''The Confederate Ironclad'' is a 1912 short spy film set during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The " one-reeler" stars

Guy Coombs Guy Coombs (June 15, 1882 – December 29, 1947) was an American stage and screen actor who had a prolific career during the silent era. He was born in Washington, D. C., Washington, D.C. and died in Los Angeles, California. He left films in 1922 ...

Anna Q. Nilsson Anna Quirentia Nilsson (March 30, 1888 – February 11, 1974) was a Swedish-American actress who achieved success in American silent movies. Early life Nilsson was born in Ystad, Sweden in 1888. Her middle name Quirentia is derived from her date ...

and Miriam Cooper. It was released 50 years after the famous Battle of the ''Monitor'' and ''Merrimack'' between two

ironclad warship An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship protected by steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The firs ...

s. Nilsson was later briefly married to co-star Coombs in 1916.

Plot

Confederate Lieutenant Yancey is asked by Mary de Lane to meet her orphan Northern niece, Elinor. Yancey later takes time off from his duties to show Elinor where a "Confederate Ironclad" is being constructed. She promptly writes a letter to the "Commanding Officer, U.S. Gunboats", revealing the location and the fact the fort guarding it is "defenseless for want of powder". A Union force storms Yancey's artillery battery and drives off the defenders. Yancey, away chatting with Elinor, hears the shooting and rides off to warn the detachment at the fort. Upon hearing that they have no powder, he remounts his horse and races to a powder train. However, the Union soldiers are not far behind. While a firefight rages, Yancey and Rose, his girlfriend, board the train and start it up. He is shot in the arm, leaving Rose to manage things. Meanwhile, Elinor attempts to stop the train by setting fire to a railroad bridge. The rear carriage, with some barrels of powder, catches fire, so Rose detaches it before it explodes. They deliver the rest of the powder to the Confederate soldiers. A fierce battle rages between the "Confederate Ironclad" and Union gunboats. The Confederates emerge victorious; one gunboat is set afire, forcing the crew to abandon ship. Elinor offers a Union officer her horse, but he insists she come with him. However, Yancey captures the officer at gunpoint. Elinor pleads with Yancey, to no avail, until Rose persuades him to let them go.

Cast

as Lieutenant Yancey *

as Elinor, "the northern girl spy" * Miriam Cooper as Rose, "Lieutenant Yancey's southern sweetheart"

Music

Kalem had about two dozen piano scores published in 1912–1913, to be sold to theaters for 25 cents apiece. The score for this film, composed by Walter Cleveland Simon (1884–1958), is one of the only two in the series for which the film also survives intact.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Confederate Ironclad American black-and-white films American silent short films American Civil War naval films American Civil War spy films Kalem Company films 1910s American films Silent American adventure films