At Vicksburg, woven gabions were used to build trenches and protect soldiers. A new retaining wall there features a modern version to prevent further road washouts

Grant Circle retaining wall, detail of mesh and stone gabions (NPS); old ones at Battery Hickenlooper (Library of Congress)

A giant new retaining wall at Vicksburg National Military Park – part of a $7.4 million project to restore a tour road damaged by heavy rain in 2020 -- features a modern use of gabions, a common feature in fortifications at the Civil War battlefield.

While the 50-foot gabion basket at Grant Circle is made of heavy wire mesh and stone and is meant to improve road stability and drainage, those erected 160 years ago were open-ended and made of woven baskets filled with whatever material soldiers could muster. They were built to protect men.

The National Park Service found the comparison worthy of note in its recent announcement the project at Grant Circle and North Union Avenue had been completed.

Gabions bookend recreated section of Fort Garrott (Vicksburg National Military Park)

“During the (1863) siege, both armies used gabion baskets woven with cane reeds and filled with earth and stone to strengthen trenches and ramparts. While the materials have changed, the core engineering remains the same to reinforce an 1863 fortification or a present-day road,” the agency said.

A large portion of the Vicksburg project included the retaining wall, intended to improve road slope stability and allow water to pass through, reducing the risk of drainage pipe failures.

The historic gabions were a cylindrical basket, open at both ends. When filled with dirt, they could be used as a revetment to form parapets on trenches, according to the park. Both sides would have used gabions in the construction of their fortifications.

Trench line with gabions and tree trunks at Coonskin's Tower at Vicksburg

The Federal army used them to help construct trenches they dug across the Vicksburg landscape as part of the successful siege. Battery Hickenlooper was a prime example.

It was hot work.

In order to dig those trenches, soldiers would have to construct gabions and sap rollers, which were used to dig approach trenches and enabled troops to have cover as they advanced on the Confederate position, the park said in an old Facebook post about fortifications.

Troops turned to giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea), a fast-growing bamboo found across the Deep South. “It became a lifesaver during the Siege of Vicksburg. Soldiers used it to build fascines (bundled cane walls) and gabions (earth-filled baskets) to reinforce trenches and fortifications.” (At left, example of gabions at Fort Sedgwick (Fort Hell) at Petersburg, Va. Library of Congress)

A soldier with a Minnesota artillery battery wrote a June 1863 letter mentioning the features at Vicksburg:

“The embrasures, through which we fire, are made by setting up gabions on each side of the space left for the embrasure, where they are staked down and filled with earth. A gabion is made of stakes, with grapevines, young cane or flexible bushes woven through them, so as to form a hollow cylinder something like a large willow basket without the bottom, only much longer.

"The stakes are left projecting at one end some distance beyond the wicker work, and when the gabion is put in its place these projecting ends are driven into the ground and the gabion is filled with dirt. When we first came into the work the embrasures were not lined with gabions, and the consequence was that in one day's firing we blew out the embrasures so wide that a two horse wagon could have been driven through one of them.”

Before and after view of road section at Grant Circle (Vicksburg NMP)

The completion of the road project means the entire 16-mile tour road is now open to visitors for the first time since 2020, when heavy rainfall created a landslide.

Additional work at Grant Circle included milling and asphalt paving, new striping, curb and gutter replacements and installation of a new drainage system on the west side of the circle. 

Along North Union Avenue, work crews installed 900 aggregate piers under the new roadway as reinforcement to improve vertical load transfer and reduce the risk of lateral soil failure, the park said.

Before and after section of North Union Avenue (Vicksburg NMP)

The Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park helped advocate for the funding.

“The completed project includes improvements to drainage, erosion control, and ground stabilization to help keep these roads open for years to come,” the group said Monday. “This is a success our supporters can take pride in.”

Savannah dredging operations brought up numerous Civil War and Revolutionary War cannons and artifacts. How did the projects and weapons compare?

CSS Georgia Dahlgren pulled up from river in 2015; one of the Revolutionary War cannons in 2021 and this week's unveiling of conserved artillery pieces at the Savannah History Museum (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photos)

A stunning collection of Revolutionary War cannon recovered off Old Fort Jackson in Savannah, Ga., is now on public display, the culmination of an extensive archaeological and conservation effort.

