Lincoln on the Importance of Seapower: "Uncle Sam's Web Feet"

In the summer of 1863, Lincoln had written:  "Nor must Uncle Sam's web feet be forgotten.  At all the watery margins they have been present.

"Not only on the deep sea, the broad bay, the rapid river, but also up the narrow, muddy bayou, and wherever the ground was a little damp, they have all made their tracks."

--Old B-Runner

April 15, 1865: In Case the President's Assassin Is Taken to Washington Navy Yard

APRIL 15TH, 1865:  Welles sent a telegram to Commodore John B. Montgomery, Commandant of Washington Navy Yard:  "if he military authorities arrest the murderer of the President and take him to the Yard, put him on a monitor and anchor her in the stream, with a strong guard on vessel, wharf, and in the yard.

Call upon the commandant of the Marine Corps for guard.  Have vessel immediately prepared to receive him at any hour, day or night, with necessary instructions.  he will be heavily ironed and so guarded as to prevent escape or injury to himself."

--Old B-R'er

April 15, 1865: Death of Abraham Lincoln and His last Trip to Washington Navy Yard on April 14th

APRIL 15TH, 1865:  Secretary Welles announced the assassination of President Lincoln to the officers and men of the Navy and Marine Corps.  Welles wrote:  "To him our gratitude was justly due, for to him, under God, more to any other person, we are indeed for the successful vindication of the integrity of the Union and the maintenance of the power of the Republic."

The President had continually demonstrated a keen interest in the Navy and far-seeing appreciation of seapower.

Late in the afternoon of the 14th he had taken what was to be his last trip to the Washington Navy Yard (which he visited often during the war) to view three ironclads there that had been damaged during the Fort Fisher engagement.

There were four monitors and the ironclad USS New Ironsides at Fort Fisher.  I have read these three ships were monitors, which leaves the New Ironsides out.  The four monitors were the Canonicus, Mahopac, Saugus and double-turreted Monadnock.

Most likely, the Monadnock was the one not viewed by Lincoln the day before he died because  it was at Hampton Roads on April 7 and then sailed for Havana on April 17th.

--Old B-Runner

April 14, 1865: President Lincoln Shot

APRIL 14TH, 1865:  President Lincoln was shot shortly after 10 p.m. while watching "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre.  He died at 7:22 a.m. the next morning.

Rear Admiral Porter, who had departed Hampton Roads on the 14th, learned, when his flagship, the USS Tristram Shandy, put into Baltimore on the morning of the 15th, that the President had been shot.

The admiral immediately went to Washington, D.C., where he learned the President had died.  The reaction of the tough, battle-hardened sea dog to the news expressed the grief of the nation.  Porter, who had bid a merry farewell to Lincoln exactly one week before at City Point, bowed his head a and wept.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Tallahassee-- Part 3: A Successful Cruise With 23 Union Ships Destroyed and 7 Bonded or Released

After the CSS Tallahassee was commissioned and prepared for her new role as a commerce raider, it was placed under the command of John Taylor Wood, CSN.  He was the grandson of President Zachary Taylor.

The officers and crew were all officers and enlisted men from the Confederate squadrons on the James River and North Carolina waters.

The Tallahassee ran through the blockade on August 6, 1864, from her home port of Wilmington, N.C. and evaded four Union blockaders on her way out.  She made a spectacular 19-day raid along the Atlantic coast up to Halifax, Nova Scotia.  During that time, it destroyed 26 vessels and bonded or released 7 more.

Wood sailed his ship into Halifax Harbor on August 18 to take on bunker coal and water.  But neutrality law only gave him 24 hours to do so.

--Old B-Runner

CSS Tallahassee-- Part 1: The Stats

From Wikipedia

Builder:  J&W Dudgeon, Cubitt Town, London, England.

First Occupation:  Blockade Runner

Commissioned:  July 20, 1864

Fate:  renamed CSS Olustee (raider)  and CSS Chameleon (blockade runner)

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

Displacement:  700 tons

Length:  220 feet

Beam:  24 feet

Propulsion:  two -- 100 h.p.  steam engines, two propellers, masts and sails

Speed:  15 knots

Complement:  120

Armament:

one rifled 32-pdr. forward
one rifled 100-pdr. amidships
one heavy Parrott aft

--Old B-Runner

Adriatic's Passenger List (1862)-- Part 4: Country of Origin

This is a list of countries the passengers said they were from:

England--  20
France--  1
United States--  2
Canada--  3
Baden (Germany)--  6

Even as the war was being fought, sea commerce in the North continued essentially as always (unless of course, a Confederate raider got involved off Northern coasts).  It was definitely a much different story with cargo and passengers coming into and leaving Southern ports.

--Old B-Runner

Adriatic's Passenger List-- Part 3: Ages and Occupations of Them

AGES OF PASSENGERS (Other than children):


11--  1
19--  1
20--  1
22--  1
24--  4
25--  4
26--  1
27--  1
29--  1
31--  4
34--  2
35--  1
37--  1

41--  1

47--  1
52--  1

60--  1

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

OCCUPATIONS LISTED FOR MALE PASSENGERS:

Farmer--  3
Weaver--  1
Tailor--  2
Gardener--  1
Baker--  1
Brushmaker--  1
Clerk--  2
Seaman--  1
Carpenter--  1
Dressmaker--  1
Glazier--  1
Shoemaker--  1

Wives--  6
Servant--  1

--Old B-Runner

Adriatic's Passenger List -- Part 2: Families

The Adriatic was captured and burned by the Confederate commerce raider CSS Tallahassee in August, 1864.  The Adriatic had made several trips across the Atlantic from England before that.  Here is a passenger list from 1862.

