Though sectional tensions had been building within the United States for several years, the outbreak of the Civil War found both the Union and the Confederacy largely unprepared to fight a major war. Both sides had to scramble to build up their military forces. For example, in April 1861 the Union Navy consisted of about 9,000 men and 89 vessels, many of which were not in commission. By 1865, it had grown to some 670 vessels, and more than 118,000 men had been in naval service at some point during the war, a tremendous buildup in such a short time.

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Those thousands of Northern sailors performed myriad shipboard tasks, some more glamorous than others, but all requiring hard work and skill. By examining how the crew of one ship, USS Constellation, functioned, one can get a sense of the work performed by the men who served aboard warships in that conflict. Although the wind-powered ship lacked the engineering department found on a steam-powered vessel equipped with engines, her other shipboard duties were essentially the same as most Navy ships.

Constellation was a relatively new ship in 1861, having only been commissioned in 1855, and was the last sail-powered vessel built for the U.S. Navy. The three-masted ship was considered a sloop-of-war, or corvette, though at 186 feet in gun-deck length she was the largest ship of that class built by the U.S. Navy to date. Prior to the war she had patrolled the Mediterranean region and African waters, enforcing the 1808 law that made the importation of slaves to the United States illegal. During the conflict Constellation took part in no major fights; she served the dull but necessary duty of guarding Northern merchant ships against Confederate commerce raiders and performing blockade duty.

In order to staff ships like Constellation and meet the increased need for manpower, the U.S. Navy accepted men of all backgrounds. A naval recruit had to be 18 or older, stand at least 4 feet 8 inches high, and pass a brief physical examination before signing his’shipping article,’ or enlistment papers. Recruits under 18 had to have consent of parents or guardian, and the average age of a Union sailor was 25. The usual term of enlistment was three years or one cruise, and a ‘Jack Tar’ or ‘Webfoot,’ as sailors were known in the slang of the day, could expect to be at sea much of that time.

According to an old Navy adage, it took six years to make a fully capable seaman. At that rate, a typical recruit would be well into his mid-20s before attaining the necessary proficiency. The apprentice or ‘boy’ rank was a means for the Navy to allow youths between ages 13 and 18 to join so they could be developed into fully trained sailors at a younger age. Also, every port had many orphans and runaways eager to volunteer, and some as young as 11 found their way aboard ships of war. By regulation, sailors under 18 could make up no more than 5 percent of a ship’s crew, and Constellation’s muster roll shows that 17 boys shipped out in March 1862. They learned seamanship while acting as messengers, cook’s helpers, sick bay attendants and officers’ servants. In combat or during drill, the boys carried powder cartridges to the guns. Because many small things aboard ship were referred to as ‘monkeys,’ the boys’ hazardous duty earned them the nickname ‘powder monkeys.’

The Navy, unlike the Army, accepted men of African descent before the Emancipation Proclamation became effective in 1863, although their numbers, like those of boys, were restricted to no more than 5 percent of a crew. In further contrast to the U.S. Army, black sailors received the same pay as their white shipmates. Those who enlisted at the start of the war were mostly free men living in Northern port cities. As the war progressed, the need for manpower led Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles to suggest to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron commander that he open stations ashore for recruiting ‘contrabands,’ as blacks who fled slavery for the protection of Union forces were called. By the end of the war, African Americans accounted for more than 10 percent of the Navy’s enlisted strength. Constellation’s muster rolls show that 15 blacks served aboard her during the Civil War. The most experienced was James Evans. A free man, he enlisted in Boston on November 15, 1861, as a seaman, indicating that he had previous naval experience. By March 1863 he had been promoted to the petty officer rating of coxswain, one of seven authorized for the ship.

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