USS George Mangham-- Part 4: Looking for Raiders, Potomas Flotilla and SABS

The George Mangham was then assigned to the Potomac Flotilla 22 December; and until  10 July 1863, she suppressed blockade runners, capturing four prizes in the  lower Potomac River.  She was then taken to the Washington Navy Yard and fitted out for cruising in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Authorities in Washington, D.C., were  greatly concerned about attacks of Confederate raiders and the George Mangham was assigned to protect American merchant ships and fishing craft.  Leaving Washington  5 August, she cruised off the Magdalen Islands and Prince Edward Island; without detecting any Confederate ships.

She departed  Georgetown, Prince Edward Island, 5 November for New York Navy Yard.  After repairs, she  sailed 5 December to join the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron for blockade duty off  Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina.

While engaged in this work, on 7 January 1864, she moved close to shore and destroyed the beached blockade runner Dare which had been driven ashore by larger Union blockaders.

She then sailed to Charleston, S.C.,  and continued blockade service  of the South Carolina coast in the area of  Cape Romain, St. Helena Sound, and Bull's Bay for the remainder of the year.

Returning to  Port Royal, South Carolina,  5 January 1865, the Mangham was assigned temporarily to Key West, Florida, in March.

She returned to New York Navy Yard  9 August; decommissioned  9 September; and was sold at public office to D. T. Trendy 27 September 1865.

--Old B-Runner

USS George Mangham: Took Part in the Attacks on Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip Guarding New Orleans

On August 5 I started to write about this ship which was involved in the destruction of the blockade runner Dan.  I figured I should finish up on it a month later.

From Wikipedia.

The USS George Mangham was commissioned  at the Philadelphia Navy Yard 11 January 1862, Acting Master John Collins, Jr. in command.  It departed two days later, headed for the Mortar Flotilla of Commander David Dixon Porter as part of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron.

She arrived in Key West 13 February and from there sailed with the rest of the ships  to the mouth of the Mississippi River to prepare for the assault on Forts Jackson and St. Philip which guarded the approach to New Orleans.

The Mangham crossed the  bar into the river on 18 March.

After Farragut's meticulous preparations were complete, the Mortar Flotilla, including the Mangham began the bombardment of Fort Jackson 18 April.  The fort came under a sustained fierce cannonade for five days.

Better Late Than Never.  --Old B-Runner

Nelson Tift of Georgia-- Part 2: A Varied Career Before the War

From Wikipedia.

NELSON TIFT

(July 23, 1810-November 21, 1891) 

Born in Groton, Connecticut and moved with his family to Key West in the 1820s, where he assisted his father in the mercantile business.  He moved to Augusta, Georgia in 1830 and went into business.  During his travels, he opened many side businesses and ventures.  he arrived  in what would later become Albany, Georgia,  and set up a small trading post.

One of his children, Frances, married  to Captain Thomas N.  Nelson of the Confederate Army, who was killed at Tupelo, Mississippi.  (I will write about him tomorrow in my Saw the Elephant blog.)

In 1840, he was elected  as colonel of the local militia unit.  In 1841, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives and was reelected to the one-year position in 1847, 1851 and 1852.  While a state legislator, he supported reopening of the international slave trade.  Although not an advocate of immediate secession, he accepted the final decision and  and lent his services to his new nation.

He founded and  published the Albany Patriot from 1845 to 1858.    In 1850, he owned  eight slaves, in  1860, he owned nine in Albany and another nineteen spread out over two locations  in Dougherty County.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Mississippi-- Part 2: Enter Nelson and Asa Tift

The CSS Mississippi was the brainchild of Nelson Tift, a man raised in Florida as a child, but had moved to Georgia as a young man where he had become locally prominent.    (The town of Tifton in Tift County, Georgia, is named for him.  His nephew Henry Harding Taft named the city after his uncle, who is regarded as the founder of Albany, Georgia, the state's eighth largest city.)

At the beginning of the war, he realized that the Confederacy would have to build a navy, but faced major problems since there were few major shipyards and a lack of skilled shipwrights to build the ships.  To save time, he he  came up with the idea of constructing shops on the house-building.

His brother Asa  F. Tift agreed to work with him.  He had remained in Florida after Nelson moved to Georgia and had become a successful businessman in Key West and had come to know Stephen Mallory before he became a United States Senator and Confederate Secretary of the Navy.

Asa and Nelson showed his model to Mallory, who passed it on to a review board who declared it a feasible idea and Mallory authorized them to go to New Orleans and build the ironclad which would have18 guns and would be driven by three screw propellers.

