Civil War riverine operations.

[major bill]

The Civil War was not the first war where controlling rivers were an aspect of military operations. The newer technologies of steam power and iron protection moved Naval operations on rivers and controlling rivers to a new level. Some people compare Civil War Naval operations on rivers to the riverine operations during the Vietnam War.

Now a couple questions. "Riverine" is more modern term and I am not sure "riverine" should be used when discussing Civil War Naval operations. During the Civil War was there a period term for river operations?

Question two: Did other nations during the Civil War study our river operations and as a result change their Naval tactical doctrines about river operations?

 

[JOHN42768]

I would think "Brown Water Navy" would apply

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

I've done some preliminary study on riverine operations since the beginning of the steam era, looking in particular at:

1. U.S. operations on the Tobasco river in the Mexican War (interestingly, David D. Porter played a significant role, which may be one of the reasons he was selected for the Mississippi Squadron later)
2. Civil War (of course)
3. War of the Triple Alliance or the Paraguayan war of the late 1860s/early 1870s (this one is closest to the Civil War technologically as well as chronologically)
4. British river operations in the Sudan in the late 19th century
5. Western operations on Chinese rivers (especially the Yangtze) in the early 20th century
6. British operations in Mesopotamia (Tigris/Euphrates) during WW1
7. Soviet operations, especially along the Volga, during WW2
8. Mekong Delta operations in the French and then the American phases of the war in Vietnam

Of those the American operations in the Mekong explicitly looked back to the American Civil War to inform doctrine. I have not yet uncovered any other major *direct* influences. Indirect influences are harder to detect.

 

[JohnDLittlefield]

I've done some preliminary study on riverine operations since the beginning of the steam era, looking in particular at:

1. U.S. operations on the Tobasco river in the Mexican War (interestingly, David D. Porter played a significant role, which may be one of the reasons he was selected for the Mississippi Squadron later)
2. Civil War (of course)
3. War of the Triple Alliance or the Paraguayan war of the late 1860s/early 1870s (this one is closest to the Civil War technologically as well as chronologically)
4. British river operations in the Sudan in the late 19th century
5. Western operations on Chinese rivers (especially the Yangtze) in the early 20th century
6. British operations in Mesopotamia (Tigris/Euphrates) during WW1
7. Soviet operations, especially along the Volga, during WW2
8. Mekong Delta operations in the French and then the American phases of the war in Vietnam

Of those the American operations in the Mekong explicitly looked back to the American Civil War to inform doctrine. I have not yet uncovered any other major *direct* influences. Indirect influences are harder to detect.

What about European riverine ops during the Crimean, Russian/Turkish, or other mid-century wars?

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

I'm not as familiar with those. I'm aware of some Danube gunboats, and the whole Black Sea/Russian/Turkish area is of interest... I haven't really strongly defined the project as such, so much as started exploring it.

 

[Rhea Cole]

Even today, the bridges on the Danube, Mosel & Rhine are very low, about the height of an ordinary automobile bridge. The reason was to prevent an invasion fleet from using the river as an avenue of attack.

This Rhine River bridge is lower than it looks in the photo. The man standing to take a photo had to sit down to clear the bridge. The railings could be folded down & deck chairs had to be struck below for certain stretches of the river.

The pilot house can be lowered to where the roof is just above the deck. If you look carefully, you can see the hinges at the base of the railing that allow it to be lain flat. This is the Viking Kara.

Because of the obstruction created by the bridges, it was impossible to have a river campaign anything like the Civil War. However, that does not mean that there weren't river wars. All along the Rhine, castles were built at narrows or bends in the river where a toll could be collected.

This is the only castle on the river that was never taken & was not remodeled into the image of a fairytale castle. Marksburg am Rhine dominates a shallow part of the river where a sharp bend creates a long sandbar. Even today, the only way to get up to the castle is a goat climb on foot. The cannon below are behind the ports on the structure on the left of the main castle.

These very impressive Napoleonic cannon & curious stone cannonballs were never put to hostile use. The cannon were only used to fire salutes to passing noblemen. So, to answer your question, a U.S. Civil War type of river campaign was physically impossible in Europe.

Compared with the Mississippi, the Rhine is a narrow tributary like the Ohio River. I have to admit, it would have been interesting to see what a few stone cannonballs would have done against an iron clad... just saying.

