Fort Caswell: Third System of Forts, Captured Twice Early in the War

From NCpedia.  By Paul Branch.

The fort was named after North Carolina's first governor and Revolutionary War hero Richard Caswell (1729-1789), and was a permanent masonry  garrison fort built by  the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the eastern end of Oak Island in Brunswick County between 1826 and 1838.

It guarded the mouth of the Cape Fear River as part of a national chain of forts for coastal defense of the United States known as the Third System.  The fort was designed by  Brigadier General  Simon Bernard as an irregular  pentagon with a completely encircling outer wall, or covered way, and an interior main work that was loopholed for defense.

The fort was never fully armed, and, until 1861,  it was usually occupied by  army caretakers, usually a single ordnance sergeant.

Following South Carolina's secession from the Union, fears that the Federal government  would send troops to occupy North Carolina's forts, prompted secessionists in the state to seize Fort Caswell on January 9, 1861.  But, North Carolina had not yet seceded and the fort was returned to the United States.

However, after war had begun, North Carolina troops again took over Fort Caswell on April 16, 1861.

--Old B-Runner

The Fort Caswell You've Never Seen-- Part 2

The fort was named after former North Carolina Governor Richard Caswell.  It was built of  stone and earthworks and completed in 1836.  Located on the eastern tip of Oak Island, it juts out into the confluence of the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean.  During the Civil War, it kept Union ships out and away and provided assistance to the famed blockade runners coming into and out of Wilmington.

When the state seceded from the Union, the Confederate Army occupied it as part of Wilmington's defense.

However, after the nearby Fort Fisher was captured after a massive Union assault on January 15, 1865, orders came to spike Fort Caswell's guns, burn the barracks and explode the magazines.

Jim McKee formerly worked for the National Park Service and the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Southport.  He is an author and contributor of articles  on archaeology,  artillery, the Civil War  and Colonial subjects.  He is nationally certified in 18th and 19th century artillery.

--Old B-Runner

The Fort Caswell You've Never Seen-- Part 1: What You See Is Not What It Was

From the November 27, 2021, Wilmington (NC) Star-News Join Brunswick Civil War Round Table, discuss the Fort Caswell You've Never Seen" by Cheryl M. Whitaker.

"The Fort Caswell You've Never Seen" will be the topic for the Tuesday, December 7 meeting of the Brunswick  Civil War Round Table.  Local historian and site manager at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site, Jim McKee will speak at the program which begins at 7 pm at Hatch Auditorium on Caswell Beach on the grounds of the North Carolina Baptist Assembly.

Everyone is welcome to attend.  Registration begins at  6:15 pm.  The visitor fee is $10, which can include a spouse, and could be applied toward the $25  annual membership dues.

What exists at the fort today is very different from the 19th century Fort Caswell.  McKee's unique presentation will how it as it was  during and immediately after the Civil War through rare photographs and  archival drawings, things that you can't see today during the infrequent tours given at the site.

--Old B-Runner

The Privateer Judah-- Part 3: A Firefight, Burning and Spiking

The four longboats commanded by Lt. John Henry Russell successfully floated past the first two lookout posts, but were spotted while passing the third one.  This was the one nearest to the harbor.

Raising the alarm, shots were fired between the guards and the Marines on the last Union boat.  Two, possibly three Marines were killed in the shooting and an equal number of Confederates  also died in the firefight.  But, in the poor light at the time, most of the fatalities were more by misfortune than accurately aimed shots.

Taking advantage of the melee behind them, Marines from the first two boats boarded the mostly deserted Judah and, under increasing danger from gunfire ashore, set her hull on fire.  Marines from the third boat meanwhile, landed  and spiked four 10-inch Columbiad cannons on the nearest shore battery manned by Confederate Marines of Company B commanded by Captain Alfred Van Benthuysen, before they too were forced back by Confederate gunfire.  (Alfred Van Benthuysen was later at Fort Fisher.)

