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GIFT  OF 


MR.  WILLIAM  C.   HOLCOMB 


HARVARD  COLLEGE  LlBRARY^S 


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THE  STEAM  NAVY 


OF  THE 


UNITED  STATES. 


A   HISTORY  OF  THE  GROWTH  OF  THE  STEAM  VESSEL  OF  WAR 

IN  THE   U.  S.  NAVY,  AND  OF  THE  NAVAL 

ENGINEER  CORPS. 


IVITH  U^UMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


By   frank  M.    BENNETT, 

Fused  Antitant  Engineer,  U.  S.  Navy. 


aSOOND    9DIXION. 


1897: 

Waarsk  &  Company,  Publishers, 
Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


ST 

vol,  I 
6-      -^ 


COPyRIGHT9D  1896, 

By  frank  M.  BENNETT. 


OCT  1  2  1982 


Oc^^L-^ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGB. 
Intzoductory i 

CHAPTER  n. 

The  Demologos,  or  Fui,TON,  the  First  Steam  War  Vessel  ever  Built— Robert 
Pulton — ^The  Ska  GuWr-The  Fui,ton,  2D— Mr.  Chas.  H.  Haswell,  the 
First  Bn^eer  in  the  United  States  Navy—Captain  M.  C.  Perry's  Rec- 
omendations  Regarding  Engineers*  Force — Regulations  Governing  Ap- 
pointment of  Engineers — Performance  of  the  Fui.TON  Under  Steam — 
Her  Subsequent  Careei^-Captain  Perry's  Interest  in  Engineers 8 

CHAPTER  III. 

I      The  Snginkbr— The  Mississippi  and  Missouri— Establishment  of  the  Engi- 
neer Corps  by  Act  of  Congress— Destruction  of  the  Missouri— Career  of 
!               the  Mississippi — Steamers  Transferred  to  the  Navy  from  the  War  De- 
I  partment— The  Michigan 32 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Bxperiments  vvith  the  "Hunter  Wheel"— The  Union— The  Wat«r  Witch— 

The  AiABGHBNY— The  Stevens  Battery •  •  •• 48 

CHAPTER  V. 

Intxoduction  of  the  Screw  Propeller— John  Ericsson— The  Princbton  and  Her 
Remarkable  Engine — Great-Gun  Accident  on  the  Princbton  and  Con- 
sequent Breach  of  Friendship  Between  Ericsson  and  Captain  Stockton 
—Subsequent  Career  of  the  Princbton 61 


Moss — 
Pro- 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Reorganization  of  the  Engineer  Corps— Case  of  Chief  Engineer  C.  B.  M 

All  Assistant  Engineers  Examined  and  Rearranged  According  to  rro- 
ficiency — Laws  and  Regulations  Affecting  the  Engineer  Corps  &om  1845 
to  1850 — Resignation  of  Chief  Engineer  John  Faron,  Jr.  •  •  •  •  • 75 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  War  With  Mexico -Naval  Operations  in  Califomia^Important  Service  of 
Soigeon  William  Maxwell  Wood — ^Blockade  of  the  Gulf  Coast— Commo- 
d(»e  Perry  and  the  Mississippi — valuable  Professional  Service  of  Engi- 
neer-in-Chief  Haswell — ^Bombardment  of  Vera  Cruz — **Alvarado  Hun- 
ter"— Steamexs  Bought  for  Temporary  Service — Naval  Engineers  En- 
gaged in  the  Mexican  War— Results  ot  the  War 88 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

^€w  Steamers  Authorized  for  the  Navy  in  1847— The  Susqxtbhanna,  Pow- 
hatan, Saranac,  and  San  Jacinto — ^Mr.  Haswell  Succeeded  as  Engi- 
neeivin-Chief  by  Charles  B.  Stuart—Circumstances  Connected  with  Mr. 
Haswell's  I^eaving  the  Navy— His  Great  Services  to  the  Naval  Engineer 
Corps— His  Subsequent  Career 102 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Expedition  to  Japan  and  Treaty  with  that  Country — Services  of  Engineers 
in  the  Expedition — Value  of  Steamers  in  Impressing  the  Japanese- 
Other  Naval  Affiiirs  in  the  Par  East 126 

CHAPTER  X. 

End  of  the  Experimental  Period  and  Beginning  of  the  Creationary  Period  of 
the  American  Steam  Navy— The  Frankun— The  Mbr^imac  Class  of 
Steam  Frigates— The  Niagara — Services  of  Chief  Engineer  Everett  in 
Connection  with  the  Atlantic  Cable  I^aid  by  the  Niagara— The  Hart- 
ford Class  of  Large  Screw  Sloops — Mr.  Archbold  Succeeds  Mr.  Martin 
as  Engineer-in-Cmef— Tbe  Mohican  Class— The  PaWnks — ^The  Para- 
guay Expedition — Small  Steamers  Purchased  for  the  Navy — Project  to- 
Con  vert  Old  Line-of-Battle-Ships  into  Steam  Frigates 137 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Engineer  Corps  from  1850  to  the  Beginning  of  the  Civil  War— Congress 
Petitioned  to  Increase  the  corps— Pay  Increased  by  United  EflPort  of  all 
Officers^Rank  of  Engineers  defined— New  Regulations  Governing  Ap- 
pointment and  Promotion  Issued — Opinions  of  Chief  Engineer  Gay  m 
Relation  of  Sails  and  Steam 177 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Civil  War 193 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

186 1— The  Civil  War,  Continued— Engineers  and  Steam  Vessels  in  the  Navy 
at  the  Outbreak  of  Hostilities— Resignation  and  Dismissal  of  Officers^ 
Chief  Engineer  B.  F.  Isherwood  Appointed  Engineer-in-Chief  of  the 
Navy — Increase  of  the  Engineer  Corps— Qualifications  of  the  Volunteer 
Engineers — Remarkable  Career  of  Don  Carlos  Hasseltino — Vessels  Ad- 
ded to  the  Fleet  During  the  Year — The  Kbarsargb  and  Canandaigua 
Classes  of  Steam  Sloops— The  Ninety-Day  Gunboats— The  First  Double- 
Enders 201 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

1861— The  Civil  War,  Continued— The  Norfolk  Navy  Yard— Attempt  to  Sa^e 
the  Frigate  Mbrrimac — Endeavors  of  Engineer-in-Chief  Isherwood — 
Destruction  of  the  Yard — Attack  on  Hatteras  Inlet— Destruction  of  the 
Privateer  Judah  at  Pensacola 230 

CHAPTER  XV. 

1 861 — ^The  Civil  War,  Continued — ^Expedition  of  Flag  Officer  DuPont  to  Port 
Royal— Loss  of  the  Governor— Naval  Battle  at  Port  Royal— Killing  of 
Assistant  Engineer  Whittemore  on  the  Mohican— A£bir  of  the  Trent.  .  345 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

1861— The  Civil  War,  Continued— The  First  American  Iron  Clads— The  Ste- 
vens Battery  Condemned  by  a  Board  of  Naval  Officers — ^Authority  to 
Build  Armored  Vessels  Conferred  by  Act  of  Congress — Report  of  Board 
on  Iron  Clad  Vessels— The  Gaxsna,  Nsw  Ironsibks,  and  Monitor— 
Armored  Vessels  on  the  Mississippi  River 26a 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTBR  XVn. 

i86»— The  Ci^il  War,  Contiiined— Capture  of  Roanoke  Island  and  Elizabeth 
City— The  M^R&imac  and  Her  Raid— Destmction  of  the  Congrsss  and 
CoiCBBRirAND— The  Monitor  Completed  and  Commissioned— Her 
Chief  Engineer,  Isaac  Newton-^Voyage  of  the  Monitor  fix)m  New  York 
and  Her  Arrival  in  Hampton  Roads 286 

CHAPTER  XVni. 

1862— The  Civil  War,  Continned—Pirst  Pight  of  Iron  Clads— Efiects  of  the 
Battle — Extn^rdinary  S^rices  Rendered  by  Chief  Engineer  Stimers — 
Attack  on  Deary's  Blnff— The  Galbna  Badly  Injured— Gallantry  of 
Assistant  Engineer  j.  W.  Thompson 301 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

1862— The  Civil  War,  Continued— Naval  Operations  in  the  Mississippi  River- 
Battles  Below  New  Orleans— Catastrophe  to  the  Mound  City— Attack 
on  Vicksbnrg— Warfare  on  the  Atlantic  Coast— Wreck  of  the  Adiron- 
dack—I>)ss  of  the  Monitor— Peril  of  the  Passaic— Heroism  of  Assist- 
ant Engineer  H.  W.  Robie 318 

CHAPTER  XX. 

1862— The  Civil  War,  Continued— Increase  of  the  Navy— Steamers  Purchased. 
Mississippi  Flotilla  Transferred  to  the  Navy  Department — Steam  Ves- 
sels of  War  Placed  Under  Construction— The  Passaic  Class  of  Monitors 
—The  Dictator  and  Puritan- The  Miantonomob  Class— Other  Moni- 
tors—The Kbokuk— The  Dundsrbbrg — Legislation  Regarding  the 
Nay^ — ^Retired  List  Established— Creation  of  the  Bureau  of  Steam  Engi- 
neering—Pensions   337 

CHAPTER  XXL 

1863— The  CiTil  Wsr,  Continued— Disssters  at  Galveston— Loss  of  the  Colom- 
bia—Raid  of  Rebel  Rams  off  Charleston— Loss  of  the  Isaac  Smith— 
The  Fx<orida,  and  Her  Pursuit  by  the  Sonoma — Investment  of  Wash- 
ington, North  Carolina— Assembling  of  Ironclads  off  Charleston— Re- 
markable Breakdown  and  Repairs  to  the  Machinery  of  the  Wbk- 
RAWKKN— Attack  on  Port  McAllister— First  attack  on  Port  Sumter— 
Destruction  of  the  Kkokuk— The  Ati^anta-Wbbbawkbn  Duel— Pro- 
tracted Investment  of  the  Charleston  Ports  by  the  Monitors — Sinking 
of  the  Wksh  AWKBN • 363 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

1S63— The  Civil  War,  Continued— The  War  on  the  Western  Waters— Passage 
of  Port  Hudson— Destruction  of  the  Frigate  Mississippi— Minor  Opera- 
tions in  the  West -New  Vessels  Placed  Under  Construction- The  Light- 
Draft  Monitors  —  Iron  Double-Enders  —  Large  Wooden  Frigates  and 
Sloops-of-War  —  The  First  Swift  Cruisers— The  Kai«amazoo  Clsss  of 
Monitors — ^Assimilated  Rank  of  Staff  Officeis  Raised — New  Regulations 
Governing  Promotion  in  the  Engineer  Corps  Issued 384 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

1863— The  Civil  War,  Continued— Controversy  as  to  the  Efficiency  of  Iron- 
Clads-Rear  Admiral  DuPont  Reports  Adversely  to  them— Chief  Engi- 
neer StimexB  Reports  in  Their  Favor — ^Rear  Admiral  DuPont  Prefers 
Charges  Against  Chief  Engineer  Stimers— The  Case  Investigated  by  a 
Court  of  Inquiry— Vindication  of  Mr.  Stimers 403 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

1864— The  Civil  War,  Continued— Confederate  Saoceas  in  the  Uae  of  Tor- 
pedoea— Blowing  Up  of  the  Sloop  of  War  HousaTonic— Minor  Naval 
Operations  —  Boiler  Explosion  on  the  Chsnango— The  Ksarsa&gb- 
AULBAMA  Fight— The  Great  Battle  in  Mobile  Bay— Ix)ss  of  the  Tbcum- 
SKH— Capture  of  the  Privateer  Pix>rida  by  the  Wachus«W— The  Gun- 
boat Otsqgo  Sunk  by  a  Torpedo— PirBt  Attack  on  Port  Pisher 423 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

1864— The  Civil  War,  Continued— Naval  Operations  in  the  N<^th  Carolina 
Sounds — ^The  Ram  Ai«bsmari«b— Sinking  of  the  Southfibi^d  and  defeat 
of  the  Miami— The  Naval  Battle  of  May  Pifth— Disaster  to  the  Sassacus 
and  Heroism  of  Her  Chief  Engineer — Darinp^  Attempt  of  Enlisted  Men 
to  Destroy  the  Ram — Her  Destruction  by  Lieutenant  Wm.  B.  Cushing 
— ^Battle  and  Capture  of  Plymouth — Prize  Money  distributed  on  Ac- 
count of  the  AI3BMARZA 447 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

1864— -The  Civil  War,  Continued— New  Ships  and  Machinery  Begun  — The 
Sbrapis  Class- The  Ricsaca  Class  —  Competitive  Machinery  of  the 
QumNKBAUG  and  Swatara— The  Stroicbou,  or  Spuyten  DaYVii.— 
The  Light-Draft  Monitors — Petition  of  the  Engineer  Corps  Addressed  to 
Congress  and  its  Results 474 


PREFACE. 

HAVING  completed  this  work,  the  author  desires  to  express  his 
thanks  to  many  friends  and  acquaintances  whose  assistance, 
given  in  the  form  of  books,  letters,  manuscripts,  etc.,  has  made  the 
collection  of  mnch  of  the  contained  information  possible.  Especial 
thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  Chas.  H.  Haswell  of  New  York,  a  veteran 
engineer,  and  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  the  earliest  steam  period 
of  our  navy;  his  clear  mind  has  supplied  a  fund  of  information 
regarding  the  birth  of  our  steam  navy  that  could  not  have  been 
obtained  elsewhere,  and  which  has  made  possible  the  rescue  from 
oblivion  of  much  of  the  subject-matter  included  in  the  first  chapters. 
Chief  Engineer  B.  E.  Isherwood,  TJ.  S.  Navy,  has  also  kindly  sup- 
plied much  information  and  many  references  to  documents  from 
which  valuable  knowledge  has  been  derived. 

Chief  Engineers  James  W.  King,  William  H.  Shock,  Charles 
H.  Loring,  George  W.  Melville,  David  P.  Jones,  James  Entwistle, 
F.  G.  McKean,  Harrie  Webster,  and  James  H.  Perry;  Passed 
Assistant  Engineers  Robert  S.  Griffin,  F.  C.  Bieg,  Walter  M. 
McFarland,  H.  P.  Norton,  F.  C.  Bowers,  G.  Kaemmerling,  and 
Chief  Naval  Constructor  Philip  Hichborn,  have  all  afforded  so  much 
aid  in  the  way  of  papers,  manuscripts,  photographs,  etc.,  that  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  thank  them  by  name.  Mr.  T.  C.  Brecht,  formerly  of 
the  naval  engineer  corps,  and  Mr.  A.  O.  Blaisdell  of  New  York, 
have  contributed  valuable  drawings  of  machinery  of  older  ships, 
which  might  not  have  been  found  elsewhere,  which  are  greatly 
appreciated.  Mr.  E.  H.  Hart,  the  well-known  photographer  of 
Brooklyn,  has  placed  the  author  under  many  obligations  by  allowing 
the  use  of  photographs  upon  which  he  holds  copyrights.  Besides 
those  already  named,  nearly  three  hundred  others — officers  and 
ex-officers  of  the  navy,  ship  a:id  engine  builders,  and  civilians  inter- 
ested in  naval  progress — have  by  letter  or  verbally  given  much 
assistance;  all  whom  are  now  formally  thanked. 

In  all  matters  of  historical  importance  the  aim  has  been  to 
adhere  strictly  to  official  accounts  written  at  the  time  by  persons 
most  directly  (oncerned.  With  this  idea  in  view,  the  annual  reports 
of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  for  more  than  fifty  years,  covering  the 


PREFACE. 


period  since  steam  was  introdnced  into  the  navy,  have  been  carefully 
studied,  as  have  also  the  reports  of  commanding  officers  of  fleets, 
squadrons,  and  ships,  especially  those  relating  to  the  operations  of 
the  Civil  War.  The  records  of  the  naval  Bureaus  of  Steam  Engi- 
neering and  Construction  and  Bepair  have  been  found  mines  of  useful 
knowledge.  Many  reports  made  by  committees  of  Congress  on 
naval  matters  have  also  been  used  and  much  information  gained 
from  them,  they  being  official  and  impartial  to  the  same  extent  as 
departmental  reports,  and  therefore  equally  suitable.  From  these 
official  sources  and  from  individuals  of  undoubted  reliability  the 
material  for  this  book  has  been  obtained. 

In  addition  to  official  documents,  many  books  have  been  used 
for  reference.  Some  of  these  are  mentioned  in  the  text;  among 
others,  those  found  most  useful  have  been,  ^'  The  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
Coast,''  by  Rear  Admiral  Daniel  Ammen;  C.  B.  Boynton,  «' History 
of  the  Navy  During  the  Cival  War;"  Charles  B.  Stuart,  «*  Naval 
and  Merchant  Steamers  of  the  United  States;"  J.  R.  Soley,  '*The 
Blockade  and  the  Cruisers;"  Geo.  F.  Emmons,  *<Navy  of  the 
United  States,  1775-1853;"  Rear  Admiral  Preble,  "History  of 
Steam  Navigation;"  Dr.  R.  H.  Thurston,  ''Growth  of  the  Steam 
Engine;"  Captain  A.  T.  Mahan,  "Gulf  and  Inland  Waters;" 
T.  H.  S.  Hamersly,  "General  Register  of  the  U.  S.  Navy;"  J.  T. 
Scharf,  "History  of  the  Confederate  States  Navy;"  Bennet 
Woodcroft,  "Origin  of  Steam  Navigation;"  Wm.  C.  Church, 
"  Life  of  John  Ericsson;"  H.  O.  Ladd,  "  The  War  With  Mexico;" 
Chief  Engineer  B.  F.  Isherwood,  "Engineering  Precedeuts,"  and 
"Experimental  Researches;"  Chief  Engineer  George  W.  Melville, 
"  In  the  Lena  Delta;"  Mrs.  Emma  De  Long,  "  The  Voyage  of  the 
Jeannette;"  Chief  Engineer  James  W.  King,  "European  Ships  of 
War,"  and  Wm.  Fairbairn,  "  History  of  Iron  Ship-Building. "  The 
Journal  of  the  American  Society  of  Naval  Engineers  has  furnished 
complete  data  regarding  naval  and  commercial  steamers  of  the 
United  States  and  foreign  countries  for  the  past  seven  years,  or  ever 
s^nce  that  journal  was  established. 

Appendix  A  is  known  to  be  imperfect  in  not  containing  the 
names  of  that  great  body  of  patriotic  Americans  who  served  their 
country  so  well  as  volunteer  engineers  in  the  navy  during  the  long 
war  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union:  they  numbered  upwards  of 
twenty-five  hundred  and  their  names  and  records  when  displayed  in 
tabular  form  were  found  to  fill  so  many  pages  as  to  exceed  the  limits 


PREFACE.  zi 

j^ 

proposed  for  this  volume,  which  obliged  the  author  reluctantly  to 
abandon  his  original  intention  of  including  them  in  the  list  of  officers 
of  the  regular  service. 

Appendix  B  is  also  incomplete  for  lack  of  space.  To  prop- 
erly present  in  tables  all  the  important  data  relating  to  our  naval 
Bteamers,  their  engines,  boilers,  builders,  synopsis  of  service,  etc. , 
would  require  pages  of  folio,  or  at  least  quarto,  size,  the  tables  given 
being  consequently  limited  by  the  size  of  these  pages  to  a  few 
columns  of  the  most  important  items.  Lack  of  space  has  also  caused 
the  omission  from  these  tables  of  the  names  of  a  large  number  of 
steamers  purchased  or  captured  during  the  Oivil  War  and  used  tem- 
porarily as  war  vessels.  An  excellent  list  of  naval  vessels,  giving 
all  useful  information,  was  published  in  book  form  in  1853  by 
Lieutenant  (afterwards  rear  admiral)  George  F.  Emmons,  but  noth- 
ing of  the  kind  has  appeared  recently.  Some  officer  with  a  liking 
for  statistics  could  not  be  better  employed  at  present  than  in  the 
preparation  of  similar  tables  brought  up  to  date,  using  the  Emmons 
book  as  a  model,  for  it  cannot  be  improved  upon  in  form  and 
arrangement.  Unless  this  is  done  soon,  much  useful  and  interesting 
information  will  be  lost,  as  the  author,  with  all  the  records  of  the 
Navy  Department  to  refer  to,  found  great  difficulty  in  collecting 
data  pertaining  to  ships  not  more  than  thirty  years  old. 

Appendix  C,  "Uncle  Bamuers  Whistle  and  What  It  Costs, " 
is  amusing  rather  than  instructive.  It  is  reprinted  to  gratify  requests 
made  by  a  number  of  present  and  former  members  of  the  engineer 
corps.  It  is  hoped  it  will  please  the  older  officers  of  the  navy  to  see 
it  again  in  print,  while  it  certainly  will  amuse  the  younger  men  of 
the  service  who  have  never  seen  it. 

The  author  submits  no  apology  for  making  this  book.  It  is  a 
custom  in  armies  and  navies  for  the  histories  of  distinct  corps, 
departments,  regiments,  and  even  ships,  to  be  written,  and,  although 
the  supply  of  books  in  the  world  is  far  too  great,  there  is  room  for 
one  more  to  tell  the  story  of  steam  in  the  American  Navy.  The  only 
regret  felt  by  the  writer  in  giving  this  volume  to  his  friends  and  the 
public  is  because  of  its  imperfections:  the  subject  deserves  better 
treatment,  and  with  more  time  and  better  opportunities  to  bestow 
upon  it  could  be  made  more  valuable  as  a  history  and  more  attractive 
in  literary  form.  As  it  is,  it  has  cost  much  research  and  hard  work 
in  the  intervals  of  busy  employment  afloat  and  ashore,  and  it  is  now 
open  to  criticism.  F.  M.  B. 

New  Yorky  Auffvai^  1896. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY 

OF  THE 

UNITED  STATES 


THE  STEAM  NAVY 

OF  THE 

UNITED  STATES 


The  Steam  Navy  of  the  United  States- 


chapter  L 


**  For  we  are  to  bethink  as  that  the  Epic  verily  ia  not  ArmB  and  the  Mem, 
bat  TooU  aand  the  ACcm— an  infinitely  wider  kind  of  Epic"— Thomab  Gablyui: 
Pottoful  Pre90iU,  Boole  IF^  Chapter  i. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


A  glorious  epic  of  the  olden  world,  with  the  first  lines  of 
which  most  modem  men  are  familiar,  sings  in  stately  rythm  of 
*'The  arms  and  the  man  who  first  from  the  shores  of  the  Trojan  into 
Italy  came,'^  and  this  association  of  man  and  his  weapons  has  re- 
mained through  all  the  ages  as  the  symbol  and  comer  stone  of  all 
haman  government,  power,  and  progress.  The  events  of  the  cent- 
ory  now  drawing  to  its  end  have  to  a  considerable  extent  shaken 
this  ideal,  for  other  things  than  arms  have  come  to  be  recognized  in 
the  story  of  man's  development  a  change  in  sentiment 
expressed  to  perfection  by  that  prince  of  modem  philosophers 
in  the  words  that  appear  at  the  head  of  this  chapter.  In  under- 
taking the  subject  of  this  volume  the  author  does  not  propose 
to  sing,  or  try  to  sing,  of  tools  and  men  alone,  nor  will  he 
attempt  to  elevate  either  tools  or  arms  to  the  disadvantage  of  the 
other;  but  rather,  believing  that  the  adoption  of  steam  machinery 
for  purposes  of  war  furnishes  the  most  perfect  illustration  in  exis- 
tence of  the  mutual  dependence  and  co-operation  of  these  two  great 
factors  in  civilization,  he  will  endeavor  to  treat  them  as  equals,  for 
the  arm  is  a  tool  and  the  tool  is  an  arm,  and  their  uses  and  purposes 
are  identical  within  the  limits  of  the  subject  of  this  book. 

The  story  of  the  application  of  steam  power  to  navigation, 
especially  to  the  navigation  and  operation  of  ships  of  war,  is  a  long 
one,  and  one  which  must  be  imperfectly  told  in  the  following  chap- 
ters for  the  reason  that  the  slow  acceptance  and  growth  of  the  new 
element  will  be  considered  with  reference  to  one  country  and  one 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


navy  only.  Men  who  have  made  a  study  of  the  history  of  war,  or 
who  have  given  even  a  reasonable  amount  of  reading  to  the  subject 
are  familiar  with  the  reluctance  with  which  the  older  weapons  were 
laid  aside  for  those  which  came  in  with  the  use  of  gunpowder. 
'^Yiliainous  saltpetre"  was  for  a  long  era  an  object  of  dislike  and 
distrust  and  those  who  used  it  were  regarded  with  disfavor  if  not 
wiik  contempt;  they  did  not  meet  the  enemy  in  hand-to-hand  con- 
flict with  eword  and  spear;  they  begrimed  their  hands  and  clothing 
with  burnt  powder;  they  could  not  join  in  the  rush  and  blood-stirring 
excitement  of  the  charge,  but  stood  off  from  friend  and  foe  enenm- 
bered  with  their  heavy  weapons,  creating  an  ill-smelling  smoke  and 
discordant  noises,  and  their  labors  were  very  grudgingly  admitted  to 
be  of  any  real  advanti^e.  So  strong  was  the  aversion  to  the  new 
implement  that  in  1544,  two  hundred  years  after  cannon  are  known 
to  have  been  used  by  civilized  nations  in  battle,  ^  an  historian  deal- 
ing with  the  subject  wrote  that  a  monk  was  the  inventor  of  cannon; 
adding  that  ''the  villian  who  brought  into  the  world  so  mischievous 
a  thing  is  not  worthy  that  his  name  should  remain  in  the  memory  of 
men." 

As  they  did  not  take  part  in  hand-to-hand  conflict,  gunners  were 
looked  upon  as  non-combatants,  quite  inferior  to  the  warriors  of  the 
broad-sword  and  battle-axe  variety,  and  as  their  weapon  was  very 
slow  in  its  development  they  remained  in  an  inferior  military  posi- 
tion for  many  centuries.  It  is  an  historical  fact  that  it  was  not  nntil 
just  before  the  beginning  of  the  American  Revolution  that  the  artil- 
lery branch  of  the  British  army,  after  a  protracted  but  triumphant 
struggle  with  prejudice,  "had  vindicated  its  right  to  be,  and  was  con- 
sidered an  important  combatant  arm."»  So  complete  has  been  the 
change  of  sentiment  with  respect  to  cannon  within  about  one  hund- 
red years  that  men  belonging  to  military  establishments  now,  especi- 
ally navies,  who  make  a  point  of  priding  themselves  upon  being  es- 
sentially combatants,  base  their  claim  wholly  upon  the  circumstance 
that  their  business  is  to  handle  cannon  and  gunpowder.     The  effect 


1  At  Cr^y  in  1346.  Traditions  more  or  less  authentic  carry  the  use  of  **  fiie 
pipes"  or  other  obscurely  described  weapons  back  almost  to  the  beginning  of  the 
Christian  era. 

*  Lieutenant  W.  E.  Birkhimer:  "  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Artillery,  U.  a 
Army." 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  9IATB& 


of  the  prejudice  of  centuries  against  firearms  is  still  visible  in  the 
lingering  regiments  of  lancers,  armed  with  the  spear,  occasionallj 
met  with  in  the  great  armies  of  the  most  progressive  powers. 

The  introduction  of  steam  into  naval  operations  has  revolution- 
ized the  fighting  tactics  of  navies  to  fully  as  great  an  extent  as  gun- 
powder changed  the  methods  of  fighting  on  land,  and  in  precisely 
the  same  manner  has  the  development  of  steam  been  hindered  by  a 
prejudice  born  of  older  things  and  intolerant  of  change.  Gunpowder 
has  long  since  won  its  struggle,  and  steam  on  shore  has  been  equally 
successful,  but  steam  at  sea  is  still  in  the  very  thickest  of  the  fight 
for  recognition  upon  its  merit,  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
vehicle  for  its  use — ^the  marine  engine — ^has  advanced  further 
toward  perfection  within  the  hundred  years  of  its  life  than  did 
the  cannon  during  all  the  centuries  from  Ordcy  to  Sedan,  and  is 
now  in  a  stage  of  development  fully  abreast,  if  not  actually  ahead 
of  the  most  perfected  pieces  of  ordnance.  That  steam  will  win  an 
equal  place  and  equal  honor  with  gunpowder  and  the  propelling 
and  auxiliary  engines  of  a  ship  of  war  will  come  to  be  recognized  as 
arms  fully  as  important  in  making  up  the  ship's  combative  qualities, 
as  the  turret  and  machine  guns  is  a  matter  of  simple  logic;  it  only 
remains  to  be  seen  how  long  it  will  be  before  preconceived  notions 
will  admit  the  value  of  a  new  weapon. 

It  is  proposed  to  begin  with  the  first  steam  war- vessel  ever  built, 
which  happened  to  be  in  our  own  navy,  and  to  trace  from  that  clumsy 
beginning  the  slow  development  of  the  naval  steamer,  with  such  il- 
lustrations as  have  been  obtainable,  in  such  manner  that  the  chapters  of 
this  book  vrill  be  an  orderly  and  progressive  account  of  the  growth  of  the 
war-steamer  and  the  marine  engine  in  the  United  States.  Into  this  nar- 
rative, as  a  most  essential  part,  will  be  woven  the  history  of  the 
engineer  corps  of  the  navy,  whose  members  have,  in  the  face  of  much 
that  was  discouraging,  kept  the  standard  of  our  steamers  fully  up  to 
that  of  other  nations  and  have  made  the  new  navy,  with  its  swift 
steel  ships  and  perfected  machinery, an  established  fact.  Naval  histo- 
ries,' of  which  there  are  many,  deal  almost  entirely  with  the  deeds 
of  those  who  fight  in  ships  that  thoy  have  received  completed  from 
the  hands  of  the  builders,  and  in  a  riiajority  of  cases  have  little  or 
nothing  to  say  of  the  ships  themselves  or  of  their  makers,  or  of  that 
other  class  of  officials  who  not  only  design  and  build  the  vitals  of  all 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATBS. 


modern  war-ships  but  fight  in  the  ships  themselyes  as  part  of  their 
naval  duties.  In  making  this  work  statistical  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent with  regard  to  our  naval  steamers  it  is  therefore  proper  that  the 
lives  and  deeds  of  those  who  have  been  so  intimately  connected  with 
them  be  also  told,  descriptively  as  well  as  statistically,  and  in  so  do- 
ing the  author  believes  he  will  supply  a  lack  that  many  beside  him- 
self have  noticed  in  the  older  and  more  pretentious  histories  of  our 
navy. 

It  has  been  written  that  it  is  difficult  to  become  sentimental 
about  the  engineer.  This  idea  is  born  of  the  belief  that  he  deals 
only  with  material  things  and  takes  no  part  in  the  glorious  possibili- 
ties of  war  or  in  the  victories  that  are  won  from  storms.  This  theory 
is  absolutely  false;  his  post  of  duty  is  as  dangerous,  as  responsible, 
and  as  romantic,  if  you  will,  as  any  in  a  ship  if  people  did  but  know 
it,  and  it  is  only  because  of  a  cultivated  fondness  for  things  that  have 
been  long  celebrated  in  song  and  story  that  they  do  not  know  it. 
The  life  of  the  old-lime  sailor  was  in  reality  commonplace  enough  to 
satisfy  even  a  ploughman,  but  an  admiration  for  the  sea  and  those 
who  face  itti  dangers  on  the  part  of  those  who  never  go  to  sea  has 
made  of  the  sailor's  existence  a  picturesque  ideal  that  has  become  an 
article  of  faith  with  all  landsmen.  And  this  faith  excludes  the  new 
type  of  seaman — the  man  of  the  engine  and  boiler  rooms — ^from  any 
share  in  the  romance  of  the  sea  because  he  faces  dangers  of  another 
kind  and  performs  his  duty  in  another  atmosphere,  though  equally 
exposed  to  the  dangers  that  are  peculiar  to  a  life  afloat.  When  some 
poet  with  a  clearer  vision  and  a  willingness  to  enter  an  untrodden 
field  shall  appear  and  sing  the  song  of  steam  it  will  be  a  revelation 
to  the  multitude;  for  there  is  music  and  romance  and  poetry  as  well 
as  the  embodiment  of  power  about  the  mechanisms  that  drive  the 
great  ships  of  to-day. 

From  a  habit  of  thought,  then,  rather  than  from  any  real  state 
of  affairs,  the  engine-room  men  of  modern  fleets  are  denied  partici- 
pation and  honor  in  much  of  the  life  in  which  they  take  a  leading  part. 
With  but  little  change,  Napier's  famous  comparision  of  the  condi- 
tions surrounding  the  British  and  French  soldiers  in  the  Peninsular 
War  applies  most  aptly  to  the  relation  between  the  artificer  and 
sailor  classes  in  modern  navies.  The  British  soldier,  though  patiently 
fighting  to  conquer,  could  look  forward  to  no  honors  to  reward  his 


THB  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  5 

daring;  no  despatch  gare  his  name  to  the  plandits  of  his  country- 
men; his  life  of  danger  and  hardship  was  nncheered  by  hope,  his 
death  unnoticed.  At  the  same  time,  ^'Napoleon's  troops  fought  in 
bright  fields,  where  every  helmet  caoght  some  beams  of  glory."  In 
just  the  same  way  the  naval  engineer  and  his  men  toil  in  darkness  in 
tiie  depths  of  the  ship,  knowing  f nil  well  that  much  they  do  will  be 
unknown  and  unnoticed,  however  important  it  may  be;  and  they 
often  meet  emergencies  so  bravely  that  their  ships  are  saved  from 
destruction  or  disablement  both  in  peace  and  war,  as  will  be  shown 
hereafter  by  a  few  notable  instances  of  duty,  well  done,  that  have  come 
to  light  ont  of  the  many  that  have  been  performed. 

Few  naval  engineeers  of  any  length  of  service  have  not  once  at 
lea8t,been  suddenly  brought  face  to  face  with  death  in  its  most  fear- 
ful form  by  being  called  upon  to  act  in  an  emergency  resulting  from 
g  damaged  boiler  or  steam  pipe,  and  the  instances  are  few  where 
they  have  failed  to  prevent  a  calamity  by  sticking  to  their  posts  and 
encouraging  their  men  to  do  the  needful  work,  often  so  quietly  that 
knowledge  of  the  danger  averted  does  not  extend  beyond  the  fire- 
room.  If  equal  danger  were  faced  from  shot  and  shell  in  the  smoke 
of  battle,  popular  applause  and  military  rewards  would  follow,  but 
the  engineer,  encountering  his  peril  in  clouds  of  scalding  steam  and 
in  the  choke  and  wither  of  fierce  fires  suddenly  hauled,  does  not  ap- 
peal to  the  popular  idea  of  heroism,  though  his  acts  are  heroic  and 
his  performance  of  duty  in  navies  is  a  military  act  just  as  much  as 
nailing  a  flag  to  a  mast,  stopping  a  shot  hole,  or  fishing  a  mast  under 
fire,  are  military  duties.  Nor  has  he  even  the  consoling  thought 
when  confronted  with  an  emergency  of  meeting  a  death  accounted 
heroic,  for  if  he  dies  it  must  be  like  a  rat  in  a  hole,  for  which  there 
is  no  glory,  popular  fancy  regarding  no  death  for  one's  country 
glorious,  unless  it  is  met  not  only  beneath  the  flag  but  in  full  sight  of  it. 

Popular  ideas  of  naval  administration  are  based  upon  a  partial 
knowledge  of  an  order  of  things  that  is  no  more,  and  not  upon  fa- 
miliarity with  conditions  that  really  exist.  Whatever  notions  the  pub- 
lic may  entertain,  the  fact  remains  that  a  much  firmer  and  finer  de- 
gree of  courage  is  required  in  the  ofScer  who  controls  a  division  of 
men,  either  in  peace  or  war,  imprisoned  beneath  the  battle-hatches 
of  a  war-steamer  than  in  him  whose  men  are  in  the  open  air  and  in 
tight  of  their  danger.     If  the  habit  of  conmiand  is  ever  needed  in  an 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITBD  STATES. 


oJBScer  it  is  in  the  trying  emei^encies  and  oonditionB  that  beset  the 
naval  engineer,  and  he  who  poseBses  it  to  the  degree  that  enables  him 
in  a  critical  moment  to  keep  his  men  at  their  posts  and  free  from 
panic,  thereby  making  of  them  and  the  machinery  they  handle  a 
fighting  factor  that  can  be  relied  npon,  is  aiding  his  commanding 
ofiicer  in  carrying  ont  a  plan  of  battle  to  f ally  as  great  an  extent  as 
can  any  other  officer  who  directs  the  handling  of  two  or  fonr  gnns; 
and  the  officer  who  does  this  is  most  thoronghly  and  essentially  a 
combatant,  performing  dnties  directly  contributory  to  tiie  fighting 
capabilities  of  the  ship.  This  proposition  needs  no  proof  to  those 
familiar  with  modem  naval  conditions,  but  as  one  of  the  purposes  of 
this  book  is  to  set  the  position  of  American  naval  engineers  in  a  trne 
light  before  the  pnblic  a  number  of  instances  of  gallantry  and  profes- 
sional efficiency  on  their  part  will  be  recited  to  prove  that  they  actu- 
ally and  by  right,  by  virtue  of  the  duties  they  perform,  belong  to  the 
combatant  class  of  naval  officers,  ^the  navy  as  well  as  in  the  navy. 
As  the  Civil  War  furnishes  the  example  of  the  most  prolonged 
and  arduous  service  that  our  navy  has  ever  been  called  upon  to  per- 
form, and  is,  moreover,  the  first  and  only  instance  of  great  naval 
operations  being  carried  on  by  means  of  steam  vessels,  it  wiM  be 
taken  as  the  proper  field  for  illustrating  the  nature  and  importance 
of  the  duties  that  engineers  have  rendered  this  country  in  its  naval 
service.  Though  nearly  one-half  of  this  volume  will  be  devoted  to 
the  work  of  the  navy  during  the  Oivil  War,  no  idea  has  been  enter- 
tained of  giving  even  an  outline  of  our  naval  history  during  that  pe- 
riod. A  sufficient  number  of  naval  engagements  and  undertakings 
will  be  narrated  in  chronological  order  to  give  an  ordinarily  good 
idea  of  the  general  services  performed  by  the  navy,  and  an  effort 
will  be  made  to  trace  with  some  care  the  changes  in  type  of  naval 
steam-ships  and  marine  engines  resulting  from  the  experiences  of  the 
war.  Tn  all  of  this  no  undue  or  undeserved  prominence  mhJI  be  given 
to  the  naval  engineer  corps  or  to  any  of  its  members,  but  where  en- 
gineers have  rendered  conspicuous  service,  either  in  battle  or  in  pro- 
paring  ships  and  machinery  for  use  in  war,  full  credit  will  be  accorded 
them.  This  being  a  history  of  engiues  and  engineers,  it  is  natural 
that  engineers  should  be  frequently  mentioned,  but  that  does 
not  leave  the  inference  that  they  were  the  only  officers  engaged  in 
carrying  on  the  war  on  the  part  of  the  navy;  on  the  contrary,  the 


THE  SIEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  7 

aim  is  simply  to  show  that  they  Hi  contribute  modi  to  the  snccess 
of  the  Unioii  anns  and  were  much  more  than  civilian  adjuncts  to  the 
officers  charged  with  the  execution  of  general  operations,  whom  they 
helped  so  well.  The  latter  cannot  at  this  late  day  regret  that  the 
story  of  the  devotion  of  their  engineer  colleagues  is  to  be  told,  es- 
pecially as  the  story  of  their  own  deeds  has  been  told  often  and  well 
and  has  become  a  glorious  part  of  our  naval  history. 


