 During the Civil War he took part in the engagements with the ram and in the capture of the defenses of Pensacola in 1861; in the passage and capture of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, the capture of New Orleans, the passage of the Vicksburg batteries, and the fight with the ram in 1862; and in the capture of Port Hudson in 1863.Moore originated the use of chain cables to protect the sides of wooden ships, of a paint designed to render the fighting ships less easily visible, and of the fighting tops found on the masts of many large war vessels.He retired in 1894 with the rank of commodore, but during the Spanish–American War he served as an inspector in the New York Navy Yard.