--Old B-Runner

The Privateer Judah- Part 2: A Risky Plan Devised and Led By Lt. J.H. Russell

Aboard the USS Colorado was a man named  Ernest White, a specialist in ship construction and employed as a spy by the Federal government.  He devised a scheme by which the Colorado's longboats, under the cover of night, would slip past Confederate guards and destroy or severely damage the Judah where she was berthed.

After some delay, White's plan was approved and put into action. and in the early hours of September 14, 1861, a force of nearly 100 men made up of a mix of the Colorado's crew and shipboard Marines under the command of Lt. John Henry Russell cast off in four longboats.

Keeping in midwater and away from the shoreline, the force rowed quietly across the bay toward Pensacola Harbor.

The Confederate forces at Pensacola were commanded by Gen. Braxton Bragg and numbered several thousand.  They were new troops and poorly trained manning a line of about four miles stretching from Fort McRee in the west eastward toward Fort Barrancas and the navy yard.

In addition, guards manned three  lookout points on the west side of the bay.

--Old B-Runner

The Privateer Judah-- Part 1

From the 290 Foundation "USS Colorado / Judah.

The William H. Judah was a 250-foot, two-masted schooner built c. 1859.  In early September 1861, Confederacy contacted with the Judah & LeBaron Co. for use  over an indefinite period of time to carry essential cargo.  The company evidently was sympathetic to the cause and  and didn't require guarantees as to its use.

Under command of Confederate officers, the Judah sailed from St. John, New Brunswick inn Canada, to Pensacola, Florida. with a mixed load of mercury, tin and lead ingots valued at some $40,000.  It ran the Union blockade and entered Pensacola Harbor with no problems.

Union spies reported the Judah's arrival and learned that the Confederates were intending to turn the ship into an armed privateer and urged the Union Navy to do something about it before that happened.

The 40-gun USS Colorado steam frigate got the call to do the job.

--Old B-Runner

John Henry Russell, USN: Sinking the Privateer Judah

From the Civil War Almanac.

SEPTEMBER 14, 1861

Lt. John H. Russell fights the first pitched naval engagement at Pensacola, Florida,  by sailing the USS Colorado past Confederate batteries at night and then leading  100 sailors and marines in a cutting-out expedition.  (The Colorado was under the command of Captain Theodorus Bailey.)

Russell's men storm and capture the privateer Judah after hand-to-hand fighting, burn it to the waterline, and withdraw unimpeded.

Several enemy artillery pieces are also taken and spiked while ashore.

Russell subsequently receives personal thanks from Abraham Lincoln and is feted by the War Department.

Confederate General Braxton Bragg, however, begins a planned Retaliation.

--Old B-Runner

The USS Russell (DD-414) Named for John Henry Russell, US Navy

Earlier this month I wrote about John Henry Russell, an officer in the U.S. Navy during the Mexican War and the Civil War.  He retired as a rear admiral.

This famous World War II destroyer, and one of the most decorated warships during that war, was named after this man, as is a current guided missile destroyer USS Russell.  (It is also named after his son, the 16th Commandant of the USMC, John Henry Russell, Jr.  I wrote about him in my Cooter's History Thing blog.)

I am writing about it in my Tattooed On Your Soul:  World War II blog right now.

--Old B-Runner

David D. Wemple, USN-- Part 4: One of His Brothers Died in the War Also

From the US Naval Academy  Memorial Hall.

David Duane Wemple was admitted to the USNA from Wisconsin  from Wisconsin on September  24, 1858, at the age of  15 years, 3 months.

Three of his brothers served during the Civil War.; one was killed in action in March 1863.  (Actually died of a disease in Memphis, more on this in a later post in this blog.

David Wemple is listed as killed in action on the  panel in front of Memorial Hall (USNA) and is buried in Wisconsin.

--Old B-Runner

Re-Enactment at North Carolina's Fort Branch

From the November 5. 2021, Greenville (NC) Daily Reflector  "Fort Branch holds its annual re-enactment  this weekend."

The 35th Annual Fort Branch  Reenactment will be held this weekend at the fort's site on the Roanoke River near Hamilton in Martin County.

