From Wikipedia.
Last week, I wrote about some October action off Cuba that almost caused a war with Spain involving the USS Montgomery and its commander, Charles S. Hunter.
I'd never heard of the ship, so looked it up. It was a wooden screw steamer built in 1858 and purchased by the Navy and commissioned May 27, 1861 with Cmdr. O.S. Glisson in command.
From June to November it was off Apalachicola, Florida before going to the Wilmington, NC, blockade where it had a running fight with the CSS Tallahassee. In January 1862, it joined the East Gulf Blockading Squadron and then the West Gulf one where it captured several blockade-runners.
In April 1862, it freed American citizens being held in Mexico and in late April captured the British schooner Will o- the Wisp by the Rio Grande River.
Then, October 7th came the capture and destruction of the Blanche, also known as the General Rusk in Cuban waters. Oct. 28th it captured the CSS Carolina.
Then, in 1863, it joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and searched for the CSS Tacony which was cruising off Nantucket before joining the Wilmington blockade again in August. It made a career of capturing blockade-runners: Feb. 11, 1864, it captured Pet, the Dove June 7, the Bendigo aground at Wilmington Bar June 13th and the Bat October 11th.
It participated in both battles of Fort Fisher. After the fall of Fort Fisher, it was in the Cape Fear River and engaged Half Moon Battery February 11th.
The Montgomery was sold in August 1865 and was in the merchant service until 1877.
Must Have Been Quite the Fast Ship and a Happy Crew with All That Prize Money. --Old B-R'er
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