Adult class is restricted to ages 13 and up with NO more than 25 students per class.  Tuition is $150.00 per cadet for the six classes

Junior class accepts ages nine through 12.

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Introduction to the school and its hope

First, the most important nautical term, what is the head and where is it? The head is the nautical term for a toilet, a rest room. It is located at the Farmers Market adjacent to the CSS Neuse shipyard.

The purpose of this school is to introduce students, whom we will call Cadets, to the life of the "Civil War" sailor and Marine of the Union and Confederate Navies of the mid-1800s. Out time will be limited, so we can only show you a limited amount of information when compared to what new recruits actually learned. By the time you have finished this school, you will know much more about the Civil War Navies and the men who served there than the average person you meet.

It is up to you to learn what we show and tell you. We will give you pages of information to add to a standard ring binder notebook. You will have to add these to the book and try to learn as much of the material as possible on your own. If, after you finish this school, you choose or do not choose to become a Naval re enactor and share what you learn with others, you will be able to tell others about the life of 1800s sailors and Marines with accuracy.

This school will be fun and some of it will be work. It is all up to you. If you want to know more than we teach you here, we can show you more sources of information and tell you where to find them. We hope that you will concentrate on what we attempt to teach you, because there will be a lot to learn in a short period of only six one-day weekends. You will have to return to your notebooks and review the notes in order to understand it all. We expect you to do that.

We expect you to act like gentlemen, treat one another with dignity and help one another. You need to work as a team. That was what learning to be a sailor or Marine was about. Only a team can compete with any success with other teams in any contest, including war. That is what we will be talking about. If you have any questions during the school, we shall try to answer them for you and will be happy to do so. So, let's do it and have fun.

A Short History of the Civil War Navy and Marine Corps

The Confederate Navy and Marine Corps were born in Montgomery, Alabama, with the Confederate Cabinet and Confederate Constitution in 1861. The Army was formed before the Navy; therefore, many experienced mariners joined the Army before the Navy existed. There was a great problem in recruiting enlisted men for the Navy later because of this. Finding Officers was no problem. They were able to resign their commissions in the United States Navy and did so, returning to their Southern homeland to serve. But enlisted men in the United States Navy were forced to desert their posts in order to join the Confederate forces. There were not many boats in the southern states with which to form a naval fleet, most ships being owned by Northerners.

As each coastal southern state seceded, it formed its own small state-controlled navy. These soon became part of the Confederate States Navy when it was formed. These small groups of state-owned ships were called "mosquito fleets".

In February, 1861, Stephen Mallory, who had experience as Secretary of the United States Navy before the 1860s war, was chosen by his government to be the Confederate States Secretary of the Navy. He chose ironclad ships to be the mainstay of the Confederate fleet in Southern waters. He had wooden and iron steam-sailing cruisers built in Europe to destroy United States merchant vessels on the world oceans.

Confederate naval bases were former naval bases of the United States before 1861. The finest of the lot, Norfolk, Virginia, was captured in April, 1861, by Confederate forces, but before it was, it was damaged by fires set by retreating Union sailors, Marines and soldiers. Many large caliber guns, left behind with much other useful equipment, were captured by Confederate forces and, later, used by Confederate armed forces, much to the Union Government's dismay.

Other early-war ports captured by Southern men were Mobile, Alabama; Port Royal, South Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana; Charleston, South Carolina; Galveston, Texas; Pensacola, Florida and Savannah, Georgia. Wilmington, North Carolina, endured as a Confederate base to the end of the war, when its capture cut off the Army of Northern Virginia's last source of imported food and equipment. As these bases were captured by Union military combined Army-Navy operations, the Confederates moved their naval bases inland away from enemy strongholds. Sites such as Charlotte, North Carolina, and Selma, Alabama became Confederate naval arsenals. Columbus, Georgia, became their foundry, producing ship boilers, steam machinery and large fixtures for ships.

On May 29, 1861, the Confederate Capitol was moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to Richmond, Virginia, and with it, Confederate Naval Headquarters. These inland sites were chosen because they were joined by extensive railroads.

U. S. Navy

At the beginning of the war they had 42 warships, mostly worn out, in commission, scattered over the world oceans. They commissioned, during the war, 138 ironclads and 208 wooden ships. They purchased and converted for military use 418 ships. They lost, during the war, 95 warships and 2100 sailors.

C. S. Navy

Had no warships at the beginning of the war. They built and launched 37 ironclads. They captured and purchased a small number of mostly wooden commercial vessels, which they converted into warships.

