Navies in America’s Wars
The War on the Waves
The wars that defined America were not just fought on land. In the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, wooden American and British ships engaged in some of the most dramatic and iconic battles of the Age of Sail.
In the Civil War, the North and South fought each other on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the rivers of the mainland. The naval war shaped the strategic and economic fortunes of the United States and the Confederacy throughout the struggle. The Civil War also saw the first battle between ironclad ships, the introduction of sea mines and revolving gun turrets, and the first successful use of a submarine against an enemy ship– changing the trajectory of naval warfare around the globe.
Explore War on the Waters
Naval Tactics in the American Revolution
The majority of the American Revolution was fought on land, but the action on the seas had significant impacts on land battles and the outcome of the...
Naval Engagements Around New Orleans during the War of 1812
The Treaty of Ghent was signed in Belgium on December 24, 1814, officially ending the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain...
Civil War Torpedo Boats
During the American Civil War, military innovations skyrocketed with modernization, including the use of the torpedo. One of the first recorded uses...
The Battle of the Chesapeake
VIDEO | The Battle of the Chesapeake was a fiercely fought sea battle between the British and French Navies. At stake wasn’t just control of the...
The U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.
As part of a series on military service academies, Dwight Hughes, Class of 1967, covers the history of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.
Naval Operations on the Atlantic Coast
Learn about the importance of the Navy and the naval battles and blockades during the Civil War.
More About War on the Waters
- Oliver Hazard Perry »
- Sackets Harbor »
- Valcour Island »
- Steel & Steam »
- The Mariners' Museum »
- Book: War on the Waters »
- Building a Brown Water Navy »
- Federal Naval Operations in the Vicksburg Campaign »
- USS Monitor: A Cheesebox on a Raft »
- National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus »
- Gideon Welles »
- Mobile Bay »
- Raphael Semmes »
- Hampton Roads »
- Fort Fisher »
- David Dixon Porter »
- Anatomy of River Defenses »
- The Sultana Disaster »
- The Navies of the Civil War »
- The Battle of Arkansas Post »
- The Blockade Runners »
- Naval Actions of the Civil War »
- Commerce Raiders »
- The River War »