CHAPTER  11. 

"  Soon  shall  thy  arm,  unconquer'd  Steam!  afar 
Drag  the  slow  barge,  or  drive  the  rapid  car; 
Or  on  wide-waving  wings  expanded  bear 
The  flying  chariot  through  the  fields  of  air." 

Erasmus  Dabwin. 

The  Dbxologos,^  or  Fulton,  the  First  Steam  War-Vessel  ever  Built— Robert  Ful- 
ton—The Sea  Gull— The  Fulto:*,  2i>— Mr.  Charles  H.  Has  well,  the  First 
Engineer  in  the  United  States  Navy— Captain  M.  C.  Perry's  Recommenda- 
tions Regarding  Engineers'  Force— Regulations  Governing  Appointment  of 
Engineers— Performance  of  the  Fulton  Under  Steam — Her  Subsequent  Ca- 
reer—Captain Ferry's  Interest  in  Engineers. 


THE  first  steam 
vessel  for  war 
purposes  in  the 
United  States  na- 


VJl 


or     in 


any 


navy  for  that  mat- 
ter, was  the  Demo- 
logoSy  or  Fvltpn^ 
designed  by  Mr. 
Bobert  Fulton  and 
built  under  his  su- 
pervision in  New 
^  York  in  1814,  while 
^^  the  war  with  Great 
Britain  was  going 
on.  Owing  to  diflB- 
culties  in  obtaining 
material  and  skille4  labor,  this  vessel,  or  floating  battery,  was  not 
completed  in  time  to  be  used  against  the  British  fleet,  then  con- 
stantly hovering  about  the  port  of  New  York,  an  unfortunate  circum- 
stance that  is  to  be  regretted  for  more  reasons  than  one.  The  sub- 
sequent performance  of  this  peculiar  craft  under  steam  makes  it 


WAB  STEAMER  VULTON  THE  FIB8T,  OB,  DEMOLOOOS. 


Invoice  of  the  People.' 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  » 

(MTtaln  that  with  her  powerful  battery  and  independeoce  of  wind  and 
tide  she  would  have  been  entirely  successful  oyer  the  sailing-frigates 
she  was  built  to  assail,  her  advantage  over  them  being  not  unlike 
that  possessed  by  a  sayage,  tireless  wolf  attacking  a  flock  of  sheep. 
Her  earlier  adyent  would  haye  sayed  us  the  loss  of  the  President 
frigate,  and  thus  depriyed  the  enemy  of  one  of  the  yery  few  causes 
for  rejoicing  oyer  nayal  victories  that  the  events  of  that  war  aflforded. 

Of  much  more  importance  would  have  been  the  incalculable  im- 
pulse given  to  steam  as  a  factor  in  naval  warfare  that  would  have 
followed  the  success  of  the  Demologoe  in  battle,  and  which  would 
have  set  forward  the  development  of  the  times  in  this  regard  almost 
half  a  century.  The  duel  between  the  rudely-fashioned  ironclads 
Monitor  and  Merrimac  completely  changed  the  naval  architecture  of 
the  world,  but  who  can  tell  of  the  absolute  revolution,  not  only  in 
naval  architecture  but  in  the  methods  of  naval  warfare,  that  would 
have  resulted  from  the  trial  of  Fulton's  invention  in  actual  war !  In- 
stead of  being  afterward  obliged  to  fight  its  way  inch  by  inch  and 
foot  by  foot,  compelled  to  struggle  against  every  obstacle  and  every 
objection  which  jealousy,  conservatism,  and  ignorance  could  bar 
against  its  progress,  slowly  and  painfully  forcing  an  unwilling  and 
qualified  recognition  from  the  very  element  that  should  have  cham- 
pioned its  cause,  steam-power  would  have  appeared  in  the  arena  fully 
armed  and  equipped  from  the  brain  of  its  master,  and  would  have 
been  hailed  not  only  as  an  auxiliary,  but  as  an  all-important  arm  in 
naval  warfare. 

The  dimensions  of  the  Demologoe  were:  length,  one  hundred 
and  fifty-six  feet;  breadth,  fifty-six  feet;  depth,  twenty  feet;  ton- 
nage, two  thousand  four  hundred  and  seventy -five;  water-wheel, 
sixteen  feet  in  diameter,  fourteen  feet  wide,  four  feet  dip;  engine, 
cylinder  forty-eight  inches  diameter,  and  five  feet  stroke;  boiler, 
length,  twenty-two  feet;  breadth,  twelve  feet;  depth,  eight  feet. 

The  total  cost  of  the  vessel  was  |320,000,  or  about  the  cost  of 
a  first-class  frigate,  the  ConsPitution^  built  in  1797,  having  cost  origi- 
nally 1302,719. 

A  comparision  of  these  dimensions  with  the  views  of  this  pio- 
neer war-steamer  given  in  this  chapter  shows  that  the  drawings  are 
somewhat  out  of  proportion  to  the  scale  marked  on  them;  they  are, 
nevertheless,  of  great  interest  and  value  as  being  exact  copies  of  the 


DEMOLOGOS** 


ri^  It 


Sidel^MT 


J?^.M. 


FROM   Sn* art's   naval  and   mail  steamers   of  TIfK   UxNiTKD   STATES. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  IJHITED  STATE&  11 

•riginak  mad«  \yf  Bobert  Fnkon  and  exhibited  by  him  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States  when  advocating  his  plan  of  applying  steam 
to  nayal  warfare.  Fidton  had  his  interriew  with  the  Execative  late 
in  1813  and  his  project  was  zealously  accepted,  Congress,  in  March, 
1814,  ao^iorizkig  the  President  to  have  bnilt  and  equipped  one  or 
more  such  floating  batteries  for  the  defense  of  the  coast. 

The  Ooast  and  Harbor  Defense  Association,  having  charge  of 
the  building  of  war  vessels,  eomnutted  Ae  building  of  the  Demologw 
to  a  sub-oomHiittee  of  five  prominent  gentlemen,  and  Bobert  Fulton 
was  appointed  the  engineer  in  charge  of  the  work.  The  complete 
vessel — hull,  engines  and  boilers — ^was  designed  by  Fulton  and  the 
engines  and  boilers  were  built  by  him  at  his  machine  works  on  the 
K<nrdi  !]Uver.  The  hull  was  built  at  the  ship-yard  of  Adam  and  Noah 
Brown  on  the  East  Biver  and  was  launched  hi  the  presence  of  a  great 
maltitode  of  spectators,  October  29,  1814,  a  little  more  than  four 
Bontfas  after  the  heels  were  laid.  The  plural  is  used  intentionally, 
as  the  structure,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  drawings,  consisted  of  two 
liidls  with  the  paddle-wheel  working  in  a  dbannel  or  canal  between 
fliem;  thia  canal  was  not  continuous  from  end  to  end  of  the  vessel, 
but  is  described  as  occupying  a  space  of  about  sixty  feet  adjacent  to 
the  wheel,  with  its  apfNroacfaes  presumably  sloped  off  to  prevent  the 
aetioB  of  tl:^  wheel  from  being  inutile. 

In  November  the  hull  was  moved  from  the  ship-yard  to  Fulton's 
engine  works  and  the  machinery  installed,  that  labor  being  com- 
pleted by  the  end  of  May,  1815.  Certain  changes  were  made  in  the 
yessel  about  this  time  on  the  recommendation  of  Captain  David  Porter, 
who  had  just  returned  home  from  his  unfortunate  cruise  with  the  Ee- 
ux  and  had  been  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  war-steamer.  The 
original  plan  was  to  rely  upon  steam  alone  for  propulsion,  but  Por- 
ter regarded  this  with  misgiving  and  caused  two  large  masts  to  be 
stepped  to  support  latteen  sails,  and  bowsprits  for  jibs,  with  all  the 
accompanying  top-hamper;  he  also  had  the  sides,  originally  stopped 
flush  at  the  spar  deck,  carried  up  to  form  protecting  bulwarks  for  the 
sailors  who  would  be  on  deck  attending  to  the  sails  and  rigging  that 
had  been  added.  The  boiler,  or  ' '  caldron  for  preparing  her  steam, ' ' 
as  the  gentlemen  having  charge  of  the  work  called  it  in  their  report, 
was  also  changed,  probably  by  Fulton's  direction,  and  two  boilers 
were  installed  instead  of  one.     Owing  to  the  rigor  of  the  British 


12  THE  STCAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UMlTlfiD  STATJfiS 

blockade  aboat  New  York,  guns  for  the  yeasel  had  to  be  hauled  over- 
land from  Philadelphia,  they  having  been  taken  from  an  armed  British 
ship  named  Joha^  of  Lomauter^  captored  by  the  PreddmU  early  in  the 
war.  In  June,  1815,  the  Demologos  steamed  aboat  New  York  Bay 
to  try  her  machinery  and  found  its  performance  to  exceed  every  ex- 
pectation; in  the  words  of  an  early  writer,  ^^she  exhibited  a  novel 
and  sublime  spectacle  to  an  admiring  people." 

On  the  fom-th  of  July  of  the  same  year,  she  made  a  passage  to 
the  ocean  and  back,  steaming  fifty-three  miles  in  all,  without  any  aid 
from  her  sails,  in  eight  hours  and  twenty  minutes;  the  wind  and  tide 
were  partly  in  her  favor  and  partly  against  her,  the  average  rather  in 
her  f  avtM*.  In  September  she  made  another  trial  trip  to  the  sea,  and 
having  at  this  time  the  weight  of  her  whole  armament  on  board,  she 
went  at  an  average  of  five  and  a  half  miles  an  hour,  with  and  against 
the  tide.  When  stemming  the  tide,  which  ran  at  the  rate  of  three 
miles  an  hov,  she  advanced  at  the  rate  of  two  and  a  half  miles  an 
hour.  This  p^ormance  was  not  more  than  equal  to  Robert  Fulton's 
expectations,  but  it  exceeded  what  he  had  promised  to  the  govern- 
ment, which  was  that  she  should  be  propelled  by  steam  at  the  rate 
of  from  Aree  to  four  miles  an  hour. 

The  British  were  not  uninformed  as  to  the  preparations  which 
were  making  for  them,  nor  inattentive  to  their  progress.  It  is  cer- 
tain that  the  steam  battery  lost  none  of  her  terrors  in  the  reports  or 
imaginations  of  the  enemy,  as  we  find  the  following  information  in  a 
treatise  on  steam  vessels  published  in  Scotland  at  that  time,  the  au 
thor  stating  that  he  had  taken  great  care  to  procure  full  and  accurate 
accounts: 

^^  Length  on  deck,  three  hvmdred  feet;  breadth,  two  hundred 
feet;  thickness  of  her  sides,  thirteen  feet  of  alternate  oak  plank  and 
cork  wood — carries  forty-four  guns,  four  of  which  are  hvmdred pmind- 
er8\  quarter-deck  and  forecastle  guns,  forty-four  pounders;  and 
further  to  annoy  an  enemy  attempting  to  board,  can  discharge  one 
hundred  gallons  of  boiling  water  in  a  minute^  and  by  mechanism 
brandishos  three  hundred  cutlasses  with  the  utmost  regularity  over  her 
gunwales;  works  also  an  equal  number  of  lieavy  iron  pikes  of  great 
length,  darting  them  from  her  sides  with  prodigious  force,  and  with- 
drawing them  every  quarter  of  a  minute  I" 


o 

o 
o 
IJ 
o 

§ 

OQ 

z 


O 

5 

h 
O 

o 


14  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


B J  one  of  those  inexplicable  cruelties  of  fate,  Mr.  Fulton,  whose 
heart  and  soul  were  absorbed  in  the  progress  of  his  structure,  was 
taken  ill  and  died  suddenly  in  February,  1816,  before  the  vessel  was 
completed,  so  he  never  knew  of  the  great  success  he  had  achieved. 
Referring  to  this  sad  event,  the  report  of  the  construction  committee 
says:  *' Their  exertions  were  further  retarded  by  the  premature  and 
unexpected  death  of  the  engineer.  The  world  was  deprived  of  his 
invaluable  labors  before  he  had  completed  his  favorite  undertaking. 
They  will  not  inquire,  wherefore,  in  the  dispensations  of  a  Divine 
Providence,  he  was  not  permitted  to  realize  his  grand  conception. 
ER%  discoveries^  however^  svrvivefor  the  henefit  of  mankind^  and  will 
extend  to  unborn  generations." 

The  same  committee  report,  signed  by  Messrs.  Samuel  L. 
Mitchell,  Thomas  Morris,  and  Henry  Rutgers,  contains  many  opin- 
ions and  recommendations  of  great  wisdom,  indicating  that  the  men 
of  those  days  were  more  far-seeing  and  thoughtful  than  those  of  a 
later  generation,  and  more  disposed  to  appreciate  the  importance  of 
new  discoveries.  Although  written  eighty  years  ago,  the  following 
paragraphs  from  the  report  sound  not  unlike  the  more  progressive 
naval  opinions  of  to-day,  especially  in  that  part  relating  to  the  neces- 
sity of  training  men  for  steam  service,  a  subject  that  has  been  re- 
commended and  as  regularly  neglected  from  time  to  time  ever  since 
1815: 

''The  Commissioners  congratulate  the  Government  and  the  na- 
tion on  the  event  of  this  noble  project.  Honorable  alike  to  its  au- 
thor and  its  patrons,  it  constitutes  an  era  in  warfare  and  the  arts. 
The  arrival  of  peace,  indeed,  has  disappointed  the  expectations  of 
conducting  her  to  battle.  That  last  and  conclusive  act  of  showing 
her  superiority  in  combat,  has  not  been  in  the  power  of  the  Commis- 
sioners to  make. 

"If  a  continuance  of  tranquility  should  be  our  lot,  and  this 
steam  vessel  of  war  be  not  required  for  the  public  defense,  the  nation 
may  rejoice  that  the  fact  we  have  ascertained  is  of  incalculably  greater 
value  than  the  expenditure — and  that  if  the  present  structure  should 
perish,  we  have  the  information  never  to  perish,  how,  in  a  future 
emergency,  others  may  be  built.  The  requisite  variations  will  be 
dictated  by  circumstances. 


THE  BFTEAM  HAVY  OF  THE  UlIITEB  firTATEB.  15 

'  *0 wing  to  the  cessatioa  0f  bostilities,  it  has  been  deemed  inexpe- 
dient to  finish  and  equip  her  as  for  immediate  and  active  employ.  In 
a  few  weeks  everything  that  is  incomplete  conld  receive  the  proper 
adjustment. 

'^  Aftw  so  mnch  has  been  done,  and  with  sach  enconragixig  re- 
sults, it  becomes  the  Commissioners  to  recommend  that  the  steam 
frigate  be  officered  and  manned  for  discipline  and  practice.  A  dis- 
creet commander,  with  a  selected  crew,  conld  acquire  experience  in 
the  mode  of  navigating  this  peculiar  vessel.  The  supplies  of  fuel, 
the  tending  of  the  fires,  the  replenishing  of  the  expended  water,  the 
management  of  the  mechanism,  the  heating  of  shot,  the  exercise  of 
the  gnns,  and  various  matters,  can  only  become  familiar  by  use.  It 
is  highly  important  that  a  portion  of  the  seamen  and  marines  should 
be  versed  in  the  order  and  economy  of  the  steam  frigate.  They  will 
augment,  diffuse,  and  perpetuate  knowledge.  When,  in  process  of 
time,  another  war  shall  call  for  more  structures  of  this  kind,  men, 
regularly  trained  to  her  tactics,  may  be  dispatched  to  the  several  sta- 
tions where  they  may  be  wanted." 

There  being  no  active  service  in  the  navy  against  the  enemy; 
the  Dcmologos^  or  Fulton^  as  she  was  afterward  named,  was  taken 
to  the  Brooklyn  navy  yard  and  used  as  a  receiving  ship   for  many 
years, until, on  the  fourth  day  or  June,  1829,  her  magazine,  containing 
two  and  <me-half  barrels  of  damaged  powder  used  for  firing  the  morn- 
ing and  evening  gun,  blew  up,  entirely  destroying  the  vessel,  killing 
twenty-four  persons  and  wounding  nineteen  others.     Lieutenant  S. 
M.  Breckenridge  was  among  the  killed,  as  was  also  a  woman  who 
happened  to  be  on  board  at  the  time.    The  cause  of  the  explosion  has 
never  been  known,  although  there  was  a  tale  current  at  the  time  that 
it  was  the  deliberate  act  of  a  gunner's  mate  who  had  been  disrated 
and  flogged  the  morning  of  the  day  on  which  the  catastrophe  occur- 
red.    It  is  also  said  to  have  resulted  from  gross  carelessness,  survi- 
vors stating  that  the  powder  was  kept  in  open  kegs  and  that  in  the 
"bag-room  "  next  the  magazine,  and  separated  from  it  only  by  a 
light  bulkhead  in  which  was  a  sliding  door,  the  marine  sergeant  had 
a  desk  and  was  allowed  to  use  an  open  light.     Whatever  the  cause, 
the  destruction   was  complete,   and   terminated  the  history  of  the 
fn^st  steam  vessel  of  war  eoer  buUt. 


16  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

No  engineers  came  into  the  nayy  becanse  of  the  existeBce  of 
the  Demologo9^  men  from  Fulton's  works  having  operated  the  macfain- 
ery  on  the  three  occasions  when  she  was  ander  w£(j  with  her  own 
steam,  and  her  engines  were  not  moved  after  she  was  laid  np  La  tke 
navy  yard.  The  next  steamer  to  appear  in  the  navy  was  the  galliot 
Sea  Ghdly  of  one  hundred  tons,  purchased  in  New  York  for  $16,000 
in  1822  and  used  as  a  despatch  boat  in  Porter's  ^'Mosquito  fleet," 
employed  in  the  West  Indies  for  the  suppression  of  piracy  in  183S- 
24.  There  is  no  record  of  the  men  who  had  charge  of  the  machinery 
of  this  little  craft  and  we  can  only  surmise  that  they  were  probably  tke 
same  who  had  run  her  before  she  was  purchased,  and  that  their  oen- 
nection  with  the  service  was  merely  temporary.  The  Sea  OvU  was 
laid  up  in  1826  at  Philadelphia,  where  she  remained  until  1840  when 
she  was  sold  for  |4,750. 

For  ten  years  after  the  Sea  OvU  was  laid  up,  steamers  do  not 
appear  in  the  official  literature  of  the  navy,  though  the  same  period 
witnessed  a  most  wonderful  development  of  the  application  of  steam 
to  navigation  for  commercial  purposes,  and  steamers  had  visited  "In- 
dia, China,  the  West  Indies  and  other  parts  of  the  world,  as  well  as 
having  made  the  trans- Atlantic  voyage  no  longer  a  marvellous  one 
when  performed  under  steam.  That  our  navy  was  not  the  only  one 
to  remain  in  ignorance  and  indifference  while  this  great  change  in 
marine  affairs  was  going  on  all  about  it,  is  shown  by  the  circumstance 
that  in  1831  a  steamer  built  in  Quebec  was,  while  on  a  peaceful  voy- 
age to  London,  fired  on  by  a  British  frigate  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence and  compelled  to  heave-to  until  the  officers  of  the  frigate  were 
satisfied  that  there  was  nothing  diabolical  in  her  construction.  This 
same  steamer,  the  Royal  William  by  name,  was  sold  after  arriving 
in  London  to  the  Spanish  government,  and,  under  the  name  of  laa- 
hella  the  Second^  became  the  first  steam  war-ship  of  that  nation. 

In  1835,  under  date  of  June  26,  Mr.  Mahlon  Dickerson,  then 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Board  of  Navy  Com- 
missioners, calling  attention  to  an  act  of  Congress  dated  April  29, 
1816,  which  authorized  the  construction  of  a  steam  vessel,  and  re- 
questing that  the  Board  take  immediate  measures  for  commencing  and 
completing  such  vessel;  further  directing  that  plans  of  the  vessel 
and  machinery  be  submitted  to  the  Department  for  the  approval  of 
the  President. 


THE  8T8AM  NAVT  OF  THB  UNITKD  STATES.  17 


At  that  time  there  were  aboat  700  steam  yeaaela  in  use  on  the 
waters  of  the  United  Blatea,  the  moat  of  them  being  on  the  riTera  and 
lakes,  although  some  coastwise  ateamship  lines  had  been  established: 
with  few  exceptions  these  Tessels  were  not  larger  than  a  modem  steam 
ing,  and  their  machinery  was  of  the  most  crude  design  and  workman- 
ship, the  chief  object  being  to  hammer  together  a  boiler  that  would  not 
leak  too  much  to  prevent  the  accumulation  of  some  steam  within  it, 
and  to  herw  out  of  heavy  iron  castings  a  cylinder  with  a  roughly-fitted 
piston  that  could  be  forced  to  move  back  and  forth  under  steam-pres- 
I  with  reasonable  regularity.     There  were  at  that  time,  of  course, 

of  scientific  attainmenta  who  were  giving  attention  to  the  theory 
0f  tiie  steam  engine,  and  who  had  made  considerable  progress  toward 
the  solution  of  those  thermo-dynamic  problems,  the  knowledge  of 
which  in  our  own  day  has  made  the  steam  engine  a  comparatively 
economical  machine. 

To  these  experts,  who  were  usually  the  managers  or  superintend- 
ents of  the  larger  engine-building  establishments  then  in  existence, 
the  Board  of  Navy  Commissioners  appealed  for  advice  and  help,  but 
it  does  not  appear  from  the  records  that  any  great  amount  of  comfort 
was  derived  in  this  manner.  One  Wm.  Eemble,  who  was  the  agent 
fw  the  West  Point  Foundry  Association,  cheerfully  supplied  the  Board 
with  diflsertationa  on  the  comparative  merits  of  condensing  and  high- 
pressure  engines  and  the  theory  of  working  steam  expansively,  giv- 
ing copious  opinions  of  Watt,  Trevithick,  Oliver  Evans,  and  other 
authorities,  all  of  which  must  have  been  highly  interesting  reading 
for  the  Board.  One  of  these  letters  closes  as  follows:  ' '  I  have  given 
you  our  views  candidly,  but  we  are  ready  to  execute  any  plan  which 
the  more  extensive  views  and  experience  of  the  Board  may  decide 
on."  Whether  this  was  the  irony  of  an  expert  who  appreciated  the 
humor  of  the  situation,  or  was  simply  the  homage  demanded  by  the 
standing  of  the  Board  of  Navy  Oommissioners,  is  open  to  doubt,  but 
as  no  catastrophe  to  Mr.  Kemble  followed,  we  may  conclude  that  the 
Board  accepted  this  insinuation  of  its  engineering  wisdom  as  k  proper 
and  customary  due. 

Construction  work  on  the  hull  of  the  vessel  went  forward  rapidly 
at  the  New  York  navy  yard,  but  the  Navy  Oommissioners  do  not  seem 
to  have  made  corresponding  progress  in  mastering  the  science  of  ma- 
rine engineering,  for  we  find  them  presently  driven  to  the  extremity 
of  addressing  the  following  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy: 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 


*'  r<ATT  CoMJcmuoiisBs'  OwncM,  JJeoamber  30, 1885. 

**  Sib:  The  Commissioners  of  the  Navy  have,  in  conformity  with 
the  terms  of  yonr  letter  of  the  26th  instant,  caused  an  adyertisement 
to  be  published  asking  for  proposals  for  furnishing  the  steam  engines 
for  the  the  steam  yessel  now  building  at  New  York.  From  their  ig- 
norance upon  the  subject  of  steam  engines  they  are  in  doubt  whether 
the  adyertisement  giyes  the  necessary  information  to  enable  persons  to 
make  proper  offers.  They  are  satisfied  that  they  are  incompetent 
themselyes,  and  haye  no  person  under  their  direction  who  could  fur- 
nish 'them  with  the  necessary  information  to  form  a  contract  for  steam 
engines  that  may  secure  the  United  States  from  imposition,  disap- 
pointment, and  loss,  should  the  lowest  offers  happen  to  be  made  by 
persons  whose  general  character  and  responsibility  would  not  offer 
great  security  for  their  completing  the  engines  in  the  best  manner, 
according  to  the  intentions  and  wishes  of  the  board,  in  case  the  pre- 
cise terms  of  the  contract  should  leaye  them  a  legal  opportunity  of 
eyading  its  spirit. 

*'The  board  beg  leaye,  therefore,  to  request  your  authority  for 
engaging  some  person  who  may  be  deemed  competent  to  adyise  them 
upon  this  subject,  and  to  superintend  and  inspect  the  engines  during 
their  progress,  and  until  they  shall  be  satisfactorily  tested,  and  to 
designate  the  fund  from  which  his  compensation  shall  be  paid. 

^^Respectfully,  etc., 

*<  JOHH  BODQSBS." 

This  request  for  the  professional  seryices  of  an  engineer  not  meet- 
ing with  any  immediate  response  from  the  Secretary,  the  board  re- 
newed its  call  for  help  a  month  later  by  the  following  communication: 

''Sib:  The  board  would  respectfully  recall  your  attention  to 
their  letter  of  the  30th  ultimo,  in  relation  to  the  employment  of  an 
engineer;  his  seryices  will  be  much  wanted  in  superintending  the  con- 
structidh  and  arrangement  of  the  engines  and  boilers,  and  afterwards 
to  work  them  in  the  yessel.  As  it  will  be  desirable  to  obtain  satis- 
factory testimonials  of  the  qualifications  of  any  person  who  may  be 
thus  employed,  which  may  consume  some  time,  an  early  decision  may 
proye  adyantageous. 

"Respectfully,  etc., 

' '  John  Bodoebs.  ' ' 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  19 

Mr.  Gbaries  H.  Haswell  of  jNew  York  became  an  applicant  tor 
the  position  of  engineer  which  the  Board  of  Nayj  Commissioners  was 
so  anxious  to  hare  filled,  bnt  his  appointment  was  not  made  until  the 
Board  had  taken  occasion,  while  admitting  the  excellence  of  his  pro- 
fessional knowledge  as  shown  by  his  testimonials  and  conversation, 
to  express  grave  donbts  as  to  his  practical  familiarity  with  the  manipn- 
lation  of  marine  machinery,  from  which  circumstance  we  of  this  day, 
who  not  infrequently  encounter  the  same  criticism,  may  see  that  the 
mistnist,  inconsequential  as  it  is,  is  by  no  means  new.  The  Board 
qualified  its  doubt  in  Mr.  Haswell's  case  with  the  following  ingenu- 
ous confession: '  ^  How  far  such  practical  knowledge  may  be  absolutely 
necessary,  or  can  be  supplied  by  superior  information  upon  the  con- 
struction of  the  engine  itself ,  the  Board  has  no  means  of  determining, 
except  such  as  are  common  to  other  persons.''  Mr.  Haswell's  ap- 
pointment, made  two  days  after  the  comments  of  the  Board  were  sub- 
mitted to  the  Department,  reads  as  follows: 

''  Nayt  DxpABnonr,  February  19, 1838. 

^^  Sm:  In  your  letter  to  the  Commissioners  of  the  Navy  yester- 
day, you  offer  to  furnish  draughts  of  a  high  and  low-pressure  steam 
engine  and  boiler,  on  different  elevations,  suitable  for  the  steam  ves- 
sel now  constructing  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
purposes  stated. 

'^Tou  are  therefore  appointed,  for  the  term  of  two  months,  to 
make  sach  draughts  and  report  the  same  to  the  Board  of  Navy  Com- 
missioners, for  which  you  will  receive  a  compensation  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars. 

'^Mahlon  Dioksbson. 

"To  Mr.  C.  H.  Haswell,  Washington.'^ 

In  mid-summer  following,  under  date  of  July  12th,  1836,  Mr. 
Haswell  was  appointed  chief  engineer  for  the  Fulton^  as  the  steam- 
vessel  then  building  was  named;  he  thus  becoming  the  first  person  to 
hold  the  position  of  engineer  in  the  United  States  navy.  Mr.  Has- 
well was  then  an  engineer  of  ability  and  established  professional  rep- 
utation, being  earnestly  engaged  in  the  task,  at  that  time  a  doubtful 
one, of  proving  the  reliability  of  steam  as  a  marine  motor,  independ- 
ent of  any  aid  from  sails.     To  him  has  been  granted  a  privilege  that 


90 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATSa 


eomes  to  few  men  in  any  calling  on  this  earih|  for  it  has  been  his  for- 
tune to  witness  the  emblem  of  his  prof  ession— ^the  steamship — grow 
from  its  awkward  infancy  to  its  present  gigantic  and  perfected  f orm^ 
a  development  in  which  he  has  had  a  prominent  part  during  all  these 
decades,  and  which  in  the  completeness  of  the  changes  that  have  been 
wronghtyfar  exceeds  the  magical  transformations  of  a  dream  or  the  en- 
chantments of  a  fairy-tale.  In  the  great  harbor  where,  as  a  yonng 
man,  he  saw  the  embryo  steamer  timidly  and  alone  making  its  uncer- 
tain wake,  an  object  so  rare  that  cnrions  crowds  always  flocked  to 
watch  it,  he  has  been  spared  nntil  now  to  see  in  his  old  age  the  cmde 
and  clumsy  Fulton  transformed  into  the  Cohmdna  or  the  Ifew  Yorkj 
and  the  pioneer  passenger  steamers  changed,  as  if  by  the  magician's 
wand,  into  the  Umiriaj  the  Majestic^  and  the  Oampemia. 


U.  8.  STSAUBR  FUI/TON  (THB  SKOOND),  1837. 


The  following  were  the  principal  dimensions  of  the  FaUon: 
Length  of  vessel  between  perpendiculars . .     180  ft 

Beam  on  deck  (extreme)  84    "  8  in. 

Depth  of  hold 12  "2    " 

Meandraft 10  «  6    " 

Immersed  midship  section  at  mean  draft. . .     308  square  ft 

Weight  of  hull 470  tons. 

Depth  of  keel 12  inches. 

Displacement  at  mean  draft  (about) 1,200  tons. 

The  engines  and  boilers  were  built  by  the  West  Point  Foundry 
Association  of  New  Fork,  under  a  contract  dated  January  23, 1837, 


THS  8TSAM  NAYT  OF  THB  UHITXD  8TATB8.  21 

th«  enginet  in  tjjp%  and  location  being  from  tht  designa  prepared 
for  die  Board  of  Navy  OommiMioners  by  Mr.  Haswell,  and  the 
boilers  from  the  deaigna  of  Mr.  Charles  W.  Oopeland,  the  engineer 
of  the  West  Point  company.     There  were  two  horizontal  condensing 
ei^pnes  located  {m  the  spar  deok^  the  cylinders  being  of  nine  feet 
stroke  and  fifty  inches  in  diameteri  each  engine  turning  a  side-wheel 
twenty*two  feet  nine  inches  in  diameter,  and  eleven  feet  six  inches 
wide.     The  contract  prorided  for  a  thwartship  shaft  to  connect  the 
two  wheel  shafts,  at  an  additional  cost  of  |2,000,  if  required,  but  the 
reqnirement  was  not  made  and  the  vessel  was  completed  without  such 
connection.     So  undeveloped  was  the  art  of  iron  manufacture  at  that 
time  tiiat  the  cranks  and  shafts  were  made  of  cast  iron.     The  con- 
tract price  for  the  engines  was  940,000,  to  which  was  added  9198.67 
for  authorixed  changes.    The  wheels  cost  99,000.    The  boilers  were 
built  by  the  contractors  at  the  New  York  navy  yard  for  eight  and 
one-half  cents  a  pound,  the  Government  furnishing  the  material, 
which  consisted  of  copper  plates  and  rivet  rods  provided  in  1816  for 
another  vessel  like  the  Demalofo$^  which  was  never  built.    The  total 
cost  of  boilers,  including  the  material  and  labor,  was  998,396.06. 
Originally  there  were  four  wagon-shaped  boilers  of  the  return-flue 
type,  each  sixteen  feet  long,  ten  feet  six  inches  wide,  and  nine  feet 
three  inches  high,  but  these  were  afterward  changed  to  two  boilers 
twenty-five  feet  nine  inches  long,  the  other  dimensions  remaining 
unchanged.     These  boilers  were  located  in  the  hold  under  the  en 
gines,  and  were  supplied  with  separate  smoke  pipes.    The  total  cost 
of  the  vessel  when  completed — hull,  equipments  and  machinery — 
was  9299,649.81. 

The  weight  of  engines  was  81  tons;  of  boilers,  including  smoke 
pipes,  steam  pipes  and  connections,  119  tons,  and  water  in  the  boil- 
ers, 41  tons.  On  a  trial  trip  the  following  winter.  Chief  Engineer 
Haswell  computed  the  horse-power  developed  to  be  625,  from  which 
we  observe  that  the  weight  of  machinery  per  horse-power  was  about 
thtee  times  as  much  as  under  present  practice. 

The  steamer  was  lannched  May  18,  1887,  and  the  work  of  in- 
stalling the  machinery  immediately  undertaken;  this  work  was  much 
hindered  by  the  action  of  the  Board  of  Navy  Commissioners  in  re- 
fusing to  allow  the  hull  to  be  taken  to  the  engine  builders^  works  on 
the  North  river,  thus  compelling  the  contractors  to  transport  the  en- 


22  THE  8TBAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITED  STATEa 

gines  in  pieces  to  the  navy  yard.  The  Oommissioners,  in  refusing 
the  application  to  have  the  hull  moved,  said  that  they  did  not  ^^feel 
themselves  justified  in  permitting  the  vessel  to  be  moved  from  the 
navy  yard  to  a  place  over  which  they  have  no  control,"  although 
why  they  should  have  felt  this  way  is  not  apparent,  as  they  had  pre* 
viously  confessed  their  incompetency  to  deal  with  matters  relating  to 
the  vessel's  machinery.  This  action  forced  the  contractors  to  file  a 
claim  for  ^<  increased  expense  in  the  putting  up  of  the  work,  together 
with  an  additional  delay  of  not  less  than  three  weeks,"  just  as  con- 
tractors do  now  when  their  work  is  retarded  by  the  interference  of 
naval  officers.     Truly,  there  is  no  new  thing  under  the  sun. 

About  the  first  of  September  Oaptain  Matthew  C.  Perry  took 
general  charge  of  the  steamer,  and  immediately  began  investigating 
the  subject  ot  personnel  required  for  her  operation,  the  result  of  his 
researches  being  communicated  to  the  Navy  Oommissioners  by  the 

following  report: 

*'Nsw  ToBKy  SepteiBber  11, 1837. 

<^  GEiirrLEMEN: — I  have  sought  to  obtain  the  best  information  in 
reference  to  the  number  of  engineers,  firemen,  &c.,  that  will  be  re- 
quired for  the  steam  frigate  Fultonj  and  the  following  ia  the  result 
of  the  combined  opinions  of  the  various  persons  consulted: 

<<The  lowest  number  for  putting  the  engines  in  operation — 

''2  Ist-class  assistant  engineers,  at  9800  per  annum. 

^^2  2Dd-claBS  assistant  engineers,  at  (600  per  annum. 

'<  8  firemen,  at  from  (25  to  (SO  per  month.  The  firemen  to  be 
paid  either  of  those  amounts,  at  the  discretion  of  the  captain,  as  suit- 
able persons  can  be  obtained. 

^<  4  or  6  coal  heavers,  at  916  per  month. 

**  Add  to  this  when  the  vessel  is  in  actual  operation — 

^^  1  chief  engineer,  4  additional  firemen  and  4  coal  heavers. 

^^The  coal  holes  are  at  the  ends  of  the  boilers,  opposite  to  the 
furnaces,  and  the  coal  must  necessarily  be  transported  some  dis- 
tance. 

'<  These  are  the  estimates  of  Mr.  Haswell,  Mr.  Kimble,  and 
several  other  competent  persons  with  whom  I  have  conferred  on  the 
subject. 

<^  It  is  apparent  that  no  less  than  four  engineers  will  answer,  as 
it  requires  two  constantly  at  the  levers,  by  which  the  engines  are 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  2» 

atoj^ped  and  put  in  motion,  which  are  worked  on  the  tpofr  dedk^  and 
two  at  the  engines  and  boilera  hdcw  deekj  to  watch  the  machinery 
and  attend  the  water  in  the  boilers — a  most  important  consideration, 
as  hj  the  least  neglect  in  this  particular  some  accident  occurs  or  the 
boilers  are  burnt. 

*'  It  is  necessary,  also,  that  the  firemen  should  be  somewhat  ac- 
quainted with  the  operation  of  the  engines,  the  mode  of  supplying 
the  boilers,  &c.,  as  also  the  mode  of  placing  the  coals  to  prevent 
the  burning  of  the  furnaces. 

<<The  gentlemen  all  agree  that  the  above  is  the  least  number 
that  prudence  and  economy  would  authorize. 

^^  The  large  North  river  and  Bhode  Island  boats  hare  three  en- 
gineers each,  and  their  firemen  understand  starting  and  stopping  the 
engines,  regulating  the  steam,  &c.  Their  wages  are — ^for  die  chief 
engineer,  f  1,000  per  annum;  two  assistants,  at  $360  and  f600  per 
annum.  Add  to  this  their  board,  which,  in  the  navy,  would  be  de- 
frayed by  themselves  all  beyond  the  ration  of  20  cents  per  day. 

