After the Civil War, the US government lost all interest in battleships, and this area of shipbuilding fell into oblivion for many years. Only money continued to be allocated for the conservation of the monitor fleet. As a result, many Civil War veterans served until the war with Spain. Having defeated the southerners and united again, the Americans began to develop western territories and bought Alaska from Russia in 1867. But in order to capture new territories in the sea, and most importantly, to subsequently retain them, it was necessary to build a powerful fleet.