A contractor dredging the Savannah River in 2021 came across the first of the 19 artillery pieces, which some thought might belong to CSS Georgia, a Confederate ironclad that was scuttled nearby by its crew in December 1864. But it soon became apparent they dated to the American Revolution and the British siege of the city in 1779. They were on ships scuttled by the British to prevent French support of the colonists.

The surprise discovery of the Revolutionary War weapons came following the 2015-2017 recovery of items associated with the Civil War ironclad.

That U.S. Army Corps of Engineers harbor deepening project, which involved contractors and U.S. Navy divers, recovered more than 30,000 CSS Georgia artifacts, including 241 pieces of ordnance, five cannons and two large casemate sections. The latter were documented and left in the water.

A section of the CSS Georgia's casemate in 2017 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

The Corps of Engineers worked with Texas A&M University to conserve the CSS Georgia material and then 17 of the cannons associated with the Revolutionary War. The Savannah History Museum this week opened “Loyalists and Liberty: Savannah in the American Revolution.”

Chris Dostal, director of the conservation lab at Texas A&M, told the Civil War Picket:

“From a conservation standpoint, both projects involved large, concreted iron artillery from a marine or riverine environment, but the Savannah River cannon presented a particularly unusual opportunity because so many guns were recovered together, several with associated bore contents preserved.”

Some CSS Georgia artifacts are on display at the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Ga. (At left, one of its propellers, Picket photo).

That venue "is the only institution with CSS Georgia artifacts on loan from our office," said Kate Morrand, a conservator with the Naval History and Heritage Command. "The remainder of the CSS Georgia collection includes over 5,100 artifacts and is curated by the NHHC Underwater Archaeology Branch, based at the Washington Navy Yard."

The command was involved in the CSS Georgia project but the Revolutionary War cannons were not under its purview.

The Picket recently asked Corps officials to provide some context to how both archaeological projects dovetailed or differed.

The following responses came from Francis “Franky” Stankiewicz with Chronical Heritage, Andrea Farmer, archaeologist with the Savannah district of the Army Corps, and Cheri Pritchard, media relations chief with that office. The responses have been edited for brevity and context.

Q1: Are you any closer to knowing precisely which British ships these Revolutionary War cannon belonged to? I know the HMS Rose was ruled out.

A: We have learned a great deal since the cannon were conserved, but I would not say we can assign individual guns to specific vessels with certainty. The strongest current interpretation is that the assemblage most likely originated from the armed ship Savannah, formerly the American privateer General Arnold, and the British transport Venus, both of which were associated with the 1779 Siege of Savannah. Current research suggests that domestic colonial production is the most likely origin for the guns attributed to the General Arnold/Savannah. However, manufacture in Britain, France (particularly Bordeaux), or Spain (particularly Bilbao) cannot be ruled out. Within the realm of domestic production, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania presently appear to be the most probable manufacturing centers.

Andrea Farmer with two reenactors at the Savannah History Museum (USACE photos)

Q: There was early speculation these 19 cannons might date to the Revolutionary War era but might have been placed on the CSS Georgia or fortifications. What led you to determine they dated to the Revolution?

A: The Revolutionary War interpretation rests on several lines of evidence. Typologically, the guns are mid-to-late 18th-century 6-pounders, including examples exhibiting Armstrong-pattern characteristics as well as related short-gun variants. Historically, British and French accounts document the burning and scuttling of armed vessels in this section of the Savannah River during the 1779 Siege of Savannah, consistent with the location of the recovery area. Archaeologically, many of the cannon were recovered in a loaded condition, containing tampions, wadding, shot, powder cartridges, fuse remains, and powder residue, indicating that they were likely prepared for immediate use rather than discarded at a later date. Taken together, the age, location, and loaded condition of the guns strongly support their association with the Revolutionary War-era scuttling events in the Savannah River.

Q: From an archaeological and conservation viewpoint, how different are these cannons vs. those found at CSS Georgia site?