**  Those  denominated  first-class  assistants  for  the  navy  should 
correspond  in  qualifications  with  the  chief  engineers  of  private 
steamers,  and  their  assistants  with  the  second-class  proposed  for  the 
navy,  as  it  is  supposed  that  the  Government  can  hire  persons  on 
lower  terms. 

*<It  has  been  suggested,  in  which  I  fully  concur,  that  there 
should  be  these  several  described  rates  among  the  engineers  and 
firemen  in  our  national  steamers,  the  better  to  distribute  authority 
and  responsibility,  and  to  produce  a  proper  ambition  with  the  in- 
ferior rates  to  rise  to  the  higher  classes. 

^^  I  enclose  herewith  a  letter  from  Oaptain  William  Oomstock, 
giving  his  views  on  the  subject.  And  it  may  be  remarked  here, 
that  all  concur  in  the  opinion  of  the  necessity  of  separating  the  reg- 
ular crew  from  any  interference  with  the  engineers. 

*'  I  would  respectfully  invite  the  attention  of  the  Oonmiission- 
ers  to  the  consideration  of  the  teivure  by  which  these  assistant  engin- 
eers are  to  hold  their  appointment,  and  by  what  authority  they  are 
to  be  granted.  It  seems  to  me  the  process  of  their  discharge^  at 
least,  should  be  summary,  and  entirely  divested  of  the  legal  forms  of 
arrest,  court-martial,  &c.  The  slightest  appearance  of  intemperance, 
neglect,  carelessness,  &c.,  should  be  sufficient  cause  for  their  certain 


^  THB  8T1CAM  NAVY  OF  THX  UNITAU  STAXAH. 

dismissal  froat  the  serrica.  With  whom  is  U^  rest  the  authority  to 
jndge  of  these  delinqn^icies,  and  the  necessity  of  the  infliction  of 
the  penalty,  will,  of  coarse,  be  determined  on  in  time,  and  made 
known  to  the  persons  on  receiving  the  appointment. 

^^I  have  the  honor  to  be,  gentlemen,  yonr  obedient  servant, 

"M   0.  Pkrrt. 
«<To  the  Oommissioners  of  the  Nary,  Washington,  D.  G." 

This  letter  is  important  in  onr  history  as  a  corps,  being  the  earl- 
iest ofScial  docnm^it  oontaining  so  much  as  a  hint  of  the  necessity 
of  organizing  a  permanent  corps  of  naval  engineers. 

The  Board  of  Naval  Oommmissioners  agreed  to  Captain  Perry's 
reeonunendations  as  to  wages  for  engineers  and  firemen,  although 
remarking  that  for  the  latter  the  pay  appeared  high  in  addition  to 
the  ration,  and  referred  the  matter  to  the  Department  with  various 
recoounendations.  The  Department  let  the  matter  rest  for  more  than 
a  month,  nntil,  abont  the  end  of  October,  Oaptain  Perry  reported 
the  vessel  ready  for  steam,  and  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  no 
anthcHity  existed  for  the  employment  of  assistant  engineers,  adding 
that  their  services  were  mnch  needed.  The  snggesticms  made  by  the 
Board  of  Navy  Conunissioners  on  September  15  were  promulgated 
as  the  regulations  of  the  Department  governing  the  appointment  of 
"  these  descriptions  of  persons  for  the  steamer."  The  recommen- 
dations of  the  Board,  which  became  the  Department's  regulation,  is 
another  important  docnment  in  the  history  of  the  engineer  corps,  and 
is  here  given: 

**  Upon  the  subject  of  appointments  of  the  engineers,  etc.,  the 
Board  respectfully  suggest  the  expediency  of  allowing,  for  the  pres- 
ent, the  commandant  to  nominate  the  assistant  engineers,  after  col- 
lecting, as  far  as  practicable,  proofs  or  certificates  of  their  character 
and  qualifications,  subject  to  the  confijrmation  of  the  commander  of 
the  station,  when  time  will  allow  of  an  immediate  reference;  in  other 
eases,  to  be  made  by  the  commander  of  the  vessel. 

^'That  they  receive  a  letter  of  appointment,  revocable  at  anj 
time  by  the  commander  of  the  station  upon  complaints  of  intemper- 
ance, incapacity,  insubordination,  negligence,  or  other  misconduct, 
by  the  comznander  of  the  vessel,  if  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  sack 
commanding  oflScer  of  the  station. 


THB  SISAM  NAYT  0¥  THR  WSfTTSD  fiflATSSL  » 

"The  eomnuaider  of  the  Teaeel,  oi  eovee,  to  h»ye  the  pewer 
id  raspending  them  from  dntj,  if  he  deems  it  necessary. 

^<l3ie  engiiiaen  to  sign  some  proper  instrmnent,  which  will  legally 
leader  tfiem  liaUe  to  the  Um  for  the  goyenunent  of  the  navy,  but 
ty  be  exempt  from  corporal  pwudbment;  which  instrnment  is  to  be 
tnuismittod  to  the  Beoetary  of  the  Hayy,  with  the  letter  accepting 


"  The  firraien  and  ooal-heayers  to  aign  the  shipping  articles  and 
be  rsmoyaUe  at  tiie  pleasure  of  the  commander  of  the  yessel,  as 
ndiorised  for  the  redaction  and  pnnishment  of  petty  oflScers  and 

This  order  was  dated  October  81,  188T,  and  was  carried  into 
effect  by  the  appointment  of  John  Faron,  Jr.,  and  Nelson  Bnrt  as 
iSnt  assistant  engineers  on  Noyember  15,  and  of  J.  0.  Hines  and 
fliram  Sanford  as  second  asristants  on  Noyember  91.  These  ap- 
poiatments  were  made  by  Oaptain  Perry  himself,  as  shown  by  the 
following  extract  from  a  report  made  December  16  on  the  steam 
trial  of  the  JPkdtan: 

**  The  assistant  engineers  appointed  by  me  promise  to  be  highly 
indastriona  and  naefnl  men.  I  haye  been  much  pleased  with  their 
ooodaet,  and,  so  far  as  I  am  yet  capable  of  judging,  consider  them 
weD  aeqnaiiited  with  their  duty;  of  one  thing  I  am  certain,  that  if 
the  yessel  is  to  be  employed  at  all,  sixteen,  instead  of  eight  firemen 
will  be  indispensably  necessary. " 

On  Noyember  1  the  engines  of  the  jFkdtan  were  put  in  motion 
for  the  first  time  and  the  result  was  highly  satisfactory ;  <  'twely  e  inches 
of  steam  was  jHX>dnced  in  less  than  an  hour  by  chips  from  the  yard," 
to  quote  from  Oaptain  Ferry^s  report  During  the  ensuing  winter 
the  FvUan  waa  thoroughly  tried  in  free  route  and  proyed  herself  a 
tnceess  as  a  steamer,  although  certain  peculiarities  in  construction 
prsduded  her  use  as  a  cruiser  for  general  sea  purposes:  in  fact  she 
was  not  buflt  for  such  sendee,  the  primary  idea  in  her  construction 
being  to  proyide  a  harbor-defense  yessel  to  take  the  place  of  the  first 

Oaptain  Ferry  reported  in  February  that  her  usual  speed  at  a 
asdinm  pressuro  of  steam  and  twenty  royolntions  per  minute  of  the 
eaginss  had  been  proyed  to  be  about  twelye  knots,  and  that  her 


THE  STEAM  JSJLYY  OF  THE  I7NITED  STATES. 


maximpm  speed,  at  a  forced  preorarei  might  be  extended  to  fifteen 
knots.  He  spoke  highly  of  her  effidenej  as  an  armed  Teasel,  in 
comparision  with  vessels  of  war  not  propelled  by  steam,  and  gave 
an  opinion  resnltLng  from  his  observations  that  ^^  there  is  not  the  least 
doubt  that  sea  steamers  of  1,400  or  1,600  tons  can  be  constructed  and 
equipped  to  cruise  at  sea,  for  limited  periods  (say  twenty  days,)  as 
efficient  vessels  of  war,  to  be  as  safe  from  the  disasters  of  the  sea  aa 
the  finest  frigate,  and  at  an  expense  considerably  less."  lieutenant 
Lynch,  attached  to  the  vessel,  in  a  written  report  stated  that  ^^  For 
harbor  and  coast  defense,  in  UgJU  winds  wnd  calms^  with  a  battery 
of  long  64-ponnder8,  the  .Fulton^  with  slight  alterations,  would  be- 
perfectly  efficient,  and  more  useful  than  any  number  of  armed  ships 
not  propelled  by  steam,"  and  the  opinions  of  the  other  officers,  all 
wh<Hn  had  to  make  reports  to  Captain  Perry,  generally  agreed  to  this» 
In  Chief  Engineer  HaswelPs  report  we  find  the  following  carefully 
itemized  statement  of  current  expenses  of  running  the  engines,  which 
is  both  curious  and  interesting  at  this  date: 

Engines,  3  quarts  of  oil,  at  18fc (0.66 

Engines  and  boilers,  6  pounds  of  tallow,  at  10c .60 

Engines,  9^  pounds  of  hemp,  at  12c 30 

2  pounds  of  spun  yam,  at  12c 24 

i  pound  of  black  lead,  at  10c 10 

Paints  and  brushes 76 

Boilers,  Indian  meal 24 

Engines  and  boilers,  white  lead,  2  pounds  at  12c 24 

Lamps  and  lanterns 10 

Shovels,  brooms,  and  axes 28 

Tools 60 


For  twelve  hours f3.66 

Off  one-sixth  per  diem  of  ten 

hours 61 


r 


93.06 


More  light  on  the  operation  of  the  machinery  is  given  by  the* 
synopsis  of  the  engine-room  log,  here  following  in  the  form  of  the 
engineer's  weekly  report  for  one  of  the  weeks  that  the  vessel  wa» 
under  steam  a  considerable  part  of  the  time: 


THE  STTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


27 


3  I  % 

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9S  THB  STEAM  K  A YY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

When  the  JPkiUon  was  put  in  eommisaion  with  a  regular  com- 
plement of  officers  and  men  on  board,  the  question  of  what  to  do 
with  the  engineers  as  to  their  quarters  and  messing  arrangemmits 
came  up,  and  was  a  difficult  one  to  settle,  because  there  were  no  pre- 
cedents to  follow  and  no  regulations  regarding  the  new  class  of  offi- 
cials. Fortunately  for  Mr.  Haswell,  and  for  those  who  came  after 
him  as  well,  his  social  status  was  such,  that  his  place  among  the  offi- 
cers was  obviously  in  the  ward  room,  and  to  that  part  of  the  ship  he 
was  assigned  irrespective  of  the  fact  that  he  held  no  commissiou  and 
no  rank  in  the  service.  The  precedent  thus  established  of  assigning 
the  chief  engineer  to  the  ward-room  operated  to  the  benefit  of  other 
chief  engineers  in  the  following  years,  until,  in  1842,  the  quarters 
for  chief  engineers  on  board  ship  were  specified  by  law  to  be  in  the 
ward-room.  The  assistant  engineers  of  die  FuUan  were  berthed  and 
messed  with  the  warrant  officers. 

In  April,  1838,  the  FuUati  visited  Norfolk  and  Washington  and 
was  an  object  of  general  attention,  especially  at  the  national  capitol. 
In  September  of  the  same  year,  in  consequence  of  a  discussion  that 
was  related  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  she  was  ordered  back  to 


4=ra 


^^^^y^) 


XBTDBV  TUBgnp-ruam  BoixjEBs,  u,  s.  s.  ruz^roHlSD),  1860. 

Diameter  of  shells  10  leei,  t  inches.    lisngth,  22  leet. 
Length  of  furnace,  7  feet    Height  of  fomaoe  6  feet,  8  inches. 
Diameter  of  floes,  two  upper  rows,  16  inches.    Lower  row,  26  inches. 
Diameter  of  steam  drom,  7  ft,  3  in.    Diametw  of  smoke  pipe,  5  ft  8  in. 

New  York  for  the  express  purpose  of  testing  her  speed  with  that  of 
the  British  steamer  Ortat  We^tem^  running  between  New  York  awl 
LiverpooL     The  Jfkdton  followed  the  latter  vessel  to  sea  on  the  oo- 


THE  8TEAH  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  S9 

1  of  her  regular  departure,  ranged  up  alongcide  and  passed  her 
rapicllj.  After  bring  employed  in  active  ■errice  along  the  Atlantic 
vast  of  the  United  States  nntil  1842,  the  Hdton  was  laid  up  in  or- 
dinary at  the  New  Tork  nary  yard,  where  she  remained  a  neglected 
and  useless  hnik  nntil  1851.  In  the  latter  year  the  machinery  was 
tntirely  replaced  by  a  different  type,  designed  under  the  direction  of 
Mr.  Charles  B.  Stuart,  then  engineer-in-chief  of  the  navy.  There 
was  a  single  inclined  engine  mounted  on  a  wooden  frame,  the  cylin 
der  being  fifty  inches  in  diameter  and  ten  feet  four  inches  stroke, 
provided  with  a  SickePs  cut-off.  The  old  copper  boilers  were  re- 
placed with  two  wrought  iron  ones  of  the  double-return,  drop-flue 
variety,  ten  feet  six  inches  in  diameter  and  twenty-two  feet  long, 
feathering  paddle  wheels  were  substituted  for  the  original  radial 
wheels.     The  shaft  of  this  engine  was  of  wrought  iron. 

The  hull  was  hauled  on  the  ways  and  thoroughly  repaired,  the 
upper  deck  and  higli  bulwarks  being  removed  and  the  interior  ar- 
raogements  were  completely  changed  because  of  the  altered  arrange- 
ment of  the  machinery,  but  the  original  lines  of  the  ship  were  not 
disturbed.  The  rig  was  changed  to  a  two-masted  fore-topsail 
•ehooner.  A  trial  trip  was  mn  January  1,  1859,  in  New  Tork  har- 
bor, seventy-one  and  one-half  miles  being  run  under  steam  between 
various  intervals  of  stopping,  sailing,  backing,  etc.,  which  interrup- 
tions completely  destroy  the  results  as  a  steam  trial.  The  report  of 
this  trial  gives  the  average  steam  pressure  as  twenty-five  pounds; 
average  ▼acuum,  twenty  six  inches;  average  revolutions,  twenty- 
one,  and  average  speed,  18.84  mdles  per  hour.  For  a  period  of 
twenty-one  minutes  at  the  end  of  the  performance,  with  thirty  pounds 
of  steam  and  twenty-three  revolutions,  the  distance  ran  is  given  as 
•even  miles,  or  at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles  per  hour.  Unfortunately 
the  report  does  not  state  the  condition  of  the  wind  and  tide  at  that 
period,  so  we  do  not  know  whether  the  high  speed  was  due  entirely 
to  the  engines  or  not.  It  is  a  matter  of  record,  however,  that  the 
vessel  had  a  reputation  in  the  service  as  a  very  fast  steamer.  She 
was  employed  on  general  cruising  duty  in  the  home  squadron  and 
West  Indies  for  several  years,  was  one  of  the  vessels  of  the  Faragaay 
expedition  in  1858,  and  in  1861  was  in  ordinary  at  the  Pensacola 
navy  yard. 

The  Pensacola  yard  was  surrendered  to  the  Confederates  Jan- 


80  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

nary  10,  1861,  and  the  FvUan  thus  fell  into  their  hands  ;  she 
then  in  yery  bad  condition,  haying  sometime  previously  been  strand- 
ed and  nearly  wrecked  near  Pensacola,  but  her  captors  hauled  her 
on  the  building-ways  and  began  repairing  her.  May  9,  1862,  mil- 
itary operations  compelled  the  Confederates  to  abandon  the  yard, 
they  burning  everything  behind  them.  An  account  of  this  destruc- 
tion is  isiven  in  Mr.  J.  T.  Scharf's  History  of  the  Confederate 
States  Navy,  in  which  account  appears  the  last  historical  reference 
to  this  famous  old  steamer — <'The  JFuLtan^  that  was  on  the  stocks 
in  the  navy  yard,  was  burned.'' 

This  story  of  the  old  Fulton  would  be  incomplete  without  a 
special  reference  to  the  invaluable  services  rendered  by  Captain  M. 
C.  Perry  to  the  steam  navy  which  her  example  called  into  life,  his 
able  championship  of  engines  and  engineers  in  connection  with  her 
having  properly  given  him  a  place  in  our  naval  history  as  the  father 
of  the  American  steam  navy.  Matthew  C.  Ferry  was  a  younger 
brother  of  that  other  Perry  who  overcame  the  British  on  Lake  Erie 
in  1813,  which  event  is  so  nearly  synonymous  in  the  public  mind 
with  the  name  of  Perry  that  the  deeds  of  the  younger  brother,  some 
of  which  were  of  more  lasting  importance  than  the  mere  winning  of 
a  battle,  have  been  dimmed  by  contrast.  Captain  Perry's  services 
to  the  naval  engineer  corps  in  connection  with  his  command  of  the 
Fulton  were  both  important  and  lasting,  and  can  best  be  told  by 
'  quoting  from  his  biography,  written  by  a  distinguished  civilian,  Bev. 
erend  Wm.  £.  Griffis,  another  of  whose  books,  ^^  The  Mikado's 
Empire,"  has  been  a  source  of  instruction  and  pleasure  to  hundreds 
of  our  naval  ofScers  of  the  present  time  who  have  had  the  privilege 
of  seeing  the  shores  of  beautiful  Japan: 

"  Perry  took  command  of  the  Fulton  October  4th,  1837,  when 
the  smoke-pipes  were  up,  and  the  engines  ready  for  an  early  trial. 
His  work  meant  more  than  to  hasten  forward  the  completion  of  the 
new  steam  battery.  He  was  practically  to  organize  an  entirely  new 
branch  of  naval  economy.  There  were  in  the  marine  war  service  of 
the  United  States  absolutely  no  precedents  to  guide  him. 

'* Again  he  had  to  be  'an  educator  of  the  navy.'  To  show  how 
far  the  work  was  left  to  him,  and  was  his  own  creation,  we  may 
state  that  no  authority  had  been  given  and  no  steps  taken  to  secure 
firemen,  assistant  engineers,  or  coal  heavers.       The  details,  duties. 


TUE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  TEffi  UNITED  STATES.  SI 

qualificatioiiB,  wages,  and  status  in  the  narj  of  the  whole  engineer 
corps  fell  upon  Ferry  to  settle.  He  wrote  for  anthoritj  to  appoint 
first  and  second-class  engineers.  He  proposed  that  |25  to  $30  a 
month,  and  one  ration,  should  be  given  as  pay  to  firemen,  and  that 
they  should  be  good  mechanics  familiar  with  machinery,  the  use  of 
stops,  cocks,  gauges,  and  the  paraphernalia  of  iron  and  brass  so 
novel  on  a  man-of-war. 

(•Knowing  that  failure  in  the  initiative  of  the  experimental 
steam  service  might  prejudice  the  public,  and  especially  the  incred- 
ulous and  sneering  old  salts  who  had  no  faith  in  the  new  fangled 
ideas,  he  requested  that  midshipmen  for  the  Fuitan  should  be  first 
trained  in  seamanship  prior  to  their  steamer  life.  He  was  also 
especially  particular  about  the  moral  and  personal  character  of  the 
'line'  officers  who  were  first  to  live  in  contact  with  a  new  and  strange 
kind  of  'staff. '  It  is  difficult  in  this  age  of  war-steamers,  when  a 
sailing  man-of-war  or  even  a  paddle-wheel  steamer  is  a  curiosity,  to 
realize  the  jealousy  felt  by  sailors  of  the  old  school  towards  the 
un-naval  men  of  gauges  and  stop-cocks.  They  foresaw  only  too 
clearly  that  steam  was  to  steal  away  the  poetry  of  the  sea,  turn  the 
sailor  into  a  coal  heaver,  and  the  ship  into  a  machine. 

''Perry  demanded  in  his  line  officers  breadth  of  view  sufficient 
to  grasp  the  new  order  of  things.  They  must  see  in  the  men  of 
screws  and  levers  equality  of  courage  as  well  as  of  utility.  They 
must  be  of  the  co-operative  cast  of  mind  and  disposition.  From  the 
very  first,  he  foresaw  that  jealousy  amounting  almost  to  animosity 
would  spring  up  between  the  line  and  staff  officers,  between  the  deck 
and  the  hold,  and  he  determined  to  reduce  it  to  a  minimum.  The 
new  middle  term  between  courage  and  cannon  was  caloric.  He 
would  provide  precedents  to  act  as  anti-friction  buffers  so  as  to 
secure  a  maximum  of  harmony. 

"That  was  Matthew  Perry — ever  magnifying  his  office  and 
profession.  He  believed  that  responsibility  helped  vastly  to  make 
the  man.  He  suggested  that  engineers  take  the  oath,  and  from 
first  to  last  be  held  to  those  sanctions  and  to  that  discipline,  which 
would  create  among  them  the  es^^t  so  excellent  in  the  line  officers. '' 


CHAPTER  IIL 

«  80  iIiaH  fthcm  iaflteni  vbmIi  llw  roslm  Mdgned , 
In  wondioofl  shipa,  aatf-mored,  imkand  with  mind; 


Though  doada  and  dwrkamm  Ysitod  tfie  •neombcied  flkj» 
F««riMih  Ibniqgli  dirVnti  and  ihroogh  eloads  thay  fly.** 

AiiKTATiPm  P0PB9  trontlotCon  0/  (he  Odymey. 


Ttm  EHomn— The  MHnnm  and  Ifwomu— SrtablkhiBBnt  of  tha  Epgineo» 
Oorpi  bj  Afl*  of  Oongrma  Deatrnction  of  the  MiaaouBi— Ouiaer  of  ih« 
Muaiasippx— fltoamera  Tranafaned  to  tha  Navy  from  the  War  Dapart- 
meni— The  KxcmeAv. 

BEFOBE  the  completion  of  the  JPkdtof^  a  single  ateam  veaael  ap- 
peared in  the  nayy  in  the  form  of  a  small  paddle-wheel  tog* 
boat  of  lis  tons,  which  was  bought  in  Baltimore  in  1836  for  $18,- 
997,  and  was  named  the  Engvna^.  This  boat  had  a  single  beam 
engine  of  abont  one  hundred  horae-power,  and  one  iron  fine  boiler: 
the  vessel  was  nsed  as  a  tng  and  dispatch  boat  about  the  Norfolk 
navy  yard  for  a  number  of  years,  and  also  did  some  serrice  on  the 
southern  coast  as  a  surveying  vessel.  Although  not  a  war  ves- 
sel in  any  sense,  this  craft  is  here  referred  to  because  she  was  for  a 
short  time  the  only  steamer  in  the  navy,  and  was  a  familiar  object 
to  the  early  members  of  the  engineer  corps,  many  of  whom  were  aa- 
signed  to  her  for  temporary  service  while  getting  broken  in  to  the 
rules  of  the  navy. 

In  1889  two  boards  of  officials  were  convened  in  Washington 
to  consider  the  method  of  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  an  act  of 
CSongress  authorizing  the  construction  of  two  or  more  steam  vessels 
of  war.  One  of  these  boards  was  composed  of  commodores,  and  was 
directed  to  *'  consider  and  decide  upon  the  qualities  and  power  which 
it  was  desirable  to  secure  in  the  vessels:"  the  other  was  composed 
of  naval  constructors  and  one  engineer,  Mr.  UasweU  being  the  latter, 
with  instructions  to  scrutinize  the  report  of  the  commodores,  and 
determine  whether  the  qualities  and  powers  recommended  by  them 
could  be  combined  practically,  and  if  so,  to  prepare  the  details  for 
carrying  them  out.  The  result  of  this  labor  set  in  process  of  con- 
struction two  large  side-wheel  frigates  named  the  Misswwppi  and 


O 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  35 

Jfi990uri,  precisely  alike  in  all  respects,  except  the  tjpe  of  engines. 
It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  inauguration  of  the  policy  of  build- 
ing steam  vessels  for  the  navy  was  unattended  with  skepticism  and 
opposition;  like  the  application  of  all  gi'eat  scientific  discoveries,  the 
introduction  of  steam  power  was  com  batted  and  misunderstood,  abroad 
as  well  as  in  our  own  country.  The  logic,  if  it  may  be  so  called,  of 
the  opposition  is  well  indicated  by  the  vehement  utterance  of  Lord 
Napier  in  the  British  House  of  Commons  in  a  speech  fiercely  antag- 
onistic to  the  building  of  steamers  of  war:  ^^Mr.  Speaker,  when 
we  enter  Her  Majesty's  naval  service  and  face  the  chances  of  war, 
we  go  prepared  to  be  hacked  in  pieces  by  cutlasses,  to  be  riddled 
with  bullets,  or  to  be  blown  to  bits  by  shot  and  shell;  but,  Mr. 
Speaker,  we  do  not  go  prepared  to  be  ioiled alive.^^ 

The  principal  data  common  to  both  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri 
were  the  following: 

Length  over  all 229  feet. 

Beam 40  feet. 

Mean  draft 19  feet. 

Displacement  at  mean  draft 3,220  tons. 

The  vessels  were  bark-rigged,  spreading  19,000  square  feet  of 
canvas  in  plain  sails  to  top-gallant  sails  inclusive.  Each  vessel  had 
three  copper  boilers  of  the  double  return  ascending  flue  variety, 
with  three  furnaces  and  eighty  square  feet  of  grate  surface  in  each 
boiler;  the  heating  surface  of  each  boiler  was  2,000  square  feet,  or 
exactly  twenty-five  times  the  grate  surface.  The  paddle-wheels 
were  twenty-eight  feet  in  diameter  and  eleven  feet  broad.  The  bat- 
tery of  each  vessel  consisted  of  two  X-inch  and  eight  Vlll-inch 
shell  guns.  The  Mississippi  had  two  side-lever  engines  with  cylin- 
ders seventy-five  inches  in  diameter  and  seven  feet  stroke,  and  the 
Missouri  had  two  inclined  direct-acting  engines  with  cylinders  sixty- 
two  and  one-half  inches  diameter  and  ten  feet  stroke:  the  cubical 
contents  of  the  cylinders  of  the  two  vessels  were  practically  the  same, 
a  difference  being  made  in  the  length  of  the  stroke  to  test  the  relative 
merits  of  long  and  short  stroke  engines. 

The  hulls  were  of  wood,  that  of  the  Mississippi  being  con- 
structed at  the  navy  yard,  Philadelphia,  aud  that  of  the  Missouri  at 
the  New  York  navy  yard.     The  Mississippi^ s  machinery  was  built 

4 


36  TELE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

by  Merrick  and  Towne  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  that  for  the 
Misaowri  by  the  West  Point  Foundry  Association  at  their  works  at 
Cold  Spring,  New  York.  The  machinery  for  both  vessels  was  de- 
signed by  Mr.  Charles  W.  Copeland,  referred  to  in  a  previous  chap- 
ter as  the  superintending  engineer  of  the  West  Point  Foundry  Asso- 
ciation at  the  time  the  engines  for  the  Fvlton  were  built.  He  had 
been  employed  as  a  consulting  engineer  for  the  Board  of  Navy  Com- 
missioners, and,  with  the  title  of  Principal  Engineer,  held  that  posi- 
tion for  several  years,  during  which  time  he  did  much  excellent 
work  in  designing  machinery  for  the  new  steam  navy,  although  he 
never  was  in  the  naval  service  in  the  sense  of  holding  a  commission 
as  an  officer  or  being  amenable  to  military  law  and  discipline. 

In  the  fall  of  1889,  when  the  work  of  building  these  two  ves- 
sels began,  Mr.  Haswell  was  detached  from  the  Fulton  and  assigned 
to  duty  with  Mr.  Copeland  in  New  York  to  prepare  drawings  of 
machinery  for  both  vessels.  It  was  in  the  course  of  this  work  that 
Mr.  Haswell  laid  down  the  boilers  of  both  the  new  vessels  in  full 
size,  designed  and  determined  the  dimensions  of  each  plate,  and 
thus  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  boiler  manufacture  were  the 
plates  rolled  and  trimmed  to  measure.  In  January,  1840,  Mr. 
Faron,  the  senior  engineer  of  the  Fvlton^  was  promoted  to  be  a 
chief  engineer,  detached  from  the  Fvlton  and  detailed  to  superin- 
tend the  building  of  the  Mississippi's  engines  in  Philadelphia,  his 
place  on  the  Fulton  being  filled  by  Mr.  Andrew  Hebard,  who  was 
appointed  chief  engineer  from  civil  life.  Shortly  afterward  Mr. 
Haswell  was  named  as  superintendent  of  the  engines  building  for 
the  Missowri, 

The  two  frigates  were  completed  early  in  1842,  and  a  number 
of  engineers  were  appointed  in  the  manner  indicated  by  the  Depart- 
ment's regulation  on  the  subject,  quoted  in  a  former  chapter.  A  re- 
markable fact  in  connection  with  the  building  of  these  two  ships  is  the 
close  parallelism  of  their  cost,  although  they  were  built  in  different 
cities,  and  had  engines  radically  different  in  details  of  construction: 
in  1853  the  Navy  Department,  in  obedience  to  a  resolution  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  informed  Congress  that  the  actual  cost  of 
the  Mississippi  to  the  time  of  her  first  sailing,  exclusive  of  ordnance, 
was  $669,670.70,  and  of  the  Missouri^  $668,806.  Mr.  Faron  was 
the  first  chief  engineer  of  the  Mississippi^  and  Mr.  Hebard  of  the 


MR.  CHARLES  W.  COPKLAND, 


Principal  Engineer,  U.  S.  Navy.     Designer  of  tlie  macliinery  of  tlie 
Mi88i88lppit  Mlssourif  etc. 


THB  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THX  UNrTED  8TATE&  39 

Mimamri^  he  being  temporarily  assigned  to  that  Tessel  vhile  Mr. 
Haswell  was  engaged  with  Mr.  Gopeland  on  the  designs  of  a  new 
steamer — ^the  Michigan.  This  latter  work  was  completed  in  Octo- 
ber, 1842,  when  Mr.  Haswell  returned  to  the  Missouri  as  her  chief 
engineer. 

After  the  appointments  for  the  two  new  frigates  were  made 
there  were  twenty  engineers  in  the  service,  with  prospects  for  the 
need  of  many  more  in  the  near  f  atore,  as  the  policy  of  building  war 
steamers  was  so  well  established  that  there  was  no  longer  any  hope 
for  success  on  the  part  of  the  conservative  element  which  had  strug- 
gled against  the  new  order  of  things  so  stubbornly.  The  engineers 
were  very  much  dissatisfied  with  various  anomalies  and  evils  inci- 
dent to  their  connection  with  the  navy,  and  began  an  agitation 
which  speedily  resulted  in  the  legal  establishment  of  the  engineer 
corps  as  a  permanent  part  of  the  naval  organization.  Their  pay  did 
not  compare  favorably  with  the  wages  of  competent  engineers  in 
civil  employment,  and  conseqaently  was  unsatisfactory  to  them;  the 
irr^olar  manner  in  which  they  were  appointed^  and  their  uncertain 
tenure  of  office,  were  also  grievances,  and  early  in  the  year  with 
which  we  are  now  dealing  an  incident  occurred  which  so  provoked 
the  engineers  that  they  felt  constrained  to  lay  their  troubles  before 
Congress.  This  incident  was  the  appointment  as  an  engineer  in  the 
navy  of  a  young  man  who  made  no  pretense  to  knowledge  of  engi- 
neering, he  being  the  protege  of  a  powerful  politician  and  simply 
wanted  a  salaried  position  under  the  Government,  without  bothering 
himself  as  to  what  the  duties  of  that  position  might  be.  That  the 
engineers  then  in  the  service  resented  this  appointment  is  good 
proof  that  there  already  existed  among  them  that  pride  in  their 
calling  and  the  esprit  de  corps  that  have  for  so  long  kept  them  unked 
and  made  continuous  progress  possible  in  the  midst  of  many  dis- 
couragements. 

Mr.  Haswell,  as  the  senior  and  most  prominent  of  the  engineers, 
took  the  matter  in  charge,  and  appealed  to  Congress  for  a  redress  of 
grievances.  Mr.  Gilbert  L.  Thompson,  a  prominent  politician  and 
man  about  town  in  Washington  in  those  days,  took  up  Mr.  Haswell' s 
cause  and  gave  him  much  assistance,  although  his  motives  were  not 
entirely  philanthropic,  as  we  shall  presently  see.  The  result  of  this 
efiEort  was  an  act  of  Congress  regulating  the  appointment  and  pay  o^ 


40  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  TJJSnTED  STATES. 

engUiMrB  in  the  navy,  which  act  was  approyed  AogHBt  81,  1813, 
and  read  in  fnll  as  follows: 

Bmmas  1.  Beit  enacted^  etc..  That  the  Seoceta^  of  the  Navy  shaU  apf^olnt 
the  requisite  number  of  ohief  engineers  and  assistant  engineers,  not  to  ezceed  one 
chief  engineer,  two  first  assistant,  two  second  assistant,  and  three  third  assistant 
engineen  tar  each  steaauhip  of  war,  for  the  navai  servioe  of  the  United  States,  ^riio 
shali  be  paid,  when  In  aotaal  service,  as  fbiiows : 

To  the  ohief  englnev,  fifteen  hundred  doUais  per  annum  and  «ne  ration  per 
day ;  to  the  first  assistant  enghieer,  nine  hundred  dollars  per  anwim  and  one  ration 
per  daj ;  to  the  seoond  assistant  engineer,  seven  hundred  dollars  per  annum  and  one 
ration  per  day ;  to  the  third  assistant  engineer,  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum  and 
one  ration  per  day.  The  chief  engineer  shall  be  entitled  to  meos  in  the  vraxdvoom  of 
ships  of  war.  and  In  all  oases  of  priae-money  he  shall  share  as  a  lieutenant ;  the  first 
■ssistant  engineer  shali  share  as  a  lieutenant  of  marines ;  the  second  assistant  engin- 
eer ahaH  share  as  a  midshipman ;  the  third  assistant  engineer  ehall  share  as  the 
forwaid  officers ;  but  neither  the  chief  nor  the  assistant  eni^eers  shall  hold  any 
other  rank  than  as  engineers. 

SnaS.  ^ndheit/urther  enacted,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  shaU  be 
authorized  to  enlist  and  employ  the  requisite  number  of  firemen,  who  shall  receive, 
eadif  thirty  dollars  per  month  and  one  ration  per  day  ;  and  the  requisite  number  of 
coal-heavers,  who  shall  receive,  each,  eighteen  dollars  per  month  and  one  ration  per 
day ;  and  the  said  firemen  and  coal-heavers  shall  in  all  cases  of  prise-money  share  as 


Sac.  3.  Andbe  Ufwrthm'  enacted,  That  the  said  chief  engineer  and  the  assist- 
ant engineers  when  waiting  orders  shall  be  paid  as  follows :  to  the  ohieC  engineer, 
twelve  hundred  dollars  per  annum ;  to  the  first  assistant  engineer,  seven  hundred 
dollars  per  annnm ;  te  the  seeoad  assistant  engineer,  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum; 
to  the  third  assistant  engineer,  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  annum. 

Sac.  4.  And  be  U  further  enocteel,  That  the  Seeretsry  ef  the  Mavy  diall 
appoint  a  skillful  and  scientlfie  englneer-ln-chief,  who  shall  receive  for  his  servioes 
the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  and  shall  perform  such  dutiea  as  tlie 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  shall  require  of  him  touching  that  branch  of  the  service. 

Sec.  5.  And  be  U  further  enacted,  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  shall  be 
authorized  te  prescribe  a  uniform  for  the  said  chief  engineers  and  assistant  engineers, 
and  to  make  all  necessary  roles  and  regulations  for  the  proper  arrangement  and 
government  of  the  corps  of  engineers  and  assistant  engineers  not  inconsistent  with 
the  Oonstittttlon  and  laws  of  the  United  States.  The  said  engineers  and  assistant 
engineers  shall  be  In  all  reepects  subject  to  the  laws,  roles,  and  regulations  of  the 
naval  service  in  like  manner  with  other  officers  of  the  service. 

Saa  6.  And  be  U  further  eoMt^Ud^  That  the  said  chief  engineers  shall  be 
appointed  by  commission,  and  the  assistant  engineers  shall  be  appointed  by  warrant 
from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  in  such  form  as  he  may  prescribe. 

Sao.  7.  Anid  be  it  further  enacted.  That  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  be  and  he  is 
hereby  authorized  to  establish,  at  such  places  ae  he  may  deem  necessary,  suitable 
depots  of  coal  or  other  fuel  for  the  supply  of  steam  ships  uf  war. 

The  day  following  the  approval  of  this  act  Mr.   Gilbert  L. 
Thompson  was  appointed  engineer-in-chief  of  the  iiavy  ;  this  to  the 


THX  STKAK  NAVt  M  THIS  mfFTBD  STATES.  41 

great  amazement  and  disgust  of  Mr.  Haswell,  who  had  seen  in  him 
only  a  beneroIeBt  and  influential  gentleman  disposed  to  devote  his 
time  to  the  support  of  the  cause  simply  because  it  was  right. 
Benerolent  gentlemen  with  unlimited  time  and  influence  to  expend 
in  the  righting  of  wrongs  abound  in  the  harmless  works  of  fiction 
distributed  by  the  tract  societies,  but  in  real  life  they  are  extremely 
rare.  Of  Mr.  Gilbert  L.  Thompson  one  of  his  oontemporariea  has 
written  the  author  :  ^^  Mr.  Thompson  was  a  lawyer,  and  knew  ab- 
solutely nothing  of  engineering.  He  was  a  gentleman,  a  scholar,  a 
diplomatist,  and  a  son  of  a  previous  Secretary  of  the  Navy;  but 
his  engineering  was  purely  nominal,  and  confined  to  a  very  prompt 
and  eflScient  drawing  of  his  salary." 

