She was designed by John Ericsson for emergency service in the Federal navy during the American Civil War and was designed to serve in shallow water and to present as small a target as possible, the water around her acting as protection.
She was designed by John Ericsson for emergency service in the Federal navy during the American Civil War. Unlike previous US "naval wars", the US Civil War was a river war, and as such she was designed to serve in shallow water and to present as small a target as possible, the water around her acting as protection.