USS Carondolet was a 512-ton ironclad gunboat in the style of the Cairo. It was built in Saint Louis and commissioned in January 1862. Within a month it had contributed to the capture of both Fort Henry and Fort Donelson.

Service jacket and cap worn by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut while directing the fire of the flagship Hartford during the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864. It was during the Battle of Mobile Bay that Farragut uttered the infamous words, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead.”

The CSS Alabama was a 1,050-ton screw steam sloop of war. On August 24, 1862 it rendezvoused with a supply ship and was outfitted for war and for the next two years wreacked havoc on the seaborne commerce of the North by destroying more than 60 ships valued at nearly $6,000,000

Cap worn by Landsman Nathan Ives of the USS Kearsarge. The CSS Alabama was a 1,050-ton screw steam sloop of war. Built in Liverpool, England, it took to sea as a merchant ship, but on August 24, 1862, it rendezvoused with a supply ship and was outfitted for war. For th

Built by contract with John Ericsson at Green Point, Long Island, and launched January 30, 1862, the USS Monitor saw its first naval action at Hampton Roads, Virginia, on March 9, 1862. Despite the CSS Virginia being almost twice its size, with ten guns, the Monitor wit

On April 21, 1861, Virginians claimed an abandoned navy yard at Norfolk, Virginia. There they found the sunken hull of the burned USS Merrimack. The Merrimack was raised and on June 23, 1861 the Honorable S. R. Mallory, Confederate secretary of the navy, ordered it to be converted to an ironclad.

To fight Mexico, the United States had to mobilize, equip, and transport a large force, including both army and navy components. President James Polk planned a complex campaign. He sent one army under Stephen Kearny to capture New Mexico and then march on to California. Commodore J

The compact boarding axe was an effective weapon in close combat. While an effective in hand-to-hand combat, it was more effective as a tool. The boarding axe was used to clear the decks of lines and broken timbers. It was invaluable at removing hot shot which caused devastating fires on board sh

Overview of the First World War, taken from news reel footage. Includes the declaration of war and invasion of Belgium by Germany, U Boats and naval warfare, trench warfare, United States entrance and end of war.This video is part of the Price of Freedom learning resources package for use