A: From a conservation standpoint, these cannons were unusually rich in sealed contexts. Most were heavily concreted and contaminated cast iron, but many still held preserved bore contents. That meant conservation was also excavation: tampions, hemp junk wads, shot, cartridges, and residues had to be removed and documented in sequence. CSS Georgia material, by contrast, is Civil War ironclad wreckage and ordnance context: later, more industrial, and tied to an armored floating battery. The Savannah cannon assemblage is earlier, Revolutionary War-era muzzle-loading artillery, and its research value comes heavily from the combination of gun form, loading evidence (i.e., material within), and scuttling context. (See link for more photos)

Q. I know the investigation into CSS Georgia concluded a few years back. Have you learned anything more about the site or vessel since then?

A: The CSS Georgia investigation itself concluded earlier, and the current investigations do not indicate a major new interpretation of the vessel since that work. What they do add is a broader landscape context: the cannon cluster site lies near, but is not part of, the CSS Georgia site, and prior mapping work around CSS Georgia actually helped identify the Revolutionary War cannon concentration.

Q: Do you have a schematic/map or illustration showing their precise location in the Savannah River? And do you have anything similar showing the CSS Georgia cannon location -- or both put together?

A: To help preserve and protect these cultural resources long-term, we are not publicly disclosing their precise locations. While the locations are known to a limited number of researchers and resource managers, there is broad agreement that this information should remain restricted for now. Limiting access helps protect the sites from disturbance while supporting future research and analysis that may provide additional insights. Researchers continue to use a variety of mapping products, including sonar and multi-beam imagery of the Cannon Cluster Site near Fort Jackson. Specific details about the exact locations of these resources and their relationship to one another are also being withheld to support ongoing stewardship and future study. In addition, the Savannah Harbor shipping channel is heavily trafficked by large commercial vessels. Restricting site locations helps discourage unauthorized diving activity and reduces potential safety risks. (At left, anchor from one of the 18th century vessels, USACE)

Q: Finally, what is your long-term perspective on both CSS Georgia and these 19 cannons -- What do they tell us about their chapters in American history?

A: Although separated by nearly a century, CSS Georgia and the Revolutionary War cannon cluster represent two distinct chapters in Savannah's long history as a strategically important river port. CSS Georgia represents the Civil War effort to hold the river with improvised Confederate naval technology, including an ironclad that functioned more as a floating battery than an effective maneuvering warship. The cannon cluster reaches back to the Revolution when British forces deliberately used vessels and their armament to obstruct the river and help stop the French fleet during the Siege of Savannah. Together, they show that control of the Savannah River was repeatedly central to military strategy, commerce and the fate of the city.

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Postscript: Gordon Watts' perspective on the RevWar cannons

Archaeologist Gordon Watts, who dived and studied the CSS Georgia wreck site for decades, was present for the recovery of artifacts and helped write a final report on the project. I asked him for his perspective on the Revolutionary War cannons.

Gordon Watts studies CSS Georgia casemate section in 2017 (Civil War Picket photos)

Q. Were you surprised that British cannons were found near Old Fort Jackson?
A.  No surprise. If familiar with the Revolutionary War in Savannah, Fort Jackson did not even exist at that time. Construction on that fortification did not begin until 1808.

Q. Any reaction to their discovery? Also, what do you think of the combination of Civil War and RevWar artillery in the same area?
A. Initial reaction was with the lack of associated Revolutionary War vessel remains with the ordnance.  Savannah was the site of considerable Revolutionary War military and naval activity. Likewise, Savannah was the site of considerable military and naval activity during the War Between the Confederate States and the United States. The presence of sunken vessel remains and artifacts in the Savannah River in the proximity of the city is not unusual.

Q. Have you learned anything more about the site or vessel since then?
A: Conservation and analysis of the ordnance, casemate structure and cultural material from the CSS Georgia has shed considerable light on one of the earliest Confederate Ironclads. The CSS Georgia underwater archaeological investigations was, and remains, one of the most comprehensive undertaken to date and has resulted in extensive historical research and publication.

The archaeological investigation has produced an extensive collection of ordnance, vessel structure and cultural material that supports informative displays.

