So, Who Was This Caleb Cushing the Revenue Cutter Was Named After?-- Part 1

I'd heard of the revenue cutter before, but not the man it was named after.  He also played a role in the Civil War as it turns out.

From Wikipedia.

CALEB CUSHING  (January 17, 1800 to January 2, 1879)

Was an American Democratic politician and diplomat who served in Congress from Massachusetts and was attorney general under President Franklin Pierce.  He was an eager proponent of American territorial and commercial expansion, especially regarding the acquisition of Texas, Oregon and Cuba.

He believed that enlarging the American sphere of influence would would fulfill  "the great destiny reserved for this exemplar American Republic."

He also secured a treaty with China in 1844, which opened  five ports to American trade..  After the Civil War, he secured a treaty with Colombia to give the United States a right-of-way  for a transoceanic across the isthmus of Panama. 

In addition, he also helped obtain a favorable  settlement of the Alabama Claims, and as the ambassador to Spain in the 1870s, helped defuse  the troublesome Virginius Affair.

An Important Man in U.S. History Even If I Didn't Know About Him.  --Old B-Runner

Revenue Cutter Caleb Cushing-- Part 2

It was Charles Read's plan to capture the cutter and get it away from the Union shore batteries before daylight and then set fire to shipping in the Portland, Maine, harbor.  As it was dawn before he cleared the Union guns, he found it impossible to carry out his plan and instead he put out to sea.

Lt. "Savez" Read intended to send his prisoners back on the Archer after transferring his supplies to the Caleb Cushing.  However, when twenty miles out to sea, he was overtaken by two steamers.  he ran out of ammunition and was unable to put up further resistance.

Ordering his men and prisoners onto small boats, he set fire to the Caleb Cushing after setting a powder train to the ship's magazine.  Read, his men and prisoners were captured by the steamer Forest City.  The Archer was captured later and the Cushing soon exploded and was destroyed.

So Read would have had his fourth raider had he had enough time.

Essentially, He Was the Confederate Navy's Answer to William Barker Cushing.  --Old B-Runner

Revenue Cutter Caleb Cushing-- Part 1

 Naval History and Heritage Command.

CALEB CUSHING

Schooner

LENGTH:  100 feet 4 inches

BEAM:  23 feet

DRAFT:  9 feet 7 inches

ARMAMENT:

one 32-pounder

one 12-pdr. Dahlgren

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The Caleb Cushing was a  revenue cutter also known as the Morris, which was quietly boarded and seized early in the morning hours of 27 June 1863 while in then harbor at Portland, Maine, by Lt. Charles W. Read, CSN.

He and his men had quietly entered the harbor undetected on their  prize schooner Archer.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Archer-- Part 2

When the people of Portsmouth realized the Caleb Cushing was missing, ships were sent out in pursuit of Read.

Due to a falling wind (the Archer was a sailing ship), they were able to catch up to Charles W. Read, but not before Read was able to set fire to the magazine of the Cushing and cause her destruction.

Officers and Crew of the Archer

Lt. Charles W. Read, commander

Billups, Matthewson and pride:  master's mates

Brown, engineer

16 men

--Old B-Runner

 

CSS Archer: Read's Third Raider

From Wikipedia.

The CSS Archer was originally a fishing schooner captured by the Confederate cruiser Tacony commanded by Lt. Charles W. Read, who converted her into a raider.

The Tacony captured the Archer on June  25, 1863, off the coast of New England.  Knowing that the Union was on the hunt or his ship, the Tacony, Read transferred his men and armaments from the Tacony to the Archer.  (The same as he had done with the Clarence).

Read then decoded to try to capture the U.S. Revenue Cutter Caleb  Cushing on his way down the New England coast.  On June 27, 1863, the Archer sailed into Portland, Maine's harbor and docked, disguising itself as a fishing schooner.

That night, Read and his crew boarded the Caleb Cushing and took it over.  They confined the crew below deck.  The Archer and Cushing then sailed out of the harbor as day was dawning.  When the disappearance of the Cushing was noticed, ships went out in pursuit.

--Old B-Runner

Lt. Charles Read's Great Adventure from the Clarence to the Tacony to the Archer

 All this started when I wrote about the Edward H. Faucon was ordered to take his ship, the USS Montgomery, and search for the Confederate raider Tacony which was capturing Union ships off New England.

That had started when the CSS Florida, under John Newland Maffitt had captured the American ship Clarence and set  Charles W. Read up as a raider.  Read had captured several ships before he captured the Tacony and then decided that was a better ship for his purposes and transferred his men and armament to that vessel.

He had captured several more ships  when he captured the Archer and again decided that ship would be better suited and once again transferred his men and armament.

So, this was his third ship.

