Breaker of Rebel Iron: The Development of the XV-Inch Dahlgren Shell Gun and Its Significance within the Union Navy

The Battle of Hampton Roads is widely recognized as the first clash between ironclad warships. However, the engagement’s results were inconclusive, with neither the USS Monitor nor CSS Virginia defeating each other. Following the battle, the Union Navy accelerated development of larger and more powerful weaponry to defeat their armored adversaries. The Union Navy’s efforts culminated in the creation of the XV-inch Dahlgren shell gun, which emerged as one of the most effective weapons systems in the Union’s naval arsenal. This thesis project documents the development, deployment, and combat effectiveness of the XV-inch Dahlgren while in service with the Union Navy. The paper argues that battles involving the XV-inch Dahlgren should not be overshadowed by the significance of Hampton Roads, since these improved guns allowed later Union ironclads to accomplish what the USS Monitor could not: the destruction of armored Confederate warships.

Files

Metadata

Work Title Breaker of Rebel Iron: The Development of the XV-Inch Dahlgren Shell Gun and Its Significance within the Union Navy
Access
Penn State
Creators
  1. Dustin T. Smith
Keyword
  1. Civil War
  2. Dahlgren
  3. Ironclad
  4. United States Navy
  5. Warfare
  6. Union Navy
  7. Wassaw Sound
  8. Mobile Bay
  9. Trent's Reach
  10. Hampton Roads
  11. Cannon
  12. Confederacy
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Masters Thesis
Publication Date May 5, 2023
Subject
  1. American Studies
  2. Naval History
  3. Military History
  4. Civil War History
  5. United States History
Language
  1. English
DOI doi:10.26207/3qrx-3q17
Geographic Area
  1. United States
Deposited April 27, 2023

Versions

Analytics

Collections

This resource is currently not in any collection.

Work History

Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Updated
  • Added Creator Dustin Smith
  • Added Thesis Project Sp. 2023 (COMPLETED COPY).pdf
  • Updated Keyword, License Show Changes
    Keyword
    • Civil War, Dahlgren, Ironclad, United States Navy, Warfare, Union Navy, Wassaw Sound, Mobile Bay, Trent's Reach, Hampton Roads, XV-inch Dahlgren, Confederacy
    • Civil War, Dahlgren, Ironclad, United States Navy, Warfare, Union Navy, Wassaw Sound, Mobile Bay, Trent's Reach, Hampton Roads, Cannon, Confederacy
    License
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
  • Updated License Show Changes
    License
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
  • Updated License Show Changes
    License
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
    • https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/
  • Published
  • Updated

Version 2
published

  • Created
  • Deleted Thesis Project Sp. 2023 (COMPLETED COPY).pdf
  • Added Thesis Project Spring 2023 (COMPLETED COPY).pdf
  • Published
  • Updated

Version 3
published

  • Created
  • Updated Publication Date Show Changes
    Publication Date
    • 2023-04-27
    • 2023-04-28
  • Renamed Creator Dustin T. Smith Show Changes
    • Dustin Smith
    • Dustin T. Smith
  • Deleted Thesis Project Spring 2023 (COMPLETED COPY).pdf
  • Added Thesis Project Spring 2023 (FINAL COPY).pdf
  • Published
  • Updated

Version 4
published

  • Created
  • Updated Work Title, Publication Date Show Changes
    Work Title
    • Breaker of Rebel Iron: The Development of the XV-Inch Dahlgren Shell Gun and Its Significance Within the Union Navy
    • Breaker of Rebel Iron: The Development of the XV-Inch Dahlgren Shell Gun and Its Significance within the Union Navy
    Publication Date
    • 2023-04-28
    • 2023-04-29
  • Deleted Thesis Project Spring 2023 (FINAL COPY).pdf
  • Added Thesis Project Spring 2023 FINAL VERSION.pdf
  • Published
  • Updated

Version 5
published

  • Created
  • Updated Publication Date Show Changes
    Publication Date
    • 2023-04-29
    • 2023-04-30
  • Deleted Thesis Project Spring 2023 FINAL VERSION.pdf
  • Added Thesis Project Spring 2023 FINAL.pdf
  • Published
  • Updated

Version 6
published

  • Created
  • Updated Publication Date Show Changes
    Publication Date
    • 2023-04-30
    • 2023-05-03
  • Deleted Thesis Project Spring 2023 FINAL.pdf
  • Added Thesis Project Spring 2023 COMPLETED.pdf
  • Published
  • Updated

Version 7
published

  • Created
  • Updated Publication Date Show Changes
    Publication Date
    • 2023-05-03
    • 2023-05-05
  • Deleted Thesis Project Spring 2023 COMPLETED.pdf
  • Added Thesis Project Spring 2023 COMPLETED WITH EDITS.pdf
  • Published
  • Updated