Some More Confederate Navy Officers

From Register of Confederate Naval Officers.

JAMES H. HOOD

Born in Canada.  Chief Engineer, October21, 1861.

Served on the C.S. Cruiser Nashville 1861-1862.

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JAMES B. HOPKINS

Acting Master, pilot. December 5, 1863.  Pilot First Class, February 1, 1864

Served on the CSS Beaufort, Richmond Station 1861-62.  CSS Arctic, Wilmington Station, 1863.

CSS Albemarle, 1864

Commanded expedition that destroyed U.S. mailboat Fawn on the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, September 9, 1864.

--Old B-Runner

Albert Gallatin Hudgins, CSN

From Texas History  "Register of Officers of the Confederate States Navy, 1861-1865)

ALBERT GALLATIN HUDGINS

Born and appointed from Virginia.  Resigned as acting midshipman, U.S. Navy, March 11, 1861.  Acting master , September 24, 1861.  Lieutenant for the war, February 8, 1862,   Second lieutenant September 8, 1862. Second lieutenant, October 23, 181862, to rank from October 2, 1862.

First lieutenant Provisional Navy, June 2,  1864, to rank from January 6, 1864.

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Served on the CSS  Sumter, 1861, wounded and captured while in charge of prize brig  Cuba, July   8, 1861; exchanged  at Aiken's Landing, Virginia, August  5, 1862.

CSS Baltic, Mobile Squadron, 1862-1863.  Drewry's Bluff, Virginia, 1863.  Participated in the expedition for the capture of  U.S. steamers Satellite and Reliance,  August 23, 1863.  Johnsons Island  expedition, 1863.

C.S. steamers  Raleigh and Arctic, Wilmington Station,  1863-1864.

Special duty, 1864.  CSS Bombshell; captured in Albemarle Sound, May 5, 1864, ; paroled at Charleston, South Carolina, December  15, 1864.

C.S. steamers  Virginia (No. 2) and Richmond, James River squadron, 1865.

Semmes Naval Brigade 1865.  Paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina,  April 28, 1865.

--Old B-Runner

B. W. Guthrie. Was He Another Son of John J. Guthrie?

There was also a B.W. Guthrie listed in the Confederate Naval Officer book.

Born in North Carolina.

Appointed from North Carolina

Master, not in line for promotion, February 24, 1862.

Master, not in line for promotion, Provisional Navy,  June 2, 1864.

Served on floating battery 1862-1863.

Receiving ship Arctic 1863-1864.  The Arctic was in the Wilmington Squadron.

Charleston Squadron 1864.

Could this be another son of John Junius Guthrie?

Extremely Promising.  --Old B-Runner

Some More on the USS/CSS Arctic-- Part 4

Historical Notes on the ship.

1855  Named Arctic by the U.S. Navy to serve in the polar expedition of Dr. Elisha Ken Kane.  Returned and machinery taken off and sold to U.S. Lighthouse service.

1860  Arrived at Smithville, N.C. (now Southport) for use as a relief vessel.

1860  Seized by Confederates and sunk in the Cape Fear River.  (The date here should be 1861 for seizure.  Most likely it was sunk in the Cape Fear River in January 1865 after the fall of Fort Fisher.)

1866   Raised and repaired

1867   May 4 assigned to Hen and Chickens Shoal, Massachusetts

1875   Dragged off station by ice.

1876   April  Broke adrift in a heavy gale.

1877  Assigned as relief at Woods Hole, Mass.

--Old B-R'er

Some More on the USS/CSS Arctic-- Part 3: Service Assignments

Service Assignments

1860--  Frying Pan Shoals, North Carolina.  Arrived at Smithville (at the mouth of the Cape Fear River leading to Wilmington) on May 14, 1860 for use as a relief vessel.  When the state seceded, it was seized by Confederates.  According to this source, it seems that the ship was sunk in the same year, but I think most likely it was sunk at some point during the attacks on Fort fisher in late 1864, early 1865.

It was later raised, repaired and towed north by the tender Iris in 1866.

From 1867 to 1877 it was lightship LV-8 at Hen and Chickens, Massachusetts.

From 1877 to 1879 it was a Relief in Massachusetts.  I'm thinking this to be use as a relief ship.

--Old B-Runner

Some More About the USS/CSS Arctic-- Part 2: LV-8

From the U.S. Coast Guard Lightship site.

The Arctic was built 1853-1855 for $10,000.  It was wood frame and planked and fitted to lightship use in 1859.

The ship was 98 feet long and had a beam of 23.6 feet.  Draft was 11.6 feet and 232 tons.  Propulsion was steam, but machinery removed by the U.S. Navy prior to sale to U.S. Light House Service.  It was converted to schooner rigging when modified.

Illumination apparatus consisted of a single lantern on the mainmast which had eight lard oil lamps with reflectors.

--Old B-R'er

Some More on the USS/CSS Arctic-- Part 1

From America's Lighthouses by Francis Ross Holland.

