USS Passaic-- Part 4: Heavily Fortified Charleston

At this stage of the Civil War, Charleston had become  a comparatively  unimportant  point in the overall strategy of the war.  However, the Federal  government felt  that the reduction of Fort Sumter, where the war started, and the capture of Charleston would be a great moral victory in a struggle that wasn't going so well for the North at this juncture.

Du Pont was ordered to attack the Charleston defenses with a fleet of nine ironclads and five wooden ships.  After the Confederate guns were silenced, an army of 4,000 troops commanded by General Truman Seymour would proceed to attack the city itself.

However, during the two years after the attack on Fort Sumter, the Confederates had turned Charleston into one of the most protected Southern ports.  Forts Moultrie and Sumter had been rebuilt, a strong position named Fort Wagner had been constructed on Morris Island, directly opposite of Sumter.

Battery Bee had been erected on Sullivan's Island and numerous other fortifications had been built along the banks of Charleston's two rivers.

--Old B-Runner

S.C. Preserves Part of Fort Johnson Site-- Part 3: Before and After the War

By 1829, the Fort Johnson property had become a depot for the construction of Fort Sumter.  In 1860, engineers were scrambling to finish Fort Sumter as war clouds gathered.  On December 20, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union.

On December 26, 1861, Major Robert Anderson of the U.S. First Artillery ordered the families and troops at Fort Moultrie to shift  from Sullivan's Island to Fort Johnson, but the schooner carrying them stopped just short of the point, anchoring in the harbor.

When S.C. Governor Francis W. Pickens, learned that the forts, except Sumter, were essentially unoccupied, he ordered them seized.  General Pierre G.T. Beauregard decided a mortar to be fired from Fort Johnson would serve as a signal  for all batteries tom open fire on Sumter.

At the time, there were two batteries at Fort Johnson, one on the beach and one on the hill.

During the war, Fort Johnson and at Union-held Battery Gregg on Morris Island often exchanged artillery fire.  On July 3, 1864, Union troops attempted an amphibious landing at Fort Johnson, but failed.

In early 1865, with General Sherman's Army marching through the state, Confederates evacuated Fort Johnson and the rest of the massive Charleston defenses on February 17.

Troops with the 54th Massachusetts, a black regiment famous for he attack on Fort Wagner in Charleston Harbor and the 52nd Pennsylvania, a white regiment, rowed form Morris Island to Fort Johnson, taking control of 26 abandoned cannons.

--Old B-Runner

USS Weehawken's "Devil"-- Part 5: It's Still There By Morris Island

After Rodgers cut the "Devil" loose on April 7, it drifted behind Morris Island where the Confederates found it.  Engineers inspected the strange contraption and made a detailed sketch of it.  They later returned to procure any usable parts from the raft.  Captain Francis Lee requisitioned some ten tons of iron fittings from "the Yankee devil," intending to use it for his torpedo rams.

There is a copy of his requisition in the article along with the Confederate sketch.

Craig Swain, the blog writer of To the Sound of Guns, finds it amazing that the "Devil" still exists.  Several years ago he was on an excursion into the waters behind Morris Island in search of the Swamp Angel battery when it was mentioned that the remains of it were there.  He stomped over to it, saw it, but alas, had no camera.

But, a recent survey  of Civil War-related sites  around Charleston, conducted by the South Carolina Institute of  Archaeology and Anthropology for the American Battlefield Protection Program included the "Devil."

The survey team  visited the raft remains and took wood samples for analysis.

And, I'd Never Heard of It Before.  --Old B-Runner

The USS Weehawken's "Devil"-- Part 1: To Sweep Torpedoes (Mines)

Of interest, I found mention of this device that was attached at one time to the bow of the USS Weehawken.

From Historic Ships:  Extant Monitors.

The Weehawken was fitted with a large raft that was intended to sweep mines (called torpedoes) in Charleston Harbor.  The raft had a large notch that fit to the bow of the monitor, but it was very unwieldy.  As such the raft was eventually cut loose and drifted to a backwater area of Morris Island.

Confederates found it and called it "The Devil."

This anti-torpedo raft, "The Devil" was reported by Clive Cussler as being in a marsh somewhere around or on Morris Island.  The University of South Carolina also investigated the raft and Dr. Lee Newsom, of Penn State, reported taking wood samples for further analysis.

The results of the analysis are not known.