Q. Anything else?
A.  Very pleased to see the levels of interest in and support for documentation and exhibition of material associated with both of the Savannah River underwater archaeological sites. Hopefully, that level of interest will inspire similar investigation of other underwater archaeological sites in the Savannah and back rivers and other sites in waterways farther away but closely associated with Savannah and Georgia's history.

$2.8 million private gift will help fund restoration of Vicksburg's majestic Illinois Memorial, removal of old park HQ considered an intrusion on the battlefield

1906 Illinois Memorial (top photos) and July 11 demolition of old park HQ (FVNMP)

Conjuring the grandeur of Rome’s Parthenon, and topped by an oculus, mythical figures and a large bronze eagle, the Illinois State Memorial at Vicksburg, Ms., records the names of 36,325 soldiers from the Prairie State who took part in the campaign to capture the vital Confederate city.

Forty-seven steps – matching each day of the Union siege -- lead up to the interior and the lists of names on bronze plaques. The building is one of Vicksburg National Military Park’s most popular tour spots, but age and time have taken their toll.

The Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park & Campaign on July 11 announced a $2.8 million private donation, matched by $2.5 million from the National Park Service, will go toward restoration of the Illinois Memorial and other projects. Texas businessman and friends founding board member John Nau III made the large donation. 

Bess M. Averett, executive director of the friends group, told the Picket the work on the Illinois Memorial, which opened in 1906, will begin in mid-August and last about one year. The monument will be closed during that time.

Retired Brig. Gen. Robert Crear, Ryan Groves, Darrell Echols, John Nau III (FVNMP)

“Over a century of weather exposure -- including through the oculus -- has caused deterioration to both the stone and the inscriptions inside,” a news release said. “A full restoration is crucial to preserve its integrity and allow future generations to experience its splendor and meaning.”

More than 100 units from Illinois fought in the Vicksburg campaign. About 40 Illinois soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their valor.

Friday’s announcement signaled the beginning of the project, which started with demolition of the park’s former headquarters and museum, built in 1937.

The structure is on Pemberton Avenue, just south of the Illinois Memorial. It is considered an intrusion “that obscures the story and sacrifices of the men who fought and died there in 1863,” according to officials.

Illinois monument is between tour stops 2 and 3; old HQ is near surrender site (NPS; click to enlarge)

“People think because it was a replica antebellum home that it was historic. But it was built long after the war and literally in the center of one of the most critical areas of the park for interpretation,” said Averett.

An NPS report on museums built at Civil War parks in the 1930s said this of the old headquarters, which was unsuitable for its use and was later condemned:

“The Vicksburg building resembled so well an antebellum plantation mansion that a later superintendent converted it to his residence and packed the museum off to a utilitarian frame structure elsewhere in the park.

Nau was on hand for a ceremony and the start of demolition.

Old headquarters (center) obstructed sight lines of the battlefield (FVNMP)

“This gift from John Nau is nothing short of visionary,” said retired Brig. Gen. Robert Crear, board president of Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park & Campaign, according to the Vicksburg Post newspaper. “It will not only preserve a national treasure -- the Illinois Memorial -- but also reclaim the battlefield from post-war development and restore its integrity for all Americans.”

Ryan Groves, acting superintendent of the park, referred emailed questions from the Picket to the friends group.

The nonprofit said its chief goal is restoring land and landmarks to their wartime appearance and context.

One of the first projects accomplished by the in 2011 was the removal of 50 acres of trees in the same area. “Before that work, rows of cannons faced a dense forest confusing visitors and hiding the very terrain that made Vicksburg so impenetrable.” 

Rotunda of Illinois Memorial includes the state seal, plaques bearing names (Library of Congress)

Repairs on Gen. Pemberton's headquarters in Vicksburg come to a halt because of federal spending cuts. Will the Greek Revival home be revived one day?

Photos of work two years ago on the federal property in Vicksburg (NPS)

Recent government spending cuts have brought an end to the rehabilitation of the Vicksburg, Ms., house Confederate Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton used as his headquarters during the Federal siege of the city.

“No work has been completed in the past 12 months, and the contract for Pemberton's Headquarters was terminated for the convenience for the federal government,” Vicksburg National Military Park Superintendent Carrie Mardorf said in an email to the Picket on Thursday.

