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

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

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