Thank you so much. It's not so easy to do Civil War Navy as there is just one ship from the Civil War still afloat, and that's the USS Constellation. Fortunately, I live pretty close to that ship. Actually, just last weekend, I was aboard Constellation for Maryland's Fleet Week, and I took some video. I hope to post something on RUclips about that pretty soon, so stay tuned!
I became intrigued by the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia when I was about 10 years old. I read every book I could find and kept up this scholarship, particularly after the wreck of the Monitor was discovered. This past winter, 62 years later, I visited the Mariner's Museum in Virginia. It was intoxicating! The recreations of the turret, after its recovery and when in fighting trim, were thrilling to see. The recreations of the Virginia, as well as the full-scale silhouette on the building courtyard, helped me to understand how large the casemate was. I stood on the deck of the outdoor replica, and then realized just how small the Monitor was. The interior recreations were also quite interesting, but perhaps too well-lighted and air-conditioned. I look forward to returning to see the turret and the engine, once the stabilization is complete. Ah! A schoolboy's dream finally realized!
Thank you for your post. I'm sure from the video you can tell that we share your enthusiasm for ironclads and the Battle of Hampton Roads. It doesn't seem entirely impossible that accurate recreations of the Monitor and Merrimack that could actually sail and fire guns without projectiles might be constructed. Sure, it will almost certainly never come to pass, but we can dream, can't we? Wouldn't those two vessels be an amazing sight to behold?
In my 8th grade Metal Shop class in 1963 I built a 36" scale model of The Monitor. I didn't have a steam engine, but I did install an electric motor and battery. The turret rotated with mock Dahlgren cannons. I could do a lot better with today's technology, 3-D printing, etc., but those days are past. The Mariner's Museum was enormously satisfying.
@@johnpotter8039 I don't suppose you kept that model, but I bet it was a worthy engineering effort. The Mariner's Museum is one of our favorite places!
Thank you so much! It was very tricky to try to minimize having things from the 21st century in shot while filming on the Constellation. We didn't quite eliminate everything, but we were reasonably successful at limiting the anachronisms in view! 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! Filming aboard Constellation so as to minimize things from the modern world being in the shot was quite a challenge, but we managed reasonably well. By the way, Constellation really did leave for the Mediterranean just a few days after the Monitor's battle at Hampton Roads, so it would have sort of been possible for a sailor to have served on both ships (though it would have been a really fast move from one ship to another in early March 1862). This was our amateur video effort, but made with a sincere love of the subject!
I really enjoyed this and am impressed. The Fiddle ,Concertina , uniforms , the cooking of the breakfast all well done for the limited time frame. I am looking forward to other video’s showing more detail on how the Hammocks were stowed , food , food preparation and storage etc. care of animals and manger . Accommodation’s for pets / mascots any other details. I have raised two families. I have Grandson’s Your age and My youngest daughter is about your age. Your Parents must be proud of You . I sure am.
Thank you for all your kind comments, and my best to you and your family. I'm so glad you enjoyed this little video we put together. The most difficult thing was filming scenes in such a way that the modern world was not visible (or not very visible) as there are so many modern buildings, sounds, objects, and everything all around in Baltimore's Inner Harbor where the Constellation is kept. We tried to keep to actual facts, though I will admit that the part with my dog (Avro) in the film was just a bit of fun. Although there were indeed animals in the ship's manger, there may not have actually been a dog on board. (I don't know one way or another.) Also, in theory, it would have been possible for a particular sailor to have been in the Battle of Hampton Roads aboard the U.S.S. Monitor and then gotten aboard the Constellation before it left for the Mediterranean, but it would have been just a few days in between. Yes, I would like to do some more filming aboard the Constellation and elsewhere in the future. I have some other videos in the works too, but not about the Navy at the moment. Best wishes!
Although the original Monitor sank about a year after it was built, there were other ships of that type built. The last one was the USS Wyoming that was scrapped in 1939. As for the Constellation, it was decommissioned in 1933 but then recommissioned in 1940. It was used as a reserve flagship for a number of commanders. It was finally decommissioned in 1955, but then eventually became a museum ship in Baltimore. Yes, Frank E. Ragland could certainly have been on such ships. I thank him for his service to our country!