In  the  spring  of  1848  the  Missouri^  after  a  prolonged  cruise  in 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  was  ordered  to  Washington,  where  Mr.  Thomp- 
son caused  her  smoke-pipe,  seven  feet  in  diameter,  to  be  removed 
and  replaced  with  two  pipes,  each  three  feet  si(d  inches  in  diameter. 
The  two  pipes  diverged  out  towards  the  sides  and  connected  with 
the  wheel-houses  with  the  idea  that  the  centrifugal  action  of  the 
wheeh  would  induce  a  strong  draught  by  forcing  air  up  through  the 
pipee.  In  this  connection  it  must  be  known  that  the  boiler  room  of 
the  Miseauri  was  abaft  the  engines  and  the  wheels  consequently 
were  forward  of  the  smoke-pipes,  which  arrangement  would  have 
seriously  interfered  with  the  operation  of  the  forced  draught  scheme 
in  a  head  wind,  even  if  there  had  been  any  merit  in  it  under  other 
conditions.  Mr.  Haswell,  the  chief  engineer  of  the  JUteeonrij  pro- 
tested  against  the  design  and  declared  it  impracticable,  but  his  pro- 
fessional opinion  was  unheeded.  £ngineer-in-Ghief  Thompson  was 
so  confident  of  success  that  he  had  the  members  of  the  Cabinet  in- 
cited on  board  to  witness  the  trial  of  his  discovery,  but  they  attended 
a  funereal  feast,  for  the  scheme  failed  most  dismally  in  operation.  A 
scapegoat  being  necessary,  Mr.  Haswell  was  selected  and  suspended 
from  duty  because  he  had  ''not  used  suflSciently  infiammable  ma- 
terial in  lighting  the  fires,"  although  it  is  not  apparent  at  this  late 
date  just  what  the  manner  of  lighting  fires  would  have  to  do  with 
any  subsequent  performance  with  steam  raised.  Mr.  Haswell  was 
later  offered  to  be  restored  to  duty  and  proceed  with  the  ship  to  the 
where  she  had  been  ordered,  on  condition  that  he 


44  TBE  SlTfiAM  NAVY  OJ?  TfiB  DOTTED  STATES. 

vhose  name  she  had  so  long  and  so  worthily  carried  aboat  the 
world,  and  there  one  dark  night  in  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell,  in  fire 
and  smoke,  she  sank  to  her  long  rest,  a  coffin  for  many  of  her  crew, 
on  the  bosom  of  her  false  sod-mother. 

While  the  Missisaippi  and  Missouri  were  being  built,  the  Gtov- 
emment  was  bringing  to  an  end  a  long  and  bloody  war  with  the 
Seminole  Indians  of  Florida.  It  had  been  decided  to  remove  this 
tribe  from  its  lands  and  deport  it  to  the  wilds  beyond  the  western 
frontiers,  but  when  efforts  were  made  to  carry  the  decision  into  effect 
the  savages  declined  to  be  moved,  they  viewing  the  matter  in  the 
same  light  that  we  may  imagine  the  present  inhabitants  of  Florida 
would  regard  a  similar  project  to  eject  them  from  their  homes  and 
belongings.  Under  their  great  chief,  Osceola,  the  Seminoles  took 
up  arms  and  a  long  and  devastating  war  followed,  costing  the  United 
States  ten  million  dollars  and  nearly  fifteen  hundred  lives.  The  re- 
sult was  the  same  as  of  all  other  weary  struggles  on  this  continent  of 
the  original  possessors  of  the  soil  against  the  encroachments  of  the 
dominant  race,  and  the  aborigines  went  to  the  wall.  The  nature  of 
the  country  in  which  the  struggle  took  place  made  the  employment 
of  small  steamers  for  the  transportation  of  men  and  war  material 
absolutely  necessary,  and  the  War  Department  accordingly  found 
itself  with  a  number  of  such  vessels  on  its  hands  when  the  Seminole 
War  was  over,  three  of  which  were  disposed  of  by  transfer  to  the 
Navy  Department. 

The  steamers  thus  added  to  the  navy  establishment  were  the 
General  Taylor,  of  152  tons;  the  Colonel  Samey^  of  300  tons,  and 
the  Poinsett,  of  250  tons.  They  were  employed  for  a  few  years  on 
the  Florida  waters  to  prevent  the  spoliation  of  Government  live  oak 
preserves,  one  or  two  naval  engineers  being  usually  attached  to 
each.  The  Poinsett  was  sold  in  1845  for  15,000,  and  the  Barney 
was  returned  to  the  War  Department  in  1846.  The  General  Taylor^ 
after  being  the. tender  at  the  Pensacola  navy  yard  for  several  years, 
was  sold  in  1852  for  (3,000. 

In  1841  and  1842  plans  were  prepared  for  the  paddle-wheel 
steamer  Mickiga/n,  the  hull  being  designed  by  Naval  Constructor 
Samuel  fiartt,  and  the  engines  and  boilers  by  Mr.  C.  W.  Gopelaud. 
There  were  two  inclined  direct  acting  condensing  engines,  placed 
side  by  side,  the  cylinders  being  36  inches  in  diameter  and  eight 


-i 


U.    S.    S.    MICHIGAN. 


THE  STfiAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  ^ 

feet  stroke;  these  engines  are  now,  more  than  fifty  years  after  the 
Michigan  was  first  commissioned,  still  in  the  vessel  and  in  excellent 
working  order.  The  two  original  retnrn-flue  iron  boilers  lasted 
nearly  fifty  years,  they  having  been  replaced  as  recently  as  the 
winter  of  1892-93.  The  engines  and  boilers  were  bnilt  by  Stack- 
honse  &  Tomlinson  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  The  hnll  was  built  of  iron, 
the  plates,  frames  and  other  iron  material  being  all  prepared  in 
Pittsburgh  ready  for  assembling  and  then  transported  overland  to 
Erie,  Pa.,  where  the  vessel  was  pat  together  and  launched  in  1843, 
making  her  first  cruise  on  the  Great  Lakes  in  1844.  She  was  the 
first  iron  vessel  afloat  on  those  waters,  and  is  still  in  active  service, 
a  striking  illustration  of  the  difference  between  fresh  and  salt  water 
as  agents  for  the  deterioration  of  iron  vessels.  It  should  be  men* 
tioned,  however,  that  the  extraordinary  longevity  of  the  JHchigan 
is  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  she  has  to  lie  up  in  a  winter  harbor  for 
about  six  months  each  year,  and  thus  the  chances  for  her  untimely 
destruction  by  the  usual  perils  of  the  sea  have  been  reduced  one- 
half.  The  first  commander  of  the  Michigan  was  William  Inman, 
and  her  first  chief  engineer  Andrew  Hebard. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
'  A  nttie  laaming  is  a  dangerooB  thing. ** 


BxperixnentB  with  the  '*  Hooter  Wheel"— The  Uhioh— The  Waxbb  Wrrcs— Tte 
Allbg-hant — The  Steyens  Battery. 

THE  work  of  the  engineers  in  designing  and  bnilding  macbinery 
for  the  new  nayal  steamers,  while  it  excited  suspicion  and  op- 
position from  some  who  were  well  satisfied  with  the  nary  as  it  wbs^ 
attracted  a  certain  amount  of  admiration  from  others  and  it  was  not 
long  before  amateur  imitators  of  their  work  sprung  up  in  the  ser- 
yioe,  Sariy  in  1842,  Lieutenant  W.  W.  Hunter  of  the  nary  se- 
eared  a  patent  for   a  submerged  wheel,  claiming  a  great  improTe- 

;  over  the  ordinary  side  wheels  in  propelling  ressels.  Erperi* 
were  made  on  the  old  canal  in  Washington  with  a  small  boat 
the  Qerm  fitted  with  Hunter's  wheels,  and  the  results  ob- 
tained presented  to  the  Navy  Department  in  such  a  favorable  light 
that  it  was  determined  to  build  a  war-steamer  to  test  the  invention 
on  a  large  scale. 

The  Hunter  wheel  consisted  essentially  of  a  drum  with  the  pad- 
dles projecting  from  its  surface  like  the  teeth  of  a  large  gear  wheri 
or  pnnion;  the  axis  of  the  wheel  was  placed  vertically  and  the  wheel 
so  located  in  the  vessel,  below  the  water  line,  that  as  it  revolved  the 
paddles,  when  at  right  angles  to  the  keel,  would  project  their  whole 
width  from  the  side  of  the  ship  through  a  suitable  aperture.  To 
keep  the  water  from  flowing  into  the  ship  through  this  opening  the 
dram  wae  cased  inside  the  ship  with  a  box  or  coffer-dam  made  to  fit 
as  closely  as  safety  permitted,  in  practice  a  clearance  of  about  two 
indies  on  all  sides  being  allowed.  A  wheel  was  fitted  on  each  side 
of  the  ship.  In  operation  it  will  be  observed  that  this  wheel  would 
act  on  the  water  on  precisely  the  same  principle  as  that  governing 
the  ordinary  side  wheel,  but  unlike  the  latter  its  idle  side,  instead  of 
revolving  through  the  air,  had  to  do  work  all  the  time  by  sweeping 
around  the  water  inside  the  casing.  It  had  an  advantage  in  dispens- 
ing with  the  large  wheel-houses  which  were  exposed  to  shot  and  of- 
fered much  resistance  to  the  wind,  beside   blocking  space  b^onging 


lAfe  nnUM  NAVY  C9  TH£  UNITED  9TATSS. 


40 


to  iHKMidnde  gom,  b«l  tftifl  was  practieaUy  oOmI  by  the  diMdTtntage 
of  having  ao  much  apaoe  in  the  hold  occupied  by  the  dnun  eases, 
lAfle  the  enormons  loss  of  work  inrolyed  in  constantly  chaning  the 
water  inside  the  cases,  appeared  at  once  to  every  engineer  and  me- 
ehanic  to  be  a  fatal  defect  in  the  device. 


.4^^^^^^. 


Sketch  showing  section  of  vesnl  and  annngement  of  Honter'B  wheels. 
Thiflisaieprodiictionof  a  drawing  tabmitted  by  Lieat  Hunter  to  the  Navy  De- 
ptrtanent  onder  date  of  Nov.  29, 1843,  and  is  particularly  interesting  from  the  fsot 
tiuit  it  shows  the  principle  of  the  protective  or  shield  deck,  bdieved  by  many  to 
be  a  recent  invention.  None  of  Hunter's  vessels  had  sadbi  a  deck  aa  built.  Tliia 
drawing  was  first  published  in  the  annual  report  of  the  secretary  of  the  navy, 
iboatl844. 

However,  the  Navy  Department  ordered  the  building  of  a  yes* 
eel  on  Mr.  Hunter's  plans  and  the  work  was  carried  out  at  the  Nor- 
folk navy  yard  in  1842.  The  vessel,  named  the  Vhion,  was  185 
feet  long,  88  feet  beam,  and  displaced  900  tons  on  a  draft  of  eleyen 
feet  The  rig  was  that  of  a  three-masted  topsail  schooner,  and  the 
battery  consisted  of  four  68-pounder  guns.  The  engines  were  built 
at  the  Washington  navy  yard  according  to  Mr.  Hnnter's  ideas  and 
consisted  of  a  horizontal  non-condensing  engine  for  each  wheel,  the 
cylinders  being  twenty-eight  inches  in  diameter  and  four  feet  stroke. 
There  were  three  iron  tubular  boilers,  eighteen  feet  long  and  six  feet 
fix  inches  in  diameter,  they  being  of  the  usoal  commercial  pattenTfor 


50  tfife  giShM  AAVY  of  this  UNi¥J£l>  BI^TBS 

•■■> 
land  senrice.     The  propelling  wheels  were  fourteen  feet  in  diameter, 
each  fitted  with  twenty  paddles  f oar  feet  long  and  ten  inches  wide. 

The  Union  was  completed  at  the  end  of  1842  and  Mr.  Wffiiam 
P.  WilKamson,  who  had  assisted  Mr.  Hnnter  in  his  ezperinMnts 
with  th^  Chmiy  was  appointed  a  chief  engineer  in  the  nayy  and 
ordered  to  the  new  yessel.  In  1843  she  was  engaged  in  esperi- 
mental  cmisnig  abontthe  coast,  nnder  command  of  Lieutenant  Hnn- 
ter, b«t  was  unable  to  develops  better  average  than  five  knots  per 
hov,  while  the  slip  or  lost  work  of  the  wheels  in  pumping  water 
through  the  dram  cases,  was  from  fifty  to  seventy  per  cent.  The 
boilerB,  carryii^  nearly  one  hundred  pounds  of  steam  for  the  high- 
pressure  engines,  rapidly  accumulated  scale  causing  an  equally  rapid 
deterioration,  they  being  intended  only  for  land  service,  were  un- 
provided with  means  or  accessibility  for  scaling,  and  in  about  a  year 
new  boilws  fit  for  use  at  sea  were  supplied  from  designs  of  Ohief 
Engineer  Haswell,  but  the  wheels  continued  to  waste  their  energy 
by  acting  as  centrifugal  pumps  instead  of  propelling  the  vessel.  An 
average  of  five  knots  on  a  daily  expenditure  of  eighteen  tons  of  coal 
was  the  best  that  could  be  done  with  the  ship.  With  a  favorable 
wind  die  made  on  some  occasions  nine  and  ten  knots  for  short  peri- 
ods, and  lieutenant  Hnnter  reported  one  performance  of  about 
twelve  knots  sustained  for  five  hours  with  a  moderate  breeze.  In 
1846  it  was  concluded  the  engines  were  not  powerful  enough,  so 
they  were  removed  and  replaced  with  a  pair  of  condensing  engines, 
four  feet  stroke  and  forty  inches  diameter  of  cylinders;  at  the  same 
time  the  boilers  were  thoroughly  repaired  and  the  wheels  so  altered 
that  they  had  ten  paddles  each  instead  of  twenty,  the  new  paddles  be- 
ing fo«r  feet  long  and  two  feet  wide;  all  this  failed  to  increase  the 
efficiency  of  the  wheels  and  the  Union  was  finally,  in  1848,  put  to 
use  as  a  receiving  ship  at  the  Fhiladelphia  navy  yard.  The  ma- 
chinery was  removed  at  this  time  and  sold  for  (3,840.  The  total 
cost  of  this  experiment  was: 

Hull,  to  period  of  first  sailing $107,066.  Vt 

Engines  and  dependencies,  do 61,062.9S 

Sepairs  at  various  times 68,649.1S 

Total.. ^ $226,«T7.fl 


THE  8TSAIC  KAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATBS. 


51 


Wlulo  tlie  tronblai  <rf  the  '« Hunter  wheel "  in  tilie  Umon  were 
progreanng,  similBr  ezperienee  was  being  gained  with  a  small  iron 
steamer  named  Ae  Water  Witch.  This  vessel  was  bnilt  at  the 
Washington  nary  yard  in  1848  from  lieutenant  Hunter's  plans  and 
was  intended  for  a  steam  water  tank  to  supply  the  vessels  at  the 
Norfolk  station,  but  when  completed  it  was  discovered  that  she  could 
not  go  throQgh  the  locks  of  the  Dismal  Swamp  canal,  which  had  to 
be  done  in  order  to  get  at  the  watec  supply,  so  she  was  fitted  for  a 
harbor  veesel  and  tug.  Her  length  was  100  feet  and  beam  21  feet; 
the  macfaiBM-y  consisted  of  two  non-condensing  engines  with  cylin- 
ders 2S  inches  in  diameter  and  four  feet  stroke,  driving  two  Hunter 
wheels  16  feet  in  diameter.  The  maximum  speed  of  this  contri- 
Trance  was  six  and  one-half  knots  per  hour,  which  was  so  unsatiBfac- 
tary  conaidering  her  small  size  and  great  power,  that  the  vessel  was 
condemned  and  taken  to  Philadelphia  to  be  rebuilt.  The  experi- 
ment with  the  Hunter  wheel  in  this  vessel  stops  at  this  point,  but  it 
will  be  interesting  to  trace  the  subsequent  career  of  the  Water  Witch 
since  she  has  been  introduced* 


IX>PKB'8  PBOPBLI.ER. 


A  peculiAritj  claimed  by  the  inventor  for  thlB  instrument  was  that  it  waa 
not  a  screw  becanse  *'  the  propeller  blades  form  an  angle  with  the  center  line  in 
ttenine." 


THE  STEAM  KAVY  OF  THE  TTinTED  8TATB. 


At  Philadelphia  the  vessel  was  lengthened  thirtj  feet  and  the 
entire  machinery  removed,  new  machinery  driving  a  ^^  Leper  "  pro- 
peller as  an  experiment  being  substituted.  This  also  was  pronoim- 
ced  unsatisfactory,  although  when  tried  by  a  committee  of  the  Frank- 
lin Institute  in  the  Delaware  river  a  speed  of  nearly  nine  knots  was 
obtained,  and  in  1817  an  inclined  condensing  engine  driving  side 
wheels,  designed  by  Engineer-in-Ohief  Haswell,  was  substituted. 
With  this  alteration  the  Water  Witch  was  actively  employed  in  the 
Gulf  during  the  Mexican  War,  but  she  had  been  the  victim  of  so 
much  patch- work  on  an  originally  faulty  model  that  it  required  much 
labor  to  keep  her  in  working  order.  In  1861  she  sailed  from  Nor- 
folk for  a  coastwise  voyage  and  hopelessly  broke  down  on  the  first 
day  out,  after  which  exploit  the  machinery  was  removed  and  the  hull 
put  to  good  practical  use  as  a  target  for  gunnery  practice  at  Washing- 
ton. The  machinery  being  perfectly  good,  a  new  hull  of  wood, 
somewhat  larger  than  the  old  was  built  at  the  Washington  yard  in 
186S  and  a  reasonably  efficient  little  gunboat  thus  produced,  still 
bearing  the  original  name.  This  new  steamer  was  employed  for  a 
number  of  years  in  the  Bio  de  la  Plata  region  of  South  America, 
and  later  saw  some  very  active  service  during  the  first  three  years 
of  the  Oivil  War.  June  8,  1864,  she  was  ci^tnred  in  Ossabaw 
Sound  by  a  lacge  boarding  party  of  the  enemy  after  a  most  desper- 
ate struggle,  in  which  her  paymaster,  Mr.  Luther  G.  Billings,  killed 
Lieutenant  Pelot  the  Confederate  commander  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight, 
and  also  saved  the  life  of  his  own  commanding  officer  by  killing  the 
man  who  had  cut  him  down  and  was  about  to  despatch  him.  The 
Union  prisoners  were  taken  to  Savannah  where  they  came  under  the 
control  of  the  Oonf  ederate  officer  commanding  that  naval  station,  and 
who,  singularly  enough,  was  the  same  Hunter  whose  wheels  had  pro- 
pelled the  original  Water  Witch^  he  having  resigned  as  a  commander  iu 
1861  and  cast  his  fortunes  with  the  Oonfederacy.  The  coincidence 
does  not  seem  to  have  appealed  to  his  magnaminity  to  any  great  ex- 
tent, for  it  is  a  matter  of  official  record  that  he  treated  his  prisoners 
with  considerable  harshness. 

To  return  to  the  experience  of  the  Navy  Department  with  the 
Hunter  wheel.  The  experiments  with  the  Union  and  WcUer  Witch 
not  being  conclusive  to  Mr.  Hunter  and  his  supporters,  the  Depart- 
ment was  prevailed  upon  to  try  the  invention  on  a  larger  scale  than 


THB  STEAM  NAYY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  53 

before.  On  the  11th  of  July,  1843,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Mr. 
A.  P.  Upshur,  directed  Captain  Beverly  Kennon,  chief  of  the  Bu- 
reau of  Construction,  ^'  to  take  proper  steps  for  building  at  Pitts- 
bui^h,  Pennsylvania,  an  iron  steamer  on  plans  to  be  submitted  by 
lieutenant  William  W.  Hunter,"  and  a  contract  was  accordingly 
made  with  Joseph  Tomlinson  for  an  iron  steamer  on  Hunter's  plan, 
together  with  engines,  propellers,  machinery,  and  all  metal  appurte- 
nances, and  Lieutenant  Hunter  was  ordered  by  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment to  superintend  the  construction  of  the  whole.  Work  on  this 
vessel,  named  the  AUeghomy^  began  in  1844  and  was  completed  in 
April,  1847,  when  she  descended  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  to 
New  Orleans,  and  thence  steamed  around  to  Norfolk,  Ya. 

The  Alleghany  was  185  feet  long,  33  feet  beam,  13  feet  6  inches 
mean  draft,  at  which  her  displacement  was  1,020  tons.  She  was 
bark-rigged  and  mounted  originally  four  8-inch  Paixham  guns, 
weighing  10,000  pounds  each,  but  this  battery  was  reduced  one-half 
before  the  vessel  sailed  for  a  foreign  cruise.  There  were  two  hori- 
zontal condensing  engines  with  cylinders  of  four  feet  stroke  and  60 
inches  diameter,  and  two  iron  retum-flne  boilers  containing  2,000 
square  feet  of  heating  surface  and  56  square  feet  of  grate  surface  each. 
The  boilers  were  designed  by  Mr.  Has  well,  but  the  engines  and  hull 
were  Mr.  Hunter's,  modified  by  such  suggestions  as  he  collected 
from  the  engineers  and  constructors.  The  horizontal  propelling 
wheels  were  14  feet  8  inches  outside  diameter,  fitted  with  eight  pad- 
dles each,  the  paddles  being  3  feet  6  inches  long  and  2  feet  2  inches 
wide. 

On  the  trip  from  New  Orleans  to  Norfolk  the  mean  results  of 
her  best  steaming  performances  in  smooth  sea  and  calms  gave  a 
speed  of  4.9  knots  on  an  expenditure  of  2,000  pounds  of  coal  per 
hour.  At  Norfolk  it  was  concluded  to  cut  out  every  other  paddle, 
leaving  only  four  in  each  wheel,  and  thus  altered  the  Allegheny 
sailed  for  Brazil,  on  which  station  and  in  the  Mediterranean  she  was 
employed  until  1849,  when  she  returned  to  the  United  States  and 
went  on  duty  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  until  October  of  that  year. 
After  the  reduction  of  the  paddles  the  average  performance  for 
eighty-eight  hours'  steaming  at  sea  in  calm  weather  was  5.9  knots 
per  hour  on  an  hourly  consumption  of  2,096  pounds  of  coal.  The 
mean  results  of  eleven  hundred  and  ninety  hours  under  steam  and 


54  THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Bail  in  the  Atlantic  and  Mediterranean  dnring  her  crnise  were  as 
follows: 

Mean  pressure  in  boilers 11.77  pounds 

Throttle One-half  open 

Out-oflE 28. 100  of  stroke 

Coal  consumption  per  hour 1,940  pounds 

Average  revolution  of  wheels 27.3  per  minute 

Vacuum 26  inches 

Speed  of  vessel   per  log 6,883  knots 

Upon  the  return  of  the  AUeghwny  from  the  Oulf  of  Mexico  in 
October,  1849,  a  survey  was  held  on  her  by  order  of  Commodore 
C.  W.  Skinner,  chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Construction,  etc.,  the  board 
of  survey  being  composed  of  Commander  J.  B.  Montgomery,  Naval 
Constructor  John  Lenthal,  Engineer-in-Chief  C.  H.  Has  well,  Chief 
Engineer  Wm.  P.  Williamson,  and  Mr.  Wm.  Ellis,  the  supervising 
engineer  of  the  Washington  navy  yard.  Their  report  was  a  con- 
demnation of  the  Hunter  wheel,  and  a  recommendation  to  substitute 
a  common  side  wheel,  but  as  the  engines  could  be  adapted  to  a 
screw  propeller,  and  not  to  paddle  wheels,  a  propeller  was  decided 
upon,  as  the  cost  of  new  engines  would  thereby  be  saved.  This  re- 
port definitely  ended  the  career  of  Hunter's  wheel  and  put  a  stop  to 
needless  expenditure  of  public  money.  The  entire  history  of  these 
experiments  in  the  navy  only  confirms  the  correctness  of  an  old  adage 
a  ''  shoemaker  should  stick  to  his  last." 

The  actual  cost  of  the  AUeghany  to  the  period  of  her  departure 
from  Pittsburg  was: 

Hull  and  fittings f  118,635.27 

Engines,  boilers,  fittings  and  connections 113,640.65 

Patent  right  for  Hunter's  wheels 10,320.00 

total $242,595.92 

In  1851-52  the  Alleghany  was  rebuilt  at  the  works  of  A.  Me- 
haffy  &  Co.,  Portsmouth,  Va.,  under  the  supervision  of  Chief  En- 
gineer Wm.  P.  Williamson,  U.  S.  Navy.  The  iron  hull,  having 
been  constructed  by  an  establishment  accustomed  to  building  vessels 


THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNTIED  STATES.  65 

toT  river  service,  had  been  f  omid  too  weak  tor  rough  crnising  in  the 
open  sea,  a  number  of  frames  having  bnekled  inward,  and  an  at- 
tempt to  remedj  this  was  made  by  putting  in  additional  frames  and 
braces.  The  openings  in  the  side  for  the  Hnnter  wheels  were  built 
in,  and  a  new  stem  post,  suitable  for  the  passage  of  a  propeller  shaft, 
was  substituted  for  the  old  one.  The  cylinders  of  the  old  engines, 
which  worked  fore  and  aft,  were  used  in  the  new  engine  to  work 
sthwartship  from  the  diagonally  opposite  corners  of  a  new  bed  plate, 
the  connecting  rods  reaching  backward  from  cross-tails,  and  many 
of  the  minor  parts  of  the  old  engines  were  likewise  adapted  in  the 
new  structure.  The  alterations  in  the  engines  were  regarded  by  en- 
gineers at  the  time  as  very  ingenious  and  were  devised  by  Mr.  B. 
F.  Isherwood,  a  young  chief  engineer  who  had  entered  the  service 
a  few  years  previously.  His  arrangement  of  the  cylinders  with  a 
back-acting  motion,  will  be  recognized  as  the  fore-runner  of  the  type 
8o  universally  known  some  years  later  as  the  Isherwood  engine. 

Three  new  iron  boilers,  aggregating  5,500  square  feet  of  heating 
surface  and  200  square  feet  of  grate  surface  were  provided ;  these  were 
of  an  English  patent  type  known  as  <<  Lamb  and  Summer  "  boilers, 
hitherto  unknown  in  the  United  States,  although  used  successfully 
to  some  extent  in  England.  They  were  installed  in  the  Alleghany 
at  the  instance  of  Mr.  Charles  B.  Stuart,  the  engineer-in-chief  at  the 
time,  a  royalty  of  forty-JBve  cents  per  superficial  foot  of  heating  sur- 
face being  paid  to  the  patentees.  Firsson's  patent  double-vacuum 
condenser,  to  which  was  attached  an  evaporator  for  making  up  the 
waste  of  fresh  water,  was  fitted  in  this  steamer  at  this  time,  which 
was  the  first  appearance  in  our  naval  service  of  that  once  popular 
tjpe  of  condenser. 

The  cost  of  all  these  alterations  and  additions  was  about  f  130,- 
000,  which,  when  added  to  the  original  cost  of  the  vessel  and  about 
125,000  spent  for  repairs  when  she  was  in  service,  brings  the  total 
cost  up  to  nearly  1400,000. 

The  screw  propeller  was  made  of  cast  iron,  IS^  feet  in  diame- 
ter, with  four  blades  3^  feet  wide,  having  an  expanding  piteh  from 
27  to  33  feet.  So  curious  was  this  propeller  in  comparison  with  the 
modern  pear-shaped  development  of  the  same  instrument,  that  a  re- 
duced copy  of  the  original  drawing  is  shown  on  next  page,  the  au- 
thor feeling  confident  it  will  interest  all  his  readers  who  ever  had 
any  connection  with  the  profession  of  marine  engineering. 
a 


66 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


The  AUeghomy  was  promised  for  the  Perry  expedition  to  Japan, 
which  fitted  out  in  the  snmmer  of  1852,  but  so  many  vexations  de- 
lays in  her  rebuilding  occnred  that  she  was  not  ready  for  a  steam 
trial. until  nearly  a  year  after  Commodore  Perry  sailed  for  Japan  in 
the  JftBsiMvppi.  On  trial  the  AUeghcmy  proved  to  be  an  absolute 
and  unqualified  failure;  the  hull  was  too  weak  to  withstand  the  action 
of  the  engines  and  this  resulted  in  the  engine  bed  plates  breaking  in 
several  places;  the  boilers  were  entirely  inadequate  for  supplying  the 


•CBBW-PBOPBLLBB,  U.  8.  8.  ATiLKGHANT,  1852. 

engines  with  steam,  and  things  were  at  sixes  and  sevens  generally. 
Misfortunes  with  other  ships  will  be  referred  to  in  due  time,  which 
occurred  during  the  same  year  and  with  the  fiasco  of  the  Alleghany 
caused  public  attention  and  much  adverse  criticism  to  be  directed  at 
the  management  of  the  Navy  Department.  Mr.  Secretary  Dobbin, 
in  response  to  the  popular  clamor,  organized  a  board  of  engineers 
with  instructions  to  institute  a  searching  investigation,  not  only  as  to 
the  causes  of  the  disasters,  but  also  the  officers  or  individuals  who 
were  responsible.  This  board  consisted  of  Engineer-in-Ghief  D.  6. 
Martin  (Mr.  Stuart  had  resigned  in  June  of  that  year);  Chief  Engi- 
neer Henry  Hunt,  TJ.  S.  Navy,  and  Mr.  C.  W.  Copeland.  Mr.  John 
Lenthal,  the  chief  constructor  of  the  navy,  was  ordered  to  act  with 
the  board  and  advise  its  members  in  matters  relating  to  his  specialty. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  67 

In  the  case  of  the  AUegTumy^  the  report  of  this  board  was  not 
especially  flattering  to  any  who  had  been  concerned  in  her  building 
and  repair,  amounting  to  a  general  condemnation  of  the  vessel  as  be- 
ing totally  nnsnited  for  naval  purposes.  The  hull,  originally  built 
for  the  reception  of  Hunter's  wheels,  was  of  a  very  peculiar  form, 
the  cross  section  being  shaped  like  an  inverted  bell;  a  shape  mani- 
festly inconsistent  with  structural  strength  to  withstand  outside  pres- 
sure, as  well  as  a  dangerous  model  for  sailing,  and  it  was  found  that 
the  additional  frames  put  in  were  so  placed  and  fastened  as  not  to 
add  to  the  strength,  while  considerably  increasing  the  weight.  The 
English  boilers,  originally  adopted  as  experimental,  had  been  radic- 
aUy  altered  after  another  set  of  the  same  boilers  had  failed  in  another 
ship — ^the  Princetan — and  this  fact  was  unfavorably  dwelt  upon  by 
the  board,  although  there  was  no  reason  for  believing  that  this  type 
would  have  been  successful  in  the  AUegha/ny  after  it  had  failed  in 
another  case.  Chief  Engineer  Isherwood  was  scored  for  not  provid- 
ing, in  the  design  and  strength  of  the  engine  frames,  for  the  weak- 
ness of  the  ship's  bottom,  and  on  his  side  he  of  course  contended 
that  it  was  his  task  to  provide  an  engine  only;  not  a  hull  to  support 
it  With  more  experience,  at  a  later  period  of  his  prof  essonal  ca- 
reer, when  it  became  his  duty  to  provide  power  for  a  great  number 
of  war  vessels  with  all  sorts  of  hulls,  his  engine  frames  were  made 
proof  against  any  amount  of  racking  they  might  receive,  and  then  a 
hue  and  cry  was  raised  again,  not  because  the  engines  were  too  light, 
but  because  they  were  too  heavy.  Philosophers  say  that  it  is  much 
easier  to  be  critical  than  correct,  and  the  belief  that  the  most  suc- 
cessful critics  are  those  who  have  failed  in  other  callings  has  long 
since  passed  into  a  proverb. 

The  great  fault  in  this  affair  appears,  from  a  careful  study  of 
the  docimients  in  the  case,  to  have  been  the  original  attempt  to  make 
a  serviceable  war  vessel  out  of  a  structure  that  in  shape  and  scant- 
Ung  of  material  was  utterly  unfit  for  the  reception  of  adequate  power. 
After  her  lamentable  failure  the  AUeghamf  was  laid  up  in  ordinary 
at  Washington  navy  yard  for  a  year  or  two  and  was  then  moved  to 
Baltimore,  where  she  remained  for  many  years  as  a  store  ship,  be- 
ing eventually  sold  in  1869  for  f  6,250. 

During  this  same  experimental  period  a  project  for  constructing 
an  iron-clad  steam  battery  was  submitted  to  the  government  by  Mr. 
Bobert  L.  Stevens  of  Hoboken,  New  Jersey,  and  was  so  well  re- 


58  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


oeived  that  OongreBS,  by  an  act  approved  April  14,  1842,  aathor- 
ized  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  enter  into  contract  with  Mr.  Ste- 
vens '^for  the  construction  of  a  war  steani^er,  shot  and  shell  proof, 
to  be  bnilt  principally  of  iron,  upon  the  plan  of  the  said  Stevens," 
the  act  appropriating  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  towards 
carrying  the  law  into  effect  and  providing  that  the  whole  cost  of  the 
steamer  should  not  exceed  the  average  cost  of  the  Missiaaippi  and 
Misaowri.  Although  the  steamer  thus  originated  was  never  com- 
pleted, and  its  history  reached  forward  into  a  period  far  ahead  of 
that  with  which  we  have  yet  begun  to  dtsal,  it  was  such  an  object  of 
interest  to  the  early  engineers  that  it  is  entitled*  to  mention  in  this 
place,  especially  as  the  present  chapter  has  been  devoted  to  the  re- 
cital of  upset  theories  and  blasted  hopes. 

Mr,  Stevens  was  the  son  of  the  famous  American  inventor,  John 
Stevens,  who,  as  early  as  1804,  had  successfully  operated  a  Email 
experimental  steamer  with  twin  screw  propellers  in  place  of  paddle- 
wheels;  who,  in  1812,  had  prepared  a  complete  set  of  plans  for  a 
circular  iron-clad  steam  battery,  and  whose  name  was  for  many  years 
intimately  associated  with  the  beginning  of  steam  navigation  and 
railway  operations  in  this  country.  Robert  L.  Stevens  inherited  his 
father's  inventive  genius  and  his  incomplete  inventions,  among  them 
the  idea  of  the  armored  steam  battery.  The  original  plan  for  this 
vesssel  was  for  a  large  iron  steamer  (about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  long)  to  be  protected  with  plates  of  four  and  one-half  inch  iron 
armor  plate,  Mr.  Stevens  having  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Coast  Defense  Board,  composed  of  army  and  navy  ofiScers,  that  iron 
plates  of  this  thickness  could  withstand  the  fire  of  any  possible  gun. 
Unfortunately  for  Stevens,  another  great  genius,  who  will  appear 
prominently  in  the  next  chapter,  arrived  on  the  scene  about  this  time 
with  a  large  wrought-iron  gun  of  English  manufacture,  with  which  he 
proceeded  to  demonstrate  by  actual  experiments  that  plates  of  iron 
four  and  one-half  inches  thick  could  be  easily  penetrated.  This  was 
a  great  discouragement  to  Mr.  Stevens  and  occasioned  so  much  offi- 
cial interference  with  his  work  that  the  project  languished  until  1854, 
when  work  on  a  modified  battery  was  begun  in  earnest  and  carried 
almost  to  completion  before  it  was  brought  to  a  stand  still  by  the 
death  of  Mr.  Stevens  in  185G.  The  vessel  thus  constructed  was 
much  larger  than  the  original  design,  being  420  feet  long,  63  feet 
beam,  and  of  about  6,000  tons  displacement.     The  iron  armor  pro- 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATE&  69 

jeeted  for  this  formidable  craft  was  to  be  six  and  three  qaarter  inches 
in  thicknees. 

The  machinery,  which  was  completed  in  1856,  was  designed  for 
8,600  horse-power,  then  an  enormous  engine  power  and  equal  to  that 
of  thtt  famous  Qretst  Eastern.  The  vessel  had  twin  screws,  the  shafts 
bong  eight  feet  apart  at  the  engines  and  diverging  towards  the  stern, 
at  which  point  they  were  twenty-two  feet  apart;  they  also  were 
designed  to  point  down  a  little  to  get  a  better  hold  of  the  water,  the 
screw  ends  being  about  a  foot  lower  than  the  engine  ends.  The  to- 
tal length  of  each  shaft  was  184  feet,  with  a  maximum  diameter  of 
seventeen  inches.  Each  shaft  was  operated  by  a  row  of  four  verti- 
cal cylinders  placed  outboard  of  the  shaft  and  connected  to  the  cranks 
by  means  of  overhead  walking  beams  six  feet  long  and  the  usual  in- 
terposition of  connecting  rods,  an  arrangement  that  engineers  fami- 
liar with  our  modem  navy  will  recognize  as  remarkably  like  the  beam 
oigines  adopted  by  the  Advisory  Board  for  the  Chicago.  The  cyl- 
ind^n  of  these  two  sets  of  engines  were  all  of  the  same  dimensions, 
viz:  forty-five  inches  in  diameter  and  forty-two  inches  stroke.  The 
four  cranks  of  each  shaft  were  placed  ninety  degrees  apart,  and  the 
crank  shafts,  forged  separately,  were  coupled  together  in  a  manner 
doeely  similar  to  modern  practice.  The  engine  frames  were  built 
up  of  iron  plates.  The  fore-and-aft  fire-room,  seventy-six  feet  long, 
had  five  boilers  on  each  side,  aggregating  26,000  square  feet  of  heating 
surface.  Unlike  the  typical  boilers  of  that  time,  these  boilers  were 
fitted  with  tubes  two  and  a  quarter  inches  in  diameter  instead  of  the 
large  fines  so  generally  used. 

Up  to  this  time  the  government  bad  appropriated  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  this  undertaking  and  the  inventor  had  expended 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  his  own  money  on  it  besides.  At 
Bobert  Stevens'  death,  the  unfinished  structure  became  the  property 
of  his  two  brothers,  Edwin  A.  and  John  C.  Stevens,  who,  being  very 
wealthy  from  having  successfully  followed  out  the  railway  and  shipping 
enterprises  of  their  father,  offered  in  1861  to  complete  the  vessel  at  their 
own  expense  if  the  government  would  pay  for  it  if  it  proved  to  be 
successful.  This  liberal  offer  was  rejected  by  the  Navy  Department 
dirough  the  medium  of  a  board  of  naval  officers  who  reported  ad- 
versely to  the  project,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  country  was  sorely 
in  need  of  armored  vessels  and  at  that  very  time  another  naval 
board  was  in  daily  session  listening  to  the  claims  of  every  inventor 


eO  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

who  came  along  with  a  scheme  of  any  kind  for  an  iron  clad.  In  an 
effort  to  prove  the  practicability  of  their  plan  the  Stevens  brothers 
fitted  oat  at  their  own  expense  a  small  steamer  named  the  Ndugor 
tuchy  with  their  arrangement  of  protective  armor,  and  loaned  her  to 
the  Navy  Department;  this  craft  was  in  action  at  Drory's  Blnff  on 
the  James  river  in  1862  and  had  to  fall  ont  of  battle  owing  to  the 
borsting  of  her  Parrott  gnn,  so  her  armor  did  not  receive  the  desired 
test,  and  she  never  figured  as  a  national  vessel  on  the  official  navy  list. 

