CSS Calhoun and Privateer
USS Calhoun
Civil War Confederate and Union Naval Ship

USS Calhoun (1862-1864).
Previously CSS Calhoun (1861-1862).
Later U.S. Army steamer General Sedgewick (1864-1865)

USS Calhoun , an 508-ton side-wheel gunboat, was built in 1851 at New York City as the civilian steamer Calhoun . She became a Confederate privateer in May 1861 and operated successfully over the next five months, taking six prizes. The Confederate Navy took her over later in the year for service as a gunboat in the lower Mississippi River area. CSS Calhoun took part in the attack on Federal warships at the Mississippi River's Head of Passes on 12 October 1861. Three months later, on 23 January 1862, she was captured by USS Samuel Rotan off the river's Southwest Pass.

The U.S. Navy soon acquired the steamer for its own purposes, placing her in commission as USS Calhoun in March 1862. She initially served as a blockader, capturing several vessels off the Mississippi and in inland waters. Beginning in November 1862, she participated in several engagements with Confederate warships and forces ashore, helping to destroy the steamer J.A. Cotton on 14 January 1863 and the ram Queen of the West on 14 April 1863. She operated in the Mississippi Sound area from mid-1863 and in February 1864 was Rear Admiral Farragut's flagship during a series of bombardments of Fort Powell, at the western entrance of Mobile Bay.

Decommissioned in May 1864, Calhoun was turned over to the U.S. Army in early June. She served as the Army steamer General Sedgewick for the rest of the Civil War. Sold in 1865, she regained her old name and had a long subsequent career as the SS Calhoun

Artwork by Assistant Engineer John Everding, USN, circa 1862-64

This vessel, considerably modified, served as CSS Calhoun in 1861-62, USS Calhoun in 1862-64 and as the U.S. Army steamer General Sedgewick in 1864-65

Dual on the Roanoke CSS Albemarle
Duel on the Roanoke - The True Story of the CSS Albemarle
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Kindle Available
Wolf of the Deep

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In July 1862, the Confederate captain Raphael Semmes received orders to report to Liverpool, where he would take command of a secret new British-built steam warship.



Confederate Ironclad
Confederate Ironclad 1861-65
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Civil War: Flags, Badges, c.1895
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40 in. x 26 in.
Buy at AllPosters.com
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Army
72 Piece Civil War Army Men
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  • 48 Union and Confederate Soldiers up to 2-1/8 inches tall
  • 4 Horses, 4 Sandbag Bunkers, 6 Fence Sections, 3 Cannon, 3 Limber Wagons (Ammo Carts)
  • Bridge, Small Barracks, 2 Cardboard buildings
  • Scale: About 1/35th

Civil War Ships and Battles


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RAM Ships

Civil War Naval Timeline

American Civil War Exhibits

State Battle Maps

Civil War Summary

Civil War Timeline

Women in the Civil War

Battles by Campaign
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There are about a half-dozen different small arms types, but the Henry is the best for rapid repeating fire and least reloading. The shotgun they give you is useless: you must aim spot-on to affect an enemy, so why not just use the rifle? Grenades are useful at times.


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American Civil War Naval Book Titles
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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
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Kindle Available
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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
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These four programs from the History Channel series Civil War Journal cover critical aspects of the early days of the war.


American Military Gear Recruiter and History
United States Marines gear history and support of Semper Fi Fund

 

 

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress
US Naval Archives