Ships of the Civil War 1861-1865: An Illustrated Guide to the Fighting Vessels of the Union and the Confederacy

The Civil war may be mainly remembered for its infamous land battles, such as Gettsyburg, Manassas, and Shiloh, but its naval engagements announced a new kind of naval warfare, with the first-time use of ironclads, submarines, and torpedoes, and the introduction of newer and more powerful naval artillery. The conflict saw the use of paddle-driven river boats, steam warships, ram ships, sloops, cruisers, and the development of new ironclad ships such as low-lying monitors.