The history of Civil War river gunboats built by James Eads.
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Introduction
When the Civil War began, James B. Eads was summoned from semi-retirement
in St. Louis to offer the U.S. government advice on how to wrest control of the
lower Mississippi River from the Confederacy. Eads proposed building seven
armor-plated, shallow-draft gunboats to help Union land forces overpower
Confederate forts impeding their progress down river. Eads accomplished this
monumental task in less than one hundred days. The Cairo, Carondelet,
Cincinnati, Louisville, Mound City, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis, collectively known as
City Class Ironclads, were commissioned and in service on the western waters
by January 1862. These gunboats were the first ironclads built in the United
States and played an integral role in winning the "Mighty Mississippi" for the
Union and thus cutting the Confederacy in two.(1) National Park Service, ParkNet,
2004.
The Documentary
The documentary will focus on James Eads and the role the St. Louis area
played in building the first Union ironclads.
Using a mix of interviews and old photos, we will start with a brief history of how
James Eads won the contract to build the ironclads. We will continue with the
building of the gunboats based on designs by Samuel Pook at the Eads
Boatyards. We will show the launching and naming of the first ironclads; originally
Eads wanted to name the gunboats after Union military leaders, however it was
decided to name the gunboats for cities along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
The documentary will finish with the ironclads proving their value as they help
capture Confederate forts and secure the Mississippi.
We will meet the people who made the ironclads possible, hear first hand
accounts read aloud on how the Eads ironclads played an integral role in winning
the Civil War. Using old photos and new exhibits, we will show the history of
these gunboats. We will learn of the dedicated men who helped to build and
commanded the ironclads, which ushered in a new age of modern war ships.
Our Documentary will provide a fascinating look at how St. Louis helped win the
Civil War.
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