--Old B-R'er

Captain James Brannon Saves Key West for the Union

From the January 13, 2022, Keys News "Today in Keys History."  

JANUARY 13, 1861

During the night, Captain James M. Brannon, commanding the Army Barracks Key West, marched his men to Fort Zachary Taylor and took command  of the fort.

This action ensured  that Key West would remain in Union hands during the Civil War and provided the Union Navy with a secure base to blockade southern ports.

This was essentially exactly what Major Robert Anderson did at Charleston Harbor after South Carolina seceded and he moved his small force from Fort Moultrie out to Fort Sumter in the harbor.

--Old B-R'er

Fort Zachary Taylor-- Part 5: It's Also About Key West's Best Beach

The Department of the Interior turned Fort Zachary Taylor over to the state of Florida in 1976 and in 1985 the Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park opened.  It is the southernmost state park in the continental United States.

Before visiting, you should go to this site:  floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/fort-zachary-taylor-historic-state-park for updates on operations and information about events, including weekly Civil War reenactments at the site.

And at fortzacharytaylor.com/beach, you'll discover that the 54-acre park also boasts "Key West's best beach" for  swimming, snorkeling, fishing, and picnicking.  Or, simply sit back and enjoy one of Key West's fabulous sunsets that it is so famous for.

--Old B-Runner

Fort Zachary Taylor-- Part 4: All Those Buried Cannons

Then, the former  marine and civil service engineer Howard England began to unearth  Civil War cannons  buried within the walls of Fort Taylor.  In 1899, when  Army engineers removed the top two levels of he fort in order to build the Osceola and Adair Batteries, they built the batteries over the casemates (gun emplacements).

Nearly 200 Rodman, Columbiad and Parrot cannons  were buried with in the battery walls.  Many were excavated and are on display today, but others are still buried, some of them are embedded and some are partially visible in the stone walls of the batteries.

Howard England is the man responsible for the preservation of Fort Zachary Taylor, for his continued work over a ten year period that uncovered the largest collection of Civil War armaments in the United States, including cannons, guns, a desalinization plat and thousands of cannonballs and projectiles.

This earned Fort Zachary Taylor the protection of the U.S. government as a National  Historic Landmark in 1973.

Thanks Mr. England.  --Old B-Runner

Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West-- Part 2: A New Fort Built and Civil War Service

When both Spain and England had Key West, they thought about building a fort there, but nothing happened until Florida was ceded to the United States in 1821.  

The new owners immediately recognized the importance of it and began to develop the island. In less than a decade, Key West had a lucrative  wrecking, fishing, turtle hunting, sponging and salt water  manufacturing enterprises which made the city  the richest per capita in the United States.

In 1822, a site for a fort was selected in Key West.  This new fort would command the Florida Straits, a major shipping lane between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.  Key West was  one of the most strategically advantageous ports in the world for  commercial and military purposes.

The fort would be named after President Zachary Taylor, a hero of the Mexican War, and, of course. president.

In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, the East and West Martello Towers were added to the fort to serve as batteries and armories and railway tracks were laid to move munitions quickly from the towers to the fort.

During the war, Union commanders of the fort were tasked with defending the U.S. Navy's  East Gulf Blockading Squadron which had its headquarters in Key West.  This group of ships were primarily involved with maintaining a blockade along Florida's Gulf Coast.

--Old B-Runner

Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West-- Part 1: Three Tiers and Lots and Lots of Cannons

From the October 31, 2021, Fort Myers (Florida) News-Press  "Florida History:  Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West" by Cynthia Williams.

Usually when you think of Key West, you don't think of military history.  Probably Duvall Street and all that partying and those sunsets.

But, Key West has a lot of military history.  Right there on Thompson Island just off the southwest tip of Key West stands Fort Zachary Taylor.  Built between1845 and 1866 of solid New England granite and ancient, impenetrable limestone.

It originally was a three-tier structure with cannons arranged along its 495-foot long, five-foot thick seaward walls -- 42 cannons to be exact, on each of its three levels, for a total of 126 cannons, each with a range of three miles.

--Old B-Runner

USS Nightingale-- Part 6: Purchase By U.S. Navy, Commissioned and Duty on the Gulf Coast

Being a slave ship, the Nightingale was condemned by the New York prize court and then promptly bought by the U.S. Navy, then in serious need of anything that would float and carry guns for the blockade of the South's coasts.

It was commissioned 18 August 1861 under command of Brevet Master  David B. Horne. 

The Nightingale now carried four 32-pounder cannons.

