Seaman Dennis Conlan's Fort Fisher Medal of Honor

From the Jan. 5, 2020, Ammoland Shooting Sports News : "Medal of Honor Monday:   Navy seaman David Conlan."

Born 1838 in New York City.  Age about 26 when his actions earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor, which occurred December 23, 1864, during the First Battle of Fort Fisher.

Conlan was serving aboard the USS Agawam when he and several others volunteered to  pack the USS Louisiana with explosives and take it in close to Fort Fisher and blow it up with the hope that the concussion of explosion would damage or even knock down the fort.

Late at night, it was towed in close to Fort Fisher by the USS Wilderness to within 300 yards of the fort's Northeast Bastion.  Once in place, Conlon and the others lit the elaborate fuse and clockwork system then built backup fires in the stern.

They then abandoned the ship and went back to the Wilderness and joined the rest of the fleet about 12 miles away to await the explosion.

Unfortunately, the breeze and strong undertow had driven the Louisiana further off the beach than expected and the explosion did no damage to the fort other than awaken some.

But, all ten men who volunteered for the mission were awarded Medals of Honor.

--Old B-Runner

December 23-24, 1864-- Part 1: Powder Ship USS Louisiana Blown Up Off Fort Fisher

DECEMBER 23-24TH, 1864:  After many days of delay because of heavy weather. the powder ship USS Louisiana, Commander Rhind, towed by the USS Wilderness late at night, was anchored and blown up 250 yards off Fort Fisher, North Carolina.

After Rhind and his gallant crew set the fuses and a backup fire at the stern, they escaped by small boats to the Wilderness.  Rear Admiral Porter and General Butler, who was awaiting in Beaufort, N.C., to land his troops the next morning and storm Fort Fisher, placed great hope in the exploding powder ship, hope that Dahlgren, as an ordnance expert, no doubt disdained its success.

The clock mechanism failed to ignite the powder at the appointed time, 1:18 am, and after agonizing minutes waiting, the fire set by Rhind  in the stern of the Louisiana reached the powder and a tremendous explosion occurred.

Big Boom!  --Old B-Runner

Butler's Powder Ship, the USS Louisiana-- Part 5: The Effort to Blow Up

Once off Fort Fisher, the USS Wilderness took up the tow .

Commander Alexander Rhind and a volunteer crew prepared to attack.  The Wilderness towed the Louisiana toward Fort Fisher, but were turned back by heavy swells.  Worsening weather caused the attack fleet to be unable to leave Beaufort so the first attack was called off.

The final attempt was made December 23, 1864, when the Wilderness brought the Louisiana in as close as it could to Fort Fisher late in the evening.  The Louisiana had been set up with a series of fuses to explode her, but, just in case, Rhind and his men set a fire aft, then escaped in small boats to the Wilderness.

Then came an anxious wait until 1:18 24 December, when the fuses were set to blow.  The effort had failed.  But wait!!!  The small fire they had set aft managed to burn its way fore to the powder and the Louisiana finally blew up.

Unfortunately, the whole effort failed.  No damage was done to the fort, where the garrison thought a blockade runner had run aground and blown up.


--A Failure, But a Good Idea.  --Old B-Runner

The USS Niphon's Involvement in the Loss of the USS Aster

From Wikipedia.

The USS Niphon was a ship to be feared by blockade runners.  Click on the label USS Niphon below to see how much she was involved in captures.  It is an impressive list.

The USS Aster ran aground and was lost chasing the blockade runner Annie on October 7.  The Niphon came to her aid.  The Niphon then assisted in the capture of the Annie when she ran out od Wilmington on October 31.

On October 1, 1864, the Niphon ran the blockade runner Condor aground, now a N.C. State Dive Spot, and this shipwreck was where famed Congederate spy Rose O'Neal Greenhow drowned.

Then on October 7 the Niphon rescued the crew of the USS Aster under the guns of Fort Fisher.  It was able to tow the USS Berberry after it had become disabled trying to tow the Aster off the shoals.

