Union Gunboat Interior (1 Viewer)

[PolarBear]

I am researching the USS Argosy, a Union tinclad gunboat that was part of the Mississippi River Squadron of David Dixon Porter between 1863-1865. I am reproducing below a watercolor done circa 1864-1865 by a US Navy Ensign, D. M. N. Stouffer. I am looking for interior views of this type of gunboat either as drawings/plans, cross-sections or model reconstructions. The Argosy had a crew of 66 during this period and I would like to see how things were organized or arranged with regard to living and work spaces.

Here are the Argosy's specs:

Displacement: 219 tons
Length: 156 ft 4 in (47.65 m)
Beam: 33 ft (10 m)
Draft: 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m)
Depth of hold: 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m)
Propulsion: Steam engine
Stern wheel-propelled
Speed: 5 mph (upstream)
Complement: not known
Armament: • 2 × 12-pounder rifles
• 6 × 24-pounder smoothbores



Any help along these lines would be most appreciated. I am specifically researching the Argosy since my current project revolves around one of its crew members from Massachusetts.

 

[maddadicus]

I have one of these...somewhat...Michael

 

[PolarBear]

I have one of these...somewhat...Michael

Very nice Michael. I have the sailor figure with the telescope which I got from a place called Mini-Things. They have an officer and a sailor in summer whites too.

Thanks for sharing your craftsmanship.

Randy

 

[jazzeum]

Randy,

If you don't mind me asking, but what is your project? I'm sure many of us would like to hear about it.

 

[PolarBear]

Randy,

If you don't mind me asking, but what is your project? I'm sure many of us would like to hear about it.

During the Civil War the Union Army was segregated, but Union naval ships had integrated crews. A large number of these men were slaves who had been freed in Mississippi and many ended up serving on vessels that were part of the Mississippi River Squadron. Over 18,000 African Americans served in the Union navy during the Civil War.The integration makes sense since it was typical of American whaling ships in the 19th C, nicely captured by the ethnically mixed crew of the Pequod in Melville's Moby Dick. As I understand it, such naval integration on U.S. ships extends back to the Revolution.

The Argosy (attached to the M.R.S.) was one of the Union ships that had these racially integrated crews. The crew of this gunboat was 53% African American. The hospital ship USS Red Rover was also part of the Mississippi River Squadron and it had aboard the first group of US Navy nurses, 5 of whom were African American women. The white Ensign on the Argosy I am interested in, later worked for the Freedmen's Bureau setting up schools and overseeing planter-sharecropper relations for newly freed slaves. I chose this officer because I have a personal interest in his family.

 

[jazzeum]

Thanks for the explanation. Is the interest to help the family and/or do you plan to write an article or book about him?

On a somewhat unrelated note, have you read Lincoln and His Admirals by Craig Symonds. It's excellent.

 

[PolarBear]

Thanks for the explanation. Is the interest to help the family and/or do you plan to write an article or book about him?

On a somewhat unrelated note, have you read Lincoln and His Admirals by Craig Symonds. It's excellent.

Definitely an article or perhaps a book.

Thanks for the book suggestion. I'll check it out.

Here is a link to the best article on African Americans in the Union Navy

http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2001/fall/black-sailors-1.html

Yesterday I discovered that there is a toy soldier figure of David Dixon Porter who was the commander of the Mississippi River Squadron

http://www.acwtoysoldiers.com/Mike Allen Catalog.htm

 

[jazzeum]

These are nice looking figures but are apparently only available as unpainted kits. Sounds like a job for beating retreat

 

[tdubel]

Actually, if you contact Mike Allen directly he will sell you a painted version of his kit. He is very good and over the years I accumulated all of his Generals in Gray, they are excellent sculpts. Some people complain about the large base, but for personality figures, who cares!

TD

 

[jazzeum]

Man, you know everybody!

 

[PolarBear]

Actually, if you contact Mike Allen directly he will sell you a painted version of his kit. He is very good and over the years I accumulated all of his Generals in Gray, they are excellent sculpts. Some people complain about the large base, but for personality figures, who cares!

TD

Tom

Do you have contact info for Mike?

Randy

 

[jazzeum]

Randy,

Yesterday I came across this book by Myron Smith, "Tinclads It The Civil War: Union Light-Draught Gunboat Operations on Western Waters, 1862-1865," while looking at the blog Civil War Books and Authors (www.cwba.blogspot.com). Here is a link to the book.

This may be something that may interest you in your project.

By the way, Civil War Books and Authors is a great site. It's hosted by Andrew Wagenhoffer and he reviews many, many books. I've found many a useful or interesting book there.

He picked this book as the best of the year on Naval History.

 

[PolarBear]

Thank you Brad

Sound perfect and I'll check out the site. That's the USS Argosy on the cover by the way

Randy

Randy,

Yesterday I came across this book by Myron Smith, "Tinclads It The Civil War: Union Light-Draught Gunboat Operations on Western Waters, 1862-1865," while looking at the blog Civil War Books and Authors (www.cwba.blogspot.com). Here is a link to the book.

This may be something that may interest you in your project.

By the way, Civil War Books and Authors is a great site. It's hosted by Andrew Wagenhoffer and he reviews many, many books. I've found many a useful or interesting book there.

