USS Cambridge , an 858-ton (burden) wooden screw cruiser, was built at Medford, Massachusetts, in 1859-1860 as a civilian steamship. In late July 1861, some months after the beginning of the Civil War, she was purchased by the Navy. Following conversion to a warship she was commissioned in August and soon began duty enforcing the blockade of the Confederacy's Atlantic coast.
While operating with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron in 1861-1864, Cambridge took part in the capture or destruction of eleven would-be blockade runners, among them the fast steamers Modern Greece and Dee . On 17 March 1862 she was present when the Confederate cruiser Nashville escaped from Beaufort, N.C., in a
successful attempt to reach a friendly port further south.
Cambridge spent the Civil War's final months with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, which was responsible for covering the shores of eastern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Sent north for decommissioning after the conclusion of hostilities, she was sold in June 1865.
Depicted during the Civil War. This 19th Century photographic print may be of an artwork, or possibly a model.
American Civil War Marines 1861-65 Marines wearing blue and grey fought in
many dramatic actions afloat and ashore – ship-to-ship engagements, cutting-out expeditions, and coastal landings. This book offers a comprehensive summary of all such battles, illustrated with rare early photographs
Union River Ironclad 1861-65 At the start of the American Civil War,
neither side had warships on the Mississippi River. In what would prove the vital naval campaign of the war, both sides fought for control of the river. While the Confederates relied on field fortifications and small gunboats, the Union built a series of revolutionary river ironclads
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.
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 Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns Here is the saga of celebrated generals and ordinary
soldiers, a heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one
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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