What's a Brown Water Navy? -- Part 2

Despite receiving orders from the Army, Foote and the Navy were responsible for fitting out vessels and  recruiting experienced sailors.

The War Department meanwhile had commissioned Eads to construct seven ironclad vessels.  They were to be 175 feet long and draw only six feet of water and were not completely covered in iron, but had 2 1/2 inches on the bow and stern, and over the paddle wheels.

They were heavily armed with 8-inch guns and 12- 32- and 42-pound rifles. 

By the time they were completed in November 1861, several other retrofitted gunboats had also joined the squadron.  The Alleghenny Arsenal near Pittsburgh was also busy producing a new type of ship that mounted a 13-inch Army mortar.

So, That's a Brown Water Navy.  --Old B-R'er