ABSTRACT
Mention the ironclads of the Union navy and the image conjured up probably bears a striking resemblance to the Monitor, whose low freeboard and revolving turret make it one of the great technical innovations of the Civil War. Rumors of the Rebel efforts prompted the United States Navy Department in the summer of 1861 to create a naval board to consider the problem and recommend a course of action. The board counseled that the Union build its own ironclads to counter the threat and requested proposals from Northern inventors. The early operational career of the Galena illustrates the process by which the Union determined the design of the ironclads used throughout the war from a slightly different perspective, emphasizing tactical failure and performance expectations as a motivation for choice. The presence of the Union gunboats had a definite impact on the actions of the Confederate leaders.
