Columbus, Georgia.

Our stop in Columbus was a suggestion from other tourists we met on our journey through the American southern states. The National Civil War Naval Museum was highly recommended, and rightfully so. The museum was founded in 1962 by a group of Columbus citizens who were interested in preserving the history of the Confederate Navy. Originally located in a small building on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, it quickly grew too large for its space. In 1970, the museum moved to its current location, a 40,000-square-foot facility on Victory Drive.

The museum’s early exhibits focused on the Confederate Navy, but in 2001, the museum was renamed the National Civil War Naval Museum to reflect its new exhibits on both the Union and Confederate navies. I am glad that the change to the museum’s philosophy reflects the sacrifices made by both sides of that terrible conflict.

Originally the CSS Muscogee, what remained of the CSS Jackson was recovered from the Chattahoochee River in 1963 and donated to the National Civil War Naval Museum. The ship was pressed into service even though not fully complete in 1864, but the original paddlewheel design didn’t work. The ship was refitted with two giant propellers, renamed the CSS Jackson, and additional armament was added. However before the ship was completed, the ship was set ablaze by Union troops in April 1865, and it sank in the Chattahoochee River.

A metal frame hangs above the recovered remains to allow visitors to get a feel for the size of the vessel which is the largest display in the museum. Placards describe the ship and its reconstruction in detail.

The CSS Jackson is a significant artifact from the American Civil War and is the largest recovered Confederate warship. Its recovery provided a valuable glimpse into the technology and tactics of naval warfare during the era.

The USS Hartford display is a replica of the berth deck, wardroom, and captain’s cabin of the USS Hartford.

Admiral David Farragut commanded the flagship USS Hartford during the Civil War. The replica of his cabin shows the opulence of a cabin befitting an admiral in the museum’s display. The Hartford was a steam sloop-of-war that was commissioned in 1858. She was one of the most powerful ships in the Union Navy and was armed with 24 nine-inch guns.

His command of the U.S.S. Hartford coincided with several important battles in the Civil War, including the capture of New Orleans in 1862 and the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864. At the Battle of Mobile Bay, Farragut famously ordered his ships to steam ahead at full speed. This order, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” is one of the most famous quotes in American naval history.

The placards in the museum provide a timeline with beautiful accompanying artwork. Important events are referenced in the displays.

An immersive panoramic dockside exhibit recreating Plymouth, North Carolina, features a replica of the CSS Albemarle. It is possible to enter the vessel for an interior view of the ship. According to Wikipedia, the CSS Albemarle was one of the most successful ironclad ships of the Civil War. She defeated a Union fleet in battle and she forced the Union to abandon the town of Plymouth. The sinking of the Albemarle was a major victory for the Union, and it helped to turn the tide of the war in North Carolina.

A digression into photo processing: The panoramic image of the CSS Albemarle is an altered reality that I created with Photoshop’s Generated Fill feature. Essentially, I used the fill tool to complete gaps in the display backdrops. It started with two images taken at different distances. That’s not a good rule to follow for creating panoramic images.

Originally I hadn’t intended to create a panoramic image of the scene, so I first captured an image of the two building facads on the dock, then I stepped further down the dock, to capture the ship.

After tweaking the color balance of the two Nikon raw files to give the images a cooler nighttime feel, I had an idea. I used Lightroom Classic to see what would happen if I tried to create a panoramic image of the ship and the dock. I actually expected the software to fail because it couldn’t find enough information to create a panorama. Instead, I got this:

I wondered if Photoshop’s new Generative Fill tool might fill in the missing information in any kind of useful fashion. I had just finished downloading Photoshop 2024 as I hadn’t downloaded the beta version to play with Generative Fill. I am not inclined to experiment with beta software but I’d seen so much buzz on YouTube on how Generative Fill could be used, I was ready to experiment when the tool came out of beta. As you can see by the final panoramic image, Generative Fill did a great job of filling in the white spaces around the smaller image. I liked the result so much, that I took the liberty to fill in the areas around the museum’s backdrops to make the image more cohesive. Click on any of the images above to view them along with the entire gallery in 2K HD on my Flickr site.

Civil War buffs will really enjoy the detailed look at naval operations and the artifacts on display at The National Civil War Naval Museum. They host a range of events throughout the year and except for major holidays, the museum is open to the public daily. As of this writing, the museum hours are Monday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM and on Sunday from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and military, and $7 for students. Children under 6 are admitted free. The National Civil War Naval Museum is a great place to learn about the important role that the navies played in the American Civil War and to see some of the artifacts and exhibits from this important period in American history.

John Steiner