Excellent work and hopefully more attention will be given to this over time. The story was really interesting in giving a unique perspective of what life would have been like then. One note from an old salt: we don't salute uncovered indoors. 😀
Thanks for watching and for the correction. Luckily, I didn't get in trouble for doing that since I was only pretending that officers were there that I was saluting! 😄
Dear mother and father if your wondering how I’m doing, I am well as I ever will be but sadly the gunboat that I was assigned to became damaged beyond repair from my last fort invasion and was resigned to uss constellation, she’s not bad for a sloop of war but she’s a lot more spacious unlike the gunboat that I was assigned to, I met most of on board I met a ships boy named Douglas and is considered a fast learner when it comes with learning the ropes as he says it, when it was time to go on shore leave or liberty he spent most of his duties on board doing chores around the uss constellation after we got back on board I switched out of my dress whites and into my blues and I unravel my hammock and rest until next morning, so I hope this letter reaches to you soon From your loving and patriotic son, Trev the mariner
Thanks for your question. I got my hat from Dirty Billy's in Gettysburg. I got my wool frock and 13-button pants by ordering them from the shop of the National Civil War Navy Museum in Columbus, Georgia. The stock of available uniform parts there has unfortunately been very minimal. Talking with other Civil War Navy reenactors and admiring their uniforms, I was told that they were made by an excellent tailor shop in Gettysburg who will perfectly create any uniform needed. I was told the name of the shop, but I cannot remember it now.
CSS Neuse and USS Cairo clearly need a few repairs to be made entirely ship-shape again, but once we get that done, it's time we had an Ironclad rematch! ;-) Thank you for your preservation work!
Great video. This is the first time I've seen anyone reenacting the life of a seaman during the Civil War.
Thank you so much. It's not so easy to do Civil War Navy as there is just one ship from the Civil War still afloat, and that's the USS Constellation. Fortunately, I live pretty close to that ship. Actually, just last weekend, I was aboard Constellation for Maryland's Fleet Week, and I took some video. I hope to post something on RUclips about that pretty soon, so stay tuned!
I just posted that new video about Maryland Fleet Week if you care to check it out!
@@mr.roywulf Just did!
I became intrigued by the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia when I was about 10 years old. I read every book I could find and kept up this scholarship, particularly after the wreck of the Monitor was discovered. This past winter, 62 years later, I visited the Mariner's Museum in Virginia. It was intoxicating! The recreations of the turret, after its recovery and when in fighting trim, were thrilling to see. The recreations of the Virginia, as well as the full-scale silhouette on the building courtyard, helped me to understand how large the casemate was. I stood on the deck of the outdoor replica, and then realized just how small the Monitor was. The interior recreations were also quite interesting, but perhaps too well-lighted and air-conditioned. I look forward to returning to see the turret and the engine, once the stabilization is complete. Ah! A schoolboy's dream finally realized!
Thank you for your post. I'm sure from the video you can tell that we share your enthusiasm for ironclads and the Battle of Hampton Roads. It doesn't seem entirely impossible that accurate recreations of the Monitor and Merrimack that could actually sail and fire guns without projectiles might be constructed. Sure, it will almost certainly never come to pass, but we can dream, can't we? Wouldn't those two vessels be an amazing sight to behold?
In my 8th grade Metal Shop class in 1963 I built a 36" scale model of The Monitor. I didn't have a steam engine, but I did install an electric motor and battery. The turret rotated with mock Dahlgren cannons. I could do a lot better with today's technology, 3-D printing, etc., but those days are past. The Mariner's Museum was enormously satisfying.
@@johnpotter8039 I don't suppose you kept that model, but I bet it was a worthy engineering effort. The Mariner's Museum is one of our favorite places!
I believe the song played at 14:55 is "Blow the Man Down." Although I could possibly be wrong.
You are correct!
@@mr.roywulf Aha, I recognized it from it being whistled in Red Dead Redemption Two.
Seriously, this is one of the best and most historically accurate reenactments I've seen on RUclips great work Aspinroy!!
Thank you so much! It was very tricky to try to minimize having things from the 21st century in shot while filming on the Constellation. We didn't quite eliminate everything, but we were reasonably successful at limiting the anachronisms in view! 🙂
Real cool to see the historic re-enactment of history. Very well done lads, very well done indeed!
So glad you enjoyed it! Filming aboard Constellation so as to minimize things from the modern world being in the shot was quite a challenge, but we managed reasonably well. By the way, Constellation really did leave for the Mediterranean just a few days after the Monitor's battle at Hampton Roads, so it would have sort of been possible for a sailor to have served on both ships (though it would have been a really fast move from one ship to another in early March 1862). This was our amateur video effort, but made with a sincere love of the subject!
