Two programs on back-to-back Saturdays will highlight different aspects of North Carolina’s maritime history during the Civil War.

From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 13, the CSS Neuse Museum will host a program titled “Sailors in the Summer: Ironclads and Naval Living History.” The impact of naval advancements and technologies during the American Civil War proved pivotal in determining the war’s outcome, even though maritime contributions and developments have received much less attention than land battles.

This event will feature naval living history reenactors, CSS Neuse Museum staff members, and volunteers who will teach visitors about the lives of sailors during the war, the technological advances that occurred during the war, and the practices that went into shipbuilding in the nineteenth century. In addition, we will have several naval-related activities for visitors to enjoy.

The program will also feature two presentations by Mariners’ Museum Speakers Bureau members. Both presentations will be live VIRTUAL events. Visitors can listen to each presentation in our theater room and ask the presenters questions since they are live. The museum does not plan to record these presentations.

Dan Wood will deliver the first presentation, scheduled at 10 a.m., on “The Other Ironclads.” Almost everyone knows about the Monitor and Merrimac (or, more correctly, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia). Still, many people know little of the hundred or more other ironclad vessels that served on both sides in the American Civil War. This presentation explores the fascinating and sometimes bizarre story of these forgotten ironclads, along with “tinclads,” “timberclads,” and other improvised armored craft.

Wood grew up in and around the waters of southern New Jersey, where he was regaled by tales of his grandfather’s and great-grandfather’s careers as US Navy officers and Inspectors for the US Lighthouse Service. Wood’s great-great-grandfather served as a Civil War surgeon.

After college, Dan went to Yorktown, Va., to begin a three-year tour in the US Coast Guard. He had too much fun to leave as planned, so his three-year stint turned into a 25-year career in the Coast Guard. After serving his final tour as Chief of the Reserve Programs Division in Coast Guard Headquarters, he retired as a Captain. Subsequently, Dan taught science and math at Stonebridge School in Chesapeake, Va., for 10 years and has been an active leader for the Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of America for more than 20 years.

Wisteria Perry will give her presentation at 11 a.m. on “Beyond Shackles: The Fight for Freedom. By the mid-19th century, not all African Americans were enslaved. Some were free, some were abolitionists and spies, and some were part of the Underground Railroad. Others became the first African Americans to contribute and serve aboard the US Navy’s first ironclad, the USS Monitor.

Wisteria Perry has worked in the museum field for almost two and a half decades. She is in her 15th year with The Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia, where she is the Associate Curator of Community Engagement. Wisteria spends most of her time researching the collection and creating unique programs and experiences for various audiences in fun and engaging ways.

Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and veterans, and $3 for students. Children ages three and under are admitted free.

From 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on July 20, the CSS Neuse II, the full-scale replica of the CSS Ram Neuse on the corner of N. Herritage and W. Gordon Streets, will host a living history program titled “Naval Rendezvous.”

When the CSS Ram Neuse received its commission 160 years ago, the ironclad gunboat still needed more crewmen. To attract more crew members, a recruiting event called a “Naval Rendezvous” was held in Kinston.

The name of the event may sound odd to us today, but “naval rendezvous” was the correct term for a recruiting drive sponsored by any individual naval ship or shore station.  The current practice of dispatching naval recruits from a regional training camp was far into the future.

The 2024 re-creation of the “Naval Rendezvous” will take place at the CSS Neuse II from Friday, July 19, through Sunday, July 21, with the bulk of the activity taking place on Saturday, July 20.

This re-creation will be largely imaginary but will feature an enlistment officer, drilling of recruits, and various naval and military demonstrations throughout the day. In addition, crew members will be stationed at key points in the boat to provide information on relics, weapons, and rations.

Please make plans to take in some of the local history of our area during these living history events.

Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.