Some More On the Jabez Snow and CSS Alabama-- Part 2

The South Atlantic Expeditionary Raid is referred to as the most devastating of the Alabama's seven raids with the capture or burning of dozens of Union ships.

The first victim of the cruise took place February 3 when the Palmetto was burned.

The Jabez Snow was the 22nd of a total of 29 ships captured, burned or bonded.

Great days for the Alabama when it captured two ships in one day were Feb. 2, April 15, May 3, May 25 and June 4.  On March 23, the Alabama had three victims.

The last ship was the Express on July 6, 1863, which was burned off the coast of Brazil.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Alabama's Victims in May 1863

May was described as one of the worst months for the Alabama as far as ships captured and burned.

3 May--  Captured and burned bark Union Jack and the ship Sea Lark off Brazil.

The Alabama then went several weeks with no apprehended Union ships.

25 May--  Burned the ship Gildersleeve and bonded the Justina off Bahia.  The crew of the Gildersleeve was put on the Justina.

29 May--  The Jabez Snow with coal from Cardiff to Montevideo.  Captured and burned in the South Atlantic.

--Old B-Runner

Some More on the Jabez Snow and the CSS Alabama-- Part 1

At the csa-dixie site there is a complete list of all ships attacked by the CSS Alabama arranged alphabetically.

Wikipedia says the destruction of the Jabez Snow was part of the CSS Alabama's South Atlantic Expeditionary Raid which commenced shortly after the Alabama left Haiti and the Caribbean Sea and cruised south to Brazil.  The cruise lasted from February 6, 1863,  and ended in July.

Most of this raid took place off the coast of Brazil and ended when the Alabama headed for east for Africa and the Indian Ocean.

--Old B-Runner

May 29, 1863: CSS Alabama Captures the Jabez Snow

MAY 29TH, 1863:  The CSS Alabama, Captain Semmes, captured and burned the Jabez Snow in the South Atlantic, bound from Cardiff to Montevideo, Uruguay, with cargo of coal.

That Is What A Commerce Raider Is Supposed To Do.  --Old B-Runner

Herbert E. Valentine-- Part 1: In the 23rd Massachusetts

From Civil War Day By Day, UNC Library.

Herbert E. Valentine was a private in Company F of the 23rd Massachusetts, U.S. Army 1861-1864 which operated in eastern Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.  He enlisted 5 October 1861 at Salem, Massachusetts.  On 18 October he was mustered in at Lynfield, Massachusetts (Camp Edwin M. Stanton).

He served as a clerk and occasionally drew military maps.  His art work appears to be done for personal use.

In January 1864, he was at Getty's Station near Portsmouth.  In May 1864, his regiment sailed up the James River to City Point and took part in the Siege of Petersburg.

--Old B-Runner

Navy Drawings of Private Herbert E. Valentine

From the Civil War Day By Day by the UNC Library.

13 October 1862:  Drawing of USS Steamer Allison By Herbert E. Valentine.

He also has drawings of the Monitor USS Weehawken and the Gunboat Princess Royal.  There are also 6 other drawings pertaining to operations of the 23rd Massachusetts Infantry along the coast of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

You can see all three ships by going  to Herbert. Valentine: Civil War Day By Day.

The Weehawken drawing, however is mislabeled 27 April 1863 Drawing of the USS Steamer Allison.

The Gunboat  Princess Royal is on 5 April 1863

The Allison is actually 13 October 1862.

--Old B-Runner

U.S. Army Steamer Allison

I have been unable to find out any information on the Army steamer Allison which captured a ship off New Bern yesterday other than a drawing of it.

From Civil War Day By Day, University of N.C. Library.

13 October 1862:  Drawing of USS Steamer Allison by Herbert E. Valentine.

You can view it by typing in the above.

--Old B-Runner

N.C. Timeline, May 1863: Action at Gun Swamp Today in 1863

MAY 22--  Action at Gum Swamp  5th, 25th, 27th and 46th Massachusetts,  3rd Cavalry, Battery H 3rd Light Artillery, New York,  58th Pennsylvania.  Union losses: 2 killed, 5 wounded, 1 missing.

