MARCH 30TH, 1865: Lt. Charles Read took command of the ram CSS William H. Webb in the Red River, Louisiana. Read reported to secretary Mallory that he found the ship "without a single gun on board, little or no crew, no fuel, and no small arms, save a few cutlasses,:
Characteristically, the enterprising officer obtained a 30 pound Parrott rifle from general Kirby Smith and readied the Webb for a bold dash out of the Red River, intending to go down the Mississippi River 300 miles, past New Orleans and out to sea.
What You Going to Do With Lt. read? --Old B-R'er
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