Lesson plan
CSS Countess
Countess was a sidewheel steamer built in 1860 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and served the Confederates in the Mississippi River area. Built in Cincinnati in 1860, Countess had a hull length of 150 ft, beam of 30 ft, and hold depth of 4.8 ft. Her machinery consisted of two five-flue boilers, with a pair of cylinders working the two water wheels. Launched in July and completed by August 17, 1860 at a cost of $25,000, she was built under the supervision of her owner, Captain William C. Harrison of New Orleans, the owner of several other steamers. The Countess was built for the Red River packet trade and had a capacity of 1,600 cotton bales. Captained by George T. Wilson, she departed Cincinnati for New Orleans on the next day, arriving there on August 30 with a miscellaneous cargo. She operated as a packet ship on the Mississippi River and the Red River on a regular route from New Orleans to Shreveport, carrying cotton, passengers and mail. During the American Civil War, Countess was employed by the Confederacy as an unarmed transport, likely under contract. The steamer was retained by Major General John G. Walker for the evacuation of Alexandria, Louisiana in March 1864 during the Red River campaign. She loaded slaves, tools, and property from the city on March 13 and escaped upriver with the other Confederate steamers, reaching Grand Ecore by March 17.…
Article summary
Countess was a sidewheel steamer built in 1860 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and served the Confederates in the Mississippi River area. Built in Cincinnati in 1860, Countess had a hull length of 150 ft, beam of 30 ft, and hold depth of 4.8 ft. Her machinery consisted of two five-flue boilers, with a pair of cylinders working the two water wheels. Launched in July and completed by August 17, 1860 at a cost of $25,000, she was built under the supervision of her owner, Captain William C. Harrison of New Orleans, the owner of several other steamers. The Countess was built for the Red River packet trade and had a capacity of 1,600 cotton bales. Captained by George T. Wilson, she departed Cincinnati for New Orleans on the next day, arriving there on August 30 with a miscellaneous cargo. She operated as a packet ship on the Mississippi River and the Red River on a regular route from New Orleans to Shreveport, carrying cotton, passengers and mail. During the American Civil War, Countess was employed by the Confederacy as an unarmed transport, likely under contract. The steamer was retained by Major General John G. Walker for the evacuation of Alexandria, Louisiana in March 1864 during the Red River campaign. She loaded slaves, tools, and property from the city on March 13 and escaped upriver with the other Confederate steamers, reaching Grand Ecore by March 17.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
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- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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