Fitted out as a collier and store ship, the Nightingale got underway south laden with coal the same day she was commissioned.  Stopped at Hampton Roads on the 21st and then left for Key West the following morning.  But for occasional trips north for coal and supplies, she served on the Gulf Coast through the first years of the Civil War.

--Old B-Runner

USS Isonomia -- Part 2: Operations Off Florida

The Isonomia sailed to Beaufort, North Carolina, on August 19, 1864, and arrived there on  August 23.  She joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and served off New Inlet (Fort Fisher), until ordered to Key West on 8 September with special instructions to cruise in the vicinity of Nassau and the Bahama Banks.

At Key West she was found to be unready for sea service and stationed off West Pass, Florida, where she operated until November when she returned to Key West  to prepare for cruising in Bahama waters.

At the end of January 1865, the Isonomia was returned to duty along the west coast of Florida where she continued until the end of the war.    She captured the British bark George Douthwaite attempting to slip into the Warrior River with a cargo of rum, sugar wool, ginger and mahogany from Jamaica.

Again, I have not been able to find any information on a Warrior River along the west coast of Florida.)

On 9 June 1865, she towed the USS Somerset to New York  where she was decommissioned  28 June 1865 and sold at public auction to Tabor Co.on 12 July 1865.  She subsequently became a merchant ship named the City of Providence and was later sold to foreign interests in 1867.

Still Sounded Like a Real ZSleeper.  --Old B-Runner

USS Nita-- Part 2: Three Prizes and the Salt Works

On the morning of February 24, 1864, Lt. Smith, who had been alerted by Union agents in Cuba, spotted the steamer Nan Nan, loaded with cotton attempting to slip out to sea from the Suwanee River.  The Nita gave immediate chase, running aground twice in the shallow waters, but forced the Nan Nan to throw her cotton overboard.

It ran ashore and was burned by her crew.

The Nita's next prize was on 11 April when she  captured the schooner Three Brothers at the mouth of the Homosassa River after a chase of three hours.  The Three Brothers had been attempting to slip into the river carrying supplies from Havana.

The third and final ship the Nita captured was 24 October when two of her boats boarded the abandoned and burning schooner Unknown in Clearwater Harbor.  They were able to put the fire out and took it to Key West for adjudication.

On 12 November, the Nita and USS Hendrick Hudson steamed into Tampa Bay and made a reconnaissance  and landed a party of sailors at Rocky Point to destroy a Confederate salt works, but were driven off by Southern cavalry.  On 3 December, the Nita and four other Union ships returned and destroyed the salt works.

In 1865, the Nita continued patrolling west Florida's coast  until decommissioned in Key West 3 May 1865 and sold at public auction.

The History of a Lesser-Known Ship.  --Old B-Runner

USS Columbia-- Part 3: A Short Union Service, Ran Aground At Masonboro Inlet

The U.S. government purchased the Columbia at the Key West Prize Court in November and armed her and assigned her to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron after fitting her out at  as a blockader at Hampton Roads, Virginia.  She was armed with six 24-pdr smoothbore cannons and one 30-pdr. rifled cannon and had a crew of 100.

Lt. Joseph Pitty Couthouy was placed in command.

In late December 1962, the USS Columbia headed south and joined the Wilmington, N.C. squadron.  Its new duty was to cruise up and down the coast and intercept blockade runners.  Shortly after dark on January 14, 1863, Lieutenant Couthouy ordered his ship to anchor for the night near what is today Wrightsville Beach.  Unfortunately the leadsman miscalculated the depth until the ship was almost in among the breakers.

Couthouy ordered the engines reversed but it was too late.

The Columbia ran aground full and hard in eight feet of water at Masonboro Inlet.

--Old B-Runner

USS Columbia (1862)-- Part 1: A Captured Blockade Runner

From Wikipedia.

The screw steamer Columbia was a 168-foot blockade runner captured by the USS Santiago de Cuba off the coast of Florida on 3 August 1862.  It was purchased by the U.S. Navy at the Key West Prize Court on 4 November 1862 and commissioned in December under command of Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Joseph Pitty Couthouy.

It had a complement of 100 and mounted six 24-pdr. smoothbore cannons and one 30-pdr. rifled gun.

While serving with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Wilmington, North Carolina, it ran aground and was wrecked off Masonboro Inlet. on 14 January 1863.  Forty of her crew and her commanding officer were captured by Confederates.

A Short U.S. Navy Career.  --Old B-Runner

USS Two Sisters-- Part 1: Former Confederate Blockade Runner

From Wikipedia.

The USS Two Sisters was a small 54 ton schooner captured from the Confederates and acquired by the Union Navy from the prize court.  It served both as a blockading gun boat and as a ship tender when needed.

