The Attack on the Mailboat Fawn-- Part 1: Grab the Money and Run

From "The Blue and Gray:  The Patriotic American Magazine Vol. 2: by Frank P. O'Brien.

He reported that during his scouting trips around Chowan Sound and Elizabeth City, he found that there were two mailboats making regular semi-weekly trips between Roanoke Island and Norfolk and that on a certain day the U.S. paymaster would go to Roanoke Island from Norfolk on the mailboat Fawn.

"I returned to Plymouth and reported the information, which was perfectly reliable,  to Captain James [John] Maffitt, of 'Florida' fame, who was soon after the engagement of May 5 (when the CSS Albemarle attacked the Union fleet off Plymouth, N.C.), had relieved  Captain Cooke of the command of the 'Albemarle."

"Captain Maffitt organized a  a crew to carry out my idea of capturing the boat.  Master's Mate James H. Long was placed in command, but on the eve of leaving he was  ordered not to go, as he had but recently recovered from a severe spell of sickness.  

"Mr. Shelley, sailing-master, took his place."

So, evidently an aim was to get the paymaster funds.

--Old B-Runner

Capture and Destruction of Mailboat Fawn-- Part 1

Not only did the Fawn carry mail, but also paymaster's funds.  

Report of Rear-Admiral S.P. Lee to Gideon Welles of the Fawn's capture and destruction. 

He had received the report from Commander Macomb that the Fawn had been captured on September 9, 1864.  Naval assistance was requested to capture the group of Confederates that had captured it.  Macomb had sent the USS Wyalusing under Lieutenant-Commander Earl English to Elizabeth City  thinking that he might catch the rebels there.

English was also ordered "to bring off some principal citizens of that place" because of an understanding that Elizabeth City would protect vessels passing through the canal.

English had with him some Marines from the Shamrock and Chicopee plus some men from the Wyalusing (not sure if English went to Elizabeth City on foot or in the ship).  Anyway, he arrested seven prominent citizens and found out that the rebels had at least an eight hours head start and thought it useless to continue pursuit.

--Old B-Runner

James B. Hopkins, CSN and the Capture of the Mailboat Fawn-- Part 2

Seven men from the Fawn were killed or wounded by federal accounts.

Commander James Macomb sent three gunboats carrying extra Marines in pursuit but were too late to capture Hopkins' group.

The gunboats proceed to Elizabeth City, N.C.,  where Lieutenant Commander  English arrested seven citizens whom he sent to Norfolk as hostages.

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

Later in the fall, Confederate raiders blew up the lighthouse at the entrance to Croatan Sound.

Thus was the small-scale war in the Carolina Sounds in 1864 and 1865.

--Old B-Runner

The USS Louisiana's Navy Service-- Part 1: Civilian Ship Acquired By U.S. Navy

From Wikipedia.

I wrote about this ship being ordered November 20, 1864, to report to Beaufort, N.C., and then to Hampton Roads for conversion into Butler's Powder Ship for use in blowing up Fort Fisher, North Carolina.  I was always under the opinion the Louisiana was an older ship.  It wasn't.

It was built by Harlan and Hollingsworth, in 1860, in Wilmington, Delaware.  Its first owners were S. & J.M. Flanagan of Philadelphia.  Acquired by U.S. Navy at Philadelphia on 10 July 1861 and commissioned in August 1861 with Lieutenant Arthur Murray in command.

Steamer, 295 tons, 143.2 feet long, 27.3 beam, , 85 complement, armament: one 18-pdr. smoothbore Dahlgren, one 32-pdr. gun, one 12-pdr. Dahlgren rifle.

Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and until January 1862, it operated along the Virginia coast.  It also participated in the Battle of Roanoke Island on February 7-8, 1862 and the Battle of Elizabeth City on Feb. 10.

--Old B-Runner

Capture of the Mail Boat Fawn By Confederates in N.C.

From the Navy and Marine Living History Association  Compendium of U.S. Marine actions  in the Civil War.

"SEPTEMBER 9, 1864:   Marines of the USS Shamrock and USS Chicopee under the command of Lieutenant Commander  Earl English, landed at Elizabeth City, North Carolina to search for those who had attacked the mail boat Fawn and killed seven persons on board.

"Failing to find those involved, they took seven prisoners back to the ships."

