Header Ship Series and USN Interpretation

Over the next four weeks I will be highlighting four different US Navy ships from the Civil War on my header. The reason is that each Friday for the next four weeks I will be assisting Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens in New Bern with their annual holiday programming. The Hay House (one of the properties owned by the Palace) has it's interpretation shifted to that of a Union occupied dwelling in town during the Civil War. Usually this particular house interprets the year 1835, however it shifts to winter 1862-63 for the holiday season. New Bern was an occupied town from March 1862 until the war's end. The interpretation at Tryon Palace revolves around the 44th Massachusetts Volunteers, of which many records exist. I've helped with this interpretation each year since working at the Palace in 2000. However, I'm bored with doing the whole 44th Massachusetts schtick so I decided to develop my own Navy impression. Keep in mind this is all 1st person, or character, interpretation so it isn't the easiest thing in the world. A lot of research and development goes into creating a "character" whether they are a real person or a composite. Mine is a composite, and I will use these four ships to tell my character's story. Check back each week for a new ship on the header (and maybe some notes about how my character has developed)!