The Arctic was seized and sunk in the Cape Fear River where it remained until the end of the war.  After the war, it was raised, repaired and refitted for further lightship duty.

In 1867, it was stationed at Hen and Chicks Shoals off Massachusetts for nine years.  It was found to be "old and worn out" and not worth repair and removed from service in 1876.  It was sold at public auction three years later.

--Old B-Runner

USS Arctic-- Part 2: Service Before the Civil War

Continued from Jan. 8, 2016.  This is continuing with the story of the CSS Arctic, located at Wilmington, N.C., during the war.

In July 1856, the USS Arctic put to sea to make depth soundings in preparation for the laying of the first transatlantic cable.  Late in the month the Arctic was at St. John's, Newfoundland and 23 August 1856, was at Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland.

After completion of this, it was commissioned into the Coast Survey and in 1857 and early 1858 made further cable soundings in the Atlantic Ocean.

Recommissioned into the U.S. navy, from May to July 1858 was part of the American squadron off Cuba protecting American ships from British ships using their "right of search and seizure."

In early 1859, the Arctic's propulsion machinery was removed and the ship was turned over to the U.S. Lighthouse Board as a lightship.  It was placed off the coast of North Carolina where it was captured by Confederate forces and turned into a warship.

After the war, it was raised and repaired and served another career as a lightship before being sold at public auction 16 April 1879.

--Old B-R'er

CSS Arctic-- Part 7: Scuttled, Raised, Becomes a Lightship Again

In early 1865, the CSS Arctic was scuttled, but not destroyed, to prevent capture by Union forces after the fall of Fort Fisher.

After the war, the wreck was raised and found to be structurally sound and again outfitted as a lightship and continued to serve for many years using its original name

Comments on Civil War Talk.

One person not sure where it was moored.  Perhaps near Fort Caswell.

Someone else had a picture of the USS Arctic from the Illustrated London News from the late 1850s with the caption "The American Steam ship 'Arctic' employed in sounding for the Atlantic Telegraph."

--Old B-R'er

CSS Arctic-- Part 6: USS Arctic to CSS Arctic

From 1858-1859, the USS Arctic was taken out of service and converted back into a lightship at Norfolk and turned over to Lightship Services.  Its engine and boiler were placed in storage.  After Norfolk was seized by Confederates it is possible that they were sent to Wilmington, N.C. for use on an ironclad.

Now as the Lightship Arctic, it was placed in service off Wilmington where it too was seized by Confederates in 1861 and converted into a floating battery/guard ship and became the CSS Arctic.  It is possible that the original sheet iron on its hull was still in place which might be why some classified it as an ironclad floating battery.  However, sheet iron wouldn't help much in stopping a shell.

It is also possible that more sheet iron was placed on the hull.

It likely also had three cannons arranged along center pivots in open mounts.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Arctic-- Part 5: Background on the Franklin Expedition

The USS Arctic was bought by the U.S. Navy specifically for use in the continuing search for the Sir John Franklin lost Arctic expedition.

From Wikipedia.

The Franklin expedition was a British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain Sir John Franklin in 1845.  Franklin had been on three previous Arctic explorations, looking for the Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic.

His two ships became ice bound in Victoria Strait near King William Island.

Every member of the expedition, including Franklin perished (129 men).

There were many expeditions sent out to look for him back then and they have continued to this day.

A famous American, Elisha Kane, an explored and U.S. Navy medical officer,  led the second Grinnel Expedition in 1853, the one the Arctic accompanied.  They did not find Franklin.

Of interest, when Kane died in Cuba in 1857, his body was taken to New Orleans and placed on a funeral train that was met at nearly every platform on the way by a memorial delegations.  It was said to be the longest funeral train in the United States during the 19th-century except for that of Lincoln.

--Old B-R'er

CSS Arctic-- Part 4: Looking for Arctic Explorer John Franklin

Continued from December 24, 2015.

There is some confusion as to whether the CSS Arctic was the USS Arctic, a lightship.

In 1854, the U.S. Navy authorized a search mission for the Franklin.  A strong, stout ship was needed which could be modified for use in far north waters.  They found a lightship under construction in Philadelphia and believed it was just what they needed.  They named it the USS Arctic.

The engines were intended for a tugboat and sheet iron was placed on the hull for protection against ice.  (This could be a reason why some sources list the CSS Arctic as an ironclad.)

The Kane Mission returned without find the Franklin and the USS Arctic was laid up.  It was then fitted out for cable laying and coastal survey work.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Arctic-- Part 3: Did the USS Arctic Become the CSS Arctic?

I ended up doing a whole lot of research on this ship yesterday.  It's probable history started becoming apparent.

From the Civil War Talk site.

Another person found two references to Civil War ships named Arctic.  One was the CSS Arctic, a floating battery stationed at Wilmington, N.C.  It was destroyed in December 1864 or early 1865 depending upon the source.