In  1868  Mr.  Edwin  A.  Stevens  died,  and  by  the  terms  of  his  will 
gave  the  unfinished  battery  to  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  beqaeathing 
f  1,000,000  to  be  nsed  in  completing  it.  General  George  B.  McClel- 
lan  of  Army  of  the  Potomac  fame,  was  appointed  as  the  engineer  to 
determine  on  the  plans  for  completing  the  vessel,  and  Mr.  Isaac  New- 
ton, who  as  an  engineer  in  the  navy  during  the  war  had  won  a  high 
professional  reputation,  was  appointed  General  McClellan's  techni- 
cal assistant.  These  officials  determined  to  convert  the  structure 
into  a  ram,  with  a  revolving  turret  similar  to  that  of  Ericsson's  moni- 
tor type.  The  bow  was  strengthened  accordingly,  an  inner  skin,  on 
the  dotble  bottom  principal,  and  transverse  water-tight  bulkheads 
were  introduced,  and  the  old  machinery  was  entirely  replaced  with 
ten  large  boilers  and  two  sets  of  powerful  engines  of  the  <*  Maudsley 
&  Field"  vertical  overhead-crosshead  type,  designed  to  propel  the 
vessel  at  a  speed  of  fifteen  knots  per  hour. 

In  1874  the  million  dollars  left  by  Mr.  Stevens  was  exhausted  and 
the  vessel  not  yet  completed,  although  far  enough  along  to  justify 
the  claim  that  she  would  be  the  most  formidable  war  vessel  in  the 
world  if  completed.  New  Jersey  was  not  disposed  to  spend  the 
necessary  money  for  her  completion  and  opened  negotiations  for  her 
sale  to  the  United  States,  a  bargain  to  that  end  being  practically 
completed  so  far  as  the  Navy  Department  was  concerned,  but  Con- 
gress refused  to  appropriate  the  money  to  make  the  necessary  pay- 
ments, and  the  structure  fell  back  upon  the  hands  of  the  State  of 
New  Jersey.  Proposals  for  her  sale,  either  as  a  whole  or  in  parts, 
were  then  advertised,  and  in  1874  and  1875  the  most  of  the  material 
and  machinery  was  disposed  of  in  that  way,  even  the  new  engines 
being  sold  for  old  iron. 

Although  borne  on  the  official  navy  list  as  a  national  vessel  for 
several  years,  this  troublous  craft  never  had  any  other  name  than 
the  designation  of  the  <' Stevens  Battery." 


CHAPTER  Y. 

'*Srie880ik'8  career  proved  that  the  fbkcil,  as  well  as  the  pen,  is  mightier  than 
the  sword.  Napoleon  did  not  effeet  greater  changes  In  the  teoe  of  Eorope  than  has 
Sricsson  prodooed  in  naval  warfsre,  and  these  latter  are  lasting,  while  the  former 
have  long  since  passed  into  other  forms." 

J.  YAUttHAH  MsBBiCK  IN  Chitboh's  JAfe  of  John  ErUmon, 

iBteoduetkni  of  the  Screw  Propeller— John  Sriesson.— The  PsivoBTOir,  and  Her 
Bemarkable  Engine.~Qreat-gnn  Accident  on  the  Pbdicbton  and  Consequent 
Breach  of  Friendship  Between  Bricsson  and  Captain  Stockton.--Sttbseqnent 
Career  of  the  Pbihobtov. 

THIS  narrative  of  the  early  steam  yessels  and  engineers  of  oar 
nayj  has  now  progressed  to  the  point  where  there  appears  on 
the  scene  the  most  remarkable  marine  engineer  whose  genins  has  ever 
impressed  itself  upon  the  engineering  practice  of  the  world,  his 
advent  into  onr  naval  history  being  due  to  the  adoption  of  a  war- 
steamer,  the  product  of  his  brain,  which  in  many  particulars  rad- 
ically and  snccessfnlly  departed  from  the  accepted  dogmas  of 
engineers  of  the  time  regarding  the  application  of  steam  power  to 
marine  propulsion.  Experiments  with  screw  propellers  of  various 
types  had  been  made  in  the  United  States,  England,  and,  elsewhere 
and  the  practicability  of  the  instrument  had  been  visibly  demons- 
trated by  more  than  one  inventor,  notwithstanding  which  many 
ffligineers  persisted  in  maintaining  that  its  theoretical  loss  by  oblique 
action,  and  other  alleged  defects,  were  fatal  to  its  adoption  in 
practice.  Foremost  among  the  experimenters  in  England  was  the 
Swedish  engineer,  John  Ericsson,  who,  failing  to  gain  recognition 
from  the  Admiralty  although  he  had  constructed  entirely  successful 
Bcrew-prope]led  vessels,  left  that  country  in  disgust  and  came  to  the 
United  States,  if  not  at  the  instance,  certainly  to  the  gratification  of 
Captain  Richard  F.  Stockton  of  the  U.  S.  Navy. 

Oaptain  Stockton  had  been  in  England  at  the  time  the  experi- 
ments with  Ericsson's  propeller  were  attracting  public  attention  and 
he  became  thoroughly  converted  to  the  importance  and  value  of  the 
invention.  Becoming  well  acquainted  with  the  great  engineer,  he 
bad  talked  to  him  at  length  of  his  wish  to  have  the  United  States 


THE  STF.AM  NAVY  OF  tHE  UNITBD  8tAT£a 


Goyernment  build  a  steamer  on  Ericsson's  plan  of  propulsion,  and 
had  made  many  flattering  promises  of  success  to  the  latter  should 
he  ever  take  up  the  practice  of  his  precession  in  America.  The  Act 
of  Congress  of  1889,  under  which  the  JitMsissippiBxid  Mtasouri  were 
built,  had  authorized  the  construction  of  three  yessels,  and  at  the 
urgent  and  repeated  solicitations  of  Captain  Stockton  the  Depart* 
ment,  late  in  1841,  directed  the  construction  of  the  third  Tessel  from 
plans  suggested  by  him.  As  soon  as  authority  to  build  the  ship  was 
granted,  Stockton  summoned  Ericsson  to  his  aid  and  engaged  him 
to  make  all  the  necessary  designs  for  the  hull  and  machinery,  as 
well  as  to  act  as  general  superintendent  of  the  construction  of  the 
same. 

This  vessel,  named  the  Prmceton  after  Captain  Stockton's 
home  town  in  New  Jersey,  was  built  in  Philadelphia  during  the 
years  1842  and  1843,  the  hull  at  the  navy  yard  and  the  machinery 
by  the  engineering  firm  of  Merrick  and  Towne.  She  was  164  feet 
long,  80^  feet  beam,  and  displaced  964  tons  at  her  mean  draft  of 


ERICSSONS  8CBEW  PBOPBLLSB. 


16^  feet.     The  peculiarity  of  model  consisted  in  a  very  fiat  floor 
amidships,  with  great  sharpness  forward  and  excessiye  leanness  aft, 


THU  STKAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UKlTBD  STATES.         «8 

the  nm  being  remarikably  fine.  She  wna  ehip-rigged,  spreading 
fourteen  thousand  four  hundred  and  thirteen  square  feet  of  canvas 
in  plain  sails.  The  screw  propeller  originally  used  was  of  the  form 
known  as  '^the  Ericsson  ":  it  was  composed  of  a  cast  brass  hub 
widi  six  arms,  the  latter  being  surrounded  by  a  copper  band  or 
drum,  on  which  six  brass  blades  were  riveted,  the  general  appear- 
tt&ee  of  the  instrument  being  shown  as  in  the  annexed  sketch.  Both 
arms  and  blades  were  of  true  helicoidal  twist.  In  Mr.  Robert  Mac- 
farlane's  History  of  Steam  Navigation,  published  in  1861,  this  form 
of  propeller  is  thus  spoken  of : — <^The  advantage  of  the  Ericsson 
screw  is  in  having  a  ring  within  the  arms,  whereby  any  number  of 
blades  can  be  fixed,  and  a  large  srea  of  surface  obtained."  The 
IVifieet(m^9  propellw  was  of  the  following  dimensions : 

Diameter,  extreme 11  feet. 

Diameter  ol  drum 8  " 

Diameter  of  hub 1  ''8  in. 

Pitch  of  screw-. 36  ** 

Length  of  hub  and  arms  in  direction  of  axis.  2  '  < 

Width  of  blades 4  "  1  in. 

Weight  of  screw 12,000  pounds. 

In  1846,  about  a  year  after  the  completion  of  the  vessel,  the 
original  propeller  was  removed  and  a  six-bladed  screw  without  any 
supporting  drum  was  substituted,  the  new  screw  being  14^  feet  in 
diameter,  32-^  feet  pitch,  with  blades  about  4^  feet  wide.  Experi- 
ments made  on  the  Jhnnoeton  under  similar  conditions  showed  that 
the  common  screw  was  about  11  per  cent,  more  efficient  than 
Ericsson's.  The  JPrinceton  had  three  iron  boilers,  designed  by 
Ericsson  to  burn  hard  coal,  aggregating  2,420  square  feet  of  heat- 
ing surface  and  124  square  feet  of  grate  surface. 

The  Princeton  was  the  first  aoreu)  steam  war-vessd  ever  huUt^ 
although  followed  closely  by  H.  M.  S.  JRcUtler^  launched  soon  after 
she  was.  The  Battler  was  begun  some  time  before  the  Princeton 
and  was  intended  originally  for  side- wheels,  but  was  changed  while 
building  owing  to  a  change  in  sentiment  regarding  screw  propellers. 
To  this  circumstance  may  be  attributed  the  fact  that  the  Battler  is 
freqaently  claimed  to  have  been  the  first  screw  war-steamer.  The 
Princeton  was  also  the  first  vessel  of  war  in  which  all  the  machinery 


64  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

was  placed  entirely  below  the  water  line  ont  of  reach  of  shot.  She 
was  also  the  first  war-yessel  with  boilers  designed  to  bom  anthracite 
coal,  thns  avoiding  the  volnme  of  black  smoke  to  betray  her  presence 
to  an  enemy :  blowers  were  nsed  for  the  first  time  in  naval  practice, 
and  she  was  the  first  steamer  provided  with  a  telescopic  smoke  pipe. 
Ericsson  was  the  first  engineer  to  couple  the  engine  direct  to  the 
screw  shaft,  other  experimenters  with  screws  nsing  intermediate 
gearing  in  deference  to  the  theories  of  the  day. 

The  engine  of  the  JPrincehn  may  be  roughly  described  as  a 
half-cylinder,  in  which  a  rectangular  piston  vibrated  like  a  barn  door 
on  its  hinges,  and  was  beyond  doubt  the  most  remarkable  modifica- 
tion of  the  steam  engine  ever  carried  into  successful  practice.  The 
principle  of  a  vibrating  rectangular  piston  is  an  old  mechanical 
device,  so  old,  in  fact,  that  it  was  embraced  in  Watt's  patent  as  one 
of  the  modes  of  transmitting  the  power  of  steam  to  machinery,  but, 
until  Ericsson's  time  ;  engineers  had  failed  to  build  successful 
engines  on  this  plan.  Ericsson's  plan  differed  radically  from  pre- 
vious attempts,  from  the  fact,  that  he  introduced,  opposite  the  main 
semi-cylinder,  a  much  smaller  one  with  its  piston  a  prolongation  of 
of  the  large  one  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  shaft,  both  being  acted 
on  by  the  steam  at  the  same  time  and  the  difference  in  their  powers 
being  the  effective  force  transmitted  to  the  crank  levers. 

In  the  Princeton  this  combined  or  double  semi-cylinder  was 
eight  feet  long  and  placed  horizontal  with  the  smaller  semi-cylinder 
uppermost.  The  smaller,  or  re-acting,  piston  was  ten  inches  wide 
and  the  lower,  or  working  piston  thirty-six  inches  wide.  This 
difference  leaves  twenty-six  inches  of  effective  width  of  piston,  with 
its  center  of  pressure  located  10+18»»28  inches  from  the  center  of  the 
piston  shaft.  The  effective  piston  area  therefore  was  26x96«2,616 
square  inches,  moving  back  and  forth  through  an  arc  of  ninety 
degrees  with  an  arm  or  radius  of  twenty-three  inches,  the  distance 
of  the  center  of  pressure  from  the  center  of  the  piston  shaft. 

Before  laughing  at  this  contrivance  as  a  crude  effort  of  olden 
times  it  is  well  to  investigate  a  little,  and  we  will  find  that  it  pos- 
sessed peculiar  merits.  The  vibration  of  the  working  piston  will  be 
found  to  correspond  closely  to  the  beat  of  a  pendulum  ;  and  there- 
fore its  swing  during  the  first  half  of  each  vibration  would  be  mater- 
ially assisted  by  the  force  of  gravity.     The  arrangement  with  the 


THB  8TBAM  HAYY  OF  THB  UNITBD  STATES. 


66 


Steam  ports  underneath,  facilitated  the  outflow  of  condensed  water 
and  prevented  any  dangerons  accmnnlation  in  the  cylinder.  Centri- 
fugal force  aided  the  outward  tendency  of  the  packing,  and  in  the 
case  of  the  lower  piston  this  was  further  assisted  by  the  force  of 
gravity.  The  crank  levers  were  attached  to  the  piston  shafts  in 
nearly  the  same  plane  with  the  pistons,  which  relieved  the  journals 
of  that  shaft  from  irregular  strains.  The  small  angular  movement 
(ninety  degrees)  of  the  main  piston  was  also  an  important  feature. 
A  greater  motion  would  increase  the  power  of  any  given  sized 
engine  but  would  also  increase  the  strain  on  all  the  principal  bear- 


nSTOK  MOVXHBNT  U.   8.   8.   PBOrCBTON  (XBIC880N'8  PATEHT.) 

ings,  as  the  force  of  the  piston  obviously  increases  in  the  inverse 
ratio  of  the  sines  of  the  angles  of  the  piston  shaft  cranks,  with  refer- 
ence to  the  position  of  the  connecting  rods.  A  moderate  increase 
of  diameter  would  make  up  the  loss  of  power  due  to  the  short  arc 
through  which  the  piston  vibrates.  Another  advantage  resulting 
from  this  short  vibration  was  the  possibility  of  fitting  deep  cylinder 
covers  to  resist  the  upward  pressure  of  the  steam.  Finally  it  will  be 
noticed  that  there  are  very  few  working  parts,  and  the  moving  parts 
are  fewer  than  in  any  other  type  of  steam  engine,  except  possibly 
the  oscillating  engine  with  the  piston  rod  connected  directly  to  the 
crank. 


i 

o 


THX  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THB  TJNITKD  STATES.  67 

Ordinary  slide  raises  of  the  locomotive  type  were  fitted  to  this 
peculiar  engine.  Two  of  these  engines  were  fitted  in  the  Princeton^ 
parallel  to  the  crank-shaft  and  imparting  motion  by  the  connections 
shown  in  the  outline  sketch. 

The  ship  was  completed  and  ready  for  sea  abont  the  first  of 
January,  1844,  and  was  exhibited  as  a  marine  wonder  at  various 
places  along  the  coast.  Although  this  was  some  time  after  the 
enactment  of  the  law  regulating  the  appointment  of  engineers  in  the 
naval  service.  Oaptain  Stockton  appointed  the  first  ones  for  this  ship 
as  though  the  ship  belonged  to  him  ;  indeed  it  is  not  improbable  he 
felt  a  certain  right  to  ownership,  he  being  a  man  of  wealth  had  spent 
much  of  his  own  money  on  the  vessel.  When  the  vessel  was  com- 
pleted he  sent  the  following  report  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
which  is  very  interesting  and  gives  the  best  description  of  the  I^ince- 
tan  in  existence : 


**  U.  8.  Smp  Pbutobton, 
**  PmLADBLPHiA,  Feb.  bthy  1844. 
''Sir: 

^'The  United  States  Ship  Princeton  having  received  her  arma- 
ment on  board,  and  being  nearly  ready  for  sea,  I  have  the  honor  to 
transmit  to  you  the  following  account  of  her  equipment,  etc. : 

''The  Princeton  is  a  full  rigged  ship  of  great  speed  and  power, 
able  to  perform  any  service  that  can  be  expected  from  a  ship  of  war. 
Constructed  upon  the  most  approved  principles  of  naval  architecture, 
she  is  believed  to  be  at  least  equal  to  any  ship  of  her  class  with  her 
sail,  and  she  has  an  auxiliary  power  of  steam  and  can  make  greater 
speed  than  any  sea  going  steamer  or  other  vessel  heretofore  built. 
Her  engines  lie  snug  in  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  out  of  reach  of  an 
enemy's  shot,  and  do  not  at  all  interfere  with  the  use  of  the  sails, 
but  can  at  any  time  be  made  auxiliary  thereto.  She  shows  no  chim- 
ney, and  makes  no  smoke,  and  there  is  nothing  in  her  external  ap- 
pearance to  indicate  that  she  is  propelled  by  steam. 

''  The  advantages  of  the  I^rmoeton  over  both  sailing  ships  and 
steamers  propelled  in  the  usual  way  are  great  and  obvious.  She  can 
go  in  and  out  of  port  at  pleasure,  without  regard  to  the  force  or  di- 
rection of  the  wind  or  tide,  or  the  thickness  of  the  ice.  She  can  ride 
safely  with  her  anchors  in  the  most  open  roadstead,  and  may  lie-to 


68  THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  TEGB  UNITED  STATE& 

in  the  Boverest  gale  of  wind  with  safety.  She  can  not  only  save  her- 
self, bnt  will  be  able  to  tow  a  squadron  from  the  dangers  of  a  lee 
shore.  Using  ordinarily  the  power  of  the  wind  and  reserWng  her 
fnel  for  emergencies,  she  can  remain  at  sea  the  same  length  of  time 
as  other  sailing  ships.  Making  no  noise,  smoke,  or  agitation 
of  the  water  (and  if  she  chooses,  showing  no  sail),  she  can  surprise 
an  enemy.  She  can  take  her  own  position  and  her  own  distance  from 
an  enemy.  Her  engines  and  water  wheel  being  below  the  surface 
of  the  water,  safe  from  an  enemy's  shot,  she  is  in  no  danger  of  be- 
ing disabled,  even  if  her  masts  should  be  destroyed.  She  will  not 
be  at  daily  expense  for  fuel  as  other  steamships  are.  The  engines 
being  seldom  used,  will  probably  outlast  two  such  ships.  These  ad- 
vantages make  the  IMnoeton^  in  my  opinion,  the  cheapest,  fastest, 
and  most  certain  ship  of  war  in  the  world. 

^^  The  equipments  of  this  ship  are  of  the  plainest  and  most  sub- 
stantial kind,  the  furniture  of  the  cabins  being  made  of  white  pine 
boards,  painted  white,  with  mahogany  chairs,  table,  and  sideboard, 
and  an  American  manufactured  oil  cloth  on  the  floor. 

^^  To  economize  room,  and  that  the  ship  may  be  better  venti- 
lated, curtains  of  American  manufactured  linen  are  substituted  for 
the  usual  and  more  customary  and  expensive  wooden  bulkheads,  by 
which  arrangement  the  apartments  of  the  men  and  officers  may  in 
an  instant  be  thrown  into  one,  and  a  degree  of  spaciousness  and  com- 
fort is  attained  unusual  in  a  vessel  of  her  class. 

^^The  Princeton  is  armed  with  two  long  235-pounder  wrought 
iron  guns,  and  twelve  42-pounder  carronades,  all  of  which  may  be 
used  at  once  on  either  side  of  the  ship.  She  can  consequently  throw 
a  greater  weight  of  metal  at  one  broadside  than  most  frigates.  The 
big  guns  of  the  Princeton  can  be  fired  with  an  effect  terrific  and  al- 
most incredible,  and  with  a  certainty  heretofore  unknown.  The  ex- 
traordinary effects  of  the  shot  were  proved  by  firing  at  a  target, 
which  was  made  to  represent  a  section  of  the  two  sides  and  deck  of 
a  74-gun  ship,  timbered,  kneed,  planked  and  bolted  in  the  same 
manner.  This  target  was  560  yards  from  the  gun.  With  the 
smaller  charges  of  powder,  the  shot  passed  through  these  immense 
masses  of  timber  (being  fifty-seven  inches  thick),  tearing  it  away  and 
splintering  it  for  several  feet  on  each  side,  and  covering  the  whole 
surface  of  the  ground  for  a  hundred  yards  square  with  fragments  of 


THB  STKAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  «9 

wood  and  iron.  The  accuracy  with  which  these  f^nns  throw  their 
immense  shot  (which  are  three  feet  in  circumference),  may  be  judged 
by  this:  the  six  shots  fired  in  succession  at  the  same  elevation  struck 
the  same  horizontal  plank  more  than  half  a  mile  distant.  By  the  ap- 
plication of  the  various  arts  to  the  purposes  of  war  on  board  the 
Prvnoeton^  it  is  believed  that  the  art  of  gunnery  for  sea  service  has 
for  the  first  time  been  reduced  to  something  like  mathematical  cer- 
tainty. The  distances  to  which  these  guns  can  throw  their  shot  at 
every  necessary  angle  of  elevation  has  been  ascertained  by  a  series 
of  careful  experiments.  The  distance  from  the  ship  to  any  object  is 
readily  ascertained  with  an  instrument  on  board,  contrived  for  that 
purpose  by  an  observation  which  it  requires  but  an  instant  to  make, 
and  by  inspection  without  calculation.  By  self-acting  locks,  the  guns 
cau  be  fired  accurately  at  the  necessary  elevation,  no  matter  what  the 
motion  of  the  ship  may  be.  It  is  confidently  believed>that  this  small 
8hip  will  be  able  to  battle  with  any  vessel,  however  large,  if  she  is 
not  invincible  against  any  foe.  The  improvements  in  the  art  of  war 
tdopted  on  board  the  Princeton  may  be  productive  of  more  important 
results  than  anything  that  has  occured  since  the  invention  of  gun- 
powder. The  numerical  force  of  other  navies,  so  long  boasted,  may 
be  set  at  naught.  The  ocean  may  again  become  neutral  ground,  and 
the  rights  of  the  smallest  as  well  as  the  greatest  nations  may  once 
more  be  respected.  All  of  which,  for  the  honor  and  defense  of  every 
inch  of  our  territory,  is  most  respectfully  submitted  to  the  honorable 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  for  the  information  of  the  President  and  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States. 

'^  By  your  obedient  and  faithful  servant, 

**R.  F.  Stockton, 

**  Captain,  U.  8.  Navy. 

On  February  28,  1844,  the  JE^vacetcn  sailed  from  Washington 
on  a  pleasure  and  trial  trip  down  the  Potomac  river,  having  on  board 
President  Tyler  and  his  Cabinet  and  a  distinguished  party  of  civil 
and  military  officials,  invited  by  Captain  Stockton  to  witness  the  per- 
formance of  the  vessel  and  her  machinery.  The  trip  was  a  great  suc- 
cess professionally  and  convivially,  and  Captain  Stockton  was  lion- 
ized as  the  greatest  inventor  of  the  times,  it  being  the  general  im- 
pression that  the  ship  and  all  that  was  in  her  had  sprung  from  his 


70  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

yigoroQB  brain.  On  the  return  trip  one  of  those  irresponaible  per- 
sons who  are  always  doing  something  that  ought  not  to  be  done  and 
whose  names  are  never  known  afterward,  wanted  to  have  the  big 
gnn  known  as  ^'Peacemaker,''  fired  again  ''just  for  fnn,"  to  which 
Captain  Stockton  dissented,  as  the  gnns  had  been  thoroughly  exer- 
cised earlier  in  the  day;  he  yielded,  however,  upon  the  good-natured 
wish  expressed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  let  the  guests  have 
all  the  sport  they  wished,  and  the  gun  was  fired.  It  burst,  injuring 
many  people,  among  them  Stockton  himself,  and  killing  the  Hon. 
Abel  P.  Upshur,  Secretary  of  State;  Hon.  Thomas.  W.  Gilmer, 
Secretary  of  the  Navy;  Captain  Beverly  Kennon,  IT.  S.  Navy;  Hon. 
Virgil  Maxey  of  Maryland;  Mr.  David  Gardiner,  and  a  colored  ser- 
vant. Mr.  Gilmer  had  been  Secretary  of  the  Navy  less  than  two 
weeks,  and  Mr.  Upshur  had  been  Secretary  of  the  Navy  at  a  period 
shortly  before  he  received  the  portfolio  of  the  Department  of  State. 
Mr.  Gardiner  was  a  descendant  of  the ''  lords  of  the  manor"  of  Gar- 
diner's Island,  and  his  tragic  death  was  the  cause  of  an  interesting 
romance;  his  body  was  taken  to  the  White  House  by  direction  of  the 
President,  and  in  the  resulting  distress  and  sympathy  President  Ty- 
ler developed  such  an  interest  in  Gardiner's  beautiful  daughter  Julia 
that  he  afterward  married  her. 

When  Ericsson  came  to  the  United  States  he  brought  among 
many  other  inventions  a  large  wrought  iron  gun,  designed  by  him- 
self and  made  in  England.  On  trial  this  gun  developed  cracks 
which  Ericsson  remedied  by  an  expedient  now  in  general  use  in  gun 
making,  namely,  by  shrinking  bands  on  it.  Thus  altered  it  was 
fired  more  than  one  hundred  times  with  great  success,  its  projectiles 
piercing  a  4i-inch  wrought  iron  target,  and  it  was  placed  on  board 
the  Princeton^  with  the  name  of  *'  Oregon, "  as  one  of  the  two  heavy 
guns  of  that  vessel;  the  name  ^^ Oregon  "  was  adopted  because  that 
word  was  in  everybody's  mouth  owing  to  an  international  contro- 
versy then  in  progress,  the  British  Lion  being  engaged  in  an  attempt 
to  place  his  heavy  paw  upon  our  extreme  north-western  territories. 
The  other  great  gun  of  the  Princeton — ^the  ^'  Peacemaker  " — was 
Captain  Stockton's  gun,  and  was  simply  an  imitation  of  Ericsson's, 
being  regarded  as  an  improvement  over  the  latter,  as  its  breach  was 
a  foot  greater  in  diameter  and  the  gun  was  heavier  throughout,  the 
quality  of  its  metal  being  over  looked  in  the  effort  to  provide  quan- 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  71 

tity;  it  was  of  the  same  calibre,  viz,  twelre  inches.  Its  weight  was 
about  ten  tons  and  was  claimed  to  be  the  largest  forging  then  in  the 
world  and  a  great  manufacturing  trinmph,  as  only  a  few  years  before 
the  forges  of  the  United  States  could  not  produce  a  wrought-iron 
shaft  for  the  second  .Fulton, 

It  is  a  matter  of  simple  history  that  Captain  Stockton  allowed 
the  belief  to  become  general  that  he  was  the  originator  of  everything 
connected  with  the  Princeton  and  tacitly,  if  not  directly,  withheld 
from  Ericsson  the  credit  which  was  his  due.  In  'the  eulogistic  ac- 
count of  the  Princeton  before  quoted,  the  name  of  John  Ericsson 
does  not  appear,  although  every  detail  mentioned  with  so  much  en- 
thusiasm as  great  improvements  was  his  invention.  The  hull  of  the 
Princeton  was  designed  by  Ericsson;  the  engines  were  of  his  patent, 
and  so  was  the  screw  propeller;  the  telescopic  smoke  pipe  and  fire 
room  blowers  were  his;  the  banded  gun  was  his  invention;  the  range 
finder  was  his;  the  automatic  gun  lock  was  his;  the  Princeton  was 
essentially  the  child  of  Ericsson's  brain.  So  long  as  the  career  of 
the  Princeton  amounted  to  a  triumphal  procession  from  one  city  to 
another,  John  Ericsson  remained  in  the  shadow  of  obscurity,  but 
with  the  bursting  of  the  "  Peacemaker  "  he  was  remembered  and 
sunmoned  to  Washington.  "Captain  Stockton,"  as  Mr.  Church 
very  pointedly  remarks,  '*  bethought  himself  of  Ericsson.  If  he  was 
not  disposed  to  share  the  credit  of  success  with  him  he  was  quite 
ready  to  give  him  his  full  measure  of  responsibility  for  disaster." 
&ic8son  declined  to  be  held  responsible  for  an  imitation  gun  not  of 
his  making  and  his  letter  in  reply  to  the  summons  to  proceed  to 
Washington  is  a  veritable  gem  of  irony  and  independence.  Stock- 
ton never  forgave  him  and  greatly  injured  him  afterward  by  prevent- 
ing the  payment  by  the  Government  of  Ericsson's  bill  for  his  patents 
and  his  invaluable  prof essional  work  for  the  two  years  that  the  ship 
was  under  construction.  In  denying  Ericsson's  claim  for  payment 
for  his  services  Stockton  referred  to  him  as  a  "  mechanic  of  some 
skill,"  and  made  the  remarkable  statement  that  he  had  allowed  him, 
''  08  aparticidar  act  of  favor  and  kindness, ^^  to  superintend  the  con- 
struction of  the  Princeton* s  machinery.  Not  many  months  before, 
at  a  dinner  in  Princeton,  celebrating  the  launching  of  the  ship,  Cap- 
tain Stockton  had  introduced  Ericsson  as  the  man  for  whom  he  had 
searched  all  over  the  world,  who  was  capable  of  inventing  and 
carrying  out  all  that   was   necessary  to  make  a  complete  ship  of 

6 


72  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

war.  Ericsson  experienced  all  the  wearj  circumlocution  of  bills  in 
Congress,  suits  in  the  court  of  claims,  &c.,  and  to  the  great  shame 
of  our  country  eventually  died  with  the  bills  for  his  services  on  the 
Princeton  still  unpaid.  The  whole  miserable  story  is  told  in  Mr. 
Wm.  0.  Church's  admirable  history  of  the  life  of  John  Ericsson,  a 
book  that  is  well  worth  the  study  of  all  engineers. 

The  Princeton  was  employed  in  the  home  squadron  during  the 
years  1845,  '46  and  ^47,  and  was  actively  engaged  in  the  Mexican 
War,  her  performance  under  sail  and  steam  at  all  times  being  high- 
ly satisfactory,  and  her  reliability  as  a  steamer  remarkable.  The 
mean  results,  when  under  steam  alone  during  this  period,  were  as 
follows: 

Mean  steam  pressure  in  boilers 11.75  pounds. 

Mean  initial  pressure  in  cylinders  (throttle 

one-fifth  open) 6.3         '' 

Double  vibrations  of  piston,  per  minute. .  .22.68       '* 
Consumption  of  anthracite  coal  per  hour, 

fan  blast 1,293       " 

Mean  effective  pressure  throughout  stroke,        9       ^^ 

Horse-power  developed  by  engines 191.893 

Speed  of  ship  in  knots,  per  hour 7. 29 

Slip  of  the  screw 10.38  per  cent. 

Sea  water  evaporated  per  hour  per  pound 

of  coal 6.64  pounds. 

In  1847  the  Princeton  was  supplied  with  new  boilers  of  the 
same  number  and  external  dimensions  as. the  old,  but  with  about 
twenty  per  cent,  more  heating  surface,  thus  improved  she  sailed  for 
the  Mediterranean  station  where  she  remained  two  years  under  the 
command  of  Commander  Frederick  Engle.  Mr.  Henry  Hunt  was 
her  chief  engineer  the  first  part  of  this  cruise,  succeeded  by  Joshua 
Follansbee.  On  this  cruise  the  performance  under  steam  was  much 
better  than  it  had  been  with  the  original  boilers  and  it  was  claimed 
that  she  was,  considered  in  connection  with  the  amount  of  fuel  con- 
sumed, the  most  efficient  steamer  in  existence.  She  was  an  object 
of  interest  and  admiration  to  European  engineers  and  her  cruise  in 
the  Mediterranean  did  much  to  break  down  the  prejudice  of  sailors 
against  steamers,  and  of  engineers  against  the  screw  and  the  practice 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  73 

of  coupling  engines  direct  to  the  shaft.  At  sea  she  was  readily  han- 
dled, either  with  steam  or  saU,  and  had  no  bad  quality  except  the 
fault  of  pitching  violently  owing  to  her  great  leanness  forward  and 
aft  Under  sail,  with  the  propeller  uncoupled,  she  was  claimed  to 
be  as  fast  and  handy  as  most  sailing  vessels,  and  she  is  said  to  have 
beaten  some  sloops  of  war  and  frigates  in  clawing  off  a  lee  shore  in 
a  heavy  gale,  under  sail  and  dragging  her  screw. 

The  old  navy  captains  had  strenuously  asserted  that  steam  could 
never  be  practically  applied  to  naval  warfare,  and  the  defects  in  the 
firat  side  wheel  steamers  and  failure  of  Hunter's  system  of  submerged 
propulsion  added  weight  to  their  predictions.  The  appearance  and 
(mccessful  performances  of  the  Princeton^  without  any  objection 
able  side- wheels  and  with  the  machinery  entirely  below  the  water 
line,  left  the  objectors  with  no  argument  except  their  own  sentimen 
tal  predilections  in  favor  of  sails,  and  for  this  reason  the  Princeton 
may  truly  be  credited  with  the  honor  of  being  the  germ  of  our  steam 
nayy,  for  after  her  first  service  there  was  no  longer  any  doubt  in  the 
minds  of  sensible  men  that  the  old  order  of  things  must  yield  to  the 
new.  Besides  inaugurating  the  era  of  steam  men  of  war,  the  Prm- 
oetan  may  be  credited  with  introducing  another  new  factor  into  the 
problem  of  marine  warfare.  It  has  been  previously  mentioned  that 
Ericsson's  wrought-iron  gun  had  been  used  to  perforate  an  iron 
taiget,  and,  although  that  particular  gun  was  removed  from  the  ship 
after  the  disaster  to  its  copy,  this  fact  set  people  thinking  about  how 
to  resist  the  fire  of  such  guns.  As  Lieutenant  Jacob  W.  Miller  very 
aptly  says  in  an  essay  read  before  the  U.  S.  Naval  Institute,  ''  When 
the  TJ.  8.  S.  Princeton^  propelled  hy  Ericsson'* s  screw  and  armed  by 
Ericsson^s  wroi^ht-iron  gv/a^  was  launched  the  war  between  armor 
and  projectiles  began." 

When  the  PrvnceUm  returned  from  the  Mediterranean  in  1849 
she  was  condemned  by  a  survey  and  immediately  broken  up  at  the 
Boston  Navy  Yard.  It  is  asserted  in  Commodore  Stockton's  biog- 
raphy that  the  hasty  condemnation  and  destruction  of  this  ship  was 
the  work  of  certain  naval  captains  who  were  jealous  of  the  fame  and 
popularity  he  had  won  in  championing  the  cause  of  steam  in  the 
navy,  and  it  is  certain  that  much  hard  feeling  was  occasioned  by  the 
event,  but  this  quarrel  may  well  be  passed  over  in  silence,  especially 
aa  its  principals  have  long  since  ceased  the  contentions  of  this  world. 
Two  years  later  when  Stockton  was  a  member  of  the  United  States 


74  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


Senate  he  prevailed  upon  the  Navy  Department  to  rebuild  his  ship, 
and  a  new  hull  was  accordingly  built  at  the  Boston  navy  yard,  snch 
of  the  old  timbers  as  were  fit  being  worked  into  the  new  stmctnre. 
The  new  Princeton  was  a  clipper-bnilt  ship,  177  feet  long,  33  feet 
8  inches  beam,  and  of  1370  tons  displacement  at  mean  draft,  which 
dimensions  it  will  be  noticed  correspond  very  closely  with  those  of 
our  present  Enterprise  class  of  corvettes.  The  old  Ericsson  semi- 
cylinder  engines,  being  in  good  order,  were  not  destroyed  with  the 
ship,  and  these  were  taken  to  Baltimore  and  thoroughly  overhauled 
at  the  Vulcan  Iron  Works,  under  the  supervision  of  Ohief  Engineer 
Wm.  H.  Shock,  U.  S.  Navy.  The  only  material  change  made  in 
them  was  in  the  addition  of  SickePs  adjustable  cut-off.  Three  iron 
boilers  of  the  ^'  Lamb  and  Summer  "  patent,  previously  referred  to 
in  connection  with  the  Alleghcmy^  were  supplied  by  the  Baltimore 
firm;  also  a  four-bladed  composition  propeller,  16  feet  in  diameter, 
not  unlike  in  general  form  the  propellers  in  use  fifteen  years  ago. 

A  long  delay  in  completing  the  ship  occured  on  account  of  a 
controversy  between  the  engine  builders  and  the  Navy  Department 
as  to  whether  the  machinery  was  to  be  installed  in  Boston  or  Balti- 
more, but  the  Department,  being  anxious  to  get  the  ship  for  the  Ja- 
pan expedition,  finally  sent  her  to  Baltimore  and  the  machinery  was 
put  in  place  during  the  summer  of  1862.  Eventually  completed,  the 
Princeton  sailed  from  Annapolis  in  November,  1852,  in  company 
with  the  Mississippi^  but  on  the  voyage  down  Chesapeake  Bay  the 
boilers  gave  so  much  trouble  that  she  was  detained  at  Norfolk  and 
the  Mississippi  sailed  without  her.  The  Board  of  Engineers  named 
in  Chapter  lY.  as  having  been  organized  to  investigate  the  failures 
of  certain  vessels,  reported  in  the  case  of  the  Princeton  that  the  ad- 
dition of  the  SickePs  cut-off  was  injudicious  and  that  the  failure  of 
the  ship  was  attributable  to  the  patent  boilers;  so  far  as  any  individ- 
ual was  to  blame  for  the  failure,  the  report  stated  that  Mr.  Stuart, 
the  former  engineer-in- chief ,  who  had  recommended  the  use  of  the 
Lamb  and  Summer  boilers  was  the  responsible  person.  Commodore 
Stockton  felt  that  his  pet  ship  had  been  terribly  bungled  in  rebuild- 
ing, possibly  maliciously  so,  and  he  denounced  the  whole  affair  by 
a  vigorous  speech  in  the  Senate,  referring  to  the  new  Princeton  as 
^'an  abortion  in  the  naval  service.''  After  lying  idle  in  Norfolk 
for  a  year  or  two,  the  Princeton  was  taken  to  Philadelphia  and  used 
as  a  receiving  ship  until  October  9,  1866,  when  she  was  sold. 


