The Confederate States, being primarily an agricultural society, suffered from serious shortcomings in the industries necessary to conduct a successful war for independence from the Union. This refers to the South's industrial abilities and resources, and not to the spirit of the cause or the qualities of individual leadership. This article focuses on the severe shortages of iron and iron foundries, shipyards, and a sufficient skilled labor force for shipbuilding. Therefore, both a progressive and aggressive approach was required to establish and maintain an effective navy. Without a doubt, sufficient evidence supports the existence of this approach within the Confederacy. To understand this, one needs only to consider the early programs to develop and build an extensive ironclad fleet. Certainly, this kind of thinking gave the South some naval advantage over the highly industrial North. However, there is another equally important, but perhaps less obvious example of this progressive thinking. It is the pursuit and development of naval camouflage, which is the subject of this article. Prior to the Civil War, and even in its early phases, the standard color scheme for ships of war was black. This proved satisfactory up to that time because a naval engagement then consisted of ships closing to fire broadside after broadside at close range until one succumbed to too much damage. However, to an emerging nation with little or no navy, not only did the effective use of its vessels rank as a flutter of importance, but the preservation of these vessels for continual use was equally important. The South quickly understood this, as well as the fact that a black ship, even at night, was relatively easy to see. Therefore, perhaps first through its need for successful blockade running, numerous alternatives to a black color scheme were employed. Blockade runners are documented as being painted lilac, various shades of blue gray, white, and stone. These efforts proved successful and, more than once, history records that blockade runners were difficult to spot, even at close range, due to their coloring. The effectiveness of this early form of camouflage must surely have influenced Confederate (as well as Union) naval circles, as evidenced by the color schemes of the various Confederate States naval vessels. Although there seems to be no official Confederate Naval Department directive on the colors of naval vessels, there was an apparent pursuit of effective use of color as a camouflage throughout the Confederacy. Of course, the color schemes employed were affected by available paint, and perhaps to a lesser degree, the whim of a squadron or a ship's commander. Color Evolution Two basic color schemes evolved in the South, which correctly seemed to have been determined by duty station. For coastal stations, various shades of gray were most appropriate, while the Mississippi River squadrons used a buff or ochre scheme. Interestingly enough, these proved to be so effective that the Union soon followed this example in their coastal blockade ships, and in 1863 with Admiral Porter's directive to his Mississippi flotilla. Actual data on specific ships is scarce, but listed below are some of the more documented Confederate vessels. In some instances, various sources differ slightly on coloring information. This is identified in the text. The known Confederate naval color schemes were as follows: CSS VIRGINIA Black overall. This would have included the decks and the grating on the top of the casement, since they were also iron. There are numerous references to her as being black in color. This is a color scheme that would be expected during the early phases of the war. MOBILE SQUADRON CSS TENNESSEE II This vessel is depicted as a very dark black-gray (lead color) in the well known painting by William Heysham Overend of Farragut standing in the rigging of the Hartford at tbe battle of Mobile Bay. The same color scheme is shown in the painting by Xanthus Smith of the battle of Mobile Bay. Another source refers to her as the "Steel Gray Beast." CSS SELMA Although I have found no specific color description for this gunboat, there are numerous drawings of her in action with the Union double-ender, Metacomet. These drawings depict her with a dark color scheme, which may indicate that the Mobile Squadron was painted a dark black-gray. CHARLESTON SQUADRON CSS CHICORA and CSS PALMETTO STATE these ironclads are frequently described as being a pale blue-gray color, and the one existing photograph of the Chicora supports this description. The hull, casement, and stack all appear to be in this same light color. SAVANNAH SQUADRON (The vessels of this squadron present an interesting combination of color schemes, one that is not at all uniform). CSS SAVANNAH - She is described by one of her crew as having her casement coal-tarred. This would have been a brownish-black color. Coating ironclads with a layer of grease was common during the war because the grease helped to deflect the shot and shell of the enemy. However, this type of coating would be quite different from coal-tar, which would not deflect fire from the enemy. CSS ATLANTA - This ironclad is referenced as being painted gray overall, and the photographs of her appear to support this color scheme. From the photographs, she appears to be more of a medium gray rather than a light gray. CSS GEORGIA (Floating Battery) - The only reference I have on this ironclad indicates that she was black overall. Although originally intended to be a ship of war, her engines proved to be insufficient to propel her. She was, therefore, towed, anchored, and used as a floating battery. (This vessel has been located and work is currently underway to restore her). MISSISSIPPI RIVER MEMPHIS SQUADRON (Montgomery's Squadron): References indicate that the ships of this squadron were painted a dull ochre color to make them more difficult to see in the muddy waters of the Mississippi River. There are two primary sources for this. First, Walkes' Scenes and Reminiscenes describes the GENERAL BRAGG and SUMTER as being painted a dull ochre overall. The second is the excellent painting of the battle of Memphis currently in the Chicago Historical Society. This painting clearly shows the Confederate fleet to be painted a deep buff color, except for the armor, which is painted a lead gray color. The stacks are painted black. A photograph of the LITTLE REBEL also supports this color scheme. Her stack is also a light color in the photograph. CSS ARKANSAS This vessel probably has the most written about her, at least regarding her color scheme. Admiral Farragut described her as being a chocolate brown color, while several other sources describe her as being earth colored. Probably the most accurate description is by Lt. Gift, who served on board her. He said she was hard to spot because her rust color matched the red color of the riverbank. One source speculates that she was a rust color because the iron of her casement was actually rusted rather than painted. NEW ORLEANS SQUADRON (Hollins' Squadron) CSS MANASSAS This is the only vessel that any reference of color has been found. She is described as being painted "the color of lead" by Lt. George Dewey (of the battle of Manila Bay fame), who served on board the USS Mississippi. CSS CHATTAHOOCHIE Originally, she was painted a stone color, indicating plans to use her as a blockade runner. However, she did serve as a gunboat and was definitely painted black. CSS ALBEMARLE No reference has been found to the color of this vessel. However, photographs indicate a light color overall. It can only be assumed that she was a light gray color. Unfortunately, definite color scheme information does not seem to be readily available. Therefore, this data accounts for only a small number of the vessels that fought for the Confederacy. It does not include the high seas raiders like the Alabama or the Florida. A separate article should be written to do them justice. Back to The Zouave Vol V No. 1 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1991 The American Civil War Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com