On the last day of October, the Niphon and USS Wilderness captured the Annie on her way out.

A Busy October.  --Old B-Runner

Picture of the Capture of the Blockade Runner Annie, Oct. 31, 1864

From the New York City Library Digital Collections.

A drawing of the capture of this ship under fire from Union vessels, whose names are given:  How-quah, the Alabama's launch, Wilderness, Niphon, Kansas and Alabama.

Drawn in 1864 by Charles F. Ellmore.

--Old B-Runner

Lee Makes Last Attempt to Break Grant's Lines-- Part 1

MARCH 25TH, 1865:  General Grant wired Rear Admiral Porter that General Lee's soldiers had broken through the right of his lines and that he thought they would strike toward the central James River supply base at City Point a few miles from the breakthrough.

"I would suggest putting one or two gunboats on the Appomattox up as high as the pontoon bridge, he told the Admiral.  Porter immediately ordered gunboats up the Appomattox River to guard the bridge "at all times."

Simultaneously, the USS Wilderness was ordered up the Chickahominy River to communicate with General Sheridan, carry intelligence about any Confederate activity along the river, and bring back dispatches from Sheridan for Grant.

--Old B-Runner

Initial Fort Fisher Attack Called Off

DECEMBER 18TH, 1864:  Commander Rhind and his brave crew of volunteers aboard the USS Louisiana were towed in toward Fort Fisher by the USS Wilderness to be exploded and perhaps knock down the fort.

They found the ocean swells too severe and turned back.

Major General Butler, still at Beaufort, saw the weather worsening and asked Porter to postpone the attempt to blow up his powder boat (it was his idea) until the sea was calm enough to land his troops safely.

The attack was called off.

(It is strange to me that the Navy attack was to commence without Army support being there on the scene.)

--Old B-Runner

Not a Blockade-Runner, Per Se: The CSS Chickamauga Returns to Wilmington

NOVEMBER 19TH, 1864:  The CSS Chickamauga, Lt. Wilkinson, ran the blockade into Wilmington under cover of a heavy fog.  He had miscalculated his position the day before and successfully run through the blockade to Masonboro Inlet instead of New Inlet.

Wilkinson dropped down the coast and early in the morning of the 19th anchored under the guns of Fort Fisher to await high tide when the Chickamauga could cross the bar and stand up the Cape Fear River to Wilmington.

As the fog lifted blockaders USS Kansas, Wilderness, Cherokee and Clematis opened on what they thought at first was a grounded blockade runner.  The Chickamauga broke out its Confederate flag and returned the fire, joined by the heavy guns of Fort Fisher.

Fog and the range of the fort's guns thwarted efforts to destroy the cruiser and by mid-morning, the Chickamauga was safely up the river and nearing Wilmington.

Nearly an Oops.  --Old B-R'er

Blockade-Runner Annie Seized Off New Inlet, N.C.: Some Question About Procedure

OCTOBER 31ST, 1864:  The USS Wilderness and USS Niphon seized British blockade-runner steamer Annie off New Inlet, N.C..  New Inlet was one of the two entrances to the Cape Fear River and Wilmington.  The Annie was outward bound with a cargo of tobacco, cotton and turpentine

Concerned by reports that the officers of the two ships had not properly signaled other Union blockaders during the chase in order to obtain a larger share of the prize money, Rear Admiral Porter wrote: "This war is not being conducted for the benefit of officers to enrich them by the capture of prizes, and every commander is deficient in the high moral character which has always been inherent in the Navy who for a moment consults his private interests in preference to the public good, hesitates to destroy what is the property of the enemy, or attempts to benefit himself at the expense of others... Honor and glory should be the watchword of the Navy, and not for profit."

A steamer such as the Annie brought in large prize money from all ships within sight of its capture.  The fewer the ships, the more the shares of money for its captors.  I have to wonder how many blockade-runners avoided capture when a blockader "neglected" to alert others about its presence?

--Yea, Right!  --Old B-R'er