During the Civil War enlisted men in the U.S. Navy wore flat hats like this one, which belonged to Nathan Ives, who served aboard the U.S.S. Kearsarge when it engaged the C.S.S. Alabama in 1864. These ships fought off the coast of Cherbourg, France on June 19th after the C.S.S. Alabama had repairs done in the French port. With weaker firepower than her Union counterpart, the C.S.S. Alabama was torn apart by a shot that penetrated the vessel at the waterline.
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