Monday, August 18, 2014

Importance of Commerce Raiding for the Confederacy

AUGUST 10, 1864:  Secretary Mallory wrote Commander Bulloch in Liverpool of the continuing importance of commerce raiding to the Confederacy: "It seems certain that we could not obtain such ships as we specially want; but we must not therefore desist in our attempts and must do the best we can under the circumstances which surround us.

"The enemy's distant whaling grounds have not been visited by us,  His commerce constitutes one of his reliable sources of national wealth no less than one of his best schools for seamen, and we must strike it,  if possible."

The secretary's desires were to be carried out with even greater success than he had anticipated with the CSS Shenandoah.

--Old B-Runner

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