CHAPTER  VL 

"I  hold  every  man  a  debtor  to  his  profession;  from  the  which  as  men  of 
coane  do  seek  to  receive  countenance  and  profit,  so  ought  they  of  duty  to  en- 
desTonr  themselves  by  way  of  amends  to  be  a  help  and  ornament  thereunto," 

Francis  Baoon. 

Beoiganization  of  the  Engineer  Corps — Case  of  Chief  Engineer  C.  B.  Moss — ^AU 
Assistant  Engineers  Examined  and  Re-arranged  According  to  Proficiency — 
Iawb  and  Begalations  Affecting  the  Engineer  Corps  from  1845  to  1850^ 
Bedgnation  of  Chief  Engineer  John  Faron,  Jr. 

THE  act  of  August  31,  1842,  creating  the  engineer  corps  of  the 
navy,  authorized  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  appoint  the  en- 
gineer-in-chief and  the  chief  engineers,  as  well  as  the  assistant  engi- 
neers. In  the  original  draft  of  this  bill  it  was  provided  that  the 
engineer-in- chief  and  chief  engineers  should  be  commissioned  offi- 
cers, nominated  by  the  President  and  confirmed  by  the  Senate,  which 
proyision  met  with  approval,  but  disappeared  at  the  last  moment 
when  the  bill  assumed  its  final  form.  This  omission  was  said  to  be 
due  to  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Gilbert  L.  Thompson,  who  had  arranged 
to  be  appointed  to  the  new  office'  of  engineer-in-chief,  and,  not  being 
an  engineer  by  profession,  was  fearful  that  the  Senate  would  not 
oonfirm  him  when  nominated;  so  he  used  his  political  influence  to 
hither  his  interests  by  making  the  way  to  the  desired  office  as  free 
&om  legislative  and  legal  forms  and  ceremonies  as  possible. 

After  Mr.  Thompson's  short  career  as  engineer- in -chief,  his 
successor,  Mr.  Haswell,  immediately  undertook  the  task  of  remedy- 
ing the  defect  in  organization  occasioned  by  the  diplomacy  of  his 
predecessor,  his  efforts  being  so  successful  that  the  naval  appropria- 
tion bill  of  the  following  year  (approved  March  3,  1845)  contained 
the  following: — 

8sc.  7.  Ani  he  it  further  evuieted.  That  in  lien  of  the  mode  heretofore  pro- 
^^Ued  by  law,  the  engineer-in-chief  and  chief  engineers  of  the  navy  shall  be  ap- 
POtnted  by  the  President,  by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate,  and  that 
the  President,  by  and  with  the  like  advice  and  consent,  may  appoint  six  engineers, 
to  be  employed  in  the  revenue  service  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Secretary  of  the 
'^tfnfuy  may  appoint  six  assistant  engineers,  to  be  employed  in  the  like  service,  one 
ttiKineer  and  one  assistant  to  be  assigned  to  each  steamer  in  the  said  service,  if  the 


76  THE  STTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  8TATE& 

same  shall  be  deemed  neceBsary  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  who  shall  pre- 
scribe the  duties  to  be  performed  by  said  officers  respectively;  each  of  the  said  engi- 
neers shall  be  entitled  to  receive  the  same  pay  as  now  is,  or  hereafter  may  be,  by 
law,  allowed  to  Orst  lieutenants  in  the  revenue  service;  and  that  each  assistant  engi- 
neer shall  be  entitled  to  receive  the  same  pay  that  now  is,  or  hereafter  may  be,  by 
law,  allowed  to  third  lieutenants  in  said  service. 

The  enactment  of  this  law  made  it  necessary  for  the  names  of 
the  chief  engineers  to  be  sent  to  the  Senate  for  confirmation  for 
commissions,  and  this  furnished  the  engineer-in-chief  with  an  op- 
portunity to  re-arrange  them  in  what,  according  to  his  judgment, 
was  their  proper  order  of  merit,  his  recommendation  on  the  subject 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  dated  May  9,  1845,  being  approved 
and  a  re-arrangement  accordingly  made  by  numbering  the  commis- 
sions. There  were  then  seven  chief  engineers  ranking  with  each 
other  according  to  date  of  appointment  in  the  following  order: 

John  Faron,  Jr.,  appointed  January  18,  1840. 
Andrew  Hebard,  appointed  February  6,  1840. 
James  Thompson,  appointed  April  14,  1842. 
Wm.  P.  Williamson,  appointed  October  20,  1842. 
Charles  B.  Moss,  appointed  May  29,  1844. 
Wm.  Sewell,  Jr.,  appointed  February  11,  1845. 
W.  W.  W.  Wood,  appointed  March  16,  1845. 

By  Mr.  HaswelPs  recommendation,  this  order  of  precedence 
was  changed  to  the  following,  in  order  of  number  of  commission: 

1.  John  Faron,  Jr. 

2.  Andrew  Hebard. 

3.  Wm.  Sewell,  Jr. 

4.  W.  W,  W.  Wood. 

5.  James  Thompson. 

6.  Wm.  P.  Williamson, 

7.  Charles  B.  Moss. 

This  new  arrangement  was  of  coarse  not  agreeable  to  those  who 
were  reduced  in  standing,  Mr.  Williamson  especially  feeling  ag- 
grieved at  having  Messrs.  Sewell  and  Wood,  who  had  just  entered 
the  corps  as  chief  engineers  direct  from  civil  life,  placed  above  him, 
and  the  case  does  appear  to  savor  of  hardship,  but  the  judgment  of 
the  engineer- in- chief  was  allowed  to  stand  as  final,  and  Mr.  Will- 


THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  77 

iamson's  protests  to  the  Department  ayailed  him  nothing.  Ohief 
Engineer  Moss  also  came  to  grief  at  the  hands  of  the  Department  at 
the  same  time.  He  was  a  close  friend  of  President  Tyler,  and  had 
been  his  private  secretary  prior  to  receiving  an  appointment  as  a 
chief  engineer  in  the  navy,  and  after  that  remained  in  Washington 
as  a  member  of  the  President's  household.  President  T^ler^s  term 
of  office  expired  March  4,  1845,  and  the  following  day  the  Navy 
Department  took  possession  of  Mr.  Moss  by  ordering  him  to  Pitts- 
biirgh  as  inspector  of  machinery,  building  in  that  city  for  the  Alle- 
ghany. Two  months  later,  when  Mr.  Haswell  recommended  the  re- 
arrangement of  the  chief  engineers,  he  reported  to  the  Department 
that  ^^Mr.  Moss,  without  the  advantages  of  personal  observation 
consequent  upon  the  immediate  management  of  the  steam  engine, 
has  made  himself  well  acquainted  with  its  operation  and  possesses 
high  attainments  in  physics  and  mathematics."  Protege%  of  Presi- 
dent Tyler  were  not  popular  with  the  new  administration,  however, 
and  the  Kavy  Department  detached  Mr.  Moss  from  his  duty  in 
Fittsbui^h,  placed  him  on  furlough,  and  ordered  him  to  report  at  a 
future  date  to  the  engineer-in-chief  for  an  examination  as  to  his 
qualifications  for  sea  duty,  the  letter  of  explanation  accompanying 
the  order  stating: 

''In  consequence  of  the  Department's  want  of  confidence  in 
your  ability  to  assume  the  detailed  direction  and  perform  the  prac- 
tical duties  of  a  chief  engineer  attached  to  a  sea-going  steamer,  and 
at  the  same  time,  entertaining  the  disposition  to  concede  to  you  all 
proper  indulgence  and  facilities,  it  has  decided  that  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  you  an  opportunity  practically  to  acquire  the  knowledge 
which  it  conceives  you  to  be  in  want  of,  you  will  be  detached  from 
your  present  duties  and  put  on  fiu'lough  until  the  15th  of  December 
next." 

About  the  middle  of  January  following,  Mr.  Moss  was  ordered 
before  an  examining  board  composed  of  the  engineer-in-chief  and 
the  two  senior  chief  engineers  of  the  navy,  which  resulted  in  his  re- 
ceiving the  following  notification  from  Secretary  Bancroft: 

''In  consequence  of  the  result  of  your  examination,  which  has 
been  conomunicated  to  you,  I  am  authorized  by  the  President  to  in- 
form you  that  your  oommision  as  a  chief  engineer  in  the  navy  of  the 


78  THE  STEAM  if  AVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

IJiiited  States  is  hereby  revoked,  and  yon  are  no  longer  a  chief  en- 
gineer. 

'^A  warrant  as  a  second  assistant  engineer  in  the  navy,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Engineers  before  which 
yon  were  examined,  will  be  given  you  upon  yoor  signifying  yonr 
readiness  to  accept  it." 

This  letter  was  dated  Janaary  30,  1846,  and  as  Mr.  Moss  did 
not  signify  his  willingness  to  accept  the  proJSered  warrant,  his  con- 
nection with  the  service  ceased  on  that  date.  The  affair  is  narrated 
as  an  illustration  of  the  danger  of  relying  upon  political  influence 
for  official  position,  and  also  as  serving  to  show  the  uncertain  tenure 
of  a  commission  in  the  navy  in  olden  times,  which  latter  uncertainty 
was  not  confined  to  the  young  engineer  corps,  but  menaced  all  com- 
missioned officers  alike. 

Having  disposed  of  the  chief  engineers,  Mr.  Haswell  turned 
his  attention  to  the  assistants,  and  recommended  that  they  all,  irre- 
spective of  grade  or  length  of  service  in  the  navy,  be  subjected  to  an 
examination  to  establish  their  fitness  for  the  service  and  determine 
their  relative  merits,  which  recommendation  was  approved  by  Sec- 
retary Bancroft,  and  an  examining  board  convened  by  his  order  in 
the  city  of  Washington  on  the  9th  of  July,  1845.  This  board  con- 
sisted of  Engineer-in-Chief  Haswell  as  president  and  Chief  Engi- 
neers John  Faron,  Jr.,  and  Wm.  W.  W.  Wood  as  members,  and 
before  it  all  the  assistant  engineers  who  were  within  summoning  dis- 
tance were  ordered  to  appear. 

The  proceedings  of  the  examining  board  partook  largely  of 
'^  star  chamber  "  methods,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  following  letter 
of  instructions  issued  to  the  board  by  the  chief  of  the  Bureau  of 
Construction,  Equipment  and  Repairs,  who  represented  the  Secre> 
tary  of  the  Navy  for  the  time,  and  to  which  bureau  the  engineering 
branch  was  attached  as  a  sub-department  or  bureau: 

**  Mbssrs.  0.  U.  Haswbll,      ) 

John  Faron,         [  Engineers. 
W.  W.  W.  Wood.  \ 

"INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  A  BOARD  FOR  EXAMINATION  OF 
ASSISTANT  ENGINEERS. 

'^The  board  will  take  particular  care  to  ascertain  the  qualifica- 
tions of  the  candidates  for  all  the  duties  that  may  be  required  of 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNTTBD  8TATE&  79 

them,  M  assistant  engineers,  and  satisfy  themselves  of  their  moral, 
as  well  as  professional  fitness  for  the  pnblic  service. 

<' flaying  ascertained  the  merits  of  the  candidates  as  above, 
the  board  will  proceed  to  class  them  as  first,  second  and  third  assist- 
ants— ^taking  into  view  professional  and  moral  fitness  and  other  cir- 
cumstances which  may  give  claim  to  preference. 

^'Hiiving  classed  the  candidates  as  above,  the  board  will  ar- 
range them  in  their  several  classes  according  to  merit. 

''The  appointments  now  held  by  assistant  engineers  are  to  be 
considered  as  temporary,  and  not  giving  claim  to  precedence,  ex- 
cept in  cases  when  candidates  may  be  thought  to  be  eqnal  in  merit, 
then  preference  will  be  given  to  the  senior  appointment. 

''The  board  will  admit  but  one  candidate  for  examination  at  a 
time,  the  examination  is  to  be  considered  private  and  confidential, 
and  it  will  impress  npon  the  mind  of  each  candidate,  and  enjoin  it  on 
him,  that  he  is  not  to  disclose  to  any  one  the  course  of  examination, 
the  questions  asked  him,  or  anything  that  may  occur  in  the  session 
of  the  board. 

"  The  decisions  at  which  the  board  may  arrive  are  to  be  com- 
municated to  no  one;  but  are,  when  the  whole  examination  is  com- 
pleted, to  be  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  for  such  action 
as  he  may  deem  proper. 

"  By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

"W.  B.  Shubbiok, 
"for  Com.  Morris, 
"Bureau  of  Oonstruction,  Equipment  and  Repairs,  July  8,  1845." 

At  that  time  the  different  grades  of  assistant  engineers  were 
composed  of  the  following  members,  arranged  in  order  of  seniority 
according  to  length  of  service: 


80 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


waeft  jJSBaTAJSTB, 

gBOOHI)  ASSISTAHTS. 

1. 

Hiram  Sanford, 

A.  8.  FlOm^, 

2. 

WllUam  Scott, 

J.  S.  Rutherford, 

3. 

Jamee  Cochrane, 

J.  K.  Mathews, 

4. 

Henry  Hunt, 
D.  B.  Martin, 

Gilbert  Sherwood, 

5. 

N.  C.  Davis, 

6. 

John  Alexander, 

Daniel  Murphy, 
J.  M.  Middleton, 

7. 

Jamee  Atkinson, 

8. 

Thomas  Opeland, 

William  Luce, 

9. 

Levi  Griflin, 

Levi  T.  Spencer, 
J.  F.  Drybuiigh. 

10. 

B.  F.  Isherwood, 

11. 

Alexander  Birkbeck. 

^?. 

18 

14. 

THISD  ▲BSIBTAVTS. 


Smith  Thompson, 
Joshua  Follansbee, 
Wm.  F.  Mercier, 
John  Gallagher, 
William  Taffiart 
Samuel  Archbold, 
John  Serro, 
Thomas  Dickson. 
Theodore  Zeller, 
M.  M.  Thompson, 
James  W.  King, 
Robert  Danbv, 
William  H.  Shock, 
Charles  Ck>leman. 


After  examining  all  the  available  assistant  engineers  the  result 
of  the  examination  was  reported  as  follows: 


*Offiob  of  Ekgihkkb  CoaPB,  U.  S.  N., 
**Jnly  28th,  1846. 


Sib:— 


^<In  behalf  of  the  Board  for  the  examination  of  Assistant 
Engineers  that  was  convened  on  the  9th  instant,  I  have  to  report: 

'^That  there  were  twenty-seven  Assistants  examined,  one  of 
whom  was  rejected. 

'^  The  accompanying  paper  contains  a  list  of  the  names  of  those 
that  were  passed,  arranged  in  the  several  grades  and  numbered  in 
the  order  in  which  they  are  reconunended  to  be  placed. 

^'In  consideration  of  this  being  the  first  occasion  since  the 
organization  of  the  Engineer  Corps  that  duty  of  this  nature  has  been 
performed,  and  as  many  changes  in  the  different  grades  are  recom- 
mended to  be  made,  I  deem  it  proper  to  recur  to  the  irregular 
manner  in  which  the  present  tenure  of  appointments  of  those  ex- 
amined originated. 

''Thus  from  1837  to  1842  there  did  not  exist  the  grade  of 
Third  Assistant,  and  not  until  1842  was  there  an  examination  prior 
to  admission  into  the  corps,  and  even  up  to  the  present  time  there 
has  not  been  an  appointment  under  any  defined  regulations  or  re- 
strictions. 

'^With  these  facts  in  view  it  is  fair  to  infer  that  errors  of 


THE  STFEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


81 


pontion  conld  not  have  been  avoided;  added  to  which,  observation, 
ambition,  and  a  difference  in  capacity,  have  Becnred  to  some  (since 
Aeir  appointments  in  the  service)  that  advantage  which  is  so  readily 
obtained  when  their  attendant  results  are  contrasted  with  indiffer- 
ence and  a  less  regard  to  the  exactions  of  advancement. 

(« The  -want  of  a  working  model  of  a  condensing  engine  for  the 
porpoBes  of  illustration  and  reference  was  much  felt,  and  in  future 
examinations  of  candidates  for  admission  into  the  corps  much  incon- 
yenienoe  will  be  experienced  without  the  use  of  one.  I  recommend 
that  one  be  constructed  at  the  navy  yard  in  Washington — the  cost  of 
which  should  not  exceed  (800. 

^^Mr.  Alexander  Birkbeck,  Jr.,  is  recommended  as  worthy  of  an 
examination  for  promotion  to  a  Chief  Engineer  whenever  the  De- 
partment may  see  fit  to  add  to  the  number  of  that  grade.  First 
Assistant  Thomas  Oopeland  from  physical  infirmity,  added  to  the 
want  of  professional  experience  as  a  marine  engineer,  is  considered 
unfit  to  discharge  the  duties  pertaining  to  an  Assistant  Engineer  in 
the  Naval  Service. 

*  I  am,  very  respectfully, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

'*Ohas.  H.  Haswsll." 

The  paper  referred  to  in  the  above  report  as  giving  the  names 
of  the  assistant  engineers,  re-arranged  in  the  order  of  merit  recom- 
mended by  the  examining  board,  shows  that  the  following  order, 
which  was  officially  approved,  was  recommended: 


FIB0T  ASSIBTAHTS. 

SBOOND  ASSISTANTB. 

TmBD  ASSISTANTS. 

1.  Alexander  Birkbeck,  Jr 

2.  Henry  Hunt, 

3.  Daniel  B.  Martin, 

4.  Hiram  SaniorcU 

5.  James  Cochrane, 

6.  

Joshua  Follansbee, 
John  Alexander, 
James  Atkinson, 
Levi  Griffin, 
Levi  T.  Spencer, 
Albert  S.Mmer, 
Jesse  8.  Rutberford, 
Samuel  Archbold, 
Naylor  C.  Davis, 
Daniel  Murphy, 

John  M.  Middleton, 
Wm.  F.  Mercier, 
William  Taggart, 
William  Luce, 
James  W.  King, 
James  K.  Drybuiigh, 
Theodore  Zeller. 
Robert  Danby, 
William  H.  Shock, 
John  Serro, 
M.  M.  Thompson. 

7 

8.  

9. 

10 

11 

THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITIED  STATB8. 


Of  the  eight  aaaistants  not  examined  in  July,  two,  Second  As- 
sistant Gilbert  Sherwood  and  Third  Assistant  Smith  Thompson,  de- 
clined the  examination  and  resigned.  The  other  six,  the  vessels  to 
which  they  were  attached  having  returned  to  the  United  States,  were 
ordered  before  the  board  in  December  and  January  following,  and 
examined,  Chief  Engineer  Andrew  Hebard  being  then  one  of  the 
examiners  in  place  of  Mr*  Wood,  who  had  been  sent  to  New  Orleans 
to  superintend  a  general  overhauling  of  the  machinery  of  the 
General  Hanmey,  Those  examined  were  first  assistants  Wm.  Scott 
and  B.  F.  Isherwood;  second  assistant  John  K.  Mathews,  and  third 
assistants  John  Gallagher,  Thomas  Dickson,  and  Charles  Coleman. 
The  result  of  the  examination  was  that  Messrs.  Scott  and  Isherwood 
were  reduced  to  second  assistants;  Mr.  Mathews  advanced  to  the 
head  of  the  second  assistants  list;  Mr.  Gallagher  promoted  to 
second  assistant,  and  Messrs.  Dickson  and  Coleman  placed  on  the 
list  of  third  assistants  next  after  Wm.  H.  Shock  and  M.  M.  Thomp- 
son respectively. 

This  whole  proceeding  was  most  radical  and  arbitrary,  and  occa- 
sioned much  heart-burning  among  those  unfortunates  who  lost  grade 
or  numbers  in. the  final  arrangement;  nevertheless,  it  was  demanded 
by  the  lack  of  homogeneity  in  the  corps  which  had  resulted  from  the 
irregular  manner  in  which  the  first  engineers  had  been  appointed, 
and  the  advantages  of  establishing  professionid  competency  as  a 
requisite  for  membership  in  the  corps,  and  of  starting  fair,  even 
though  a  trifle  late,  with  the  engineering  j?6r«t>m»«2  graded  according 
to  merit,  much  more  than  offset  any  grievances  of  individuals  re- 
sulting from  the  rearrangement.  Of  high  professional  ability  and 
broad  general  education  himself,  Mr.  Haswell  felt  that  the  require- 
ment of  similar  ability  from  all  the  members  of  his  corps  was  the 
only  proper  method  of  elevating  its  standard,  and  the  imposition  of 
this  arbitrary  examination  upon  the  junior  engineers  was  the  first 
step  in  that  direction.  That  the  step  was  of  great  subsequent  bene- 
fit to  the  corps  is  manifest,  and  its  inception  indicates  a  degree  of 
corps  pride  and  far-sightedness  on  the  part  of  the  engineer-in-chief 
to  be  admired  and  commended  more  than  any  other  of  his  numerous 
acts  which  operated  to  the  lasting  benefit  of  his  corps.  Moral 
courage  of  a  high  order  was  necessary  to  the  carrying  out  of  this 
reform,  for  it  could  be  of  no  possible  personal  benefit  to  its  pro- 


CHA8.    H.    HA  SWELL. 

The  first  engineer  in  the  United  States  Navy  :   appointed  Chief 

Engineer  July  12,  183C.     Enjiineer-in-chief  of  the  Navy 

from  October  3.  1844,  until  December  1,  ISoO. 


THB  STEAM  NATY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  86 

jector,  and  by  its  character  was  bound  to  make  enemies  for  him 
within  his  a-wn  corps,  where  friends  were  most  needed;  enemies 
who  treasured  np  their  wrongs,  real  or  imaginary,  and  patiently 
waited  for  the  time,  which  eventnally  came,  when  they  could  safely 
combine  to  seek  their  revenge. 

Mr.  Has-well's  scheme  for  the  reformation  and  reorganization 
of  his  corps  -was  farther  perfected  this  same  year  by  the  promnlga. 
tion  of  a  set  of  regulations  governing  the  admission  and  promotion 
of  members  of  the  engineer  corps.     This  order  was  dated  July  8, 
1845,  and  established  limits  of  age  for  candidates,  made  the  per* 
formance  of   a  certain  amount  of  sea  service  in  each  grade  a  re- 
quirement for  promotion,  and  fixed  a  scale  of  mental  requirements 
much  in    advance  of  what  had   been  previously  demanded.     The 
initial  examination  for  admission  as  a  third  assistant  engineer  was 
elementary  compared  with  modem  requirements,  but  the  subsequent 
advances  in  grade  were  guarded  by  examinations  that  increased  in 
difficulty  in  what  may  be  termed  geometrical  progression,  until  the 
candidate  for  promotion  to  the  list  of  chief  engineers  was  required 
to  pass  a  very  exacting  ordeal,  calculated  to  establish  the  possession 
of  much  scientific  and  mechanical  ability. 

Chief  engineers  of  excellent  professional  and  general  informa- 
tion were  habitually  selected  for  the  duty  of  examiners,  and  it  was 
an  established  rule  that  a  failure  to  pass  the  required  examination 
meant  an  end  to  the  naval  career  of  the  delinquent.  This  furnished 
a  strong  incentive  to  the  young  engineers  to  fit  themselves  for  ad- 
vancement, and  almost  immediately  after  the  reorganization  of  the 
corps  a  much  keener  incentive  to  study  and  self  improvement  ap- 
peared in  the  development  of  an  intense  spirit  of  corps  pride  which 
made  the  engineers  quick  to  recognize  their  own  short-comings  and 
to  strive  to  overcome  them.  Opposition  from  within  the  service  to 
the  new  branch  was  the  chief  cause  for  the  early  inception  of  this 
esprit  de  corps,  and,  although  disagreeable  to  those  who  had  to  re- 
sist it,  should  now  be  regarded  as  a  blessing  in  disguise  to  the 
engineers,  for  it  prompted  all  but  the  laggards  not  only  to  overcome 
the  deficiencies  charged  against  them,  but  to  outstrip  their  competit- 
ors in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge. 

The  Naval  Academy  was  opened  the  same  year  that  the  sys- 
tematic reorganization  of  the  engineer  corps  was  effected,  and  as 


86  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

soon  as  the  two  systems  were  well  in  operation  the  yonng  men  of  the 
two  branches  of  the  service  fell  into  an  intellectual  rivalry,  which 
was  good  for  both  classes,  and  especially  for  the  engineers.  The 
result  of  this  feeling  was  frankly  confessed  by  a  distingnished  naval 
captain  some  years  ago,  who,  in  a  discussion  regarding  naval  educa- 
tion, remarked  that  under  the  old  system  a  newly  graduated  mid- 
shipman was  much  better  informed  on  general  subjects  than  was  a 
newly  appointed  third  assistant  engineer,  but  at  the  end  of  the  first 
cruise  tl^e  youug  engineer  would  generally  be  found  to  be  much  the 
better  informed  man  of  the  two. 

Immediately  after  being  appointed  engineer-in-chief,  Mr.  Has- 
well  prepared  a  list  of  instructions  for  the  government  of  the 
engineer  department  of  vessels  of  war,  which  instructions  were 
issued  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in  the  form  of  a  general  order 
to  commanding  olficers  under  date  of  February  26,  1845.  This 
order  defined  in  general,  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  engineers 
afloat,  precautions  to  be  observed  in  the  care  and  preservation  of 
machinery,  etc.,  and  were  so  well  considered  and  prepared  that 
some  of  the  sections  still  remain  in  ttie  steam  instructions  without 
modification,  except  in  matters  of  detail  demanded  by  the  changes 
in  engineering  practice. 

August  1,  1847,  the  Navy  Department  issued  a  circular  order 
regarding  the  enlistment  of  firemen  and  coal  heavers,  which  directed 
that  no  fireman  should  be  shipped  in  the  future  until  he  had  passed 
a  satisfactory  examination  before  a  board  of  engineers  and  demon- 
strated his  ability  to  manage  fires  properly  with  different  kinds  of 
fuel,  and  to  use  skillfully  smiths^  tools  in  the  repair  of  boilers  and 
machinery.  Two  classes  of  firemen  were  established  by  the  order, 
and  a  regular  system  of  promotion  from  coal  heaver  to  the  two 
grades  of  firemen  was  directed.  First  class  firemen  were  declared 
eligible  for  advancement  to  the  warrant  rank  of  third  assistant  engi* 
neer  if  they  could  qualify  before  the  examining  board. 

The  next  year  Congress,  by  an  Act  approved  August  11,  1848, 
extended  the  benefits  of  existing  laws,  respect^g  naval  pensions, 
to  the  engineer  corps  and  to  enlisted  men  of  the  engineers'  force, 
the  wording  of  the  act  being  as  follows: 

'*Sec.  2. — ^That  engineersi  firemen,  and  coal  heavers  in  the  navy  shall  be 
entitled  to  pensions  in  the  same  manner  as  offioers,  seameui  and  marines ,  and 
the  widows  of  engineers,  firdmen  and  coal  heavers  in  the  same  manner  as  the 


THE  STEAM  NAVf  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  87 


vidowB  of  offioera,  seamen,  and  marines :  Provided^  That  the  pension  of  a  chief 
eqpneer  shall  be  the  same  as  that  of  a  lieutenant  in  the  navy,  and  the  pension 
of  the  widow  of  a  chief  engineer  shall  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  widow  of  a 
lisatenant  in  the  navy;  the  pension  of  a  first  assistant  engineer  shall  be  the  same 
as  that  of  a  lieutenant  of  marines,  and  the  pension  of  the  widow  of  a  first  as- 
fflfltant  engineer  shall  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  widow  of  a  lieutenant  of  marines; 
the  pension  of  a  second  or  a  third  assbtant  engineer  the  same  as  that  of  a  forward 
officer,  and  the  pension  of  the  widow  of  a  second  or  third  assistant  engineer  the 
» as  that  of  the  widow  of  a  forward  ofltoer." 


A  new  schedule  of  pay  for  engineer  officers,  by  which  an  in- 
crease for  all  grades  was  effected,  was  created  by  the  following  sec- 
tion from  the  naval  appropriation  bill  approved  March  3,  1849: 

Sbc  6.  And  be  it  further  enacted^  That  the  engineers  in  the  navy  shall 
hereafter  receive  the  following  pay,  viz: 

Chief  engineers  on  duty  first  five  years $1,500 

Chief  engineers  on  duty  after  five  years 2,000 

.  Chief  engineers  on  leave  first  five  years 1,200 

Chief  engineers  on  leave  after  five  years 1,400 

First  assistant  engineers  on  duty 1,000 

Firet  assistant  engineers  on  leave 850 

Second  assistant  engineers  on  duty 800 

Second  assistant  engineers  on  leave 600 

Third  assistant  engineers  on  duty 600 

Third  assistant  engineers  on  leave 400 

The  engineer  corps  experienced  a  decided  loss  at  this  period  by 
the  resignation  of  the  senior  chief  engineer  in  the  service,  Mr.  John 
Faron,  Jr.,  who  tendered  his  resignation  in  April,  1848,  in  order  to 
accept  the  position  of  Superintending  Engineer  of  the  newly  estab- 
lished Collins  line  of  transatlantic  mail  steamers.  Mr.  Faron,  it 
will  be  remembered,  was  the  first  assistant  engineer  appointed  to  the 
FvUon  in  1887,  and  became  a  chief  engineer  in  January,  1840.  He 
was  a  thoroughly  capable  and  efficient  marine  engineer,  and  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  designing,  building  and  management 
of  the  early  naval  steamers,  as  well  as  being  a  prominent  factor  as 
a  member  of  the  examining  board,  in  the  work  of  reorganizing  the 
engineer  corps.  His  name  was  continued  on  the  navy  list  by  the 
admission  into  the  corps  of  a  third  assistant  engineer  named  John 
Faron,  a  few  months  after  his  resignation. 


CHAPTER  VIL 

*'  I  believe  that  if  the  quesiioii  had  been  put  to  CongreeB  before  the  march 
of  the  armiefl  and  their  actual  confiict,  not  ten  votes  ooald  have  been  obtained  in 
either  house  for  the  war  with  Mexico  under  the  existing  state  of  things.*' — 
Webster. 

The  War  With  Mexico — Naval  Operations  in  Oalifomia— Important  Service  of 
Sui^on  Wm.  Maxwell  Wood— Blockade  of  the  Gulf  Coast— Commodore 
Perry  and  the  Mississippi— Valuable  Professional  Service  of  Engineer-in- 
Chief  Haswell— Bombardment  of  Vera  Cruz— "Alvarado  Hunter" — Steam- 
ers Bought  for  Temporary  Service — Naval  Engineers  Engaged  in  the  Mexi- 
can War— Results  of  the  War. 

THIS  Yolnme  being  devoted  to  the  deeds  of  naval  men,  it  is 
hardly  within  its  province  to  deal  with  the  canses,  or  pretexts, 
which  brought  about  the  war  with  Mexico.  Without  referring  to  the 
political  and  sectional  interests  involved,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  say  in 
regard  to  the  direct  cause  of  the  war  that  the  Mexican  State  of 
Texas,  after  having  achieved  its  independence  after  a  short  but 
exceptionally  cruel  war,  and  after  having  enjoyed  the  dignity  of  a 
sovereign  republic  for  ten  years,  asked  for  admission  into  the  North 
American  Union,  and  was  admitted  late  in  1845,  bringing  with  her 
a  bitter  quarrel  with  her  parent  country  as  to  the  exact  boundary  line 
between  them,  and  a  vast  assortment  of  fierce  and  bloody  border 
feuds  handed  down  from  the  days  of  the  Alamo,  Goliad  and  San 
Jacinto.  The  new  administration,  that  of  President  Polk,  resolved 
to  defend  by  force  if  necessary  the  position  taken  by  the  Texans  in 
regard  to  their  boundary  dispute,  and  within  a  few  months  collisions 
of  troops  in  the  disputed  territory  gave  the  American  Congress  the 
opportunity  of  declaring,  May  11,  1846,  that  *'By  the  acts  of  the 
Bepublic  of  Mexico,  a  state  of  war  exists  between  the  United  States 
and  that  Republic." 

Mexico,  being  miserably  poor,  distracted,  misgoverned,  and 
revolutionary,  had  no  national  navy,  and  the  navy  of  the  United 
States  therefore  was  restricted  to  a  rather  limited  share  in  the  opera- 
tions of  the  war,  being  forced  to  unromantic  blockading  and  trans- 
port duties  along  the  coasts,  and  denied  the  glory  of  battles  at  sea 


m  CmAM  NATT  f>F  TfiB  UVITBD  8TATB9. 


for  lad:  of  an  enemy  to  meet  on  thai  element  Kerertiieleafl,  some 
ef  the  aeta  of  the  naval  force  were  prodoofiTe  of  most  important 
and  laating  readta  in  the  proieention  ot  the  war,  while  the  main- 
lenance  of  a  Uoekade,  imperfeet  as  it  was  from  b^g  held  by  a  feet 
mainly  composed  of  sailing  ships  on  coasts  famon^for  sodden 
Btorms,  contribated  trresitly  to  ha^^ten  the  end  ef  hostilities : 
etherwiae  the  war  might  haye  been  prolonged  by  the  sending  of  war 
and  sopidies  into  Mexico  by  olher  nations  had  her  p<»ts 

>  left  nngnarded. 

One  of  the  Tcry  first  erents  of  the  war  was  of  the  greatest  im- 
peitance,  and  in  all  hnman  jvobability  its  result  was  to  give  to  (he 
United  States  instead  of  Ghnsat  Britain  possession  for  all  time  <rf 
the  TBSt  region  then  composii^  the  Mexican  territory,  or  proTince, 
of  Oafif  omia.  The  Mexican  national  debt  was  largely  held  by  Brit- 
iah  caipitalists,  and  fearing  Ihey  wonld  never  realixe  <mi  their  invest- 
menls  becanse  of  the  constant  political  tnrasotl  of  the  feeble  yonng 
regttfalie,  had  appealed  to  their  own  gOTcnument  for  assistance,  iriiioh 
was  readily  attempted,  as  the  foreign  policy  of  England  yery  proper- 
ly indndes  the  protection  of  the  pockets  of  her  subjects  as  well  aa 
Afiir  personal  safety.  Throngh  the  regnlar  diplomatio  channels 
prepositions  were  made  to  Mexico  to  nMwtgage  California  and  allow 
Us  occupation  by  England  nntil  the  bonds  were  paid:  a  most  astnte 
scheme,  and  one  that  wonld  hare  resulted  in  dne  time  in  the  British 
gOTomment  assmning  the  payment  of  the  debt  to  its  subjects  and 
becoming  the  owner  in  fee  simple  of  the  territory  held  as  security. 
Whfle  n^otiatlons  to  this  end  were  pending,  the  prospect  of  war 
between  the  United  States  and  Mexico  became  threatening,  and  a 
sabject  of  great  interest  to  the  BAtiA  admiral  in  the  Pacific,  who  is 
beliered  to  have  had  instructions  to  seize  upon  Oalif  omia  at  the  first 
news  of  hostilities,  and  thus  insure  hia  countrymen  against  financial 
loss. 

In  the  spring  of  1846  Ac  American  Pacific  squadron,  composed 
ef  sailing  yessels,  was  lying  at  Mazatlan  on  the  west  coast  of  Mexico, 
Oommodcre  John  D.  Sloat  in  the  frigate  SiMvannah  being  in  com- 
mand. The  British  admiral,  Seymour,  in  the  OoUingwood^  was  also 
ttiere,  both  watdimg  each  other  and  waiting  eagerly  for  news,  which 
came  slowly  in  those  days,  without  railways  and  telegraphs.  It 
often  happens  that  important  eyents  in  the  history  of  nations  result 


90  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

from  the  acta  of  indiyidaala  not  prominently  connected  with  them, 
or  from  obacnre  circamstances  of  which  the  public  is  not  cognizant, 
and  one  these  eyents  was  now  to  come  abont.  Surgeon  Wm.  Max- 
well Wood,  of  the  8a/o(VMkah^  having  been  relieved  by  anodier  sur- 
geon, left  Hazatlan  April  80  on  his  way  home,  his  plan  being  to 
cross  Mexico  and  take  a  steamer  for  the  United  States  before  war 
began,  if  a  war  was  really  to  result.  He  was  commissioned  by 
Oommodore  Bloat  to  convey  important  information  verbally  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  the  condition  of  the  country  being  such  that 
it  was  not  deemed  safe  to  trust  his  despatches  or  letters  to  be  carried 
across  the  country.  Dr.  Wood  spoke  Spanish  fluently,  and  when 
well  started  on  his  journey,  at  Guadalajara,  overheard  a  conversa- 
tion not  intended  for  his  ears  from  which  he  learned  that  hostilities 
had  actually  occurred  on  the  Bio  Grande.  He  was  a  most  phleg- 
matic man,  and  consequently  was  able  to  absorb  the  startling  intelli- 
gence without  any  outward  show  of  interest;  furthermore,  his  man- 
ner and  personal  appearance  were  those  of  a  prosperous  Englishman, 
in  which  character  he  was  traveling,  so  he  was  comparatively  free 
from  suspicion. 