It starts at 9 am each day and has a battle at 1:30 pm.  The site features cannons that were actually mounted at the fort during the Civil War which were recovered from the river.

It was built by the Confederate Army as a defensive position overlooking a bend in the river to guard against Union warships coming up the river to attack a vital railroad bridge upriver at Weldon.

Each year, except, of course, for last year, hundreds of re-enactors come from across the eastern United States to give spectators an idea about what life was like back during the war.

There is a charge for parking and concessions to raise funds for upkeep and restoration efforts.

--Old B-Runner

David E. Wemple, USN-- Part 3: '...But Rejoice That I Died In a Glorious Cause'

From Find-A-Grave.

David was the son of  Peter Douw Wemple and Eliza (Davis) Wemple.  The Wemples had four sons who served during the Civil War.

David was killed aboard the USS Juanita when a 100 pound Parrott rifle he was standing behind burst at the breech, wounding him severely.  The gun was being fired against Fort Fisher.

The following is a portion of a letter he wrote to his parents on December 14, 1854:

"Dear  Father and Mother, We are on our way to Wilmington where we will most likely have a fight and perhaps a bad one. Of course, all of us must stand our chances in the fight, of being killed or wounded, and consequently I will.

"Should the fortunes of war deprive me of my life I would simply say that I will go willingly for the dear, dear old flag that protects me. I should prefer living to see this rebellion put down and our dear country once more enjoying peace and quiet, but if it is necessary I am willing to go now, and beg you all to give me up willing for our country and mourn not my loss, but rejoice that I died in a glorious cause-

"Our Country!  Let not my loss decrease your patriotism but let it increase it and willingly  sacrifice our all for our country and flag."

I'd say that Lt. Wemple had a premonition about his upcoming fight.

Lieut. Wemple is buried next to his brother, Capt. Adam Z. Wemple (who also died while serving the Union cause during the war).

--Old B-Runner

David E. Wemple, USN-- Part 2: Rising Through the Ranks

From Naval History and Heritage Command:  Navy Officers 1798 to 1900, W.

ACTING MIDSHIPMAN:   24 September 1858

ENSIGN:  25 November 1862

LIEUTENANT: 22 February 1864

KILLED:  24 December 1864  Fort Fisher

--Old B-Runner

This Veterans Day: In Honor of David D. Wemple, Lt. USN, Killed at Fort Fisher

I will be devoting seven of my blogs to Veterans Day 2021 today.

From the USNA Memorial Hall.

DAVID D. WEMPLE

BIRTH: June 21, 1843

DEATH:  December 24, 1864

AGE: 21

David Duane Wemple was admitted to the Naval Academy from Wisconsin on September 24, 1858, at the age of 15 years, 3 months.

From Find A Grave.

BIRTH:  21 June 1843  Steuben County, New York

DEATH:  24 December 1864  (aged 21)  Fort Fisher North Carolina

BURIAL:  Emerald Grove Cemetery   Emerald Grove, Wisconsin  (Lot 8, Grave 4)

--Old B-Runner

Happy Birthday CSMC!!!

From Wikipedia.

This little-known branch of the Confederate military was still a part of the original Continental Marines established 10 November 1775 in Philadelphia.

The Confederate States Marine Corps was  established by an act of the Confederate Congress on 16 March 1861.

Its original manpower was authorized at  45 officers and 944 enlisted men, but was increased on 24 September 1862 to 1,026 enlisted men.

The organization of the Corps began in Montgomery, Alabama, and was completed in Richmond, Virginia, when the capital moved to that city.

The CSMC headquarters and main training facilities in Richmond throughout the war at Camp Beall on Drewry's Bluff and at Gosport Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia until it was captured.

The last Confederate Marine group surrendered on April 9, 1865.

--Old B-Runner

John Henry Russell-- Part 2: Service in the Civil War and Afterwards

He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1848 and was briefly assigned to the Coast Survey and then made a cruise to Brazil in 1849 and served on the New York-West Indies mail line from 1853 to 1856 and then as navigator on the USS Vincennes during explorations of the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans.