In 1864 they had 753 Commissioned and Warrant Officers and 4460 enlisted sailors.

Their Marine Corps had 539 Officers and enlisted men in six companies.

Clothing

As soldiers became sailors, gray soldier's clothing was made to adapt for shipboard service by adding a black silk scarf and a dark blue Navy flat hat (Scotch cap) to the soldier's dress. More than one thousand blue uniforms captured at Norfolk, as they became unserviceable through wear and tear aboard Confederate ships and shore stations, were traded for Confederate gray naval issue by 1862, for Southern enlisted men. The authorized cap was of black wool. Many were actually of gray wool. Warm weather uniforms, many also captured at Norfolk, were made of white cotton with cuffs and collar trimmed in dark blue. Trousers were of white cotton. A short round jacket similar to a soldier's shell jacket, which was made of gray or dark blue wool and was double-breasted with a "roll" collar (similar to Army shirts), was worn in cold weather.

Officer's uniforms changed to gray early in the war. Some Officers, who grew up in the old Navy, refused to wear gray uniforms for a while. It was heard aboard the C. S. S. Alabama, "Who in the hell ever saw a gray sailor?", but Captain Raphael Semmes of that famous ship soon changed that Officer's attitude. Blue clothing had always been naval tradition; therefore, the Confederate Officers' Corps had to be ordered to change the color of its uniforms. As for the enlisted men, they were happy to get any new uniforms. They, however, were always better clothed than the Armies were.

Confederate Marines wore gray frock coats, trimmed in black piping early in the war, dark blue trousers (white cotton or linen in hot climates) and dark blue kepis. In the summer or in tropical climate, they wore white cotton or linen trousers and vests, as did Naval Officers.

Ship Types
Cruisers-

Ships built for deep-ocean service. Most were constructed of wood or iron and were powered by steam with auxiliary sail. Examples: Nashville, Sumter, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Shenandoah.

Blockade Runners-

These ships were constructed of wood or iron and powered by steam. They transported supplies through the Union blockading fleet, which tried to prevent badly needed military cargoes from reaching Southern ports where they would be distributed to Southern Armies. Examples: Advance, a North Carolina-owned vessel, Banshee, a Confederate States Navy- owned vessel and Modern Greece, a civilian-owned vessel which served the same purpose as Confederate and State-owned ships, but made, in many cases, exorbitant profit for its owners when its luxury cargo was sold. Various states purchased blockade running vessels to bypass this system and to import only badly needed war materials instead of highly profitable luxury items. The Southern Armies did not need luxury items. They needed arms, clothing and food.

Ironclads-

Wooden hull ships covered with iron plating to hopefully prevent penetration by enemy ordinance. Examples: Virginia (Merrimac), Virginia II, Albemarle, Arkansas, Savannah, Chicora, Raleigh, Atlanta and Neuse.

Auxiliary Vessels-

These were civilian tugboats of wooden and iron construction. All were armed. Examples: Beaufort and Raleigh, which became escorts for the Virginia, during the Battle of Hampton Roads. Cotton and Lady Davis were auxiliary gunboats of deep Southern waters.

Davids-

These were steam powered half-submerged torpedo boats, which were cigar-shaped.

Submarines-

These were completely submersible torpedo boats. Example: Hunley.

Traditional torpedo boats-

A few of these were steam-powered but most were powered by oars. On each a 20 foot-long spar, on the far end of which was placed a torpedo (what we call today a mine), extended from the bow of the boats. The torpedo was forced beneath the enemy ship's hull and a sailor aboard the torpedo boat, exploding the torpedo pulled a lanyard.

Life Aboard Ship

Navy food was better than that in the Army. Sanitation was poor. Disease was rampant aboard ironclads, which were stationed on rivers surrounded by low marshy areas. The solution to this problem was to keep the crews ashore when they were not working aboard ship. There they stayed in tents or barracks built for the purpose. Ironclads were extremely hot during summer and freezing during winter months, except when shipboard guns were being fired in the heat of battle.

Life Ashore

Shore stations were established where needed to support Naval shipping. Naval torpedo stations were established on the banks of rivers, sounds and bays where torpedoes were assembled and installed to prevent enemy shipping from ascending those bodies of water. The Army also had these stations from which they did the same work. At many sites along bays, sounds and rivers, heavy artillery batteries were located and manned by Naval and Marine Corps personnel as well as Army.