MAY 22--  Chase of a blockade runner by USS Penobscott under guns of Fort Fisher.

MAY 23--  Action at Batchelder's Creek  46th Massachusetts, 58th Pennsylvania.

--Old B-Runner

May 22, 1863: Union Army Steamer Allison Destroys Confederate Ship

MAY 22, 1863:  Union Army steamer Allison destroyed schooner Sea Bird after seizing her cargo of coal near New Bern, North Carolina.

--Old B-Runner

USS Detroit/Canandaigua: Six Ships By the Name USS Detroit in the US Navy

I have been writing about this ship, and the five other ships by the name USS Detroit,  in my Cooter's History Thing blog the last several days.  There are also accounts of the first USS Detroit in my Not So Forgotten War of 1812 blog.

I have been writing about the very briefly-named USS Detroit under its usual name of USS Canandaigua (now that I don't have to look up the spelling anymore) since May 15.

Plus, there was a Spanish-American War USS Detroit which I am writing about in my Cooter's History Thing blog and the World War II USS Detroit (one of the few ships to get underway at Pearl Harbor) in my Tattooed On Your Soul World War II blog.

You can go to those sites by clicking on My Blog List to the right of this entry.

--Old B-R'er

Some More on the USS Canandaigua

**  Edward Gabriel Andre Barrett commanded the USS Canandaigua after the war.

**  Canadaigua is a town in New York.  County seat of Ontario County.  Near Lake Ontario and southeast of Rochester.  There is also a Lake Canandaigua.

**  The USS Canandaigua was a sloop of war that only held the name USS Detroit from May 15 to August 10, 1869.  The ship was a mis-naming during a massive renaming exercise by the U.S. Navy.

**  A new USS Detroit was christened and launched October 18, 2014.

--Old B-Runnert

USS Canandaigua-- Part 3: Rescued Crew of USS Housatonic

On February 17, 1864, the Canandaigua rescued 140 survivors of the USS Housatonic after it was sunk by the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley.

It arrived at Boston Navy Yard on March 26, 1865, and was decommissioned April 8.  Recommissioned after repairs on November 22, it was on European Station until February 1869, then began three years of extensive repairs at New York Navy Yard.

From may 15, 1869 to August 10, it was renamed USS Detroit, but then returned to its original name.

Its last cruise was 1872 to 1875 to the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico as part of the North Atlantic Station.

In 1875, it was decommissioned at Norfolk Navy Yard in Virginia and remained in ordinary until broken up in 1884.

--Old B-R'er

USS Canandaigua-- Part 2: Capturing Blockade Runners in 1863

Its commander at commissioning in 1862 was Commander J. F. Green.

Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron on August 26, 1862, it captured the sloop Secesh on May 15, 1863 (the one I wrote about on Tuesday).  It later destroyed another blockade runner and assisted in the capture of a schooner and a steamer in the same area off Charleston, S.C..

It also took part in the attacks on positions in Charleston Harbor in 1863 and 1864.

--Old B-Runner

USS Canandaigua-- Part 1: Commissioned 1862, Served Until 1875.

From Wikipedia.

Sloop of War,  1395 tons, steam engine screw.  Commissioned August 1, 1862, decommissioned April 8, 1865, recommissioned November 22, 1865

Renamed USS Detroit May 15, 1869.  Renamed Canandaigua August 18, 1869.  decommissioned November 8, 1875.  Scrapped 1884.

228 feet long, 38.5 foot beam, 15 foot draft, 10 knots.

Armament:  two 11-inch smoothbore, one 8-inch smoothbore, two 20-pdr. rifles.

--Old B-Runner

Bennett Wood Green, CSN-- Part 1: Commission Taken By a Union Soldier

In my War of 1812 Not So Forgotten blog, I wrote about the 100th anniversary of Fort Eustis by Newport news, Virginia.  It was named for Abraham Eustis, a War of 1812 veteran and later first commander of Fort Monroe.

Fort Eustis was on the site of Confederate Fort Crawford, according to the article.  Fort Crawford was part of Confederate General John B. Magruder's Warwick Line to defend against McClellan's army in 1862.  I learned that the actual name of the Confederate fort was Fort Crafford.