At  the  earliest  possible  moment  Surgeon  Wood  wrote  out  a  de- 
tailed account  of  what  he  had  heard,  and  despatched  it  by  messen- 
ger to  Commodore  Sloat  at  Hazatlan,  this  act  involving  great  per- 
sonal risk,  for  had  the  despatch  been  intercepted  its  author  would 
certainly  have  been  hunted  down  and  treated  as  a  spy.  By  good 
luck  more  than  anything  else  the  letter  reached  Oommodore  Sloat 
safely,  and  that  officer  was  not  slow  to  appreciate  the  importance  of 
the  news  and  the  exigency  of  the  occasion.  He  at  once  sent  two  of 
his  vessels — the  CywM  and  Lennrnt^  names  that  had  before  been  his- 
torically associated — ^to  the  northward,  and  followed  soon  after  in 
the  Sava/rmah.  Within  a  few  days  the  British  admiral  learned  of 
the  beginning  of  the  war,  and,  surmising  the  mission  of  the  Ameri- 
can squadron,  sailed  at  once  on  the  same  errand;  but  he  was  too 
late.  On  the  7th  of  July  the  American  vessels  took  possession  of 
Monterey,  the  chief  city  of  Upper  Oalifornia,  and  of  San  Francisco, 
the  best  harbor,  and  that  territory  has  ever  since  remained  a  part  of 
the  American  Bepublic,  thanks*  in  the  first  instance  to  Surgeon 
Wood  for  his  quick  perception  of  his  duty  in  the  emergency  in  which 
he  was  accidentally  placed,  and  in  the  second  to  Oommodore  Sloat 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  91 

for  asflnming  tho  reBponsibility  of  seizing  upon  a  vast  territory  with- 
out orders  and  without  any  assurance  that  his  action  would  be  up- 
held, or  that  a  force  sufficient  to  hold  it  would  be  supplied. 

That  Commodore  Sloat  acted  wholly  on  his  own  judgment  is 
preyed  by  the  fact  that  orders  from  Washington  directing  him  to 
take  possession  of  San  Francisco  Bay  in  the  event  of  war  were  re- 
ceived by  him  long  after  the  act  had  actually  been  performed.  The 
importance  of  Surgeon  Wood's  part  in  the  affair  is  testified  to  by 
Commodore  Sloat,  who,  writing  him  some  years  later  in  relation  to 
the  event,  said:  ^^The  information  you  furnished  me  at  Mazatlan 
from  Guadalajara  (at  the  risk  of  your  life)  was  the  only  reliable  in- 
formation I  received  of  that  event,  and  which  induced  me  to  pro- 
ceed immediately  to  California,  and  upon  my  own  responsibility  to 
take  posession  of  that  country,  which  I  did  on  the  7th  of  July, 
1846."  Had  California  become  a  British  instead  of  American  pos- 
session, the  subsequent  influence  upon  the  progress  of  the  United 
States,  especially  in  the  ultimate  settlement  of  differences  between 
the  free  and  the  slave  states,  is  a  subject  quite  beyond  the  bounds 
of  any  possible  historical  speculation. 

Commodore  Sloat  was  succeeded  in  command  of  the  Pacific 
squadron  by  Commodore  Stockton  (of  I^rmoeton  fame,)  who,  in  co- 
operation with  a  small  army  under  General  Kearney,  quelled  an 
insurrection  in  the  captured  province  and  held  it  in  hand  until  by 
the  terms  of  the  treaty  of  peace  it  became  definitely  a  possession  of 
the  United  States.  His  vessels  also  maintained  as  good  a  blockade 
of  the  ports  on  the  western  coast  of  Mexico  as  the  nature  of  their 
motive  power  permitted.  The  action  of  Commodore  Sloat  in  seizing 
upon  the  California  coast  was  by  all  odds  the  most  far-reaching  move 
of  the  war,  and  the  credit  for  it  rests  entirely  with  the  navy. 

An  account  of  naval  operations  on  the  gulf  coast  of  Mexico  is 
largely  a  history  of  Captain  M.  C.  Ferry  and  his  favorite  war- vessel 
— ^the  steamer  Missmippi.  Within  a  few  weeks  after  the  beginning 
of  hostilities  on  the  Rio  Grande  a  reasonably  efficient  blockade  of 
the  Mexican  ports  was  established,  although  the  stormy  character  of 
that  coast  made  blockading  a  rather  difficult  matter  with  the  force 
at  hand.  This  squadron,  under  the  command  of  Commodore 
Connor,  consisted  of  the  steamers  Mississippi  and  Princeton^  the 
friji^ates  JSwriUm  and  JPotomaOj  several  sloops-of-war,  amovig  wUIc4 


92  THE  StEAM  KATT  OF  t&fi  UNITED  fiTTATfiSL 

were  the  ill-fated  Albany  and  OoffA^^iand^  and  a  namber  of  Mhoen- 
efs,  bomb-ketches  and  small  steamers,  the  latter  being  mentioned 
more  particnlarly  hereafter.  Hie  principal  mititary  operation  under- 
taken by  Oommodore  Oonnor  was  an  expedition  against  Alvarado  in 
October,  but  owing  to  the  grounding  of  a  schooner  on  the  bar  and 
signs  of  an  approaching  «^ norther,"  signal  was  made  to  return  to 
the  station  off  Vera  Cruz,  the  abandonment  of  the  attack  greatly 
displeasing  the  subordinate  officers  and  eyentually  proving  some- 
thing of  a  reflection  upon  Ck>mmodore  Oonnor. 

In  August,  Oaptain  Perry  was  ordered  to  take  two  small  steam- 
ers to  Mexico  and  upon  his  arrival  to  relieve  Oaptain  Fitzhugh  in 
command  of  the  Mlmmppi.  The  steamers  were  the  Viasen  and 
JSp^firej  small  side- wheel  vessels  pf  about  S40  tons  burden,  itted 
with  horizontal  half-beam  engines.  They  were  twin  vessels  and 
had  been  built  by  Brown  A  Bell  of  New  York  for  the  Mexican 
government,  but  being  unfinished  at  the  time  the  war  began  they 
were  bought  by  the  United  States  from  the  builders  for  about  $50,000 
each.  The  Spitfire  was  sold  at  die  close  of  the  war  and  was  lost  on 
her  first  voyage  as  a  conmiercial  vessel ;  the  Vt09&n  was  continued 
in  the  navy  until  1866,  when  she  was  sold.  Oaptain  Perry 
amved  on  the  station  with  these  steamers  in  September,  after  whidi 
there  was  a  practical  division  of  the  squadron,  Oommodore  0<Nanor, 
who  does  not  seem  to  have  had  much  faith  in  steamers  as  war 
vessels,  allowing  Perry  to  control  the  steamers  while  he  directed  the 
operations  of  the  sailing  vessels,  although  he  of  course,  as  the  sen- 
ior, officially  commanded  the  whole  squadron. 

At  the  time  of  Oommodore  Oonnor's  demonstration  against 
Alvarado,  Perry  with  the  Missimppi^  Vwen^  and  some  gun-schoon- 
ers, reinforced  by  two  hundred  marines  from  the  sailing  ships,  went 
to  attack  Tobasco  up  the  river  of  the  same  name.  Frontera,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  was  taken  without  resistance  on  October  23,  a 
river  steamer  named  Petrita  which  was  afterward  of  great  use  being 
taken  at  this  time.  On  the  36th  Tobasco  was  captured  after  a 
smart  fight,  but  the  enemy,  after  having  surrendered,  attached  the 
nava!  force  unexpectedly  and  this  act  obliged  Perry  to  bombard  the 
town,  doing  it  a  great  deal  of  damage  and  completely  subduing  the 
war  spirit  of  tlie  Mexicans,  the  Viaen  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the 
oannonading.     Not  having  a  force  with  which  to  occupy  the  town^ 


TUS  8TKAM  VAYT  OF  THX  UHIXXD  STATia 


iPeiiy  took  awsj  the  small  ytaaeln  ke  had  ciq>tiired  and  returned  to 
rejoin  the  fleet.  One  of  the  yeasels  taken  at  Tobasco  was  a  steamer 
named  the  Champian^  formerly  employed  on  the  James  River  in 
Yirginia,  which  as  a  despatch  boat  became  afterward  most  nsef ol  to 
the  American  sqnadron.  Althoogh  the  captured  city  was  not 
occopied,  the  expedition  agiunst  it  was  not  without  value,  for  it 
infneed  new  life  into  the  men  who  were  growing  discontented  under 
the  monotony  of  looking  at  the  enemy's  shores  from  a  distance. 

About  die  middle  of  I7ovember  both  Connor  and  Ferry  went  to 
attack  Tampico,  about  two  hundred  miles  north  of  Yera  Crus,  and 
gained  possession  of  that  place  without  firing  a  shot,  the  appearance 
of  the  squadron  off  the  bar  being  the  signal  for  surrender.  It  being 
desirable  Uxt  military  reasons  to  retain  this  place,  Ferry  with  his 
ever-ready  JUissmippi  was  sent  to  Matamoras  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Bio  Gkande  to  oommunicate  with  the  army  authorities  and  ask  that 
troops  be  sent.  After  doing  this  he  went  on  his  own  responsibility 
to  New  Orleans,  where  he  obtained  from  the  governor  of  Louisiana 
a  battery  of  field  guns  and  a  quantity  of  shovels,  picks,  wheel- 
barrows, ete.,  much  needed  for  entrendbing  purposes.  Beturning, 
he  arrived  at  Tampieo  after  just  one  week's  absence,  his  quick  trip 
amaasing  the  old  seamen  in  the  fleet  who  were  almost  persuaded  into 
the  belief  that  a  steamer  might  after  all  be  good  for  something. 

By  the  end  of  the  year  constant  service  under  steam  began  to 
tell  on  the  MUsUmjppiy  repairs  being  so  urgently  needed  that  early 
in  January,  1847,  Ferry  proceeded  in  her  to  Norfolk,  where  he 
tamed  her  over  to  the  navy  yard  authorities,  going  himself  to  Wash- 
ington to  consult  with  the  Navy  Department  officials  relative  to  the 
ocmduet  of -the  war.  A  board  of  survey  reported  that  it  would 
require  six  weeks  to  fit  the  JUissiasippi  for  service,  which  was  very 
discouraging  news  to  Ferry  who  felt  that  important  events  were 
impending  in  Mexico  and  who  had  his  own  reasons  for  wishing  to 
be  present  during  their  occurrence.  In  this  emergency  he  fell  back 
on  his  old  friend  Haswell,  the  engineer-in-chief,  knowing  that  if 
anyone  could  help  him  out  Haswell  was  the  man.  The  engineer-in- 
diief  went  to  Norfolk  and,  after  a  critical  examination  of  the  ship, 
declared  that  she  could  be  made  ready  in  two  weeks  by  working 
Dight  and  day,  and  this  feat  was  actually  accomplished  under  his 
personal  direction.     *^  We  may  safely  add  that,  by  his  energy,  and 


94  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

ability  in  getting  the  Missimppi  ready  at  this  time,  Mr.  Has- 
well  saved  the  government  many  thousands  of  dollars  and  contri- 
buted largely  to  the  triumphs  of  a  quick  war  which  brought  early 
peace."  ^ 

Commodore  Perry's  familiarity  with  steam  vessels  was  utilized 
during  his  enforced  stay  in  the  United  States  at  this  time  by  putting 
him  in  charge  of  the  fitting  out  of  a  flotilla  of  lightdraft  vessels  for 
service  in  Mexico.  These  were  the  steamers  Scourgs  and  Scorpion^ 
and  a  number  of  bomb-ketches  with  imported  volcanic  names — 
Vesuvius^  StramboUy  and  the  like — intended  to  be  towed  by  the 
steamers.  The  Scovrge  was  a  small  vessel  of  230  tons  burden,  pur- 
chased in  New  York  for  f 44, 825  ;  she  was  fitted  with  two  of  the 
Loper  flat-bladed  propellers,  and  was  sold  at  New  Orleans  at  the 
close  of  the  war.  The  Scorpion  was  a  paddle-wheel  steamer  of  340 
tons  burden,  bought  in  New  York  for  f  80,505,  and  sold  in  1848 
for  f  14,500.  Although  not  a  part  of  this  flotilla,  two  other  steam- 
ers added  to  the  naval  establishment  for  Mexican  War  service  may 
properly  be  mentioned  here.  These  were  the  Iris^  a  paddle-wheel 
vessel  of  388  tons  burden,  fitted  with  a  steeple  engine,  bought  in 
New  York  in  1847  for  $35,991  and  sold  in  Norfolk  in  1849  for 
about  one-fourth  that  amount,  and  the  PoUc^  a  revenue  cutter  very 
similar  to  the  8oorpion\  the  Pclk  was  transferred  to  the  Navy 
Department  is  1846,  but  was  found  unseaworthy  and  defective  in 
machinery,  having  broken  down  on  an  attempted  voyage  to  the 
Gulf,  in  consequence  of  which  she  was  returned  to  the  Treasury 
Department. 

Ferry  returned  to  Yera  Cruz  with  the  Misrissippi  early  in 
March,  carrying  with  him  orders  to  relieve  Ck>mmodore  Connor  and 
take  command  of  the  American  fleet,  which  he  did  March  21,  1847, 
and  immediately  thereafter  a  vigorous  and  aggressive  policy  was  in- 
augurated. Oeneral  Winfield  Scott's  army  had  already  landed  and 
begun  the  siege  of  Yera  Cruz,  but  found  itself  without  ordnance 
heavy  enough  to  make  much  impression  upon  the  city  walls.  To 
Oeneral  Scott's  request  for  the  loan  of  heavy  guns  from  the  fleet, 
Perry  refused,  unless  his  own  men  might  go  with  their  guns,  a  con- 
dition that  Scott  first  declined,  but  when  he  fully  realized  that  his 

1  WiUiam  £.  Griffis  ;  <'  Biography  of  Matthew  Calbralth  Perry  ;"  p.  211. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  96 

own  batteries  conid  not  breach  the  walls  he  accepted  it,  and  a  heavy 
battery  of  six  gnns  with  ship's  mounts  and  picked  crews  was  at  once 
landed  and  laborionsly  dragged  through  the  sand  in  the  night-time 
some  three  miles  to  the  spot  where  it  was  to  be  located  for  most 
effective  use.  The  earthwork  defenses  for  this  batterj  were  laid 
ont  by  an  engineer  of  Oeneral  Scott's  staff — Oaptain  Robert  E.  Lee. 
It  may  be  interesting  to  mention  that  in  the  army  before  Yera  Cruz 
at  this  time,  gaining  experience  for  a  far  greater  war,  were  the  fol- 
lowing named  yonng  ofScers:  First  Lieutenants  James  Longstreet, 
P.  G.  T.  Beauregard,  John  Sedgwick,  and  Earl  Yan  Dom,  and 
Second  Lieutenants  IT.  B.  Orant,  George  B.  McOlellan,  Fits  John 
Porter,  W.  8.  Hancock,  and  Thomas  J.  (Stonewall)  Jackson. 

After  the  installation  of  the  naval  battery  the  cannonading  be- 
came more  deadly  and  furious,  resulting  in  the  surrender  four  days 
later  of  the  beleagured  city.  The  details  of  this  exploit  are  not  es- 
pecially pleasant  for  the  American  historian  to  dwell  upon.  The 
Mexican  general.  Morales,  had  declined  General  Scott's  summons 
to  surrender  and  had  not  availed  himself  of  the  privilege  offered  to 
remove  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  before  the  bombardment  began. 
The  fire  of  the  heavy  naval  guns  was  directed  successfully  to  the 
breaching  of  the  wall,  but  the  army  guns  and  mortars  kept  up  an 
incessant  storm  of  shot,  shell  and  bombs,  rained  over  the  walls  into 
the  city.  Ages  ago  Cicero  established  the  maxim  that  **Laws  are 
nlent  in  war,"  and  the  truth  of  this  was  well  illustrated  by  the 
tragedy  of  Yera  Oruz.  Whole  families  were  destroyed  in  the  ruins 
of  their  shattered  homes;  women  and  children  praying  in  an  agony 
of  fear  before  the  altars  of  their  churches  were  torn  and  mangled 
by  bombs  and  shells  crushing  through  the  roofs;  even  the  sepul- 
ehres  of  the  dead  were  torn  to  pieces  and  the  corpses  scattered  about 
the  streets.  The  damage  done  to  combatants  was  small  compared 
with  the  horrors  inflicted  upon  the  wretched  populace. 

An  exhibition  of  bravado  in  the  fleet  was  the  only  touch  of 
comedy  connected  with  the  bombardment  of  Yera  Cruz.  The 
famous  stone  castle  of  San  Jnan  d'Ulloa,  built  by  the  Spaniards  in 
the  16th  century  at  a  cost  of  forty  million  dollars,  stands  in  the 
harbor  about  a  mile  in  front  of  the  city,  and  its  fire  soon  proved  a 
serious  annoyance  to  some  of  the  investing  batteries,  the  exact  range 
of  which  had  been  ascertained  by  repeated  firing.     To  divert  this 


96  THB  SIBAM  HAYT  OF  TBM  T7NITBD  8IAl!i& 

fire.  Perry  ordered  Comnuiiider  Tateall  in  the  steuaer  Spi^flrs  to 
approach  and  <^n  fire  on  the  caatle.  Tatnall,  always  dispataiiova, 
aaked  for  specific  direotiona  aa  to  what  point  he  should  attack^  to 
which  ^^Ursa  Major,"  aa  Perry  was  known  behind  hii  back,  replied 
not  too  gently,  ^^  Where  you  can  do  the  most  execution,  sirl" 
With  this  flea  in  his  ear  Tatnall  proceeded  with  the  Spi^fir^^  in 
company  with  the  Timn^  Conmiander  Joshua  S.  Sanda,  to  within  a 
stone's  throw  of  the  castle  and  opened  furiously  against  its  massiye 
walls.  This  close  proximity  probably  saved  the  two  little  steamen, 
for  they  were  untouched,  aldiough  the  men  on  board  were  thoroughly 
drenched  with  the  water  splashed  oyer  them  by  the  storm  of 
cannon  balls.  The  spectacle  was  exciting  to  the  crews  of  the 
on-looking  ships,  and  ludicrous  as  well  on  account  of  its  futili^. 
Perry,  both  amused  and  provoked  at  the  exhibition  of  tempw  on 
the  psrt  of  his  sulxNrdinate,  made  signal  for  the  steamera  to  with- 
draw, bat  Tatnall  failed  to  see  aay  signals,  assuring  the  officer  wh(> 
reported  them  that  ha  was  mistaken  and  was  looking  the  wrong  way. 
It  finally  became  necessary  to  endanger  a  boat's  crew  by  sending  ik 
to  call  him  back.  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Bhock,  who  wsa  the  engineer  ia 
charge  of  the  machinery  of  the  Spitfire  on  this  occasion,  haa  stated 
in  a  magazine  article  that  when  the  vessela  went  out  of  action  he 
heard  Tatnall  say  in  Umes  of  regret,  *^Not  a  man  wounded  <Mr 
killed.'' 

After  the  fall  of  Yera  Orua,  a  combined  army  and  naval  expe- 
dition was  planned  against  Alvarado,  the  place  that  had  previously 
been  proceeded  against  without  results  by  Commodore  Connor.  The 
chief  object  in  gaining  this  town  was  to  supply  Scott's  army  with 
animals  for  transportation  in  his  projected  invasion  of  Mexico, 
horses  being  abundant  in  the  Alvarado  neighborhood.  General 
Quitman  with  a  considerable  force  of  artillery,  cavalry  and  infan- 
try, started  overland,  while  Perry  organized  an  expedition  witk 
small  steamers  manned  by  picked  men  from  the  fleet  to  jNroceed 
against  the  place  by  water.  Lieutenant  Charles  G.  Hunter  in  the 
Scourge  was  directed  to  blockade  the  threatened  town  and  report 
the  movements  of  the  enemy  to  Captain  Breese  of  the  sloop-of*war 
Albany.  This  young  officer,  observing  signs  of  the  enemy  aban- 
doning the  town,  landed  some  men  and  took  possession  of  it,  a  very 
presumptuous  act  when  a  general  and  a  commodore  had  designe 


TOE  STKAM  NAVY  OF  THX  UNITED  STATES.  97 

upon  the  poiitioii  and  the  honor  of  capturing  it.  Hunter  was 
promptly  arrested  bj  order  of  Oommodore  Ferry,  tried  by  conrt- 
martial  for  disobedience  of  orders,  and  sent  home  in  disgrace.  In 
the  United  States  he  was  giyen  many  dinners  and  receptions,  and  as 
*'AIyarado  Hunter  '^  was  the  hero  of  the  hour,  while  Perry  was 
made  the  target  for  a  multitude  of  newspaper  attacks.  All  of  which 
was  natural  enough  on  the  part  of  the  public,  which  saw  nothing  in 
the  affair  ezc^t  the  capture  of  a  town  without  regard  for  the  rank 
of  the  captor.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  by  exceeding  his  authority 
Hunter  completely  defeated  the  real  object  of  the  expedition;  his 
act  forewarned  the  Mexicans  and  gave  them  ample  time  to  remoye 
with  their  horses  and  portable  property  before  the  army  forces  had 
hemmed  them  in. 

The  next  naval  operation  of  consequence  in  this  war  was  Perry's 
capture  In  June  of  the  city  of  Tobasco,  after  severe  fighting.  This 
is  an  important  event  in  our  naval  history,  as  it  is  the  first  occasion 
on  which  a  large  force  of  blue-jackets  was  regularly  organized  into  a 
naval  brigade  for  prolonged  military  operations  on  shore,  which  was 
done  under  the  personal  direction  and  command  of  Commodore 
Perry.  The  necessity  for  this  proceeding  was  brought  about  by 
the  circumstance  that  the  marines  of  the  fleet  had  been  formed  into 
a  regiment  and  sent  with  Scott's  army  on  the  march  to  the  city  of 
Mexico.  The  year  before,  Conunodore  Stockton  had  used  his  sailors 
to  some  extent  for  guard  and  garrison  duty  in  California,  but  the 
credit  for  the  first  real  naval  brigade  is  given  to  Perry  by  the  his- 
torians of  our  navy.  The  small  steamers  of  the  fleet  were  invalu- 
able in  the  capture  of  Tobasco;  in  fact,  without  them  the  expedition 
wonld  hardly  have  been  practicable.  Conunodore  Perry  so  fully 
appreciated  the  value  of  this  type  of  vessel  that  he  repeatedly  asked 
for  more  light-draft  steamers  from  home,  and  eventually  so  pro- 
voked the  conservative  old  officers  about  the  Kavy  Department  that 
he  got  a  stifif  reprimand  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  for  his  per- 
tistence  in  this  regard. 

To  First  Assistant  Engineer  George  Sewall  is  due  credit  for 
having  repaired  in  a  most  ingenious  manner  without  any  convenient 
appliances  the  two  steamers  YioDen  and  Spitfire^  which  had  become 
onseaworthy  and  unfit  for  use  owing  to  leaky  Kingston  valve  con- 
oections,  thus  giving  to  the  Government  two  steamers  for  war 
operations. 


/ 


98  THE  OTEAM  NAYY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Yellow  fever  broke  out  in  July  on  the  Mississippi^  and  that  in- 
▼alnable  ship  eyentnally  had  to  be  sent  off  the  station,  going  to 
Pensacola  with  about  two  hundred  invalids  on  board.  A  short  time 
before  the  appearance  of  this  pestilence  a  fire  from  spontaneous 
combustion  had  gained  such  headway  in  the  Mississippi's  coal 
bunkers  that  it  was  only  extinguished  by  flooding  the  bunkers,  and 
it  was  believed  that  the  moisture  remaining  in  the  nooks  and  comers 
of  the  ship  after  this  accident  gave  a  foothold  for  the  disease.  Two 
of  the  Mississippi's  engineers — ^First  Assistant  Charles  A.  Mapes, 
and  Third  Assistant  Emerson  G.  Covel — died  on  board  their  ship 
of  this  epidemic  and  were  buried  in  the  soil  of  Mexico. 

General  Scott  entered  the  city  of  Mexico  on  the  17th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1847,  and  that  practically  ended  the  war,  although  the 
naval  force  continued  the  blockade  of  the  coast  until  the  treaty  of 
peace  was  signed  the  following  February.  Then  the  vessels  were 
gradually  withdrawn,  the  larger  ones  to  other  stations  and  the  small 
purchased  steamers  were  sold  for  what  they  would  bring.  The  most 
beneficial  lesson  to  the  navy  derived  from  this  war  was  that  steamers 
were  vastly  superior  to  sailing  vessels  for  war  purposes,  and  the 
prejudice  against  the  new  motor  were  so  broken  down  that  naval 
opposition  to  the  policy  of  building  war  steamers  was  ma- 
terially diminished  thereafter,  although  not  wholly  extinguished. 
The  demonstrated  value  of  the  small  steamers  for  river  and  harbor 
operations  had  quite  as  much  to  do  with  bringing  about  this  change 
of  sentiment  as  had  the  general  utility  exhibited  by  the  IMnceton 
and  Mississippi. 

With  the  return  of  peace,  the  steam  navy  was  augmented  by  the 
trtsnsfer  from  the  War  Department  of  two  steamers  which  had  been 
used  for  troop-ships.  The  larger  of  these  was  the  Massachusetts^  a 
full-rigged  ship  of  760  tons  burden  with  auxiliary  steam  power^ 
which  had  been  bought  in  1847  for  180,000.  This  ship  had  been 
the  pioneer  in  a  line  of  auxiliary  steam  packets  employed  in  the  New 
York  and  Liverpool  trade,  and  was  fitted  with  two  small  engines  of 
Ericsson^s  design,  driving  an  Ericsson  screw  only  9^^  feet  in 
diameter,  the  screw  being  attached  to  the  shaft  by  a  coupling  that 
could  be  disengaged  and  the  screw  hoisted  on  deck  in  a  few  min- 
utes. The  propeller  shaft  passed  out  of  the  stem  at  the  side  of  the 
stern  post,  to  which  was  bolted  the  stem  bearing  of  the  shaft,  the 


THE  STEAM  NATT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


09 


Isttw  projectiiig  far  enoDgh  to  allow  the  screw  to  operate  abaft  the 
mdder.  The  rudder  had  a  ilot,  or  ^^  shark's  month"  cot  in  it  to 
prerent  its  striking  the  projecting  shaft  when  put  hard  over.  Both 
the  stem  bearing  attached  to  the  post  and  the  cnt  in  the  rudder  were 
featares  patented  by  John  Ericsson.  The  J£auaehfU9ett$  was  some 
years  afterward  converted  into  a  bark-rigged  sailing  vessel,  and 
under  the  name  of  J^arrallonea  remained  in  the  naval  service  until 
after  the  Civil  War,  when  she  was  sold. 

The  other  transferred  transport  was  the  auxiliary  steam  bark 
JBUiJij  of  400  tons  burden,  which  had  Ericsson  machinery  of  the 
same  type  as  that  described  in  the  case  of  the  Jfasiochtuetts.  She 
had  been  in  the  East  India  trade  and  was  on  record  as  having  made 
the  quickest  voyage  then  known  between  Calcutta  and  Canton. 
After  being  fitted  for  war  purposes  the  Edith  was  sent  on  a  cruise 
to  the  Pacific  station,  where,  in  1850,  she  was  run  ashore  and 
wrecked,  but  without  loss  of  life. 

The  following  list  of  engineers  of  the  navy  who  served  on 
vessels  actively  employed  in  the  Mexican  War  is  made  up  from  a 
list  given  in  General  C.  M.  Wilcox's  Hutory  of  the  JHeorioan  War: 


Chief  Engineer  John  Faron,  Jr. 

"  *«        D.  B.  Martin. 

"  **        William  Bewell. 

First  Assistant  Engineer  Saml.  Archbold. 


L.  B.  Bartholomew. 

E.  Q.  Covel. 

T.  H.  Faron. 

Jesse  Gay. 

J.  K.  Matthews. 

Hiram  Sanf ord. 

Second  Assist 

antEng 

George  Bewell. 
ineer  James  Atkinson. 
*        N.  0.  Davis. 

«        Joshua  FoUansbee 

^        John  Gallagher. 
A.  P.  How. 

'         B.  F.  Isherwood. 

'        B.  M.  Johnson. 

MX)  THE  STEAM  KAVT  OF  THE  TOOTED  STATK). 

BMimd  Assistaiit  Engineer,  J.  IL  Middleton. 

*«  **  "        A.  EL  Palmer. 

♦*  **  *•        Theodore  Zeller. 

Third  Aflfliitaiit  Bngineer  J.  M.  Adams. 


Lafayette  OaldweU 

John  OarroU. 

Charles  Oolemaiu 

Wm.  E.  Eyerett. 

Edward  Faron. 

B.  F.  Garvin. 

J.  B.  Hatcher. 

J.  W.  King. 

WilUam  Luce. 

Charles  A.  Mapes. 

J.  W.  Parks. 

W.  H.  Shock. 

William  Taggart 

J.  C.  Tennent. 

M.  M.  Thompson. 

J.  A.  Van  Zandt. 

• 

Wm.  C.  Wheeler. 

*• 

Edward  Whipple. 

The  material  henefits  to  the  United  States  resulting  from  the 
Mexican  War  were  enormous,  and  entirely  out  of  proportion  to  the 
outlay  of  life  and  treasure  InTolyed,  notwithstanding  it  is  difficult  at 
this  distance  in  time  for  one  to  grow  enthusiastic  over  the  eyents  of 
that  unequal  struggle.  Desperate  battles  were  fought;  many  note- 
worthy deeds  of  yalor  were  performed,  and  both  army  and  nayj 
achieved  that  peculiar  distinction  called  glory ^  but  to  the  American 
student  of  his  country's  history  the  fact  that  the  military  power  of 
our  great  republic  was  ruthlessly  used  to  overwhelm  with  woe  and 
desolation  a  small  sister  republic  struggling  to  maintain  self-govern- 
ment on  the  democratic  principles  professed  by  the  nation  which  in- 
flicted upon  her  the  horrors  of  war,  must  ever  remain  prominent. 
The  cause  of  freedom  had  then  enough  to  contend  with,  without  th% 
greatest  nation  governed  by  its  own  people  tearing  to  pieces  a  fee- 
ble follower  of  its  institutions. 


IHS  SKBAM  NAYT  OF  TBDB  UinXBD  STATES.  101 

The  territory  of  the  United  States  was  increased  one-third  by 
the  terms  of  the  treaty  which  eondnded  the  war,  and  a  yast  extent  of 
sea  coast  <m  the  Pacific  Ocean  was  gidned.  The  benefits  to  onr 
eonntry  and  to  the  world  in  general,  resulting  from  this  transfer  of 
•eriilory  camiot  be  oTer>estimated,  and  this,  as  a  manifestation  of 
ProTidenee  forwarding  the  destiny  of  ^e  Anglo-Saxon  race,  mnst 
be  omr  chief  apology  for  the  manner  in  which  that  vast  region 
ohaQged  hands.  California  nnder  Mexican  role  gave  little  promise 
fer  the  fatcre,  but  in  the  hands  of  the  energetic  and  inyestigating 
JLBierican  liecame  almost  in  a  day  both  famous  and  wealthy.  It 
had  long  been  known  to  the  Mexicans  of  California  that  their  rivers 
ran  over  golden  sands,  bnt  the  indolent  and  ease-loving  people  pre- 
ferred the  shade  of  their  haciendas  to  the  labor  of  exploring  the 
moimtains;  manana  or  ^*  the  day  after,"  wonld  be  ample  time  in  which 
to  investigate,  and  thns  the  great  discovery  bade  fair  to  be  neglect- 
ed for  an  indefinite  time. 

The  prying  American  lost  no  time  in  exploring  his  new  posess- 
lons  and  within  a  year  had  proclaimed  such  wonderful  discoveries 
tiiat  ships  freighted  with  tools  and  men  were  converging  upon  the 
Golden  Gate  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe ;  steamship  lines 
bef(»e  impossible,  were  established,  and  the  transcontinental  rail- 
ways, which  have  hastened  the  development  of  the  North  American 
eontinent  and  the  civilization  of  the  Far  East  at  least  a  century, 
were  projected.  It  is  a  favorite  statement  of  historians  that  the  amount 
of  gold  produced  by  California  since  1848  exceeds  in  value  the 
enormous  national  debt  incurred  by  the  United  States  in  the  war 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  v  Granting  this  to  be  true,  and 
admitting  that  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  territory  acquired  from 
Mexico  is  yet  beyond  computation,  the  greater  truth  remains  that  all 
this  is  actually  secondary  in  value  to  the  wonderful  agricultural 
resources  of  the  same  region.  But  for  the  aggressive  and  perhaps 
undemocratic  policy  which  led  the  United  States  to  despoil  a 
neigbbor  whose  form  of  government  should  have  been  her  defense, 
(^Qifomia,  with  sources  of  wealth  far  greater  than  those  possessed 
by  mare  than  one  empire  which  has  ruled  the  world,  might  yet  be 
the  hunting  ground  of  hungry  savages,  her  fields  untitled,  ber 
orchards  unplanted,  and  the  treasure  of  her  streams  and  mountain 
ledges  still  undisturbed  save  by  tiie  hoof  of  the  antelope  and  the 
WW  of  the  bear. 


OHAPTEEVIIL 

*'  The  wheel  of  foitane  torna  incessantly  round,  and  who  can  aay  within 
himself,  '  I  shall  to-day  he  uppennost.' "— Gohfuozub. 

New  steamers  authorized  for  the  navy  in  1847— The  Susqukhavka,  Powhatan, 
Sabanac,  and  San  Jacinto— Mr.  Haswell  Succeeded  as  Engineer-in-Chief 
hy  Charles  B.  Stuart— Circumstances  Connected  with  Mr.  Haawell  Leav- 
ing the  Navy— His  Great  Services  to  the  Naval  Kngineer  Ck>rpe— His  Sabee* 
quent  Career. 

STEAM,  as  we  have  seen,  did  not  play  an  important  part  in  the 
naval  operations  of  the  Mexican  war,  bat  the  nnmerous  oppor- 
tunities and  advantages  lost  or  not  used  simply  for  lack  of 
motive  power  more  reliable  than  the  winds,  served  as  excellent  ob- 
ject lessons  to  direct  naval  and  public  attention  to  the  necessity  of 
having,  a  fleet  of  steam  war  vessels  if  the  navy  were  to  be  thereafter 
a  useful  military  arm.  In  the  report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
for  the  year  1846  a  policy  of  building  war-steamers  was  urged,  and 
in  December  of  that  year  Mr.  Fairfield,  Chairman  of  the  Senate 
Com^ttee  on  Naval  Affairs,  asked  the  Department  by  letter  for  a 
statement  as  to  the  size,  type,  cost,  &c.,  of  the  vessels  desired.  The 
reply  was  to  the  effect  that  at  least  four  steamers,  at  an  average 
cost  of  $500,000  each  should  be  immediately  undertaken,  and  the 
authority  asked  for  was  conferred  by  the  naval  appropriation  bill 
then  under  consideration,  which  was  approved  March  3,  1847.  The 
same  act  directed  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  enter  into  contract 
with  E.  K.  Collins  and  his  associates  for  the  transportation  of  the 
United  States  mails  between  New  York  and  Liverpool;  with  A.  Q. 
Sloo  for  the  transportation  of  the  mails  between  I^ew  York  and 
New  Orleans,  touching  at  Havana,  and  with  some  other  agent,  not 
named,  for  the  transportation  of  the  mails  from  Panama  to  Oregon 
Territory.  In  the  first  two  cases,  the  steamers  of  the  contractors 
were  to  be  built  under  the  supervision  of  a  naval  constructor  and 
were  to  be  adapted  to  use  as  war  vessels,  the  contractors  being  also 
required  by  the  terms  of  the  act  to  receive  on  board  each  of  their 
steamers  four  passed  midshipmen  of  the  navy  to  act  as  watch  offi- 
cers. 


THE  8TSAM  KAYT  OF  THB  UNITED  STATES.  liA 

Mr.  John  Y.  Mason,  Secretary  of  the  Nayy,  on  March  22, 
1847,  ordered  a  board,  consisting  of  Commodores  Morris,  Warring- 
ton and  Smith,  £ngineer-in-Ohief  Haswell,  Nayal  Oonstrnctors 
Grice,  Lenthall  and  Hartt,  and  Mr.  Charles  W.  Copeland,  the  emi- 
nent ciTHian  engineer  employed  by  the  Nayy  Department,  to  assem- 
ble in  Washington  and  determine  npon  the  yarions  features  of  the  pro- 
posed vessels,  the  order  stating  in  general  terms  some  of  the  require- 
ments to  be  obsenred,  and  directing  that  one  of  the  yessels  ^<  should 
be  propelled  by  some  of  the  various  screw  propellers."  Later, 
Commodore  Skinner  and  Chief  Engineer  John  Faron,  Jr.  were  ad- 
ded to  the  board,  which  met  at  frequent  dates  from  March  23  untU 
July  8,  1847,  on  which  latter  date  its  final  report  and  recommenda- 
tions were  submitted  to  the  Department  So  many  interesting 
points  arose  later  about  the  ships  recommended  by  this  board,  and 
such  a  bitter  controyersy  grew  out  lof  alleged  defects  in  the  design 
of  at  least  one  of  them  that  the  matter  eyentually  became  the  subject 
of  congressional  inquiry,  and  its  history  in  detail  thus  got  into  print 
in  the  form  of  a  public  document — ^Ezecutiye  Document  65;^  House 
of  Repreeentatiyes,  Thirty-third  Congress;  First  Session:  this  docu- 
ment the  author  has  been  fortunate  enough  to  discoyer  in  that  yast 
mine  of  information  almost  inaccessibly  buried  in  the  crypt  of  the 
Oapitol,  and  from  it  the  principal  facts  presented  in  this  chapter  are 
deriyed. 

The  proceedings  of  the  board  indicate  that  the  MMuippi  was 
^garded  as  a  model  from  which  to  copy  as  much  as  possible.  With- 
out going  into  all  the  differences'of  opinion,  lengthy  debates,  and 
yea  and  nay  votes  indulged  in  by  the  commodores,  constructors 
and  engineers  of  the  board,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  the  resultant 
recommendations  were  the  building  of  two  large  side- wheel  steamers, 
simflar  to  the  Mtsaiasippi,  but  sufficiently  large  to  carry  coal,  provi- 
sions, &C.,  for  long  voyages  to  foreign  stations,  and  two  smaller 
steamers,  of  about  2,100  tons  displacement,  one  of  the  latter,  to  be 
fitted  with  a  screw  propeller.  Wood  was  designated  as  the  material 
from  which  these  vessels  were  to  be  built,  the  vote  of  the  Board 
showing  that  Mr.  Haswell  was  the  only  member  who  favored  iron 
as  building  material  for  even  one  of  them.  The  board  also  decided 
that  [Naval  Constructors  Grice  and  Lenthall  should  each  design  the 
hull  of  one  of  the  larger  steamers  and  that  Mr.  Hartt  should  design 


MH  JBE  SnUM  MATT  OF  XBM  FSmSD  STATRB. 

both  of  the  maUer  oo6«,  HotBrt.  HMwdl  «Bd  Qopolwi  oach  to  de- 
mgn  BMchki6f7  '^  <^^  ittC^  ttid  wie  mall  vesBel,  All  these  reo- 
ommeiidjitione  ivore  approved  by  dM  Navj  Departmenti  and  on  the 
13di  of  Jvlj,  1847,  the  Secvetarj  promalgated  the  Preeident's  order 
tiiat  the  two  large  ekipe  be  bnUt  at  Philadelphia  and  Norfolk  reqpAC* 
titsely,  and  the  amaller  ones  at  Kitterj  aad  New  York. 

