The Battle of Port Royal | November 7, 1861
After foul weather compelled an infantry landing to be cancelled, Union naval officers took it upon themselves to attack the fortifications protecting Port Royal Sound, South Carolina. The resulting four-and-half hour gun battle exacted a heavy toll on the ships of the fleet as well as on the Confederate garrison. The defenders withdrew in the afternoon and left the sound in Union hands. The battle opened a vital approach to the Charleston Harbor, allowing Union ships to tighten the blockade on one of the Confederacy's largest seaports.
The Battles of Forts Henry and Donelson | February 6-16, 1862
Working in conjunction with Ulysses S. Grant's infantry, Andrew H. Foote led a flotilla out of Cairo, Illinois to attack Fort Henry on February 6, 1862. An fierce naval bombardment proved essential in the capture of the fort, which opened the Tennessee River to the depredations of his gunboats. Pivoting east, the combined arms force attacked Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River less than a week later. The fall of this fort opened up the Cumberland and forced the surrender of Nashville, Tennessee by the end of the month. Nashville was the first Confederate state capital to fall into Union hands.