The Devil You Say.  --Old B-Runner

USS Weehawken-- Part 6: Sinking December 6, 1863

The next two months were uneventful.

On the morning of 6 December, 1863, the Weehawken was  anchored off Morris Island during a moderate gale.  Suddenly it called for assistance and appeared to observers on shore to be sinking.

Attempts to beach it failed and she sank bow first five minutes later in thirty feet of water.

A court of inquiry found that the Weehawken had recently taken in a considerable amount of heavy ammunition in her forward compartments.  This excessively  reduced her forward seaboard, causing water to rush down an open hawsepipe during the storm.

As the bow sank and the stern rose, water could not flow aft to the pumps and the vessel foundered.

Four officers and 27 enlisted men  drowned in the Weehawken.

--Old B-Runner

USS Weehawken-- Part 6: Took A Pounding 7-8 September 1863

South Atlantic Blockading Squadron commander, Admiral Dahlgren demanded Fort Sumter's surrender on 7 September and ordered the Weehawken to deploy in a narrow channel between the fort and Cummings Point on Morris Island.

There, the Weehawken grounded and took concentrated fire from Sumter, Fort Moultrie, Sullivan's Island and Morris Island.  It was refloated with the help of tugs on 8 September and received a "Well Done" from Dahlgren for defensive gunnery while grounded.

The Weehawken went to Port Royal for repairs until 4 October then returned to Charleston for  routine harbor patrol.

--Old B-Runner

USS Weehawken-- Part 5: Reducing Forts Wagner and Sumter

The USS Weehawken resumed operations against the Charleston fortifications.  On July 10-11, 1863, Union ironclads Nahant, Montauk, Catskill and Weehawken shelled Fort Wagner on Morris Island to cover a Union Army amphibious landing under Brigadier General Quincy A. Gillmore.  Despite additional bombardments on July 18 and 24, they failed to silence the Confederate fort.

Gillmore's troops were pinned down on the beach.  Fort Wagner was finally reduced in a naval bombardment of it, Fort Gregg, Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter on 17 August.

Next, the monitors Nahant, Weehawken, Montaul, Passaic and Patapsco took aim at Fort Sumter, pounding it to rubble on two separate bombardments on  23 August and 1-2 September.

--Old B-Runner

August 21, 1863: Confederate Torpedo Boat Torch Attempts To Sink the USS New Ironsides-- Part 1

AUGUST 21ST, 1863

The Confederate torpedo boat Torch Pilot James Carlin, made a gallant night attempt to sink the USS New Ironsides, Captain Stephen C. Rowan, in the channel near Morris Island.  The small steamer, which was constructed from the hulk of an unfinished gunboat at Charleston, sailed low in the water, was painted gray and burned anthracite coal (very little smoke) to avoid detection.

She took on much water and her engines were of dubious quality when she made her run at the blockader.

When but 40 yards away from the New Ironsides, Carlin ordered the engines cut and pointed his ship at its prey.  The boat failed to respond properly to her helm, and the New Ironsides swung about her anchor slowly with the tide.

The torpedo failed to make contact with the ship's hull.

--Old B-Runner

Whiting Appeals to Planters for Help on Defenses of Wilmington

From the July 23, 1863 Wilmington (NC) Journal.

"General WHITING, now commanding the department of North Carolina, appeals to the planters of the State to furnish him with labor.  Will this appeal be responded to or will it be slighted?

"Remember that this critical position of things on Morris Island is due mainly, if not wholly, to the neglect of planters of South Carolina to respond to the call and appeal of General BEAUREGARD."

The labor the planters were to send, of course, were slaves.  The Journal was blaming the Union forces being on Morris Island by Charleston, S.C., on the lack of cooperation from the planters.

--Old B-Runner

News in the Wilmington Journal, July 23, 1863

Besides news of local interest:

**  There were stories about action at Charleston, South Carolina.

**  A possible attack on Union forces at Morris Island by Charleston.

**  Lists of casualties in North Carolina regiments at the Battle of Gettysburg.

--Old B-Runner

155 Years Ago, December 19, 1861: Confederates Destroy Morris Island Lighthouse

DECEMBER 19TH, 1861: Confederate forces demolished the lighthouse on Morris Island, Charleston, South Carolina.

--Old B-Runner

Major Anderson Reports the Firing on the U.S.Schooner Rhoda H. Shannon on April 3, 1861

APRIL 4TH, 1861:  Report to Col. L. Thomas, Adj. Gen. U.S. Army.