--Old B-Runner

The Blockade Runners Dare and Queen of the Wave Meet Their Demise

From Oceanfront  Vacation Rentals.

The Civil War blockade runner Dare was chased for miles by Federals before it ran aground at North Inlet near Georgetown.  The captain evacuated the passengers and crew and set fore to the ship to keep it out of enemy hands.

Days later, a federal party of 25 men boarded the ship to attempt to salvage what they could and were surprised by three Confederates who overwhelmed them and took them prisoner.

This was the blockade runner that the USS Montgomery, under Lt. Edward H. Faucon, and the USS Aries chased ashore and destroyed.

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Another blockade runner, the Queen of the Waves, ran aground in the North Santee River and her captain set her afire.  Federal forces boarded her the next day and found seven Confederate soldiers of the Waccamaw Light Artillery hard at work salvaging the cargo.

This time, the Federals took the Confederates prisoner and destroyed the Queen of the Waves with explosives.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Clarence

In the last post I mentioned that Charles Read had captured the Tacony while in command of the CSS Clarence.  Deciding the Tacony to be a better ship than the Clarence, he transferred to that ship and continued.

From Wikipedia.

The CSS Clarence, also known as the Coquette , was originally a brig from  Baltimore that was captured by the CSS Florida which converted it into a raider.  It was transporting a cargo of coffee from Brazil when the Florida, under the command of John Newland Maffitt, captured it off the coast of Brazil.

Lt. Charles W. Read was placed in command of the Clarence and enough of the Florida's sailors were transferred to the new ship to man it.

Read suggested that with the ship's papers that he might be able to enter the Chesapeake Bay and sail into Hampton Roads, Virginia, and perhaps capture or destroy a Union gunboat.  Maffitt armed the Clarence with one cannon.

On its brief career as a Confederate raider, the Clarence captured a number of ships.  The Whistling Wind, Kate Stewart, Mary Alvina and Mary Schindler were burned.  The Alfred H. Partridge was bonded.

The Clarence's final capture was the bark Tacony on June 12, 1863, which being a better ship for commerce raiding, the crew and armament of the Clarence were transferred to the Tacony and the Clarence destroyed.

--Old B-Runner

Edward H. Faucon Ordered to Search for Confederate Raider Tacony in 1863

From Official records War of the Rebellion Navy Operations of the Cruisers Union, Page 286.

Boston Navy Yard Commandant ordered Edward H. Faucon to take  his USS Montgomery out to look for and capture the Confederate raider Tacony June 16, 1863.

He was to search for the bark Tacony and to cruise off the Nantucket  Shoals from Little Georges Shoals to Block Island.  he was to engage and capture the Tacony if found and bring it to a Union port.  While searching for the Tacony, he was to speak to all vessels he met and gather as much information as he could.

Faucon was to cruise as long as his coal held up. or 14 days.

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From Wikipedia.

The CSS Tacony was a bark ship captured by the Confederate raider CSS Clarence, commanded by Lt. Charles W. Read on June 12, 1863.  Since it was a better ship for   commerce raiding, Read and crew transferred to the Tacony and destroyed the Clarence.

In its brief career as a raider, the Tacony captured 14 ships.  The final one was  the schooner Archer on June 25, 1863, and it was decided this was a better ship for commerce raiding and Read again transferred to another ship and the Tacony was burned.

Armament of the Tacony was one  6-pounder boat howitzer.  Read had 20 men with him.

Just Looking for That Really Good Commerce Raider.  --Old B-Runner

Edward H. Faucon and USS Montgomery Capture the Dare

From American Civil War High Command:  January 7, 1864

SOUTH CAROLINA:  

The USS Montgomery, Lt. Edward H. Faucon,  and the USS Aries, Lt. Edward F. Devins, chased the blockade runner Dare.  The steamer was beached at North Inlet (near Georgetown, S.C.) and  abandoned by her crew.

Boat crews from the USS Montgomery and USS Aries boarded  but failed to salvage the prize and it was burned.

--Old B-Runner

Lt-Cdr. Thomas C. Dunn (Is He the One-Time Commander of the USS Montgomery Buried Here?)

From Find-A-Grave.

I'm not sure if this is the Thomas C. Dunn who commanded the USS Montgomery during the Second Battle of Fort Fisher, but he might be.

BIRTH:  1829

DEATH:  1910 (aged 80-81)

Appleton, Wisconsin

BURIAL:  Riverside Cemetery

Appleton, Wisconsin

Block F, Lot 18, Area N, Grave 3

It lists him as Lieut., Commander, US Navy1861-1865

The Parameters Fit.  --Old B-Runner

Thomas C. Dunn and Edward H. Faucon USN Both at Fort Fisher

In the last post, I mentioned that the USS Montgomery was commanded by Lt. Thomas C. Dunn in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher.