Not much is known about it other than it used sails for propulsion and had one 12-pdr. gun.

It was built in 1856 in Baltimore, Maryland, and captured 21 September 1862 by the USS Albatross off the mouth of the Rio Grande while attempting to pass through the Union blockade into Brownsville, Texas, with a cargo of 87 bales of gunny cloth.  (Gunny cloth was used for the baling of cotton.)

It was later purchased by the U.S. Navy at the Key West Prize Court and commissioned January 30, 1863, at Key West, Acting Master William A. Arthur in command.

--Old B-Runner

USS Rosalie-- Part 2: Captures A Blockade Runner

Of course, the Rosalie's size and shallow draft was of great help in navigating the smaller inlets along Florida's west coast.

The sloop Rosalie was was captured on 16 March 1863 by the USS Octorara while attempting to run from Bermuda into the Confederate port of Charleston, S.C.. and sent to Key West for adjudication.  Purchased by the Navy on 6 May 1863 and fitted out as a tender, commissioned June 1863 with Acting Ensign Charles P. Clark in command.

She was assigned to the Florida west coast as tender to the blockading ship off Charlotte Harbor.  On June 6, she spotted the schooner Ann and  small sloop and pursued the ships three days up Peace Creek (River).  Though frequently grounding, on the 7th, the Rosalie was joined by two cutters from the USS Restless.

On the 8th, the Union ships captured the Confederate ships with large cargoes of cotton.

--Old B-Runner

USS Bermuda-- Part 6: Supplying the Blockading Fleets

The USS Bermuda made sixteen round trip voyages to the Gulf of Mexico, most of the time resupplying the ships of Farragut's West Gulf Blockading squadron  Besides supplies, she also carried passengers, usually officers and enlisted men going to and from blockade duty, sick men returning north to recuperate and prisoners captured afloat

On return trips, the Bermuda often had captured cotton.or ashore.

Other spots the Bermuda visited on her first voyage were Key West, Tampa Bay, St. Mark's and Pensacola.  After that, she provisioned the ships of the Mobile blockade, entered the Mississippi River and spent a week in quarantine and to New Orleans.

Then, it was on to Farragut's fleet off Galveston.  It then returned home, stopping at many of the same places.

--Old B-Runner

USS Glasgow; Was This The Ship That Captured the Blockade Runner Alabama-- Part 2

USS Glasgow (1863)

Was a blockade runner captured by the U.S. Navy.  Used mainly as a dispatch boat and storeship.

The Glasgow was originally the blockade runner Eugenie, captured off Mobile by the USS  R.R. Cuyler.  She was purchased from the U.S. Prize Court in Key West, Florida, and commissioned 9 July 1863, Acting Ensign N.M. Dyer in command.

252 tons, sidewheel, armament one 12-pdr.  howitzer, one 12-pdr.  rifle.

She was assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron and served as a dispatch boat and supply ship for the squadron between  Mobile Bay and Pensacola, Florida.

--Old B-Runner

Some Confusion On the USS Eugenie-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Was a captured Confederate schooner acquired by the U,S. Navy through prize court and put into service at Key west, Florida.  Not much is known about her, but 150 tons and mounted one gun.

Original name Eugenie Smith captured February 7, 1862, by the brig Bohio near the mouth of the Mississippi as it attempted to run the blockade.  Sent to Key West for condemnation by the prize court and renamed the Eugenie on 22 April 1862.

Fitted as a guard ship for the port of Key West and placed in command of Acting Master S.F. Holbrook.  Continued as a guard ship until sold in November 1864.

Nothing about it capturing the blockade runner Alabama.

--Old B-Runner

USS Gem of the Sea-- Part 2: A Blockade Runner's Worst Nightmare

On July 1, 1862, she possession of four  rice-laden lighters up the Waccamaw River.

The ship returned to Boston Navy Yard 18 October 1862, for repairs and then was ordered to the East Gulf Blockading Squadron and arrived at Key West  18 December 1862.

CAPTURING MORE BLOCKADE RUNNERS:  A very busy bark

It didn't take long before the Gem of the Sea added to her already long list of captures.    Twelve days later, 30 December 1862, she captured the sloop Ann off Jupiter Inlet.  Then, a small unidentified  schooner 12 January 1863, a small boat  28 January and the schooner Charm in the Indian River Inlet  23 February.

In the same vicinity, she captured the sloop Peter and the British blockade  runners Maggie Fulton and Inez.

For A Ship With That Small of A Crew, Even If These Were Relatively Small Blockade-Runners, They Must Have Been Rolling in the Prize Money.  --Old B-Runner