One of the families that lived on Mulberry Island on the James River was the Green family.  Their son Bennett Wood Green became a surgeon in the Confederate Navy.  After the Confederates evacuated the Warwick line and Fort Crafford, abandoned homes were ransacked by Union soldiers.  One of them found Bennett Wood's commission in the Confederate Navy and took it as a souvenir.  However, it was returned to the family after the war.

Now, I need to find out about Bennett Green.

--Old B-R'er

Well, As It Turns Out, I Had Heard of The USS Canandaigua

Yesterday, I posted about this ship capturing a blockade runner named the Secesh off Charleston, S.C., on May 15, 1863, 155 years ago.  I mentioned that I had not heard of this ship before.  It turns out that I had already written about it one time.

This was the ship that rescued the crew of the USS Housatonic after it was sunk by the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley.

Click on the USS Canandaigua label to find out what I wrote about it.

--Old B-Runner

May 15, 1863: Blockade Runner Secesh Caught By the USS Canandaigua

MAY 15, 1863:  The USS Canandaigua, Captain J.F. Green, captured blockade running sloop Secesh off Charleston, S.C., with a cargo of cotton.

I like the name of the ship it captured, the Secesh.  That would not make Old Secesh very happy.

I've never heard of the USS Canandaigua, but if it was commanded by a captain, it must have been a major Union warship.  I'll look it up.

--Does It have Anything to Do With Seceding?  --Old B-Runner

Lockwood Folly Inlet and River-- Part 2: Two Stories As To How It Was Named

There are two folklore stories as to how this name came to be:

1.  A man by the name of Lockwood was building the "boat of his dreams" on the river.  He worked tirelessly, but when finished it, he discovered that his boat's draft was too deep for it to cross the bar at the mouth of the river.

All he could do was to leave his ship to rot.  Locals began calling it "Lockwood's Folly" and eventually that name was applied to both the river and inlet.

2.  The second story revolves around a man named Lockwood who tried to build a colony along the river but did not bring enough supplies and got into a dispute with a local Indian tribe and the colony had to be disbanded.

The name appears on a 1671 map making the name one of the oldest named rivers in North Carolina.

--Old B-Runner

Lockwood's Folly River and Inlet-- Part 1: An Inlet to a Short Tidal River

Since I was writing so much on the USS Iron City and the blockade runners which sank at this place, I did some more research on it.

From Wikipedia.

I have seen it spelled both Lockwood and Lockwood's.  Over the last couple weeks I have been writing about the Civil War shipwrecks at Lockwood's Folly Inlet.  It is near Wilmington, North Carolina.

LOCKWOOD FOLLY RIVER

A short tidal river in Brunswick County, North Carolina, that runs from near Supply, N.C., southbound to the Atlantic Ocean.

LOCKWOOD FOLLY INLET

Connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Intercoastal Waterway and was once the mouth of the Lockwood Folly River prior to the construction of the Intercoastal and natural sand shifting.  It separates the barrier islands of Oak Island and Holden Beach.

--Old B-Runner

A New Book on Farragut-- Part 2: Farragut and Porter

The fourth chapter tells the complicated and often competitive relationship between Farragut and his younger step brother, David Dixon Porter (1813-1891).

Both hated the Confederacy.  Serving together, with Porter as a subordinate, Farragut captured New Orleans in 1862.  The next year, in separate commands, the two were able to capture the Mississippi River by assisting the Army.

Then, Farragut  won the victory at the Battle of Mobile Bay, closing the Confederacy's last port on the Gulf of Mexico.  Farragut was offered command of the expedition to attack Fort Fisher but turned it down.  It was given to Porter who achieved his crowning moment with its capture.

Afterwards, both  honored as America's first full admirals., Farragut in 1866 and Porter in 1870.

The final chapter examines Farragut's only son, Loyall (1844-1916) who spent his life promoting and protecting his father's legacy.

Looks Like An Interesting Read.  --Old B-Runner

"Diving Blockade Runners" Talk at Cape Fear Civil War Round Table Tonight

From the May 7, 2018, Wilmington (NC) Star-News by Bill Jayne.