Of course, European rivers have been contested & controlled for a long time. Le Rhone. Sainte-Colombe, France still has its Roman tower built to control river traffic & collect tolls.

All photos by the author

 

[FedericoFCavada]

Marksburg am Rhein?

Marksburg - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[leftyhunter]

I've done some preliminary study on riverine operations since the beginning of the steam era, looking in particular at:

1. U.S. operations on the Tobasco river in the Mexican War (interestingly, David D. Porter played a significant role, which may be one of the reasons he was selected for the Mississippi Squadron later)
2. Civil War (of course)
3. War of the Triple Alliance or the Paraguayan war of the late 1860s/early 1870s (this one is closest to the Civil War technologically as well as chronologically)
4. British river operations in the Sudan in the late 19th century
5. Western operations on Chinese rivers (especially the Yangtze) in the early 20th century
6. British operations in Mesopotamia (Tigris/Euphrates) during WW1
7. Soviet operations, especially along the Volga, during WW2
8. Mekong Delta operations in the French and then the American phases of the war in Vietnam

Of those the American operations in the Mekong explicitly looked back to the American Civil War to inform doctrine. I have not yet uncovered any other major *direct* influences. Indirect influences are harder to detect.

While not an expert on riverine operations in Vietnam wasn't most riverine operations based on stopping and searching vessels on the Mekong and various canals in search of supplies to the Viet Cong. Of course US and South Vietnamese naval craft would transport troops and provide fire support when needed as well. I seem to recall various battle's in American rivers between the brown water navies of both the Union and Confederate. The best the VC could do is fire a few machine guns ,mortars , recoilless rifles or RPG shots at the US and South Vietnamese Navy and then beat feet before the US Navy or South Vietnamese Air Force sent aircraft.
Leftyhunter

 

[DaveBrt]

While not an expert on riverine operations in Vietnam wasn't most riverine operations based on stopping and searching vessels on the Mekong and various canals in search of supplies to the Viet Cong. Of course US and South Vietnamese naval craft would transport troops and provide fire support when needed as well. I seem to recall various battle's in American rivers between the brown water navies of both the Union and Confederate. The best the VC could do is fire a few machine guns ,mortars , recoilless rifles or RPG shots at the US and South Vietnamese Navy and then beat feet before the US Navy or South Vietnamese Air Force sent aircraft.
Leftyhunter

You greatly understate the duration and ferocity of many of the river battles. And as with army operations, there were multiple types of operations -- cutting supply routes, assault into enemy controlled areas, deriving intelligence, etc.

I was the day Combat Operations Center Officer in the last hot US Navy Area of Operations -- the southern tip of the country based on Navy-created Solid Anchor base for 3 hot months.

 

[leftyhunter]

You greatly understate the duration and ferocity of many of the river battles. And as with army operations, there were multiple types of operations -- cutting supply routes, assault into enemy controlled areas, deriving intelligence, etc.

I was the day Combat Operations Center Officer in the last hot US Navy Area of Operations -- the southern tip of the country based on Navy-created Solid Anchor base for 3 hot months.

I am not arguing that US and South Vietnamese sailors didn't face danger far from it. My point is the USN and the SVN weren't involved in anything equivalent to Vicksburg or Ft.Hudson. The only ship to ship battle in Vietnam that I am aware of was a one day clash between the SVN and the Communist Chinese Navy for control of the Parcel Islands where the Chinese won.
My point was that the VC simply didn't have a naval arm or could call in air support.
If I am wrong let me know the naval war in Vietnam us now more or less forgotten.
Leftyhunter

 

[DaveBrt]

I am not arguing that US and South Vietnamese sailors didn't face danger far from it. My point is the USN and the SVN weren't involved in anything equivalent to Vicksburg or Ft.Hudson. The only ship to ship battle in Vietnam that I am aware of was a one day clash between the SVN and the Communist Chinese Navy for control of the Parcel Islands where the Chinese won.
My point was that the VC simply didn't have a naval arm or could call in air support.
If I am wrong let me know the naval war in Vietnam us now more or less forgotten.
Leftyhunter

You might remember that very little of the CW river war was Vicksburg and Port Hudson. Also, very little of it was battle with Confederate gunboats -- most of it was the old routine of naval operations -- cutting supply lines, showing the flag, conducting raids, escorting shipping, etc.

