Perhaps one of the most prominent aspects of this period is the rise of the steel navy. After several decades of decline, the navy made a bold move and built a small fleet of steel warships. There was a growing, often fractious, political consensus that the navy needed to move forward. The move toward steel ships triggered the evolution of the American manufacturing base, slowly building the capacity to cast and mold steel, as well as build modern weapons made of the same material. We take the story up to the creation of the first four steel ships and will continue the expansion of the fleet in the next episode.

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In this episode we take a look at Harbor Defense in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One of the most consistent missions of the US Army since the founding of the republic was defending the nation's harbors. The Civil War demonstrated that the granite of bricks of yore were outclassed by modern weapons. After a period of stagnation in the years after the Civil War, in 1886 Secretary of War Endicott released a plan for modern fortifications. While it took more than a decade to appropriate funding, these fortifications would defend the nation's harbors well into the twentieth century.

Have a question, comment, concern, or compliment? Contact us at americawarpodcast@gmail.com. You can also leave comments and your questions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/americaatwarpodcast/. Thanks for listening!