An estimated 11111111,600 blockade runners plied the trade during the Civil War.  Enormous profits were made among huge losses.

Gary Henderson USAF (ret) and former Piedmont Airlines pilot will speak on the subject Thursday, May 10 at Harbor United Methodist Church at 4853 Masonboro Loop Road, Wilmington, North Carolina.

None other than famed Confederate General Robert E. lee considered Wilmington of ultimate importance to his ability to keep his Army of Northern Virginia in the field.  This was because of all the war materiel coming through the blockade there and then railroaded to him in Virginia.

Mr. Henderson graduated from New Hanover High School in Wilmington in 1963 and is a dedicated scuba diver.  He has dived on nine Civil War wrecks and says the Ella, off Bald Head Island is the most interesting of them.  The Condor and Wild Dayrell are also interesting.

Running the Blockade (Hey, That's Me!!) was a risky but profitable undertaking.  Some 1000 blockade runners were captured in the war and more than 300 destroyed.

Sure Wish I Could Be There.  --Old B-Runner

A New Book on Farragut-- Part 1: His Ancestors

From the Vol. XXXII #6 Blue & Gray Magazine  Reviews.

Robert L. Caleo  "Farragut and Family: The Making of an Elder Hero."

Author Caleo has done another biography of America's First Admiral, David Glasgow Farragut (1801-1870).   It is divided into five chapters detailing different phases of Farragut's life.

The first one examines Farragut's seafaring forebears from Spain's Balearic Islands and his maternal Irish pioneers of the Carolinas.  The second one is about his father, George Farragut, fought on both land and sea as a patriot in the American Revolution and later was a militia officer in Tennessee where David was born.

The third one examines David Porter, the U.S. Naval officer who adopted David and was a War of 1812 naval hero.  Farragut served with his step father during the War of 1812.

--Old B-Runner

USS De Soto-- Part 14: Ended in a Fire

In December 1867, the De Soto was back in the United States where it underwent extensive repairs.  1868, sent to Venezuela  By September 11, 1868, it was decommissioned and two weeks later returned to its original owners.

It became a commercial steamship and resumed its old route between New York City and New Orleans with a stop in Havana.

On 31 December 1870, it left New Orleans with 988 bales of cotton, 200 hogsheads of sugar, 1000 barrels of molasses and sundries.  The ship had traveled just 27 miles when a fire broke out and got out of control.  The De Soto was beached on McCall's Flat and burned to the waterline.

--Old B-R'er

USS De Soto-- Part 13: Hit By a Tsunami

In 1867, the De Soto was part of a squadron including the USS Susquehanna and USS Monongahela as part of Secretary of State William H. Seward's plan to buy the Danish West Indies.

She arrived at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands on November 17, 1867.  The next day, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck and the resulting tsunami swept the De Soto from its moorings and onto a wharf.  Fortunately, the next wave lifted the ship off and sent her to deeper water.

However, the bottom was damaged severely and leaking badly.  The next two days were spent repairing the damage and pumping water.

The Monongahela was tossed completely ashore, but with a lot of work, she was able to get back in the water the following year.

--Old B-Runner

The Fall of Grand Gulf, Mississippi

In the last post, I wrote about Gideon Welles and President Lincoln receiving news of the capture of Grand Gulf on May 8, 1863.  Some more information about it.

From Wikipedia.

The Battle of Grand Gulf was fought April 29, 1863.  Then, i had to wonder why Washington, D.C., didn't get the news until May 8?

The fact is that the Union forces lost the battle on April 29.

Rear Admiral David D. Porter took seven ironclads in to attack Grand Gulf, downriver from Vicksburg.  The Confederates withstood a horrendous bombardment and prevented Federal infantry from landing.

The two major Confederate fortifications were earthen Fort Cobun and Fort Wade.  Union troops were from Major General Jogn A. McClernand's XIII Corps.  Porter's ironclads were the USS Benton, Lafayette, Tuscumbia, Carondelet, Louisville, Mound City and Pittsburg.  The Tuscumbia was put out of action.

The Union fleet withdrew, but after dark ran by the Confederate fortifications.  They landed troops and several days later, the Confederates evacuated Grand Gulf.

