In my ongoing research for “Infernal Machine: Dawn of Submarine Warfare,” I have made the acquaintance of a number of very interesting people, not only...

In July, 1862, Union General George McClellan’s Peninsular Campaign came to its ignominious end on the banks of the James River, as his Army of...

During his preparations for the Appomattox River Raid, the commander of the US Navy raiding force, Commodore John Rodgers had become concerned about the river...

Strangling the Rebel Capital Ever since the Union navy had retaken Norfolk, Virginia, Union gunboats had been prowling the James River to within seven miles...

The James River in Northern Virginia As the longest river system in the Virginia Commonwealth, the James River has its origins out west in the...

I propose to you a new arm of war, as formidable as it is economical. Submarine navigation, which has been sometimes attempted, but as all...

Part Two: Down River from Port Hudson to Baton Rouge Beginning April 16, 1862, the US Navy’s West Gulf Blockading Squadron under Flag Officer David...

The New Orleans Action Board is the setting for the “brown water” naval battles, fought for control of the Mississippi River during the American Civil...

After visiting Director Kellen Butler at the Lasch Conservation Center and seen the H.L. Hunley itself being painstakingly and lovingly restored, I needed to learn...

At the opening of the American Civil War, Confederate president Jefferson Davis and his people faced an enemy that had a substantially larger and fully...