In keeping with our theme lately of Union offensives moving over water rather than land, this weekend's Civil War Views posts will focus on the Navy.

The above gunboat, the USS Lockwood, was a part of the Union fleet which descended on Roanoke Island in February of 1862.  It was a sidewheel steamer, a variety of ship that look peculiar to modern eyes.  It has the huge paddle wheels which provided propulsion and also lacks the rows of gun ports that made up the broadsides of most naval ships before the Civil War.  Many gunboats of the Civil War mounted howitzers on carriages or had bigger guns on pivot mounts which we think may be the dark object towards the front (bow) of the Lockwood. The technology that enabled boats like these to maneuver without a dependance on wind made fixed fortifications like those the Confederate had on Roanoke Island and Fort Henry less effective.  With greater ability to maneuver the movements of the vessels were less predictable, and on rivers the tactic of 'running' a fort's guns became common to force passage past places like Vicksburg.