Also, little of the VN river war was against the VC -- they were almost completely destroyed during Tet. The NVA had no air force, but they did build serious, resilient, in depth fortifications that, when discovered, required a serious operation to defeat.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

Yes, there's a huge amount of riverine ops that goes mostly unremarked in the present CW literature. In reality, the Mississippi Squadron and associated Army units conducted years of what would later be called counter-insurgency operations (and bear a striking similarity to the Mekong and "Special Zone" operations a century later). Most books that cover the river war end at Vicksburg, with a chapter on Red River (and perhaps a paragraph about NBF and the gunboats at Johnsonville)... the sole exception that goes into detail is Jack Smith's book on the "tinclads," which were the gunboats primarily involved in the post-Vicksburg period:

Smith, Myron J., Jr. Tinclads in the Civil War: Union Light-Draught Gunboat Operations on Western Waters, 1862-1865. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2009. 431 pp.​

 

[Rhea Cole]

Yes, there's a huge amount of riverine ops that goes mostly unremarked in the present CW literature. In reality, the Mississippi Squadron and associated Army units conducted years of what would later be called counter-insurgency operations (and bear a striking similarity to the Mekong and "Special Zone" operations a century later). Most books that cover the river war end at Vicksburg, with a chapter on Red River (and perhaps a paragraph about NBF and the gunboats at Johnsonville)... the sole exception that goes into detail is Jack Smith's book on the "tinclads," which were the gunboats primarily involved in the post-Vicksburg period:

Smith, Myron J., Jr. Tinclads in the Civil War: Union Light-Draught Gunboat Operations on Western Waters, 1862-1865. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2009. 431 pp.​

Thanks for the book recommendation. I just ordered it. If anybody wants one, Amazon only has one now.

 

[major bill]

The control of the inland waterways in Florida during the Civil War is a good example of riverine operations. Any book about Florida during the Civil War will contain a fair amount of river operations.

 

[Rhea Cole]

The control of the inland waterways in Florida during the Civil War is a good example of riverine operations. Any book about Florida during the Civil War will contain a fair amount of river operations.

Were they roaring around on flatboats powered hand cranked propellers?

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

One of my probably-never-to-be-completed projects I dreamed up had the working title "Forgotten Rivers: The Mississippi Squadron After Vicksburg." As things culminated at Vicksburg and Port Hudson, Porter was already planning ahead to the next phase; the rivers were divided into Districts, with various vessels assigned to them as appropriate. Most districts had a few ironclads for firepower, but most of the work was done by the tinclads. There were some exceptions, such as Red River, and when naval support was provided Thomas near Nashville (yes, there were ironclads at the battle of Nashville: the veteran Carondelet and a river monitor)... Eventually, Porter and S. Phillips Lee swapped positions (rather to the latter's dissatisfaction, but to his credit he served ably where he was ordered), and the closing phases of the war on the rivers were directed by Lee's administrative talents, which were considerable... right up to the selling-off of assets and closing down most of the installations in the year or two after the war wound down.

 

[wausaubob]

One of my probably-never-to-be-completed projects I dreamed up had the working title "Forgotten Rivers: The Mississippi Squadron After Vicksburg." As things culminated at Vicksburg and Port Hudson, Porter was already planning ahead to the next phase; the rivers were divided into Districts, with various vessels assigned to them as appropriate. Most districts had a few ironclads for firepower, but most of the work was done by the tinclads. There were some exceptions, such as Red River, and when naval support was provided Thomas near Nashville (yes, there were ironclads at the battle of Nashville: the veteran Carondelet and a river monitor)... Eventually, Porter and S. Phillips Lee swapped positions (rather to the latter's dissatisfaction, but to his credit he served ably where he was ordered), and the closing phases of the war on the rivers were directed by Lee's administrative talents, which were considerable... right up to the selling-off of assets and closing down most of the installations in the year or two after the war wound down.

Lee made a considerable amount of money by administering the blockade, because he had administrative talent. When he was transferred to the Mississippi, he lost that revenue source. However the last smugglers' port was closed a few months after his transfer, so he did not miss out on much.
I think that river operations on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers continued through December 1864.