“The contractor will be removing their tools from the site in the upcoming weeks. That's all the information I can provide at this time," Mardorf said.

I previously wrote two posts about the project at the Willis-Cowan House on Crawford Street, and had recently checked in with the superintendent and other park employees.

The superintendent did not detail what remains to be done or why there was no work done in the eight and a half months before President Donald Trump took office and initiated massive staffing and spending cuts across federal agencies.

“There is no timeline for completion since there is no funding for this project,” Mardorf wrote. (At right, a historic photo of the facade)

She referred me to a federal website that outlines “Termination for Convenience of the Government.”

The first line of the page is, “The Government may terminate performance of work under this contract in whole or, from time to time, in part if the Contracting Officer determines that a termination is in the Government’s interest.”

The term has entered the lexicon because of spending cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump and DOGE chief Elon Musk say they are targeting waste, while critics argue much of the spending is essential.

The Vicksburg Post reported earlier this year seven park employees were terminated, but most apparently were reinstated.

Pemberton (left) – working from a first-floor office -- and his staff tried to manage the desperate situation during Maj. Gen. Ulysses Grant’s siege of Vicksburg in 1863.

By July 2, it appeared Pemberton’s isolated, famished and exhausted army could withstand no more. That night, they met and decided to negotiate for peace with Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Pemberton sent a letter to Grant on July 3 and the surrender occurred the following day – a major defeat for the Confederacy the same week it lost at Gettysburg.

The Greek Revival home survived the Civil War, becoming a residence, Catholic school and bed and breakfast over the years. The NPS acquired the property in 2003 and opened it to visitors from 2008 to 2016, when it was closed because of safety concerns

The $1.3 million Pemberton project paused in 2022-2023 to redesign the two-story, front porch to address structural concerns and replace additional wood pieces that had unforeseen deterioration. Some observers had commented online about the lengthy closure before work resumed; officials said the condition of many of the home's features were worse than anticipated.

In December 2023, crews finished repairing the roof of the Willis-Cowan House and moved on to major work on the porch. A park page on the project has not been updated since October 2024. It says the work was expected to be completed late this year. That included reconstruction of a smaller porch.

Officials had hoped the building would reopen to visitors one day.

The ironclad USS Montauk sank the Rattlesnake at Fort McAllister. After delays, a 3D model of the Federal monitor is being produced for display at Georgia park

Early model of Montauk; section of blueprints (SCAD) and Professor Johnson describing its operations (Picket photo)

Jason Carter, site manager at Fort McAllister State Park in Richmond Hill, Ga., believes a model of the ironclad USS Montauk -- which prowled the waters and bombarded Confederate earthworks -- will be a cool educational tool at its visitor center.

Carter would like to see it positioned next to an old model of the CSS Nashville (Rattlesnake), a commerce raider the Montauk blew out of the water in February 1863.

Greg Johnson says completing and printing a precise 3D model of the Montauk -- one of 10 Passaic-class monitors -- will be a boon for graduate student Wilson Han, who is in his gaming class at the nearby Savannah College of Art and Design.

“A legacy piece,” Johnson says of the effort.

And Han (left), a native of China, is likewise excited by the project, which involves modern technology and a bit of old-fashioned model-making.

“I am always interested in history,” he says.

Now, five years after Johnson visited the park and met former interpretive ranger Mike Ellis, the dream of having a Montauk model is finally close to reality. Han has been working on the model design for the past couple months, using Autodesk Maya software. Han said April 1 the modeling is going well but slowly because of a busy college quarter.

The original goal of the project was to create compelling interpretive panels, a 3D ship model and film that explained the role of USS Montauk and other innovative Federal monitors in the siege of Confederate outposts on the Atlantic Ocean, specifically Fort McAllister.

The plan turned out to be too ambitious, given SCAD graduations and the complexity of work, which ran up against limited class time. Still, a half dozen wall panels and a schematic of the Montauk were created by SCAD students and installed in late 2022.

Work on a model stalled after that, but when I reached back out in December to Johnson, interactive design and game development professor at SCAD, he asked for contact information for park leadership (Ellis had left by then) and I connected him with Carter.