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

There were several families aboard the ship:

Charles and Louis Johnson  (both 24)

Dora Horschberg (37) with children Jacob (7), Minah (4), Rebecca (3), Esther (2) and Simon (6 Months).

Mary Barnard  (29)  Bertha Barnard (26) servant, Mark (12) and Julia (3)

Lazarus(31) and Bloomer  (22)  Ittleson and  son Abraham  (10 months)

John (28) and Margaret (31) Lenden and son George (7 months)

I am figuring that Dora Horschberg and Mary Barnard were traveling without their husbands to meet him in New York.  They might likely have gone on ahead to get themselves established.


Richard H. Moore had also brought over another group of 33 immigrants from London to New York City 21 November 1861.

--Old B-Runner

Adriatic's Passenger List for 1862 Arrival from London-- Part 1: Immigration from Europe

Captain or Master Richard H. Moore had brought a group of immigrants from London to New York City in the ship Adriatic, arriving  24 March 1862.

He had 40 passengers, mostly from Germany and England.  It is interesting to note that all women were listed as wife for occupation.  There were evidently two classes of transport, 1st and 2nd Cabin.

Five were 1st Cabin and the rest 2nd.  Age, male or female, occupation,  Country they were from, country they were going to shown.

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

1ST CABIN

1.  Georgianne Mine  24, female, wife, U.S., America
2.  William H. Hunt,  24, male, farmer, Great Britain, America
3.  Edwin N. Cragg,   41, male, silversmith,  --  , America
4.  John Versmier,  31, male, grocer, Germany, America
5.  Jemima E. Stra?burg, 31, female, none, U.S., America

There were 35 in 2nd Cabin

From Germany--  15
From England--  11
From United States--  7
From France--  2

More.  --Old B-Runner

Adriatic Lost On Way to New York-- Part 3: Captured By the CSS Chickamauga

The captain of the Tallahassee, John Taylor Wood, ordered the Adriatic burned.  The passengers were still aboard and many didn't speak English, and feared they were to be burned as well.  It took a bit of explanation,but they found they were to be removed forts.

Wood convinced them they were in no danger

Despite being worried that he wouldn't have enough room on his ship, he managed to get them all aboard.When word of the Tallahassee's capture of the Adriatic reached New York, the city was in an uproar and Confederates were branded as pirates.

The North's commercial fleet scattered from the waters.

--Old B-Runner

Adriatic Lost On Way to New York-- Part 2: One of 30 Union Ships Captured By the CSS Tallahassee

In late July 1864, the sailing ship Adriatic left London, England, enroute to New York, carrying 170 German immigrants and 100 American citizens.  The ship was built in New York in 1861 and, in addition, was transporting about 1000 tons of supplies.

The CSS Tallahassee was a former blockade runner (SS Atalanta) which had been acquired by the Confederate government and commissioned as a commerce raider and commissioned in 1864.  It left its homeport of Wilmington, N.C.,  and began a voyage in August 1864, where it captured 30 ships.  Out of the 30, the Adriatic was the biggest prize.

When the two ships encountered, a collision caused the Tallahassee to lose a mast.

--Old B-R'er

Adriatic Lost On the Way to New York in 1864-- Part 1: Victim of CSS Tallahassee

From dh101shipwrecks.himspace.ucla.  "Lost On the Way to New York"

ADRIATIC

DATE LOST:  8/12/64

LOCATION LOST:  Montauk, sw, 20 miles

WHY LOST:  War Loss

DEPARTURE POST:  London, England

DESTINATION POST:  New York City

MASTER:  Richard H. Moore

LIVES LOST:  0

--Old B-Runner

Wreck of a CSS Tallahassee Victim Found Off Long Island-- Part 2: Planning to Attack New York City

The Tallahassee, under the command of John Taylor Wood (grandson of former U.S. president Zachary Taylor), and quite a daredevil, also captured a pilot boat and tried to get the pilot to guide him into New York Harbor where he planned to destroy ships and attack the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

He planned to sail up the East River and escape into Long Island Sound.  However, his audacious plan was called off when the pilot said he didn't know the harbor.

The CSS Alabama sank five ships off the east end of Long Island, about 60 miles offshore in October 1862.

Long Island has American Revolution, Civil War, World War I  and World War II (U-boat) history.

--Old B-R'er

Wreck of a CSS Tallahassee Victim Found Off Long Island-- Part 1: Packet Ship Adriatic

From the March 31, 2020, Civil War Talk  "CSS Tallahassee and CSS Alabama Off  Long Island"by OtselicNY.

Always interested when a Civil War shipwreck is found and especially when it involves Fort Fisher and Wilmington, North Carolina, which this article definitely refers to since the ship that sank the ship that was found was the CSS Tallahassee based out of Wilmington.

Skin divers recently found the wreck of the sailing ship Adriatic 30 miles off Montauk Point, Long Island.  It was sunk by the commerce raider CSS Tallahassee in August 1864 which sank six ships off Long Island over a couple days.

--Old B-Runner