Personal Weapons

The two band rifled musket was the authorized long arm of the Navy and Marine

Corps; however, the experienced riflemen of the Marine Corps preferred the three-band rifle, being he was a trained marksman by trade. The enlisted sword of choice was the cutlass, a heavy-blade short sword, useful for close-in fighting aboard ship. Acoutrements (leather gear- cap box, cartridge box, belt and scabbard) were constructed of black leather.

Most Naval vessels were floating artillery platforms, carrying various numbers of cannon, usually of various types. Sailors and Marines on deck manned these guns when necessary. Engine-room personnel were not required to do so.

Flags

The early war Confederate Ensign (National Flag) was the First National Confederate Flag, the Stars and Bars. It was flown from the highest point, usually mid-ships, on the vessel. The Naval Jack, a square or rectangular dark blue flag, containing a circle of seven to twelve stars, according to the year, was flown on a shorter jack-staff located in the forward part of the vessel. That flag indicated that the vessel was owned by the Confederate Government.

After February, 1863, the Second National Flag, a rectangular white flag, containing in an upper corner a battle flag of the Beauregard variety, was created and flew in the place of the First National aboard Confederate ships. The new Jack, which was rectangular and contained a starry blue St. Andrews Cross on a red field (Confederate Battleflag) flew from the vessel's jack-staff forward on the vessel. No other flags were ever authorized to fly from Confederate vessels (except a commissioning pennant on the top mast of newly commissioned vessels).

SUMMARY

Southerners knew that they were outnumbered from the beginning of the War for Southern Independence, but they had much to loose, mainly their freedom. They knew that, if they did not resist the Union invaders of their lands, they would become a province of the United States and their way of life would be changed forever; therefore, they were forced to fight!

They could not break the Union Navy's blockade of Southern ports effectively, even though they tried repeatedly during the war. The industrial North built ships as fast as the Confederacy could sink them. After all, before the war, the northern states owned almost every ship in the country. The North's supply of immigrant seamen was endless, most of the Union's enlisted men being foreigners. No blockade closed Northern ports, even though the Southern cruisers did the North's merchant fleet great damage. The C. S. S. Alabama alone almost destroyed the Union's Merchant Marine. As a matter of fact, it never totally recovered after the war. But for the Confederacy it was almost always too little, too late.

The Confederate Navy, with its Marines, burned its ships to prevent the enemy from using them as their armed forces were slowly overpowered and undersupplied and then they marched inland to join the Confederate Army in the final battles of 1865. The last of the Southern warriors were literally starved, out-manned and out-gunned into submission. They were not beaten by the martial ability of the Northern military.

The last to surrender was Captain Waddell of Pittsboro, North Carolina, and his ship C. S. S. Shennandoah, after it had obliterated the Union's whaling fleet. Captain Waddell turned his ship over to British authorities on November 6, 1865, after discovering that Confederate armed forces had surrendered to the Union in April of that sad year.

A History of the C. S. Ship Neuse, Confederate Gunboat

The CSS Neuse was one of twenty-two ironclads commissioned by the Confederate Navy. Having a wide, flat bottom, the vessel resembled a river barge. When completed, the twin-screw steamer was plated with iron armor and measured 158 feet long and 34 feet wide.

Construction of the ship began in the fall of 1862 in Whitehall (modern-day Seven Springs) beside the Neuse River. The vast pine forests of eastern North Carolina provided the needed lumber, and local carpenters served as shipwrights. Work on the ship was interrupted by a Union raid through the area in December that year.

Still, incomplete, the Neuse was launched in 1863. The workers floated the vessel downstream to Kinston to be fitted with machinery, guns and armor. Transportation problems and manufacturing difficulties delayed the completion of the ship. The Neuse never received all its intended armor due to these obstacles. However, the Neuse steamed out of Kinston in late April. 1864, to participate in an attack on New Bern. Unfortunately, the river was low and the new ironclad ran aground en route. A river rise allowed the ship to return to its mooring in mid-May.

Lack of troop support and obstructions in the river forced the ship to remain idle for the next ten months. In March, 1865, the hopes of the Confederacy were faltering and Union forces approached Kinston. Commander Joseph Price realized there was no alternative but to scuttle his vessel. On March 12, the Neuse was burned by its crew, resulting in a large explosion in the port bow which sank the ship. Known locally as "the gunboat", the Neuse remained in the river for nearly one hundred years. What remained of it was recovered in 1963 and now rests at its West Vernon Avenue home at Caswell-Neuse Historic Site.

