When people think of the Civil War they think about blue and gray uniforms, old-fashioned rifles, Gettysburg, or the six hundred twenty thousand men that lay on battlefields all across America. But that last fact is not absolutely true. Even though the infantry is the most noticed force in the Civil War, there were other men that deserve just as much, if not more, credit as them. These men are the sailors who set up the blockade along the East Coast, maintained control of the Mississippi river over the course of the entire war, and manned the superior navy in the most consequential war that the continent has ever known. If it weren’t for those noble mariners the war may have ended much later and with a winner that would not have led to the existence of the America that is the home to millions of people today. It seems fitting that the men and their tools, the vessels for traversing the seas, be recognized. A little background might be necessary though before …show more content…
Fitch’s steamboat was slow and expensive in contrast to the faster, economically superior model created by Fulton. The latter man is known better mostly for his enhanced ability to commercialize the product, spreading his name faster than the inventor himself. Ironically Fulton didn’t even make his fortune in steamboat manufacturing but in the production of submarines for the British and French navies. But he did make some revolutionary design changes to the idea, at least one of which was the flanking of the engine and paddlewheels between to hulls to prevent enemy fire from reaching them, making them ideal for naval warfare. It was not until the Civil War itself, however, that the navy converted almost completely to steam