In twenty years,
practically a new navy had been constructed, ranking in effective power
third only to England and France. Within the past five years, the
Government had built the steam frigates, _Merrimac_, _Niagara_,
_Colorado_, _Wabash_, _Minnesota_, and _Roanoke_. In addition to these
twelve powerful steam sloops of war had been commissioned--the
_Hartford_, _Brooklyn_, _Lancaster_, _Richmond_, _Narragansett_,
_Dakota_, _Iroquois_, _Wyoming_, and _Seminole_. They were of the
highest type of construction and compared favorably with the best ships
of the world.
These ships at the opening of the war were widely scattered, but their
homeward bound streamers were all fluttering in the sky.
President Lincoln in his proclamation ordered the most remarkable
blockade in the history of the world. This document declared three
thousand miles of Southern coast, from the Virginia Capes to the Rio
Grande, closed to the commerce of the world.
The little fleet boldly sailed on its tremendous mission. The smoke of
its funnels made but a tiny smudge on the wide, shining Southern skies.
But with swift and terrible swirl this cloud, no bigger than a man's
hand, grew into a storm whose black shadow shrouded the Southland in
gloom.
CHAPTER XIII
THE CLOSING OF THE RANKS
A wave of fierce anger swept the North.
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