Assigned to the Mediterranean Squadron at the end of the 1850s, he returned  to the United States for ordnance duty at the Washington Navy Yard just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War.

In 1861, he participated in the effort to prevent Confederate troops from capturing the U.S. ships at Norfolk, Virginia.  In September, he led an expedition to Pensacola, Florida, to destroy the Confederate privateer Judah.

He next assumed command of the gunboat USS Kennebec and participated in operations on the Mississippi River as far north as Vicksburg and later in the blockade of Mobile.  In 1863 he was commanding the USS Pontiac and returned to ordnance duty in Washington in 1864 and then to the Pacific Squadron where he commanded the USS Cyane (the ship he began his naval career on) 1864 to 1865.

Various duties ashore and afloat, on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts followed and he completed his service as the Commandant of the Mare  Island Navy Yard in San Francisco in 1886.  Appointed to the rank of rear admiral on 4 March 1886, he retired  on 27 August and resided in Washington, D.C., until his death on 1 April 1897.

********************

In 1938, the destroyer USS Russell (DD-414) was named in his honor, while the USS Russell (DDG-59) is named in both his and his son's honor.

--Old B-Runner

John Henry Russell, USN: Mexican War and Civil War

From Wikipedia.

I have been writing about the guided missile destroyer USS Russell (DDG-59) in my Cooter's History Thing blog.  It is still an active duty warship and named after John Henry Russell Sr. and his son John Henry Russell, Jr.  

The father served during both the Mexican and Civil Wars and retired as a rear admiral.  The son was a major general and 16th Commandant of the USMC.  I'll write about him in my Cooter's History Thing blog.

*******************************

JOHN HENRY RUSSELL   (4 July 1827 - 1 April 1897)

John Henry Russell was born in Frederick, Maryland and appointed midshipman 10 September 1841 and served on the sloop of war USS Cyane in the Pacific until 1843.  Next, he served on the USS St. Mary's in the Gulf of Mexico and participated  in operations at Galveston, Corpus Crispi, Brazos, Resaca, and Vera Cruz.

--Old B-Runner

Fort Zachary Taylor-- Part 5: It's Also About Key West's Best Beach

The Department of the Interior turned Fort Zachary Taylor over to the state of Florida in 1976 and in 1985 the Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park opened.  It is the southernmost state park in the continental United States.

Before visiting, you should go to this site:  floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/fort-zachary-taylor-historic-state-park for updates on operations and information about events, including weekly Civil War reenactments at the site.

And at fortzacharytaylor.com/beach, you'll discover that the 54-acre park also boasts "Key West's best beach" for  swimming, snorkeling, fishing, and picnicking.  Or, simply sit back and enjoy one of Key West's fabulous sunsets that it is so famous for.

--Old B-Runner

Fort Zachary Taylor-- Part 4: All Those Buried Cannons

Then, the former  marine and civil service engineer Howard England began to unearth  Civil War cannons  buried within the walls of Fort Taylor.  In 1899, when  Army engineers removed the top two levels of he fort in order to build the Osceola and Adair Batteries, they built the batteries over the casemates (gun emplacements).

Nearly 200 Rodman, Columbiad and Parrot cannons  were buried with in the battery walls.  Many were excavated and are on display today, but others are still buried, some of them are embedded and some are partially visible in the stone walls of the batteries.

Howard England is the man responsible for the preservation of Fort Zachary Taylor, for his continued work over a ten year period that uncovered the largest collection of Civil War armaments in the United States, including cannons, guns, a desalinization plat and thousands of cannonballs and projectiles.

This earned Fort Zachary Taylor the protection of the U.S. government as a National  Historic Landmark in 1973.

Thanks Mr. England.  --Old B-Runner

Fort Zachary Taylor-- Part 3: Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II

The East Gulf Blockading Squadron captured more than 300 Confederate blockade runners during the war and continually harassed salt-making facilities along the coast.  The cargoes were taken to key West and put up for auction.