I really enjoyed this and am impressed. The Fiddle ,Concertina , uniforms , the cooking of the breakfast all well done for the limited time frame. I am looking forward to other video’s showing more detail on how the Hammocks were stowed , food , food preparation and storage etc. care of animals and manger . Accommodation’s for pets / mascots any other details. I have raised two families. I have Grandson’s Your age and My youngest daughter is about your age. Your Parents must be proud of You . I sure am.
Thank you for all your kind comments, and my best to you and your family. I'm so glad you enjoyed this little video we put together. The most difficult thing was filming scenes in such a way that the modern world was not visible (or not very visible) as there are so many modern buildings, sounds, objects, and everything all around in Baltimore's Inner Harbor where the Constellation is kept. We tried to keep to actual facts, though I will admit that the part with my dog (Avro) in the film was just a bit of fun. Although there were indeed animals in the ship's manger, there may not have actually been a dog on board. (I don't know one way or another.) Also, in theory, it would have been possible for a particular sailor to have been in the Battle of Hampton Roads aboard the U.S.S. Monitor and then gotten aboard the Constellation before it left for the Mediterranean, but it would have been just a few days in between. Yes, I would like to do some more filming aboard the Constellation and elsewhere in the future. I have some other videos in the works too, but not about the Navy at the moment. Best wishes!
I wasn’t prepared for how good this was. Just outstanding!
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it was an amateur video, but we put some time and effort into it!
I can only imagine how your ears were ringing after firefight with the CSS VA. On both sides.
Yes, on both sides. My left and right ear were both ringing! 😄
My late husband, Frank Edgar Ragland, 1921-2018 was on these ships, I believe.
Although the original Monitor sank about a year after it was built, there were other ships of that type built. The last one was the USS Wyoming that was scrapped in 1939. As for the Constellation, it was decommissioned in 1933 but then recommissioned in 1940. It was used as a reserve flagship for a number of commanders. It was finally decommissioned in 1955, but then eventually became a museum ship in Baltimore. Yes, Frank E. Ragland could certainly have been on such ships. I thank him for his service to our country!
Excellent work and hopefully more attention will be given to this over time. The story was really interesting in giving a unique perspective of what life would have been like then. One note from an old salt: we don't salute uncovered indoors. 😀
Thanks for watching and for the correction. Luckily, I didn't get in trouble for doing that since I was only pretending that officers were there that I was saluting! 😄
Excellent video!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Dear mother and father if your wondering how I’m doing, I am well as I ever will be but sadly the gunboat that I was assigned to became damaged beyond repair from my last fort invasion and was resigned to uss constellation, she’s not bad for a sloop of war but she’s a lot more spacious unlike the gunboat that I was assigned to, I met most of on board I met a ships boy named Douglas and is considered a fast learner when it comes with learning the ropes as he says it, when it was time to go on shore leave or liberty he spent most of his duties on board doing chores around the uss constellation after we got back on board I switched out of my dress whites and into my blues and I unravel my hammock and rest until next morning, so I hope this letter reaches to you soon
From your loving and patriotic son, Trev the mariner
Not to offend anyone in the comments but this is a story that I made up
Thanks for your narrative addition to this video. Yes, that was basically the rest of the content of that letter! :)
The story is called "running around at the Monitor Center as well as at on the Constellation and making things up as we go along" :)
Oh well that’s interesting
Btw we we’re actually thinking to go visit the national civil war naval museum
Amazing, navy Brazil 🇧🇷 have a monitor ship.
Navigating the Amazon River.
In the active navy of Brazil 🇧🇷.
Obrigado por mencionar isso. É maravilhoso que o monitor brasileiro Parnaíba ainda esteja em operação.
Where did you get your uniform?
Thanks for your question. I got my hat from Dirty Billy's in Gettysburg. I got my wool frock and 13-button pants by ordering them from the shop of the National Civil War Navy Museum in Columbus, Georgia. The stock of available uniform parts there has unfortunately been very minimal. Talking with other Civil War Navy reenactors and admiring their uniforms, I was told that they were made by an excellent tailor shop in Gettysburg who will perfectly create any uniform needed. I was told the name of the shop, but I cannot remember it now.
@@mr.roywulf Thanks for the info! Would love to know the name of the shop lol
@@donaldlopuzzo5064 I may see a friend who knows next month. Hopefully, I can remember to ask, and then I'll let you know.
not bad for a yank, good job sailor boy
Those rebel blockade runners keep us pretty busy! 🙂
Very nice video I work on the full scale replica css Neuse Kinston North Carolina come see what you think of us southern boys ironclads haha
CSS Neuse and USS Cairo clearly need a few repairs to be made entirely ship-shape again, but once we get that done, it's time we had an Ironclad rematch! ;-) Thank you for your preservation work!