Jason Carter measures CSS Nashville exhibit to aid in model for Montauk (Picket photo)

Carter met with Johnson and Han at the park on Feb. 1 to discuss the 3D model, and I tagged along. The professor explained a previous student had made a 3D model for in-game simulation (for the film) but that aspect never came to fruition. Hence, the current effort to convert that to a printable 3D model.

Johnson stressed the work would be tedious, that Han would have to check all specifications and ensure the model was ready for printing.

“I have to be certain to do the job right,” Han told the Picket.

Accuracy is paramount, says Johnson, who located the likely paint scheme for the ironclad

“It will be down to the bolt,” he says of the reproduction.

The Nashville was trapped near this bend in the Ogeechee River (Picket photo)

Key to the whole effort – for the wall display and the model – is something Ellis found by chance several years ago.

Finding blueprints was a stroke of fortune

Ellis, now a guide and trainer for Old Towne Trolley Tours in Savannah, recalls being in a storage area at Fort McAllister in 2017. There were piles of documents and papers everywhere.

“As rangers come and go, things get lost to time,” he says.

Ellis went through some of them and found a matted long tube. Inside: A precious copy of the USS Montauk’s blueprints, manufactured in dozens of sheets.

One of numerous photos of blueprints shows turret (Courtesy Greg Johnson)

“I knew immediately what is was,” says Carter. Now the staff could upgrade the monitor exhibit, putting a facsimile of the blueprints on one wall.

Everything clicked during Johnson’s visit to the site. “Me and Greg spent a better part of the day taking photos of (the blueprints) in detail.”

They used a custom-built rig to slide dozens of sheets under a camera to obtain high resolution.

“These images were then processed, enhanced and stitched together using photo editing tools to make the panels,” Johnson says. The image could then be used for the wall, model or the film.

Showdown on the Ogeechee was one-sided

USS Montauk receives fire from Fort McAllister as it hammers the Nashville

Andy Hall, A Civil War naval expert and author, told the Picket the Passaic monitors were the first large-class of monitors and many of them served together, such as the campaign against the earthen Fort McAllister in 1863 and 1864.

The Union navy, as it continued its chokehold on Southern ports and readied for offensive operations, sent the Montauk and sisters Passaic, Patapsco and Nahant, supported by gunboats Seneca, Dawn and Wissahickon to bombard and capture Fort McAllister in January 1863.

The skipper of the Montauk was John Worden (left), famous for being the USS Monitor’s captain when it clashed with the CSS Virginia in 1862.

Capable Confederate gunners at Fort McAllister hit the ironclad 13 times in its first action, but caused little damage. A second attack on Feb. 1, 1863, found the vessel, according to histories, pounded by 48 shells. The Montauk's sister ships also took part in the action.

Its big day came on February 28. The sidewheeler Nashville, which was bottled up and hiding under the guns of Fort McAllister for protection, tried to get away from the Federal ironclads via Seven-Mile Bend on the Ogeechee River, but apparently ran aground.

The 215-foot blockade runner commanded by Lt. Thomas Harrison Baker became a sitting duck because of its lack of maneuverability and deep draft in a tight area, and the Montauk pounced.

“All the monitors were designed for littoral or riverine operations, and so drew as little water as possible,” says Hall. “Nashville was built as an ocean-going steamship, so had a fuller, deeper hull.” That proved to be a disadvantage at McAllister.

Montauk’s XV- and 11-inch Dahlgrens were able to destroy the former commerce raider.

Worden was pleased with his destruction of ‘this troublesome pest’” wrote John V. Quarstein, director emeritus of the USS Monitor Center in a blog.

“However, Montauk suffered a huge jolt when it struck a Confederate torpedo en route down the Ogeechee River. Worden’s quick thinking saved his ironclad.” (Quarstein’s new biography of Worden will be published April 15).

The Union naval attacks on Fort McAllister itself were less successful. The low-profile earthen fort could withstand the shelling and repairs could be readily made.

While the Montauk was scrapped in the early 1900s, the park grounds and museum have a large number of CSS Nashville artifacts.

USS Montauk (left) and USS Lehigh in Philadelphia in 1902 (Wikipedia)

And in this corner, weighing in at . . .

