'Governor Moore'."
Line engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", 1862, depicting USS Varuna sinking at right, after she was rammed by CSS Governor Moore during the battle off Forts Jackson and St. Philip, 24 April 1862.
The Governor Moore is shown at left, beached and burning after being severely damaged by the Union fleet.



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DVD DVD Book Book

Quest for the Monitor
The first group of non-governmental divers to dive the Monitor. All diving operations were conducted under the close supervision of NOAA.This was beautifully photographed by veteran lensman Ric O'Donnell and narrated and written by Jackie Stone. The video shows a lot of action both on the deck of the dive boat as well as wonderfully clear underwater views of the Monitor
Raise the Alabama
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, where the Alabama had gone for repairs.RAISE THE ALABAMA! descends into the murky depths of the English Channel with the marine archeology team led by the renowned Gordon Watts. 200 feet beneath these foreign waters, the legendary Confederate ship is surrendering her secrets, despite weather conditions that make it safe to dive only a few days a year. The program also documents the Alabama's extraordinary career, from her construction in Liverpool to the surprise attacks that made her the scourge of Union shipping and the valiant, 90-minute battle with the Kearsarge
War, Technology, and Experience aboard the USS Monitor
David Mindell has combined a sensitive and incisive reading of the documentary evidence with insightful historical analysis to illuminate not only his central theme, the experience of battle in an emerging machine age, but also the process of invention, negotiation, and politics that brought the Monitor into existence and the quite different process of narration, memory, and imagination that invested the ship and its exploits so heavily with symbolic meaning.
Life in Mr. Lincoln's Navy
Ringle is among the first to examine the many aspects of sailors' lives during the American Civil War. He examines topics such as the recruiting efforts of the U.S. Navy, compensation and promotion, training, entertainment, and disease to name but a few. The extensive research and sheer fact that this is one of the first books to examine this aspect of CW naval history makes it a must for any American naval library


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Civil War History Documentary DVD Movie Titles

American Civil War visitors top DVD picks

Civil War Combat:
America's Bloodiest Battles
With beautifully shot footage of reenactors, Civil War Combat illustrates aspects of four particular Civil War battles that are rightfully considered legendary. Filmed on location, the reenactors depict the violent mayhem of the hornet's nest at Shiloh, the valiant charge on the sunken road at Antietam, the carnage in the wheat field at Gettysburg, and the brutal fighting at Cold Harbor. Produced by the History Channel, the episodes all benefit from insightful appearances by historians as well as rangers from the National Park Service.

The Civil War -
A Film by Ken Burns
The most successful public television miniseries in American history, the 11-hour Civil War didn't just captivate a nation, reteaching to us our history in narrative terms; it actually also invented a new film language taken from its creator. The Civil War evokes atmosphere and resurrects an event that many knew only from stale history books


Civil War Journal -
The Conflict Begins
The battles have been documented, the generals lionized. We have seen the turning points and the sacrifices. Now let Civil War Journal take you deeper, into the personal stories. Join host Danny Glover as he takes you through diaries, photographs, and factual re-enactments. Finally, a Civil War program that makes you feel the private and intimate side of the great conflict.


Civil War Minutes
Volumn 1
In Civil War Minutes - Union Volume 1, you will learn about the lives of soldiers through their handwritten letters to home. Also find out what life was like from the perspective of the average foot soldier through never-before-seen photographs, artifacts and rare paintings and engravings. Find out what is the General Beauregard Pipe; what is the Report of Samuel Weaver and how it was related to Gettysburg; what is a musket and much more!

 

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