Saturday, January 28, 2017

155 Years Ago, January 25, 1862: Need Oil for the Merrimack

JANUARY 25TH, 1862:  Flag Officer French Forrest, CSN, commanding the Navy Yard at Norfolk, wrote to Major General Huger:  "I have just learned that one of the enemy's vessels has been driven ashore with several hundred gallons of oil on board ...  We are without oil for the Merrimack and the importance of supplying this deficiency is to obvious for me to urge anything more in its support."

As was true throughout the economy of the blockaded Confederacy, lack of critical supplies delayed the construction of the ironclad ram.

--Old B-Runner

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