He picked this book as the best of the year on Naval History.

 

[PolarBear]

Brad

I went on the ACW book blog and already found another useful tome!



Tamblin: "BLUEJACKETS AND CONTRABANDS: African Americans and the Union Navy"
[ Bluejackets and Contrabands: African Americans and the Union Navy by Barbara Brooks Tomblin (University Press of Kentucky, 2009). Cloth, maps, photos, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total: 287/381. ISBN: 978-0-8131-2554-1 $39.95 ]

The assistance black individuals (slave and free) rendered to the U.S. army and navy during the Civil War has been well documented throughout the literature; however, rarely, if ever, has the subject been treated to a specialized book length examination similar to what historian Barbara Brooks Tomblin has done with her new book Bluejackets and Contrabands. Future writers and historians will appreciate Tomblin's synthetic approach, as well as her gathering of some fresh material, all available together in a single volume.

The author organizes her study well, with lengthy chapters devoted to the great variety of direct and supporting roles assumed by blacks, to include intelligence gathering, piloting vessels in inland waterways, guiding amphibious expeditions, and serving in both combat and non-combat positions on naval bases and aboard ship. When the war rapidly expanded the size of the U.S. Navy, blacks helped fill in the enlistment gaps. Tomblin also traces the evolution of Union policy toward escaped/freed slaves and their dependents, with a great deal of attention paid to the many contraband camps that sprung up on the sea islands located off the Carolina and Georgia coasts. Although hiccups in relations inevitably occurred, both groups benefited from the arrangement. In return for the services outlined above, blacks received food, clothing, employment, safety for their families, and freedom.

Tomblin's narrative cites numerous examples from primary and secondary sources to support her thesis that escaped slaves played an important role in the success of the Atlantic blockade and coastal combined operations. Six maps are provided, but they are of only general assistance in locating the myriad of geographic points and waterways mentioned in the text. Readers should also be reminded that Tomblin's work only covers the Atlantic coast from Virginia to northern Florida, leaving the Gulf and inland waterways to future scholars.

Bluejackets and Contrabands is a well conceived and executed scholarly study outlining an important chapter in the history of the contribution of blacks to the success of the Union cause during the Civil War. Students of the U.S. Navy's South Atlantic Blockading Squadron will also find the book to be of value.

 

[jazzeum]

Hey Randy, that's great. Glad I could be of help. It's a great site.

 

[PolarBear]

Another very useful item from Brad's ACW Book Blog

Joiner: "Mr. Lincoln's Brown Water Navy"
[Mr. Lincoln's Brown Water Navy: The Mississippi Squadron by Gary D. Joiner (Rowman and Littlefield, 2007) Softcover, photos, maps, notes, bibliography. Page Total/Main: 212/189 ISBN: 0-7425-5098-2/978-0-7425-5098-8 $24.95]

The Mississippi Squadron was no mere junior partner to the U.S. army's efforts in the western theater during the Civil War. The navy was indispensable in a number of roles, and was a decisive factor in the success of many of the major Union campaigns. With Mr. Lincoln's Brown Water Navy, Gary Joiner provides readers with a useful, up-to-date survey history of this celebrated naval organization.

As with many American Crisis Series volumes, Brown Water Navy successfully covers a broad swath of ground in a limited amount of space. From its inception as the Western Gunboat Flotilla to its complete dismantling shortly after war's end, Joiner chronicles all the major events and personalities involved in the history of the Mississippi Squadron. The author lauds the political and administrative capabilities of Navy Secretary Gideon Welles and his assistant Gustavus V. Fox, granting the pair the lion's share of credit for laying the groundwork for success on western waters. He also conveys to the reader a good sense of the strengths and weaknesses of the various gunboats, especially the famous Eads/Pook designs. All of the major naval actions* are summarized, and the command abilities of officers John Rodgers, Andrew Foote, Charles Ellet, David Porter, and Samuel Lee are evaluated with a depth appropriate to the book's scope. At a similar level, there is some discussion of naval tactics and strategy.

Brown Water Navy is a richly illustrated volume as well. Ten maps help trace the myriad of inland waterways traversed by men and machine. Numerous photographs (many unfamiliar to me) of the ships that served in the squadron are also included. It's really a great visual record of the wild array of ironclad, timberclad, tinclad, and ram designs utilized by the U.S. Navy, either as original construction or converted civilian vessels. The only thing missing are pictures of some of the more specialized members of the squadron, like pump boats.

While Joiner's study relies heavily on published sources, the detriment is not significant for a work that is essentially one of synthesis. Thus, those readers primarily seeking a broad introduction to the subject based on the latest research will be most rewarded. However, others already steeped in the literature of the war on western waters should also be satisfied with the level of detail found in Mr. Lincoln's Brown Water Navy, its content serving as a valuable quick reference guide.

* = Battles and campaigns include - Belmont, Forts Henry & Donelson, Shiloh, New Madrid, Memphis, Ft. Pillow, New Orleans, Vicksburg, and Red River. Various smaller actions along the Mississippi, Cumberland, Tennessee, White, Arkansas, Yazoo, Red, Black, and Ouachita rivers are also covered.