The other was the USS Arctic, commissioned by the U.S. Navy and having service with the U.S. Coast Survey.  In 1859, it was transferred to the Lighthouse Board and saw duty as a lightship for twenty years.

Another person said the CSS Arctic was converted from a lightship and mounted three cannons.

It was possibly raised and put back into service again.

He believes the Confederate and Union Arctics were one and the same ship.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Arctic-- Part 2: Union Ship/Confederate Ship?

Another person wrote some information that I have seen in several places concerning the CSS Arctic.

Flt. Btry: 3 guns  (Floating battery)

Built in Wilmington 1863, as ironclad floating battery and additional duty as a receiving ship for Flag Officer Robert F. Pinckney's Naval Forces Station Cape Fear River from 1862-1864 with Lt. C.B. Poindexter, CSN, in command.

Her machinery removed in the latter part of 1862 for ironclad CSS Richmond then completing in Richmond.

With threat of First Attack on Fort Fisher, it was sunk 24 December 1864 to obstruct the Cape Fear River channel.

Another person commented that the Arctic's engine was removed in 1859 and was providing power to a sawmill when the CSS Richmond was commissioned with engines built by Naval Ironworks in Richmond, Virginia.

--These are some conflicting accounts Indeed.  --Old B-Runner

CSS Arctic-- Part 1: Somewhat of a Mystery Ship

I have been writing about J.J. Ingraham who at least at times was stationed as a boatswain on the CSS Arctic.  There is not a lot written about the CSS Arctic at the Wilmington (N.C.) Naval Station in the Cape Fear River.

Civil War Talk had a thread running on it at one time "CSS Arctic--what do we know?"  Not much.

A person wrote that he knew it was a floating battery with a "nifty" name, but that was about it.

Another commented that it was a receiving ship and at one time 38 Confederate Marines were stationed there after the loss of their ship, the CSS Raleigh.

Wikipedia lists it as an ironclad floating battery, burned in 1865, but had no article on it.

--Old B-R'er

J.J. Ingraham, CSN-- Part 3: Service on the Arctic and Raleigh and What Is a Boatswain?

J.J. Ingraham was listed with the crew of the CSS Arctic of the Wilmington (NC) Naval Station in the June 1862; July 1863; April-Nov. 1864 rosters.  The CSS Arctic was the station's receiving ship evidently.

He was listed as a boatswain.  At one point, the Arctic was under the command of Lt. C.B. Poindexter and W.T. Muse is also listed as commander.

He also appears as a boatswain on the crew list for the CSS Raleigh on Jan., Feb., and March 1862; Jan. to June 1864 rosters.  Lt. Commanding was James W. Alexander.

I had the idea that a boatswain was an enlisted man of high rank and according to Wikipedia, a boatswain is a senior crewman of the deck department and supervises others.

--Old B-Runner

J.J. Ingraham, CSN-- Part 1: Boatswain

From Confederate States Navy Arthur Wyllie.

J.J. Ingraham was appointed to the USNA from Virgibia and entered CSS Navy Jan. 16, 1864 as boatswain.  One source has him as boatswain of the CSS Arctic in 1863.  Served on the steam gunboat CSS Raleigh and ironclad sloop CSS North Carolina. and Wilmington Station in 1864 and later

Boatswain  Confederate States Navy on Jan. 16, 1864.

Boatswain Provisional Confederate States Navy June 2, 1864.Assigned to the ironclad CSS Raleigh 1863-1864, the CSS Arctic and the CSS Chickamauga and Wilmington Naval Station in 1864.

I was unable to find any mention of him as being in the U.S. Naval Academy.

--Old B-Runner

Some More on Civil War Receiving Ships-- Part 1

From "The Day the Johnboat Went Up to the Mountains: Stories From my Twenty Years in South Carolina Maritime Archaeology" by Carl Naylor.

Civil War Receiving Ships

Receiving ships functioned as barracks for transient sailors, as "boot camps" for training new sailors and headquarters for other functions.  Invariably older vessels, no longer useful as warships and no longer seaworthy became receiving ships.

The next stop generally for these ships was scrapping.

Confederate receiving Ships:

CSS United States at Norfolk

CSS Arctic at Wilmington

CSS Indian Chief at Charleston

CSS  Sampson at Savannah

CSS Dalman at Mobile

CSS St. Philip at New Orleans

--Old B-R'er

Lightships to Ironclads

From Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

"At least two ironclad floating batteries were converted from existing lightships.  The Frying Pan Shoals lightship was being converted to a floating battery in the rear of Fort Caswell, near the Western Bar Inlet of the Cape Fear River, when a party from the Union ship Mount Vernon burned it in late december 1861.

The Arctic was converted in 1863 and later used as a receiving ship for the Wilmington Station.  In March 1863 and January 1865 the Union navy reported Confederate ironclad sightings but there is no documentation to confirm either account."

I have heard of the CSS Arctic, but there is not much information on the ship.  I would imagine it was destroyed when Wilmington fell.

Old B-Runner