STEAM WARSHIPS

“STEAMERS EVEN PARTICIPATED IN THE AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT ON VERACRUZ”

Steamboats had been used on American inland waters since the early 19th century. Because they could steam through currents, materials and information could be rapidly transferred both upstream and downstream. Military dispatches, supplies and troops began to be transported by steamboat, and steamers even participated in the amphibious assault on Veracruz.

USS Massachusetts was a screw-propelled wooden steamship that was used as a troop transporter during the war. It was armed with four guns