This was the ship from which U.S. Congressman George Washington Julian was captured, but quickly released.  I would have thought capturing a Congressman would have been a good bargaining chip in prisoner exchanges.

Oh Well.  --Old B-Runner

Some More on Rep. G.W. Julian

From the HMdb.org site.  This marker is part of the Civil War Trails effort to mark lesser known Civil War sites.  "The Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal."

"U.S. Congressman George Washington Julian of Indiana, a Republican member of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, took the mail boat Fawn to Roanoke Island to find out whether sutlers there were price-gouging the soldiers to whom they sold goods.

"On February 9, 1864, on the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, Confederates attacked the ship, killed or wounded 7 people, captured 29 passengers, including Julian and burned the Fawn.  Julian was soon released at Elizabeth City and continued to Roanoke Island."

The marker is located at Coinjack, N.C., in Currituck County.

--Old B-Runner

Another Account of Representative Julian's Capture

From Google Books.  "Executing Daniel Bright:  Race, Loyalty, and Guerrilla Violence in Coastal Carolina Community, 1861-1865"  by Barton A. Myers.

Page 128

"Frustration in the Union Army and Navy  reached a peak in early September after Confederate troops from the ram CSS Albemarle, which was a serious threat in the region, burned the mail boat USS Fawn in the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal.

"The Confederates seized twenty-nine prisoners in the raid.    Aboard the ship was U.S. congressman George Washington Julian, the only congressman captured during the war by Confederates.  Julian, however, was quickly released at Elizabeth City by Confederates without explanation.

"Lieutenant Earl English of the U.S, Navy arrived at Elizabeth City to arrest the men responsible, but finding them gone, he took seven local  citizens hostage."

Well, It Would Have Been Confederate sailors or Marines from the CSS Albemarle.  --Old B-Runner

This Date September 8, 1864, A U.S. Congressman Captured By Confederates-- George Washington Julian-- Part 1

Two days ago I posted part of this month's North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial timeline  for 1864 and one of the items was the capture of this man.  I had never heard of him, but a quick look at his story in Wikipedia shows that he was quite a prominent figure in the Civil War.  I'll have to write about him in my Saw the Elephant blog.

However, I also did not know about the capture and have been doing research on it and can't find out much about it.

In Civil War Talk, I found a person had posted a forum entry "Coinjack, NC. had a Civil War Moment, Yea!" by 5fish on Feb. 15, 2010.

He wrote essentially what the timeline had said, which was as follows:

HEY! Hey!  My mom's hometown of Coinjack, NC. had a big moment during the Civil War on September 8, 1864.

September 8 --  The only capture of a United States Congressman  during the Civil War -- at Coinjack in Currituck County.  George Washington Julian was taken prisoner when  Capt. J.N. Maffitt ordered pilot  J.B. Hopkins to take a detail of twenty Confederate sailors yo the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal and capture the mailboat Fawn.  Julian was subsequently released in Elizabeth City.

--Old B-Runner

About Nixontown, N.C. and the 1st N.C. Infantry (Union)

The April 10, 2018, blog entry on the N.C. Timeline for April 6, 1863, showed a skirmish at Nixontown involving the 1st N.C. (Union).

According to Wikipedia, this is also called Nixon's Town or Windmill Point.  It is an unincorporated community in Pasquotank County located in the very northeastern corner of the state near the Virginia line.

It was once a municipality and incorporated originally in 1758.

Named for Zachariah Nixon, it was once the county seat of the county from 1785-1800.  In 1799, the county seat was moved to Elizabeth City.  Prior to the Civil War, it was a flourishing community, but today only 25 families live there.

The Skirmish at Nixontown on April 6, 1863, only involved Company D of the 1st NC (Union)They were also at Rodman's Point skirmish March 30, 1863.  The 1st was authorized by general Burnside in May 1862 and organized in June of that year.  They mustered out June 27, 1865, in New Bern, N.C..

--Old B-R'er

The Battle At Elizabeth City, N.C.: A Big Act of Bravery

One example of the "dash" Ammen referred to in the previous post, was called to Flag Officer Goldsborough's attention by Commander Rowan.  "I would respectfully call your attention to one incident of the engagement which reflects much credit upon a quarter gunner of the Valley City and for which Congress has provided rewards in the shape of medals.