--Old B-Runner

May 8, 1863: Lincoln and Welles Receive News of the Fall of Grand Gulf

MAY 8TH, 1863:  Secretary Welles received Rear Admiral Porter's dispatch regarding the fall of Grand Gulf and informed President Lincoln.  "The news," wrote Welles, "was highly gratifying to the President, who had not heard of it until I met him at the Cabinet-meeting."

--Old B-R'er

USS De Soto-- Part 12: Operations in the West Indies

The De Soto was recommissioned 12 August 1865 in Baltimore and Captain Walker was back in command again.  It joined the newly organized North Atlantic Squadron which covered the sea south to the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico.

Next, the De Soto was involved in a rebellion in Haiti, protecting American interests and trying to make peace between the Haitians and British Navy.

Back to the U.S. and 10 April 1866, command was given to Captain Charles Stewart Boggs (1811-1888) who served in both the Mexican War and the Civil War.   Under his command the ship operated in the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico.

--Old B-Runner

USS De Soto-- Part 11: Yellow Fever Outbreak

After those repairs, the De Soto patrolled off the east coast of Florida in Mid-March 1864 and then again to Key West for coaling and repairs.  (It sure seems like this ship needed a lot of repairs.)    Then, it was back to her regular patrolling grounds southeast of Mobile Bay.

Beginning in April or May, members of the crew began coming down with yellow fever and the ship was sent north to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where it arrived 6 June 1864.  As per normal practice, the De Soto was decommissioned and the crew quarantined until the fever broke.

Once the yellow fever was gone, the ship went to Baltimore, Maryland, for the installation of new boilers.  The De Soto was there when the war ended.

--Old B-R'er

USS De Soto-- Part 10: More Cruising

The De Soto was back at Key West in October 1863 for minor repairs and recoaled.  While there, Captain Walker was relieved of command and replaced by Captain Gustavus H. Scott, who would command the ship until the end of the war.

For the next six weeks, the ship patrolled near the Bahamas.  Coaled again in Key West in early January 1864 and then patrolled off Mobile Bay.  It captured the steamer Cumberland on 5 February with a cargo of arms, ammunition and 100 barrels of gunpowder.

In late February the De Soto went to Havana where she was drydocked for repairs to the hull.  (I did not know that any U.S. ships were put into drydock in Habana during the war.)

--Old B-Runner

USS Cincinnati

Today, the U.S. Navy will commission the fifth USS Cincinnati at Mobile, Alabama.

The first USS Cincinnati was a Union Civil War ironclad that operated on the rivers and Gulf of Mexico.  It was sunk twice and raised each time.

To read more about the new USS Cincinnati and the other ships of that name, go to my Cooter's History Thing blog.  You can quickly get to it by going to the My Blog List area to the right of this.

--Old B-Runner

USS De Soto-- Part 9: Chasing Down Steamers But With reduced Power

The De Soto continued its patrols.  It seized the steamer Alice Vivian 16 August which had no papers.  the next day the steamer Nita was taken, again, with no papers.  No papers meant the ship most likely was a blockade runner.

All the constant steaming caused serious problems with the De Soto's boilers and as a result, a lot of speed was lost.  On 12 September, the De Soto had a nine-hour chase of the Montgomery before capturing it.  The De Soto used both steam and sail.  Captain Walker rather disgustedly said the chase would have been 1/4 shorter had his boilers been up to par.

With no major overhaul in sight, the crew tinkered with the boilers and the ship returned to a lot of its former speed.  On 22 September the De Soto chased down the screw steamer Leviathan.

--Old B-R'er

USS De Soto-- Part 8: "A Voracious Aquatic Bird"

After that the USS De Soto returned to Key West for repairs.  Back at sea, the De Soto captured the schooner Lady Maria north of Tampa Bay on 6 July 1863.

On 18 July, she captured the steamer James Battle laden with rosin and cotton.  This led to the great anger of two Union ships, the USS Aristook and Ossipee which had been pursuing the James Battle.

Later the same night, the Aristook and Ossipee were in another pursuit of a blockade runner which was taken by the De Soto as well.

