As with other aspects of military technology during the Civil War, the Federal forces enjoyed many advantages (compared to their Confederate counterparts) in terms of the larger number of existing commercial vessels that could be converted to military use as well as superior access to funds, materials, and shipyards needed to construct new river-based warships.  These advantages were effectively brought to bear during the naval actions  on Tennessee's rivers.

At the outset, Federal river forces operated under Army command, so that some of Tennessee's most significant river battles were conducted by naval officers operating within a unified command with the Army in overall control.  Under such an arrangement, the river forces found limited support from the Navy Department, which was especially problematical in recruiting appropriate crews to man Federal vessels.  This awkward arrangement was improved by October 1862 when the Federal river fleet was formally transferred to Navy control.

Federal river forces included a great variety of warships, ranging from modest woodclads, through somewhat better protected tinclads, to several types of heavily armored ironclads.  Some of these vessels were converted from existing commercial steamers, while others were specifically constructed for their military roles.  Nearly all (except for vessels captured from the Confederates) were constructed or converted at northern shipyards, and arrived in Tennessee via the state's extensive navigable river system.

"City" Class Ironclads

The powerful vessels within this highly successful class of ironclads were named for cities along Northern rivers.  First launched in 1861 and eventually completed in early 1862, they were constructed under a contract with James Eads, an engineer from St. Louis.  The hulls were built at Mound  City (Illinois) and Carondelet (Missouri), while the engines came from St. Louis (Missouri) and Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), and the armor was provided by firms at Portsmouth (Ohio) and Newport (Kentucky). These heavily armored - and heavily armed -  ironclads formed the backbone of the Federal river forces.
 
 
 

Converted Ironclads

In response to the Federal need for a substantial fleet of armored vessels, James Eads also converted commercial steamers into ironclads at St. Louis shipyards.  These were reconfigured to resemble the sloped armored superstructure that characterized Eads' purpose-built ironclads.  Though slower and more lightly armed than the "city"-class vessels, the converted ironclads had successful careers.
 
 
 

Monitor-style Ironclads

Inspired by the success of the famous USS Monitor at Hampton Roads in the eastern theater, James Eads began to develop ironclads with a rotating turret and lower profile for use on the rivers of the western theater.  Two such vessels were commissioned in 1863, one of which operated extensively in Tennessee.
 
 

Tinclads

The Federal river forces took advantage of a number of lightly armored vessels known as tinclads, which were commercial vessels to which thin iron plates were added for protection. Though less heavily armored and armed than ironclads, the tinclads participated in major river engagements as well as patrols on Tennessee's river and their tributaries.
 
 

Woodclads

Modest woodclad vessels, quickly and inexpensively converted from commercial steamers, provided minimal protection but nevertheless participated in a variety of military actions during the war.  They proved especially useful in patrolling Tennessee's rivers and their tributaries.
 
 

Wooden Rams

Colonel Charles R. Ellet, Jr., developed and commanded a fleet of nine rams to assist the Federal forces on the western rivers.  Ellet, an accomplished engineer who had advocated the use of ramming vessels during the Crimean War, suggested a similar approach at the outset of the American Civil War, but was rebuffed until the CSS Virginia threatened Washington in March 1862.  Then he was commissioned a colonel and ordered to the Ohio River to develop a fleet of steam-powered wooden rams.  Ellet's basic concept involved quick and inexpensive conversion of existing commercial steamers to light but fast wooden rams by adding heavy sharp timbers to their bows.  Minimally armed, and without armor, these rams were intended to inflict damage on rival Confederate vessels by taking advantage of the momentum gained through their powerful steam engines, aided when possible by the force of the river current.  These simple rams proved highly effective at the battle of Memphis.
 
 

Aside from the warships listed above, there were many unarmed steamboats that served the Federal forces in a variety of support roles.  See the web pages about non-combatant vessels for more information about these steamers.

  Tennessee Civil War River Steamboats

Last update:  December 6, 2001