From Officers of the Continental and U.S. Navy and Marine Corps 1798 to 1900.

ACTING MASTER:  14 December 1861

ACTING VOLUNTEER LIEUTENANT:   11 August 1864, on recommendation of Commanding Officer

HONORABLY DISCHARGED:    26 October 1865

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Edward Faucon commanded the USS Montgomery in the first attack on Fort Fisher.

EDWARD H. FAUCON

ACTING MASTER:    23 July 1861

ACTING VOLUNTEER LIEUTENANT:   4 October 1862

HONORABLY DISCHARGED:   4 September 1865

This is all the information I have found about these two men.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery-- Part 4: Service in the Gulf, Chasing Cruisers and Fort Fisher

 Further prizes in 1862 were the Blanche which was chased a shore  at Havana on 7 October; Confederate steamer CSS Caroline, taken off Mobile, Alabama  28 October and the sloop William E. Chester, taken  20 November.

She continued to blockade off Mobile into 1863, then joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron searching for the Confederate cruiser Tacony off Nantucket Shoals in June and Confederate cruiser Florida in the same area in July.   In August, the Montgomery joined the blockaders off Wilmington, North Carolina where she remained for the remainder of the year.

Among her 1864 operations off Wilmington were the capture of the blockade runner Pet  on 11 February; destruction of the  steamer Dove on 7 June;  seizure of the Bat off the Western Bar 11 October.  Other ships in the blockading squadron also were involved in these actions.

In December 1864 and January she took part in both attacks on Fort Fisher under the command of Lieutenant Edward H. Faucon in the first and under Lt. Thomas C. Dunn in the second.

In February, the Montgomery  patrolled off the Cape Fear River, engaging the Half Moon Battery on the 11th, then was involved in a coastal  patrol from Wilmington to Georgetown, South Carolina, 24 February.

Decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard 20 June 1865, she was sold at public auction 10 August 1865, redocumented  1 April 1866, and was in merchant service into 1877.

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery-- Part 3: Service in the Gulf of Mexico

From June to November,, the Montgomery blockaded Apalachicola,Florida,  and captured the ship Finland on 29 August when found to be lacking proper papers.  In November, she began blockading the Atlantic coast from Maryland to the Cape Fear River in North Carolina.

THIS PART IS A BIT CONFUSING.  On the 8th, she had a running fight with the Tallahassee.  After temporary duty off Ship Island 2 December, she was attacked off Horn Island Pass two later by the Florida and Pamlico but was not damaged.  (The Tallahassee did not become a Confederate ship until 1864.  If the Florida mentioned here is the CSS Florida cruiser, this ship was not off the Alabama coast until August 1862.)

Joining the East Gulf Blockading Squadron 20 January 1862, the Montgomery reported to Ship Island  three days later. She took schooner Isabel off Atchafalaya Bay 1 February, then carried dispatches to Tampa, Florida, before joining the West Gulf Blockading Squadron to hunt for the schooner  Columbia off San Luis Pass, Texas, 5 April.

They found the schooner abandoned and burned her, then captured a large sloop.  Cruising the Mexican and Texas coasts, she helped free American citizens held in Mexico the latter part of April and took the British schooner Will o' the Wisp off the Rio Grande on 3 June.  (There was a later another Will-o-the-Wisp sidewheel steamer sunk off Galveston in 1865.  I'm not sure if they were one and the same.)

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery (1858)-- Part 2: General Characteristics

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

TYPE:  Steam gunboat

DISPLACEMENT:  787 long tons

LENGTH:  201 feet 6 inches

BEAM:   28 feet  7 inches

DRAFT:  15 feet 6 inches

PROPULSION:  steam engine

SPEED: 8 knots

ARMAMENT:

One 8-inch gun

Four 32-pounder guns

--Old B-Runner

USS Montgomery (1858)-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

I wrote about the current USS Montgomery (LCS-8) earlier this month in my Cooter's History Thing blog and was wondering if there had been any other ships by that name in the U.S. Navy.  Turns out, there had.

There were ones in the American Revolution, War of 1812, the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War II.  So, all together, there have been six USS Montgomerys.  I wrote about the one in the American Revolution earlier today.

This is the third warship by the name and the one which fought in the Civil War (and as an added bonus for me, was at the Battles of Fort Fisher.  I didn't know that.)

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

It was a wooden screw steamer built in New York in 1858, chartered by the U.S. Navy in May 1861, purchased in New York 28 August 1861 and commissioned  27 May 1861 with Commander O.S. Glisson in command.  (Further bonus, he was at Fort Fisher.)