Reporting "circumstances attending a firing, yesterday afternoon by the batteries on Morris Island at a schooner bearing our flag, bound from Boston to Savannah, which erroneously mistaking the light-house off this harbor for that of Tybee, and having failed to get a pilot, was entering the harbor"

"When the firing commenced some of my heaviest guns were concealed from their view by planking, and by the time the battery was ready the firing had ceased."

He decided not to fire back at the Confederate batteries "to resent this insult thus offered to the flag of my beloved country."

Major Anderson further wants all U.S. merchant vessels to be made aware of the situtaion in Charleston harbor.  Further, he believed the Confederate authorities were "certainly blamable for not having constantly vessels off to communicate instructions to those seeking entrance to this harbor."

--Old B-Runner

155 Years Ago: Lincoln Visits Washington Navy Yard and US Ship Fired on at Charleston Harbor

APRIL 2ND, 1861:  President Lincoln visited Washington Navy Yard.  The President returned frequently to confer with Commander Dahlgren on the defense of the Capital and the far reaching strategy of sea power in general.

APRIL 3RD, 1861:  A Confederate battery at Morris Island, Charleston, fired on American schooner Rhoda H. Shannon.

--Old B-Runner

Seaman Joseph Ridgaway of the Hunley-- Part 2

His new duties as second in command was to secure the aft hatch, manning the seventh crank operating the aft pump, seacock and flywheel.

He was one of the most experienced seamen on board the Hunley.

His body and those of the others were not found until 1995.

During the Hunley's excavation, his body was found with a slouch hat, pencil and wooden pope.  But the most interesting artifact found on his remains was an id for a Union soldier named Ezra Chamberlin who died at the Battle of Morris Island in 1863.

Best guess as to how it came into Ridgaway's possession was that he picked it up at some point when he was on picker duty at Morris Island. probably while he was assigned to the CSS Indian Chief.  Four other members of the Hunley's crew had also been on that ship.

After the Hunley didn't return from its attack on the Housatonic, a friend of Ridgaway's from the Indian Chief, James Joiner, brought his personal possessions back to his family in Maryland and eventually married one of Ridgaway's four sisters.

Joseph Ridgaway and the other Hunley crew members are buried at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, S.C..

--Old B-R'er

Keeping Confederates Tied Down at Charleston

JANUARY 23RD:

Rear Admiral Dahlgren wrote President Lincoln: "The city of Charleston is converted into a camp, and 20,000 or 25,000 of their best troops are kept in abeyance in the vicinity, to guard against all possible contingencies, so that 2,000 of our men in the fortifications of Morris and Folly Islands, assisted by a few ironclads, are rendering invaluable service.... No man in the country will be more happy than myself to plant the flag of the Union where you most desire to see it."

The Union's ability to attack anywhere it wanted along the Confederate coast tied down huge numbers of soldiers who otherwise could be serving in the armies.

Even So, Charleston Was Proving a Rough Nut to Crack. --Old B-Runner

150 Years Ago-- November 15-16,1863: USS Lehigh Has Close Call

NOVEMBER 15TH:

The USS Ladona seizes blockade running British schooner Arctic southwest of Frying Pan Shoals, NC, with cargo of salt.

NOVEMBER 15-16TH:

Fort Moultrie opened a heavy bombardment on Union positions at Cumming's Point, Morris Island. Brig. General Gillmore asked for naval help to prevent an attack by boats. Dahlgren had his tugs on patrol duty keep "a good lookout." Monitor USS Lehigh grounded while covering Cumming's Point and the next morning came under heavy fire until pulled off by the USS Nahant.

Five members of the Lehigh received Medals of Honor for heroism while carrying a line from the two ships. The USS Nahant even served during the Spanish-American War protecting New York City.

--Old B-Runner

Morris Island Secretly Evacuated By Confederates

SEPTEMBER 6TH, 1863-- After having been under constant bombardment for sixty days, Confederate forces secretly abandoned Morris Island by boat at night. Fort Wagner's commander, Col. Lawrence M. Keitt reported that the continuous bombardment, especially from guns on the USS New Ironsides, had killed 100 of his 900 men on September 5th alone.

Charleston commander, General Beauregard agreed it was time to leave the island. Covered by the CSS Charleston and on barges manned by sailors, the garrisons of Gregg and Wagner were evacuated. Union forces did not become aware of the operation until the last group was taken off.

---Old B-Runner