"A shot passed through her magazine and exploded in a locker beyond containing fireworks.  The commander, Lieutenant Commander Chaplain, went there to aid in suppressing the fire, where he found John Davis, quarter gunner, seated with commendable coolness on an open barrel of powder as the only means to keep the fire out."

For demonstrating such courage, "while at the same time passing powder to provide te division on the upper deck while under fierce enemy fire," Davis was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by General Order 11, 3 April 1863.

Not Sitting This One Out.  --Old B-R'er

February 10, 1862: Huge Union Success at Elizabeth City, N.C.

FEBRUARY 10TH, 1862:  Following the capture of Roanoke Island, a naval flotilla, including embarked Marines, under Commander Rowan in the USS Delaware, pursuing Flag Officer Lynch's retiring Confederate naval force up the Pasquotank River, engaged the gunboats and batteries at Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

The CSS Ellis was captured and the CSS Seabird was sunk; the CSS Black Warrior, Fanny and Forrest were set on fire to avoid capture; the fort and batteries at Cobb's Point were destroyed.

Of Commander Rowan's success, Admiral Daniel Ammen later wrote:  "Nothing more brilliant in naval "dash" occured during the entire Civil War than appears in this attack."

--Old B-Runner

155 Years Ago, September 28, 1861: The USS Susquehanna Captures a Ship

SEPTEMBER 28TH, 1861:  The USS Susquehanna, Captain Chauncey, captured Confederate schooner San Juan, bound for Elizabeth City, N.C., with cargo of salt, sugar and gin.

--Old B-Runner

Attack on Elizabeth City, N.C.

SEPTEMBER 10TH, 1864:  An expedition from the USS Wyalusing landed at Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River, North Carolina, and seized several of its leading citizens for interrogation regarding the burning of the mail steamer Fawn on the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal the night before.

The naval landing party encountered little resistance in Elizabeth City, and succeeded in capturing 29 prisoners.  They learned that the Fawn expedition had been led by members of the CSS Albemarle's crew.

Sure, Blame It on the Albemarle.  --Old B-Runner

North Carolina's Wooden Gunboats

From the Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

Earlier this week, I used this article to write about North Carolina wooden gunboats in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 in my history and 1812 blogs.  A third era of these ships was in the Civil War when they were used to protect the state when it was part of the Confederacy.

According to the article, Civil War gunboats took two types.  Some were prewar vessels adopted to military use, many serving in North Carolina's Navy, the so-called "Mosquito Fleet," which was destroyed during and after the fighting around Roanoke Island and Elizabeth City in 1862.

The other type were custom-built under contract to the Confederate government in various coastal towns, primarily Washington, North Carolina.  But with the fall of that place and Elizabeth City to Union forces in the spring of 1862, led to the termination of several plans to build wooden gunboats in the state.

One Washington gunboat was apparently taken up the Tar River and hidden in a creek in Pitt County.  When it couldn't be completed, it was burned.  This wreck has been studied by underwater archaeologists since 1973.

There You Have the Wooden Gunboats.  --Old B-Runner

Naval Happenings 150 Years Ago: Feb. 8, 1862: Confederate Loss at Elizabeth City, NC

FEBRUARY 8TH

Foote's new armored gunboats, the Eads ships, show their worth at Fort Henry.

Two Confederate ships in Virginia ordered to stay in readiness to assist the Merrimack when it is ready for service.

USS Conestoga had gone up the Tennessee River to Chickasaw, Alabama, and seized two steamers.  Confederates destroyed three others to prevent capture.  The Union Navy pressing forward on their victory at Fort Henry.


FEBRUARY 10TH

Union ships pursuing retiring Confederate fleet up the Pasquotank River.  Engaged batteries and Confederate ships at Elizabeth City.  CSS Ellis captured, CSS Seabird sunk and three others burned to prevent capture.  Confederate fort and batteries at Cobb Point destroyed.

Foote receiving requests to send warships up Cumberland River to protect transports getting ready to attack Fort Donelson in Tennessee.

Union Secretary of Navy Welles forwarded to Cmdr. D.D. Porter names of 22 sailing vessels and 7 steamers which will be mortar boats for attack on New Orleans.

Captain Buchanan of the Merrimack (not yet renamed CSS Virginia) reported that he could not get crew from the Army.

CSS Virginia Getting Ready.  Union Navy Pressing Home Their Successes.  --Old B-Runner