This led to an angry confrontation over prize shares between the three Union ships.  Feeling that the De Soto had purposefully run the two steamers out of signal distance and cutting them out of the money, the commander of the Ossipee, Captain Jonathan P. Gillis called the De Soto 'a voracious aquatic bird."  If you've ever seen seagulls battling over food you know what he meant.

It took intervention by the two admirals on station, Farragurt and Bailey, to bring the tempers down.  All three ships got equal shares of the prizes.

--Old B-Runner

USS De Soto-- Part 7: Capturing More Runners

The De Soto then patrolled north and west of Tortugas.  It captured the schooner Sea Bird 14 May.  On 17 May gave chase to smoke of unknown steamer. and after 18 hours forced the other ship to stop, but before it could be boarded, its crew set fire to it and abandoned ship.  It turned out to be the Confederate steamer Cuba

The Cuba was owned by the state of Alabama.  Between May 1862 and September 1863, the Cuba, Alabama (not the raider) and Fox (later renamed Fanny) carried more than 4,000 bales of cotton to Havana.  All three were lost by September 1863.

The Cuba was burned, the Alabama captured September 12 and the Fanny burned September 12 to prevent capture.

On 19 May, the De Soto captured the schooner Mississippi.

--Old B-Runner

USS De Soto-- Part 6: East Gulf Blockading Squadron

The De Soto was now a part of the East Gulf Blockading squadron under Rear Admiral Theodorus Bailey.  March and April 1863 were largely spent looking for the CSS Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico

Capturing Four Blockade Runners in Two days.

The Civil War Naval Chronology says the De Soto captured all four on the same day, April 24.  On April 24, the De Soto captured two sloops, the Jane Adele and Bright, 16 hours out of Mobile, each loaded with cotton.  The next day, it captured the schooners General Prim and Rapid, also with cotton.  All four were sent to Key West for adjudication in prize court.

Then, April 27, the De Soto seized the British schooner Clarita en route from Havana to Matamoras.

Five Captures in four days, not a bad week's work.

Lots of Prize Money to Split Also.  --Old B-Runner

May 1, 1863: Establishment of the Provisional Confederate Navy-- Part 2

At this time, the Confederate Congress also provided that:  "...all persons serving in the land forces of the Confederate States who shall desire to be transferred to the naval service, and whose transfer as seamen or ordinary seamen shall be applied for by the Secretary of the Navy, shall be transferred from the land to the naval service...."

Throughout the war, the Confederate Navy suffered from an acute shortage of seamen.  Mallor complained that the law was not complied with, and that hundreds of men has applied for naval duty but were not transferred.

Old B-Runner

May 1, 1863: Establishment of the Confederate Provisional Navy

MAY 1ST, 1863:  As requested by Secretary Mallory, the Confederate Congress enacted legislation "To create a Provisional Navy of the Confederate States."

The object of the act, as explained by Captain Semmes, was "without interfering with the rank of the officers of the Regular Navy, to cull men out from the navy-lost, younger and more active men, and put them in the Provisional Navy, with increased rank."

The Regular Navy became, thus, a kind of retired list, and the Secretary of the Navy was enabled to accomplish his object of bringing forward younger officers for active service, without wounding the feelings of the older officers, by promoting their juniors over their heads, on the same list.

Fast Move.  --Old B-R'er

Fort Fisher Confederate Memorial Day Service, April 28, 2018

From Friends of Fort Fisher.

The Fort Fisher Chapter 2325 United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) and the Friends of Fort Fisher held a service at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 28 at the UDC Confederate monument at Battle Acre at Fort Fisher.

The ocean front memorial service will feature a uniformed color guard and the main speaker will be Commander David Everett, USNR, currently the commander of the JROTC at John T. Hoggand High School in Wilmington.

He will speak about "Duty Is The Sublimest Word In The English Language."  This is a quote from Robert E. Lee.

Wreaths will be laid at the base of the monument in honor of the fallen sons of the South by the area UDC chapters, the Sons of Confederate Veterans and Friends of Fort Fisher

The public is welcome and refreshments will be served afterwards.

--Old B-Runer