--Old B-Runner

101-Year-Old USS Oklahoma Pearl Harbor Survivor Returns: David Russell

Continued from my Saw the Elephant:  Civil War blog.

Today, I will be posting about Pearl Harbor in all but one of my blogs.

David Russell is traveling to Pearl Harbor with the Best Defense  Foundation, a nonprofit founded by former NFL  linebacker Donnie Edwards that helps World War II veterans visit  their old battlefields.

"Those darn torpedoes, they just kept hitting us and kept hitting us.  I thought they'd never stop.  That ship was dancing around."

He remembers clambering over and around toppled lockers while the battleship slowly rolled over. "You had to walk sort of sideways."

Once he got to the main deck, he crawled over the ship's side and eyed the battleship USS Maryland moored alongside his ship.  He didn't want to swim over to it because leaking oil had caught fire in the water.  Jumping, he was able to catch a rope hanging from the Maryland  and escaped to that battleship without injury.

He then helped pass ammunition to the Maryland's anti-aircraft guns for the rest of the attack.

--Old B-Runner

Union Occupation of Beaufort, S.C.

 From the Know It All Org.:  Federal Occupation of Beaufort.

Federal forces under General Isaac I. Stevens march triumphantly into Beaufort on December 5, 1861.  "Harper's Weekly" reported to its readers:

"The beautiful rural town of Beaufort came into possession of the Union authorities as a result of the Battle of Port Royal.  The place had been abandoned  by all the white inhabitants  save one man who sat in the post office when the Union troops appeared  on the scene.

"To him was delivered the message announcing that the life and liberty of the people will be respected."

--Old B-Runner

160 Years Ago: Union Occupation of Beaufort, S.C.-- Part 3:

The John Mark Verdier House on Bay Street in Beaufort, now a museum, served as the Union Army's headquarters during the occupation. Many Beaufort mansions standing today were used as  hospitals or offices.

About 15 to 20 re-enactors from New York will be coming to Beaufort this weekend to present live demonstrations of Civil War camp life, drills and marching.  It will be like 160 years ago.

There will be bagpipes, discussions and live demonstrations of the importance of music and bugle calls during the war, the use of weapons, including cannons, how medical  support was deployed on the field, the role of women, and camp dining and cooking.

The 79th New York Volunteer Infantry was originally organized in New York City in 1858.  It was comprised primarily  of emigrant Scots and Scots-Americans.

In December 1861, the Highlanders were sent to the city of Beaufort  to help occupy the town.  At one point, they set up camp near what is presently the National Cemetery on Boundary Street.

The 48th New York Infantry Regiment occupied Port Royal, Hilton Head Island and Bluffton after the Battle of Port Royal Sound.

--Old B-Runner

160 Years Ago, the Occupation of Beaufort, S.C.-- Part 2: Fort Beauregard

Beaufort was captured by the Union Army as a part of a larger strategy of blockading Southern ports to prevent  commerce with Europe.

At the time of the Battle of Port Royal Sound, the Beaufort  volunteer infantry was  stationed at Bay Point Island, where residents used to hunt, fish  and camp.  Right now, conservationists are battling them proposed construction of a 4,000 square-foot villa on the island which is one of the last undeveloped barrier islands in South Carolina.

When I typed in Bay Point Island, the search showed a Fort Beauregard with the island.  This is one of the two Confederate forts defending Hilton Head Sound.

The Confederate fortification on the island was named Fort Beauregard  and was named Fort Seward after the Union capture of it in November 1861.

When Union forces arrived, officers of the Beaufort volunteers were having lunch and they quickly departed.  The Federal soldiers found  those lunches still on the table, uneaten.

--Old B-Runner

160 Years Ago, Union Forces Occupied Beaufort, S.C. That History Will Be Relived Saturday.

From the November 30, 2021, Island Packet by Karl Puckett.

The 160th anniversary of Beaufort's capture by Union forces -- which changed the outcome of the Civil War-- will be relived this weekend, and you can watch.

Live re-enactments of troops with the   79th New York Highlander Regiment and the 48th New York Infantry, Company F, will be conducted at the Arsenal Courtyard, 713 Craven Street from 10 am to 4:30 pm Saturday, December 4.

Admission is free, although donations will gladly be accepted.

In early December 1861, the two Army units being re-enacted were part of the Union occupation  of Beaufort after  the Union Navy success at the Battle of  Port Royal on November  7.  Port Royal Sound is the deepest natural harbor south of New York City and it became one of  the several  ports in the deep South to serve as bases for the Union blockading fleets.

Without these ports, the blockade would have been very difficult to enforce.  Plus, at the time, the Union was having very little success in its efforts to bring the Confederate states back into the Union.

--Old B-Runner