On the afternoon of my visit, Carter, Johnson and Han -- who is majoring in game development and interactive design -- met in a conference room and a museum gallery that houses the wall panels, artifacts and the CSS Nashville model.

Carter used a tape measure to get the dimensions of the Nashville display case. That was to help ensure the Montauk 3D model would be built in the proper scale (1/78).

Wilson Han and Professor Johnson are working from this paint scheme (Courtesy Steven Lund)

“This makes the USS Montauk model 30 11/16th inches or 780mm in length,” Johnson wrote in a later email. The ironclad, he says was slightly asymmetrical

Carter provided these vital statistics for the two warships:

Montauk, 200 feet long, beam 46 feet, draft 10 feet

Nashville, 215 feet long, beam 34 feet, draft 20 feet

While the monitors were mass-produced, they did undergo changes during the service, and SCAD students wanted to be sure the appearance of the Montauk matched the time it prowled off Fort McAllister.

SCAD is working from a Montauk paint scheme described in the work “Modeling Civil War Ironclad Ships” by Steven Lund and William Hathaway. 

The deck is lead gray, the turret and pilot house black with a narrow white ring, and the smokestack black with the upper one third in dark green.

To distinguish them, all 10 Passaic ironclads had some color variations.

Sources for such information on paint schemes are difficult to find, says model maker and writer Devin J. Poore.

“Black is very popular, (while) gray and white were used in really hot areas.”

3D printing is not for the faint of heart

Converting an item intended for a game to a 3D printable object requires numerous revisions.

The former are designed with much higher resolution so they can be used in interactive entertainment. Former SCAD student Collin Drilling created the original image of the USS Montauk. It had about 10,000 “holes;” he worked from May and Zbrush software.

Han’s task was to bring down the resolution and fine tune the details. Johnson had worked on the turret, and his student used that as a guide.

A version of the Montauk model before Han's work to modify it for printing (Courtesy SCAD)

Preparing the model for 3D printing is one thing, but ending up with a worthy final product is another. Lots of things can go wrong in printing – and often do, the SCAD team says. Plastic can shrink during the process, the printer footing may be off and a misfeed can occur.

The printer is like a dot matrix and the artist must determine how many pieces he should make for the ironclad model and figure in joints for assembly. While Han wants to keep it to perhaps one to three pieces, some items require more, says Johnson.

Poore (photo below) told the Picket the quality of any model, handmade or 3D designed and printed, depends on the skill of the modeler.

“3D models come off the printer needing sanding, priming, assembly, etc. Depending on how much work you put into the process depends on the result. There are certain benefits that 3D printing can have over hand making, such as pretty much guaranteed right angles and symmetry, but then again you have to worry about how to actually print a piece so that it comes out cleanly, and so that it won't warp in the future,” he says.

This project is a mix of newer and old technology. While the printing will produce the frame of the ship, finer pieces such as chains and rigging will need to come for a model kit or the like.

And the painting is definitely old school; Johnson said he expects to assist with that.

Passaics were primo, but had limitations

For Fort McAllister, the Montauk model will help further its education of visitors on the fort and various Federal attempts to subdue it.

Lund said the innovation and quality of the Passaic class made for the best monitors.

“Although two of the 10 produced were lost, some of them soldiered on into the 20^th century. At least two were recommissioned to serve as harbor defense vessels in the Spanish-American War. One of them, the USS Camanche, guarded the San Francisco Bay during that conflict. She was sold for scrap in 1908 and her hull functioned as a coal barge as late as WW II.”

A model of the U.S.S. Carondelt being made for 3D printing (Courtesy Devin J. Poore)

Poore says the Passaic monitors were a stepping stone in warship development but were underutilized and not appropriate for most situations they encountered..

“For the work needed on the Atlantic coast, i.e. reducing forts, they weren't the best candidates. They were built to fight Confederate ironclads, and simply didn't see much action in that regard, due to the limited number of Confederate opponents.”

Poore is in the process of making his first full-blown printed ironclad, the city-class U.S.S. Carondelet. The vessel had notable service in the Western Theater.

Devin J. Poore's model of the USS Weehawken (Courtesy of the creator)