Running the Batteries

Running the Batteries tells the story of the Union gunboats on the western rivers during the American Civil War. Named the Western Gunboat Flotilla, and later the Mississippi Squadron, this was a fleet of ironclad gunboats purposely built to seize control of the Mississippi River and to split the Confederacy in two. The story of the western gunboats is one of great technical advancement, coupled with old-fashioned courage and determination.