Discipline and Respect Among Cadets

New recruits in the Civil War Navies and Marine Corps were sent to "receiving ships", usually older sailing warships not fit for combat at the time. There, for three to eight weeks, according to the demand for manpower at the time, they learned the rudiments of the seafaring service. They then were transferred to places aboard ship or ashore wherever they were needed.

Sailor and Marine Corps warriors were taught to follow orders given by superiors. They were trained to be a part of a team, which just as today must be the case in order for sailors or soldiers to be effective in combat situations against an enemy force. Everything that they were taught aboard the receiving ships had its reason for being.

Please treat one another with respect here. Everything is done for a reason.

Naval and Marine Corps Uniforms

Show items of reproduced clothing of Marine Corps and Navy. Use "Todd's Military Equipage".

Military Drill

Infantry re enactors present hands on drill using wooden rifled musket issued to each cadet. "Hardee's Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics" and "Gilham's Manual for Volunteers and Militia"

Safety

Engaging in war and training for war can be a dangerous situation. The soldier or sailor must stay reasonably healthy and alive in order to be of use to his country and fellow soldiers. He must think about safety in every situation in which he finds himself. So must you as cadets. It is no fun to be hurt.

We will try our best to keep you safe while you attend this school. If you get hurt, the fun stops. Warships were and are today designed for war, not a playground. Ships are dangerous. You have to be careful. Water will kill you, if you do not respect it. Weapons will also hurt you or even kill you when not handled properly, because that is what they are designed to do. Handling weapons is a great responsibility. Do not act irresponsibly. If you do, you will be removed from this school. Always, safety MUST BE FIRST. Many of the things you learn here can be a life-long pleasure to you OR they can be a life-long regret. Watch out for each other and help each other. We are not enemies. We are learning things to share with others, one of life's greatest pleasures.

Nautical Terms

Ships and boats-

Forward- in a direction facing the front of the vessel. also any area forward of the middle half of the vessels length, towards the bow.

Aft- in a direction facing the rear of the vessel. also, any area behind the mid point of the vessels length, towards the stern.

Bow- The front end of the vessel.

Stern- The rear end of the vessel.

Starboard- In a direction towards the right of the vessel's centerline, which runs from the bow to the stern, when facing the bow.

Port- In a direction towards the left of the vessel's centerline, which runs from the bow to the stern, when facing the bow.

Midships- Located along the vessel's centerline, that runs from the stem (the foremost part of the bow) to the middle of the transom ( the farthest point on the stern).

Dead Ahead- Anywhere along an extension of the vessel's centerline ahead of the vessel.

Dead Astern- Anywhere along an extension of the vessel's centerline behind the vessel.

Athwartships- In a direction running from starboard to port inside the vessel, usually nearly perpendicular to the vessel's centerline.

Abeam- In a general direction towards the port or starboard as determined from a location near where a point half of the length of the vessel intersects its centerline.

Waterline- Where the water and air meet along the sides of a floating vessel.

Deck- The horizontal surface aboard a ship or boat on which one normally walks while aboard ship. Similar to a floor ashore.

Bulkhead- A wall-like vertical structure aboard ship that separates spaces within the sides of the vessel.

Gunwale- The upper-most edge of the sides of the vessel.

Keel- A vertical fin-like structure located down the centerline of the vessel usually along its entire bottom.

Rudder- A vertical, moveable fin-like structure located at or near the stern of the vessel. Used to change the direction of movement of the vessel while under way (moving through the water).

Screw- Mid 1800s name for a propeller which, forced to rotate by some engine, propels the vessel through the water.

Cabin- A living space usually designed for one to several people aboard a vessel.

Mast- A pole-like structure located above the upper-most deck. >From it are suspended, flags, sails, rigging, etc.

Pilothouse- A box-like room from which the sailor steering the vessel commands a view of the vessel's surroundings and from which an officer commands the steersman. Located in an area somewhere above the uppermost deck.

Superstructure- Room-like structures located above the main (uppermost) deck.

Draft- The depth of water required for a vessel to float without grounding.

Below- Within the vessel below the level of the main deck.

Aloft- Above the main deck.

Head- Nautical term for toilet.

Galley- A space where food is prepared and cooked aboard ship.

Wheel- The steering wheel aboard ship.

Leeward- Down wind. In the direction toward which the wind is blowing.

Windward- In a direction from which the wind is blowing.

Listing- Leaning in a direction away from vertical ( perpendicular to the floor, ground, water's surface, etc.).

Scuttle- Intentionally causing a vessel to sink.

Other terms concerning the nautical life and boats will be introduced later in this school.
Such terms are almost endless in number.