The end of the Civil War did not end the fort's history.

In 1898, the USS Maine sailed from Key West to Havana Harbor, Cuba, where, on February 15, at 9:40 p.m., a mysterious explosion wrecked the vessel, killing three quarters of its crew, propelling the United States into Cuba's war with Spain for independence.

During World Wars I and II, Fort Taylor remained on active duty.  Radar and 5-inch anti-aircraft guns were added to the fort's defenses during World War II.  With the end of this war, Fort Taylor's use ended.  From 1947 and for almost a quarter century the fort was used as a naval savage yard.

--Old B-R'er

 

Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West-- Part 2: A New Fort Built and Civil War Service

When both Spain and England had Key West, they thought about building a fort there, but nothing happened until Florida was ceded to the United States in 1821.  

The new owners immediately recognized the importance of it and began to develop the island. In less than a decade, Key West had a lucrative  wrecking, fishing, turtle hunting, sponging and salt water  manufacturing enterprises which made the city  the richest per capita in the United States.

In 1822, a site for a fort was selected in Key West.  This new fort would command the Florida Straits, a major shipping lane between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.  Key West was  one of the most strategically advantageous ports in the world for  commercial and military purposes.

The fort would be named after President Zachary Taylor, a hero of the Mexican War, and, of course. president.

In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, the East and West Martello Towers were added to the fort to serve as batteries and armories and railway tracks were laid to move munitions quickly from the towers to the fort.

During the war, Union commanders of the fort were tasked with defending the U.S. Navy's  East Gulf Blockading Squadron which had its headquarters in Key West.  This group of ships were primarily involved with maintaining a blockade along Florida's Gulf Coast.

--Old B-Runner

Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West-- Part 1: Three Tiers and Lots and Lots of Cannons

From the October 31, 2021, Fort Myers (Florida) News-Press  "Florida History:  Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West" by Cynthia Williams.

Usually when you think of Key West, you don't think of military history.  Probably Duvall Street and all that partying and those sunsets.

But, Key West has a lot of military history.  Right there on Thompson Island just off the southwest tip of Key West stands Fort Zachary Taylor.  Built between1845 and 1866 of solid New England granite and ancient, impenetrable limestone.

It originally was a three-tier structure with cannons arranged along its 495-foot long, five-foot thick seaward walls -- 42 cannons to be exact, on each of its three levels, for a total of 126 cannons, each with a range of three miles.

--Old B-Runner

Recovery of the Monitor's Turret-- Part 5: Today

Among some of the artifacts recovered from the ship was a red signal lantern, possibly the one used  to send a distress signal to the USS Rhode Island and the last thing seen of the Monitor before it sank.  It was the first object recovered from the wreck site in 1977.

A gold wedding band was also recovered from the hand of one of the skeletal remains on one of the Monitor's crew members found in the turret.

Northrup Grumman  Shipyard in Newport News constructed a full-scale, non seaworthy model of the Monitor.  The replica was laid down in February 2005 and completed just two months later on the grounds of the Mariners' Museum.

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary conducts occasional dives on the wreck of the monitor and record any changes in its condition and environment.

--Old B-Runner

Recovery of Monitor's Turret-- Part 4: Conservation Continues

In 2003, NOAA divers and volunteers returned to the Monitor with the goal of obtaining overall video of  the site to create a permanent record of the current conditions of the wreck after the turret recovery.  

Jeff Johnston of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary (MNMS) also wanted a definitive image of the vessel's pilot house. During the dives, the Monitor's iron pilothouse was located near the bow of the vessel and documented for the first time by videographer Rick Allen, of Nautilus Productions, in its inverted  position.

Conservation of the propeller was completed nearly three years after its recovery, and it is in display in the Monitor Center  at the Mariners' Museum.  As of 2013,  conservation of the engine, its components, the turret and the guns continues.

The two Dahlgren cannons were removed from the turret in September 2004 and placed in their own conservation tanks.

--Old B-Runner