MARCH 1ST, 1865: Because of the loss of Charleston and Wilmington, secretary Mallory directed Commander Bulloch, the regular agent of the Confederate Navy in England, to dispose of the deep draft steamers Enterprise and Adventure and to substitute for them two light draft vessels for use in the small inlets along the east coast of Florida.
He wrote: "We can not ship cotton at present, but with lightdraft vessels we could at once place cotton abroad. Moreover, we need them to get in our supplies now at the islands, and the want of which is seriously felt."
Mallory added: We are upon the eve of events fraught with the fate of the Confederacy, and without power to foresee the result....The coming campaign will be in active operation within fifty days and we can not close our eyes to the dangers which threaten us from which only our united and willing hearts and arms and providence of God can shield us. We look for no aid from any other source."
--Old B-Runner
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