The  laq;e  ateamer  designed  by  Kr.  Lenthall  was  named  Sum- 
fmtktmna^  and  was  built  in  the  navy  yard  at  Philadelphiai  where  she 
was  lanncbed  in  April,  1860,  and  was  entvely  coo^deted  with  ma- 
ehiaery  ready  for  sernoe  at  the  end  of  tii«t  year.  She  was  hajck- 
rigged,  2S0  feet  long,  46  feet  beam  and  displaced  3,824  tons  at 
her  load  draft  of  19^  feet.  The  engines,  designed  by  Charles  W. 
Oepeland,  were  bnilt  by  Murray  A  Haaelhnrst  of  Baltimore,  under 
the  sttperriBion  ol  Chief  Engineer  Wm»  P.  Williamson,  U.  S.  Navy, 
and  eonsistied  of  two  inclined  direct-acting  oondensing  engines,  with 
cylinders  70  inches  in  diameter  and  10  feet  stroke,  fitted  with 
inclined  air  pmaps.  The  paddle  wheels  were  of  the  ordinary  radial 
type,  81  feet  in  diameter.  There  were  foor  copper  boilers 
of  the  doable  return,  ascending  floe  type,  containing  843  square 
feet  of  grate  surface  and  8,65S  square  feet  of  heating  surface. 

In  June,  1851,  the  SuajuehiSMna  sailed  for  the  Asiatic  station, 
then  known  as  the  East  India  Station,  her  first  commander  being 
Captain  J.  H.  Anlick  and  her  chief  engineer  Mr.  Samuel  Arcfabold. 
On  the  passage  to  Bio  de  Janeiro  some  defects  or  injuries  to  her 
engines  and  spars  were  discovered,  resulting  in  a  delay  <^  some  two 
months  at  the  Brazilian  capital,  during  which  time  repairs  to  the  ex- 
tent of  about  f3,500  were  made  at  the  marine  arsenal,  mostly 
to  the  air  pumps  and  paddle-wheels.  Her  performance  thereafter 
was  excellent,  and  most  creditable  to  her  engineers,  as  may  be  seen 
frem  the  following  report  of  the  commanding  officer,  which  report 
is  of  special  interest  in  these  days  when  we  rather  pride  ouraelyes 
on  our  ability  to  cross  wide  seas  under  steam  without  an  extravagant 
use  of  fuel,  showing  that  the  men  of  a  previous  generation  were  not 
wholly  ignorant  of  the  same  desirable  experience: 

U,  8.  BnuM  Fbioatb  SuBQuxEAinrA, 
Tabub  Bat,  Gapi  of  Good  Hop1|  October  17, 1851. 

Sat:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  our  arrival  here  on  the  16th 
jistant,  eighteen  days  from  Bio  de  Janeiro. 


THB  STEAM  NAYT  OF  TOE  UNITED  STATES.  IOC 

This  passage  has  thoroughly  and  severely  tested  the  strength 
of  our  masts  and  engines.  The  weather  for  the  greater  part  of  tlie 
time  was  very  stormy,  and  the  sea  higher  than  I  have  ever  known 
it  before,  causing  the  ship  to  roll  and  plnnge  to  such  a  degree  that 
frequently  one  wheel  was  eight  or  ten  feet  entirely  clear  of  the  sea, 
when  the  other  was  fnll  half  its  diameter  buried  in  it;  but  nothing 
of  any  importance  gave  way,  and  the  engines  were  never  stopped 
from  the  time  we  weighed  our  anchor  in  ^^Bio;"  until  it  was  let  go 
in  this  bay.  I,  however,  did  not  neglect  to  use  our  sails  and  econ- 
omize fuel;  when  the  wind  was  fair,  and  the  weather  permitted, 
we  used  only  two  boilers,  and  with  a  daily  expenditure  of  less  than 
fourteen  tons  of  coal,  keeping  up  only  suiiicient  steam  to  turn  our 
wheels,  we  averaged  for  a  number  of  days  more  than  two  hundred 
miles  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  I  adopted  this  course  in  preference 
to  taking  off  the  floats,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  very  diflScult,  if  not 
impossible,  to  un-ship  and  re-ship  them  in  a  heavy  seaway.  We  ex- 
pended on  the  passage  only  about  half  the  coal  with  which  we  left 
"Ko."  lam,  &c., 

J.  H.  AULIOK, 

Commanding  Squadron,  East  Indies  and  China. 
Hon.  William  A.  Gsaham,  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

The  Susquehomrui  continued  an  efficient  cruising  steamer  for 
many  years,  and  was  a  prominent  ship  during  the  war  of  the  rebel- 
lion; a  few  years  after  its  close  her  machinery  was  entirely  removed 
and  the  work  of  converting  her  into  a  screw  steamer  undertaken,  but 
never  completed,  and  she  never  went  to  sea  again. 

Constructor  Grice^s  steamer  was  the  Powhatom^  launched  at 
the  Norfolk  navy  yard  February  14,  1850.  The  principal  dimen- 
sions of  the  hull  were  practically  the  same  aa  those  of  the  Susque- 
hanna^ but  as  her  load  draft  when  completed  was  about  a  foot  less 
than  that  of  the  latter  vessel,  her  displacement  was  also  somewhat 
less;  she  was  bark-rigged.  The  engines  were  designed  by  Engineer- 
in-Chief  Haswell  and  were  built  by  Mehaffy  &  Co.,  of  Qosport, 
Va.,  under  the  inspection  of  Chief  Engineer  William  Sewell,  U.  S. 
Navy.  There  were  two  inclined  direct-acting  condensing  engines 
with  the  same  cylinder  dimensions  as  those  of  the  JSueqeu/iarma^  but 


106 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  ITNITED  STATES. 


differing  from  that  vessel  in  design,  haying  vertical  air  pnmpg  and 
a  novelty  in  engine  framing,  the  frames  being  of  wrought  iron,  bnilt 
up  on  the  box-girder  principle.  There  were  four  copper  boilers  of 
the  same  general  dimensions  as  those  of  the  sister  ship!^  but  differ- 
ing from  them  considerably  in  details  of  arrangement,  fittinsrs,  etc. 
The  lower  flues  were  made  elliptical  to  increase  the  heating  surface. 


COPPER  BOILER,  U.  8.  8.  POWHATAN;  ASCENDING-FLUE  RETURN  TYPE. 

Length,  16  feet;  breadth,  15  feet  3  inches;  height.  13  feet;  grate  surface,  88}  square 
feet;  heating  surface,  1,971  square  feet 

A  new  feature  in  marine  engineering  practice  appeared  in  this  Tea- 
sel in  the  introduction  of  a  small  one-furnace  auxiliary  boiler,  inten- 
ded primarily  for  supplying  a  hoisting  engine  to  aid  in  coaling  ship. 
The  jPowhatan  also  was  fitted  with  two  Worthington  steam  pumps, 
which  is  believed  to  be  the  first  appearance  in  our  nayy  of  that  now 
familiar  auxiliary. 

Owing  to  a  lack  of  professional  and  clerical  aid,  Engineer-in- 
Ohief  Haswell  personally  designed  every  detail  of  the  Potohato/ti^s 
machinery  and  made  the  working  drawings  with  his  own  hands  in 
the  intervals  between  attention  to  the  necessary  duties  of  his  office. 
So  pressed  was  he  for  time  that  he  was  unable  to  lay  out  a  general 
design  of  the  engines  to  work  up  to,  but  had  to  develop  the  vi^oqs 
parts  progressively.  This  feat  is  probably  unprecedented  in  design- 
ing work  of  such  magnitude,  and,  considered  together  with  the  ro- 
markable  success  of  the  Powhatcm^s  engines,  furnishes  a  most  vain- 
able  index  to  the  rare  professional  accomplishments  of  Mr.  HaswelL 


a 
S 


c 

a 
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I    I 

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O*      «« 

i  ^ 

O  OQ 


s 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  109 

The  Powhatan  was  employed  in  service,  almost  continously 
for  a  longer  period  than  anj  steamer  ever  in  the  navy,  with 
the  sole  exception  of  the  Michigan^  which  latter  vessel  owes  her 
longevity,  as  has  been  pointed  ont  before,  to  the  fact  that  her  career 
has  been  confined  to  summer  cruising  on  the  fresh- water  lakes  of  the 
Northwest.  The  copper  boilers  of  the  Powhatan  of  course  had  to 
be  replaced  in  time,  but  her  original  engines  remained  thoroughly 
efficient  •and  trustworthy  to  the  end,  a  monument  to  the  ability  of 
their  designer  and  the  skill  of  the  men  who  built  them.  When  the 
Powhatan  was  attached  to  the  Japan  expedition  squadron,  her  chief 
engineer,  George  Sewell,  wrote  home  that  in  a  trip  of  three  thou- 
sand miles  under  steam  a  hammer  had  not  been  touched  to  her  en- 
gines, which  ran  with  such  rhythmic  regularity  that  they  seemed  set 
to  music. 

Even  in  her  old  age  the  Powhatan  was  a  faster  steamer  than 
almost  any  other  on  the  navy  list  and  was  decidedly  the  most  com- 
fortable and  popular  with  both  officers  and  men.  With  ten  pounds 
of  steam  and  her  great  wheels  making  ten  revolutions  per  minute 
she  was  proverbially  capable  of  making  ten  knots  an  hour,  and  that 
without  much  reference  to  the  state  of  the  weather.  In  1878,  after 
she  had  outlived  almost  every  steamer  of  her  date,  she  fought  for 
her  lite  off  Hatteras,  under  the  command  of  that  splendid  old  sea- 
man, Captain  T.  S.  Fillebrown,  through  one  of  the  most  awful  cy- 
clones that  any  ship  ever  survived,  and  though  terribly  battered 
and  strained,  remained  able  to  breast  the  sea  for  several  years  there- 
after. In  that  storm  it  is  reported  by  the  indisputable  evidence  of 
many  observers  that  her  fore  yard-arm  dipped  into  the  sea.  In 
1887,  to  the  genuine  regret  of  all  in  the  navy,  the  Powhatan  was 
condemned  by  a  board  of  survey,  being  actually  worn  out  in  the  ser- 
vice,and  an  unsentimental  administration  s^ld  her  poor  old  bones  to  the 

ghouls  of  the  ocean — ^the  ship- breakers. 

One  of  the  two  smaller  vessels  was  built  at  the  navy  yard  at 
Kittery,  Maine,  and  named  Saram^ac.  She  was  the  first  of  the 
four  steamers  to  be  completed,  being  launched  in  November,  1848, 
aad  sailed  for  a  cruise  in  the  West  Indies  in  April,  1860.  She  wad 
216  feet  long,  38  feet  beam,  and  of  2,200  tons  displacement  at  the 
mean  draft  of  17  feet.  The  machinery,  designed  by  Engineer 
CopeJaud,  was  built  by  Coney  &  Co.  of  Boston,  under  the  inspec- 


no  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

tion  of  Chief  Engineeni  Wm.  W.  W.  Wood  aad  D.  B.  Martin,  and 
consisted  of  a  pair  of  inclined  direct-acting  condensing  engines  with 
cylinders  60  inches  in  diameter  and  9  feet  stroke,  driving  radial 
paddle-wheels  27  feet  in  diameter.  The  engines  were  fitted  wiih 
Stevens'  patent  cut-offs.  There  we^e  three  copper  doable-retorD 
drop-flae  boilers,  designed  to  carry  twelve  pounds  of  steam  pressure, 
aggregating  188  square  feet  of  grate  surface  and  5,127  square  feet 
of  heating  surface.  At  an  ordinary  engine  speed  of  about  twelve 
revolutions  per  minute  about  eight  knots  an  hour  could  easily  be 
maintained.  The  rig  was  that  of  a  bark,  and  her  lines  were  so  grace- 
ful and  the  external  finish  so  perfect  that  she  was  regarded  as  an  or- 
nament to  the  service.  After  a  long  career  for  a  war  vessel  the 
Sa/rcmac  came  to  a  violent  end  in  June,  1875,  by  running  ashore  and 
becoming  a  total  wreck  in  Seymour  Narrows,  while  on  her  way  ta 
Alaska. 

The  fourth  one  of  these  steamers — ^the  Sa/n,  Jacinto — ^was,  like 
the  wrath  of  Achilles,  ^^  the  direful  spring  of  woes  unnumbered,"  to 
almost  everyone  ever  prominently  connected  with  her,  her  campaign 
of  destruction  beginning  with  blasting  the  naval  career  of  Engi- 
neer-in-Ohief  Haswell.  Designed  by  the  same  constructor,  Mr. 
Hartt,  who  designed  the  Swramac^  the  hull  was  an  exact  counterpart 
of  that  vessel,  and  the  rig  was  the  same.  She  was  built  at  the  navy 
yard,  New  York,  where  she  was  launched  in  April,  1850.  The  en- 
gines were  designed  by  Mr.  Haswell  and  were  built  by  Merrick  and 
Towne  of  Philadelphia,  under  the  inspection  at  different  times  of 
Chief  Engineers  Faron,  Wood  and  Hunt,  and  finally  Mr.  Haswell 
himself.  They  consisted  of  two  ^^ square"  engines,  as  they  were 
termed,  operating  the  shaft  of  a  screw  propeller;  the  cylinders  were 
62^  inches  in  diameter  and  60  inches  stroke,  and  were  placed 
athwartship,  inclined  upward  and  outboard  with  the  inner,  or  lower 
heads,  in  contact  over  the  crank  shaft.  Long  cross-heads  carried 
two  connecting  rods  for  each  engine,  reaching  backward  and  down- 
ward on  each  side  of  the  cylinders  to  take  hold  of  the  cranks.  There 
were  three  copper  boilers  of  the  same  external  dimensions  as  those 
of  the  8a/rcmac^  but  somewhat  better  designed,  as  they  displayed 
more  grate  and  heating  surface. 

There  were  some  strange  things  about  this  ship,  one  of  which 
was  the  location  of  the  propeller  shaft  twenty  inches  to  one  side  off 


■I 


8 

GC 


THE  STEAM  KAYT  OF  THE  UKITSD  STATES.  US 

the  center  line  of  the  keel,  which  was  done  at  the  instance  of  the 
three  naval  constrnctors,  members  of  the  board  that  settled  upon 
the  plans  for  the  yessel.  These  gentlemen  were  eminent  in  the 
business  of  ship  designing  and  bailding,  but  screw-propelled  ships 
were  new  to  them  and  they  could  not  bring  themselves  to  agree  to 
any  application  of  steam  power  that  involyed  cutting  a  big  hole  for 
a  abaft  through  the  stem  post.  It  transpired  that  Ericsson,  who  had 
patents  on  a  multitude  of  marine  appliances,  useful  and  other- 
wise, had  a  patent  on  a  precisely  similar  arrangement.  This  loca- 
tion entailed  the  projection  of  the  propeller  shaft  far  enough  beyond 
the  stem  to  allow  the  screw  to  work  abaft  the  rudder,  which  plan 
Mr.  Haswell  had  opposed  in  the  Board,  but  made  his  designs  in  ac- 
cordance when  it  was  finally  decided  upon.  The  board  also  fixed 
the  location  of  the  engines  so  far  aft  and  in  such  a  cramped  space 
that  the  engineer  who  had  to  design  them  was  so  handicapped  that 
it  was  practically  impossible  for  him  to  arrive  at  an  arrangement  of 
details  that  would  allow  proper  room  for  examination,  repairing  and 
adjustment  of  the  machinery  when  assembled  in  place.  The  screw 
itself  as  designed  was  a  ponderous  six  bladed  affair,  five  feet  wide 
axially  and  weighing  some  seven  tons,  which  weight,  overhanging 
the  stem  five  feet  at  least,  was  manifestly  a  menace  to  the  safety  of 
the  ship.  Mr.  Haswell  claimed,  and  with  propriety  as  the  records 
of  the  Board  show,  that  he  was  ^rced  to  such  a  design  by  the 
board's  exaction  that  no  patents  be  infringed,  and  the  lighter  types 
of.  screws  then  in  use,  having  thin  supported  blades,  were  covered 
by  Ericsson's  patents. 

As  the  engines  of  the  San  JadrUo  approached  completion  it  be- 
gan to  be  gossiped  abroad  among  engineers  that  the  engineer-in- 
chief  had  made  a  fearful  botch  of  his  designs,  and  the  various  naval 
engineers  and  machinery  contractors  who  fancied  they  had  been 
wronged  by  him  in  the  fearless  performance  of  his  o£Scial  duties, ac- 
cording to  his  conscientious  judgment,  gathered  their  forces  for  his 
overthrow,  the  movement  being  simply  a  manifestation  of  the  natural 
tendency  of  mankind  to  assail  and  humble  the  eminent.  In  a  prim- 
itre  state  of  society,  man  kills  his  rival  with  a  club  and  eats  him^ 
partly  in  revenge,  partly  to  remove  an  obstacle  to  his  ambition,  and 
partly  to  provide  subsistence  for  himself.  As  we  become  enlightened, 
fte    older  and  more  natural  code  of  ethics  is  abandoned  in  deferenc 


114  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

to  certain  artificial  prejudices  which  are  adjancts  of  civilization,  and 
while  less  rude  are  equally  effective  methods  of  personal  warfare. 
This  seems  to  be  a  necessity,  for  the  natural  predilection  of  man  is 
a  love  of  hostility  to  his  species,  as  exhibited  in  personal  rivalries 
and  jealousies  when  a  state  of  war  does  not  afford  an  outlet  for  his 
passions  under  the  guise  of  patriotism^ 

Such  a  condition  of  society  may  be  sad  to  contemplate  in  these 
closing  years  of  the  nineteenth  century,   and  there  are  doubtless 
many  who  are  thoughtlessly  ready  to  controvert  the  proposition.    A 
little  reflection,  however,  will  be  convincing  to  the  majority;  for  as 
we^look  about  the  world  it  appears  that  in  spite  of  all  the  doctrines 
of  peace  and  good-will  to  man,  promulgated  by  the  apostles  of  chris- 
tiauity  and  other  great  religious,  there  does  not  and  never  has  exis- 
ted, the  nation  large  enough  to  permit  of  the  harmonious  existence 
within  its  borders  at  the  same  time,  two  great  statesmen,  soldiers, 
or  others  of  the  same  calling;  nor  is  there  a  village  so  small  that 
two  carpenters,  shoemakers  or  blacksmiths  within  its  limits  fail  to 
become  rivals,  each  claiming  his  fellow  craftsman  to  be  incompetent 
and  an   imposter.     Even  the   clergy,  the  anointed  lapostles  of  the 
doctrine  of  peace,  take  delight  in  bitter  quarrels  of  creed,  or,  failing 
in  opportunities  for  that,  turn  upon  each  other  in  the  same  denonai- 
tion  and   institute  heresy   trials,  and   critical   inquisitions  regarding 
their  profession  of  faith. 

Unpalatable  as  it  maybe,  it  is  nevertheless  a  plain,  unvarnished 
truth  that  fondness  for  war  and  strife  is  an  instinct  inherent  in  the 
human  breast.  Without  this  instinct  success  in  any  under- 
taking is  well-nigh  impossible,  as  society  is  at  present  consti- 
tuted. Nothing  proves  this  more  clearly  than  the  history  of 
nations,  which,  when  analyzed,  are  simply  tales  of  the  con- 
tention of  individuals  striving  for  supremacy.  He  who  becomes 
foremost  in  any  walk  in  life  must  succeed  at  the  expense  of  his  fel- 
lows who  are  struggling  for  the  same  eminence,  and  it  is  literally 
*^  to  him  that  overcometh,"  who,  according  to  Bevelation,  ^^  shall 
be  given  power  over  the  nations." 

Beturniug  to  the  subject,  after  this  digression,  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  there  were  some  radically  bad  features  connected  witb 
the  design  of  the  San  Jacmto's  machinery,  but  the  assertions  freely 
made  at  the  time  that  the  engines  were  an  **  object  of  ridicule  to  all 


J 


Mk.  Chakles  B.  Stuart, 
Engineer-ln-Chlef  of  the  Navy,  December  1,  1850,  to  June  30,  1853. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  OTATES.  117 

^ *^ 

ezigineerB  who  have  seen  them,"  and  a  '<  standing  monament  of  Mr. 
Haswell's  incompetency  and  folly,"  were  more  ridiculous  in  view 
of  Haswell's  reputation  and  achieyements  as  an  engineer  than  any 
defect  in  these  engines  could  possibly  have  been.  Some  of  the 
faults  of  the  JSan  Jacinto* %  engines  were  forced  upon  the  designer 
by  conditions  imposed  by  superior  authority  and  were  as  well 
known  to  him  as  they  could  have  been  to  any  of  his  critics, 
while  many  of  the  other  alleged  defects  existed  chiefly  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  had  decided  the  time  had  come  to  thrust  him  from  the 
pedestal  he  occupied  above  all  other  scientific  engineers  of  his  time. 

The  hue  and  cry  had  its  effect,  and  late  in  November,  1850, 
the  President  appointed  Mr.  Charles  B.  Stuart  of  New  York  to  the 
office  of  engineer-in-chief  of  the  Navy  from  December  1st,  Mr.  Has- 
well  resumiug  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  chief  engineers. 
Mr.  Stuart  was  a  civil  engineer  of  prominence,  being  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  Erie  Canal  at  the  time  of  his  appointment,  and  made 
no  pretense  to  knowledge  of  marine  engineeriog,  though  he  acquired 
considerable  knowledge  by  experience  while  engineer-in-chlef.  His 
was  purely  a  political  appointment  as  a  reward  for  party  service, 
and  he  never  was  an  enrolled  member  of  the  naval  engineer  corps. 
Some  serious  engineering  mistakes,  which  have  been  or  will  be 
noted  in  these  pages,  occurred  in  the  navy  during  his  adnunistra- 
tion,  the  result  of  which  was  that  when  he  resigned,  after  an  occu- 
pancy of  his  office  for  two  years  and  a  half,  the  custom  was  adopted 
of  selecting  the  engineer-in-chief  from  the  chief  engineers  of  the 
navy,  who  were  familiar  with  the  service  and  the  peculiarities  of  its 
steam  vessels.  While  engineer-in-chief,  Mr.  Stuart  performed  good 
service  for  the  engineering  world  by  collecting  the  necessary  data 
and  publishing  two  remarkably  valuable  and  reliable  books  on  naval 
material— «'  The  Naval  Dry  Docks  of  the  United  States,"  and  '*  The 
Kaval  and  Mail  Steamers  of  the  United  States." 

The  day  after  Mr.  Stuart's  induction  into  office,  Mr.  Haawell 
WM  ordered  to  assume  the  duty  of  superintendent  of  the  installation 
of  the  San  JaomUP%  maehinery,  and  Chief  Engineer  B.  F.  Isher- 
vood,  who  before  entering  the  naval  sorvieid  had  been  associated 
widi  Mr.  Stuart  in  the  civil  engineering  work  of  the  Erie  canal,  was 
detached  from  duty  under  the  Light  House  Bo;ard  and  ordered  as 
technical  assistant  to  the  engineer-in-chief.  ^  Shortly  thereafter,  let- 


118 


O 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES^ 


ters  expressing  grave  doubts  about  the  San  Jacinto  were  sent  by 
the  engineer-in-chief  to  the  chief  of  the  bnrean  of  constrnction,  and, 
rcqaests  made  that  a  survey  be  held  before  the  work  of  completing 
the  ship  was  allowed  to  go  further.  As  a  result,  a  board  consisting 
o!  Chief  engineers  Wm,  P.  Williamson,  Wm.  Sewell  and  Henry 
Hunt,  provided  with  a  categorical  list  of  fifteen  questions,  the  ana* 
wcrs  to  which,  it  was  supposed  would  damn  the  machinery  of  the 
San  JacintOj  was  assembled  at  New  York  to  examine  the  vessel 
and  report  discoveries,  a  report  being  made  February  10,  1851.    It 


PBOPOfllCD  PROPELLER. 

Diameter.  14}  feeet 
Pitch.  85  to  39  feet 


ADOPTED  PROPRLLBR. 

Diameter,  14}  feet. 
Pitch,  40  to  45  feet. 


was  decidely  unfavorable  to  the  engines  in  general,  and  especially 
severe  in  regard  to  the  heavy  projecting  propeller  and  the  side  loca- 
tion of  the  shaft,  both  of  which  objectionable  features  were  reconti* 
mended  for  alteration.  The  propeller  was  altered  accordingly,  it 
so  happening  that  the  one  originally  designed  had  not  yet  been  cast, 
although  its  mold  was  completed;  the  modified  screw,  as  recommen- 
ded by  the  Board  and  designed  by  Mr.  Isherwood,  together  with 
the  one  originally  designed  being  represented  by  the  outline  sketches 
here  inserted. 


THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  USITED  STATES.  119 

The  shaft  passage  through  the  stern  haying  been  cut,  the  rec- 
emmendation  of  the  board  of  engineers  regarding  its  modification 
was  not  carried  out.  It  has  been  previonslj  noted  that  Captain 
Ericsson  had  a  patent  on  such  an  arrangement  and  he,  through  an 
attomej  promptly  made  claim  for  infringement;  the  claim  was 
referred  to  £ngineer-in-Ghief  Stuart  for  an  opinion,  and  that  official 
made  a  most  lengthy  report,  acknowledging  in  rather  indirect  terms 
ftat  the  shaft  arrangement  was  practically  the  same  as  that  described 
in  the  specification  of  Ericsson's  patent  and  was  therefore  an 
infringement  for  which  the  patentee  was  entitled  to  damages. 
Besides  this  gnestion,  which  was  the  only  real  point  raised  by 
&icsson's  daim,  the  engineer-in-chief  dilated  upon  other  features 
of  the  San  Jacintd^a  machinery  involyed  yery  indirectly,  if  at  all^ 
in  the  claim,  and  of  course  proyed  they  were  not  infringements, 
the  object  of  this  digression  being  apparently  to  make  an  occasion 
to  reflect  upon  the  machinery  designs  of  the  ex-engineer-in-chief, 
which  reflection  was  introduced  into  the  report  somewhat  neatly  by 
the  following  sentence:  ^<  I  cannot  discoyer  that  the  construction  of 
the  <  engines  '  of  the  San  Jaoinio  inyolyes  the  infringement  of  Cap- 
tain Ericsson's  patent  in  any  particular,  nor  do  I  think  he  would 
upon  inspection  of  them,  make  any  claim  for  the  ^  noyelties  '  intro- 
duced in  their  construction." 

The  chief  of  the  bureau  of  Construction  was  unable  to  extract 
any  conclusions  from*  the  mass  of  yerbiage  with  which  the  engineer- 
in-chief 's  opinions  were  clothed,  and  returned  the  report  to  him  as 
being  <<too  indefinite  to  authorize  a  settlement  of  the  question." 
In  replying  to  this,  Mr.  Stuart  did  himself  no  great  credit  by  saying 
that  if  the  report  was  indefinite  it  was  ^^  owing  to  the  extreme  illness 
under  which  I  was  suffering  at  the  time  of  writing  the  report. "  This 
ezcmie,  taken  into  consideration  with  the  uncalled-for  comments 
injected  into  the  original  report,  has  been  conclusiye  proof  to  the 
author  in  his  patient  inyestigation  of  this  case,  that  professional  zeal 
was  not  the  only  motiye  that  inspired  the  engineer-in-chief,  and  that 
in  his  effort  to  disparage  his  predecessor  he  rather  stultified  himself. 

Chief  Engineer  Haswell,  not  giying  satisfaction  as  an  inspector 
of  machinery  to  the  new  administration  of  the  steam  department, 
was  eyentually  relieyed  from  that  duty  and  placed  on  waiting 
orders,  the  San  Jacinto  being  completed  and  fitted  for  sea  undet 


120  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STTATES. 

the  saperviBion  of  Chief  Engineer  Henry  Hunt.  When  the  ship 
was  ready  for  sea,  Mr.  Haswell  was  ordered  to  her,  his  orders  being 
brought  about  by  the  following  recommendation,  which  explains 
itself  fully  as  to  animus  and  motives : 

OmcB  OF  THB  EHexmKB-nr-GHisF,  U.  S.  N., 
August  25,  1651. 

Sm :  I  respectfully  recommend  that  chief  engineer  Henry 
Hunt  be  detached  from  the  United  States  steamer  San  Jacinto^ 
and  ordered. to  the  United  States  steamer  Fulton ;  and  that  chief 
engineer  Charles  H.  Haswell,  now  waiting  orders  at  New  York,  be 
ordered  to  the  United  States  steamer  San  Jacinto. 

The  propriety  of  the  above  recommendations  will  be  obvious 
from  the  following  considerations  : 

The  machinery  of  the  Sa/n  JamUo  was  designed  by  Mr. 
Haswell,  and  has  been  executed  (with  the  exception  of  the  propeller) 
in  conformity  with  those  designs.  Upon  my  acceptance  of  the  office 
of  engineer-in-chief,  the  machinery  of  the  San  Jacinto  was  one  of 
the  first  things  that  came  under  my  notice,  and  struck  me  so  entirely 
unfavorably,  that  I  reported  my  opinion  to  the  bureau,  with  the 
recommendation  that  a  board  of  chief  engineers  be  ordered  to 
examine  it,  and  report  their  opinion.  The  bureau  acted  on  this 
recommendation,  and  the  resulting  report  of  the  board  completely 
sustained  my  own  views ;  their  condemnation  of  the  engines  and 
propeller  was  full  and  unlimited,  while,  with  a  view  to  save  the 
vessel  from  utter  failure,  the  board  proposed  a  new  propeller  of  such 
proportions  as  the  mal-design  of  the  machinery  had  rendered  neces- 
sary. This  report  was  approved  by  the  bureau,  the  new  propeller 
was  made  in  conformity  with  it,  and  is  at  present  fitted  to  the  Teasel 
now  about  completed. 

As  the  professional  reputation  of  Mr.  Haswell  is  involved  in 
the  performance  of  the  machinery  of  this  vessel,  the  propriety  of 
sending  him  to  sea  in  charge  of  it,  instead  of  in  charge  of  dbief 
engineer  Hunt,  who  was  one  of  the  board  that  condenmed  it,  is  too 
apparent  for  argument. 

Furthermore,  the  FuUon  hiu  machinery  designed  by  me,  and 


TUE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STTATSa  121 

executed  in  coDformitj  with  xny  instractions  ;  and  as  it  is  necessary, 
owing  to  the  limited  number  of  chief  engineers  in  the  service,  that 
Mr.  Haswell  be  ordered  either  to  the  jSan  Jacinto  or  Fulton^  as  he  is 
the  only  chief  engineer  unemployed,  the  impropriety  of  putting 
Mm  in  charge  of  machinery  designed  by  one  who  was  compelled  by 
his  position  and  sense  of  duty  to  the  disagreeable  task  of  ^pointing 
out  the  defects  of,  and  condemning  Mr.  flaswell's  machinery,  can- 
not fail  to  be  properly  appreciated. 

Independently  of  the  above  considerations,  the  health  of  Mr. 
Hunt  is  such  as  to  utterly  incapacitate  him  for  a  long  cruise,  while 
he  is  sufficiently  able  to  perform  the  short  runs  which  will  probably 
constitute  the  chief  duty  of  the  Jlvlton. 

I  have,  therefore,  in  justice  and  delicacy  to  all  parties,  to  con- 
clude with  the  suggestion  that  the  detachment  of  Mr.  Hunt  from  the 
8an  Jacinto  and  ordering  to  the  Fulton^  and  the  ordering  of  Mr. 
Haswell  to  the  Saai  Jacinto j  be  made,  to  take  effect  on  the  15th 
September  next,  which  will  give  sufficient  time  for  the  performance 
of  the  trial  trip  of  the  San  Jacinto^  and  the  putting  her  in  the  hands 
•of  Mr.  Haswell  with  her  machinery  in  complete  order. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  very  respectfully  your  obedient 
servant, 

Chas.  B.  Stuabt, 

Engineer-in-Chief. 
Per  B.  F.  Ishbbwood, 
Chief  Engineer* 

Com.  Chas.  Wm.  Skinneb, 

Chief  of  Bureau  of  Construction,  &c. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Haswell  was  a  confirmed  invalid  from  a 
torpid  liver  and  chronic  dyspepsia,  which  caused  his  subjection  to 
a  medical  survey,  two  of  the  three  members  of  the  medical  board 
reporting  him  unfit  for  sea  service.  When  this  report  reached  the 
Department  the  Secretary  was  absent  and  the  Secretary  of  War  was 
acting  in  bis  stead;  that  official,  although  he  had  said  in  private 
oonvenaiion  that  Mr.  Haswell  was  unfit  for  service,  iniMlvertantly 
signed  a  dissent  from  the  decision  of  the  medical  board,  which  the 
chief  clerk,  had  laid  before  him  with  all  the  letters  of  the  day.  As 
iooii  'as  Uie  San  Jacinto  was  pat  in  commission,  the  surgeon  reported 


ri2  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UKITED  STATED 

Hr.  Haswell  as  being  nnfit  for  sea  dntj,  and  not  long^  afterward  the 
surgeon  and  his  assistant  joined  in  a  report  to  the  same  effect  Ko 
notice  of  these  reports  being  taken,  Mr.  Haswell  wrote  to  Commo- 
dore Morris,  with  whom  he  had  been  associated  for  several  years, 
saying  that  he  woald  be  forced  to  resign  on  accoant  of  his  health, 
bnt  he  was  dissuaded  from  that  by  the  commodore  obtaining  from 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  a  promise  that  in  case  the  chief  engineer's 
health  did  not  improve  by  the  time  the  vessel  arrived  at  Gibraltar 
he  wonld  be  invalided  home,  upon  which  assurance  Mr.  Haswell 
agreed  to  remain  in  the  ship. 

When  the  ship  was  about  to  sail,  the  surgeon  and  commanding 
ofBcer  both  reported  that  Mr.  Haswell  was  unable  to  proceed, 
and  he,  fearing  that  his  friend.  Commodore  Morris,  would  think 
he  had  been  instrumental  in  obtaining  these  reports,  and  thus 
had  broken  faith  both  with  him  and  the  agreement  with  the  Secre- 
tary as  to  his  remaining  in  the  ship,  telegraphed  to  Commodore 
Morris  that  the  reports  were  not  made  at  his  instance.  The  com- 
modore went  to  tibe  Secretary,  who  was  in  the  act  of  signing  the 
order  relieving  Haswell  from  duty,  and  by  exhibiting  the  tele- 
gram convinced  him  that  the  detachment  was  unnecessary.  In  this 
manner  it  happened  that  from  an  over  sensitiveness  regarding  the 
estimate  of  his  integrity  he  remained  in  the  ship,  and  the  misunder- 
standing of  the  telegram  lost  him  his  detachment,  and  in  the  end 
his  commission  as  well.  Three  days  after  the  vessel  sailed  he  was 
put  on  the  sick  list  and  relieved  from  duty.  Upon  the  arrival  of 
the  vessel  at  Cadiz  he  proceeded  to  Gibraltar  to  get  the  necessary 
orders  for  detachment  from  the  conmiander-in-chief  of  the  station, 
in  accordance  with  the  promise  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  but 
that  o£Scer  declined  to  take  any  action  in  the  matter. 

Sick,  relieved  from  duty,  denied  the  immunity  of  four  reports 
of  surgeons  as  to  his  physicd  unfitness,  the  promise  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  ignored,  disgusted  with  his  treatment,  and  mentally 
depressed.  Chief  Engineer  Haswell  left  his  ship  on  his  own  respons* 
ibility  and  returned  to  his  own  country,  for  which  act,  regardless 
of  his  past  invaluable  services  for  the  steam  navy,  he  was  drop- 
ped from  the  rolls  of  the  navy,  the  date  of  this  action  of  the 
Department  being  May  14,  1852.  Some  years  later  (in  1859)  the 
President  at  the  close  of  a  session  of  Congress  sent  his  name  to  the 


THK  ^TK-VM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITKD  RTATKS.  123 


Senate  for  oonfirmation  ae  a  chief  engineer  in  his  former  poiiitioB, 
but  CoDgresB  adjourned  before  the  nomination  was  reached,  and  Mr. 
Haswell  made  no  effort  to  have  the  matter  revived,  as  he  was  verj 
profitably  employed  at  the  time. 

The  engineer  corps  owe&  much  to  Mr.  Harwell  as  its  organiier 
md  steady  champion,  and  we  of  this  day  cannot  bnt  wonder  at  the 
great  progress  he  made  considering  his  limited  official  power  and 
die  intense  prejudice  he  had  to  straggle  against.  Not  only  wero 
msDy  of  the  most  influential  of  the  old  naval  officers  bitterly 
opposed  to  the  invasion  of  steam  into  the  domain  they  regarded  as 
their  own,  but  at  least  one  Secretary  of  the  Navy  shared  the  same 
eouBorvative  sentiment.  Mr.  Secretary  Paulding,  who  ruled  the 
Navy  Department  when  the  steam  navy  was  very  young,  set  naval 
progress  back  a  number  of  years  by  blocking  the  attempts  to  intro- 
duce the  new  power.  '  In  his  diary  he  complained  of  being  steamed 
to  death,  and  wrote  that  he  ^^  never  would  consent  to  see  our  grand 
old  ships  supplanted  by  these  new  and  ugly  sea-monsters,"  tho 
sea-monsters  referred  to  especially  being  the  beautiful  steamers 
Mississippi  taid  JGseauru 

Mr.  Haswell  was  master  of  the  engineering  science  of  his  time 
and  fully  appreciated  the  magnitude  of  the  change  in  naval  methods 
meant  by  the  introduction  of  steam,  never  missing  an  opportunity 
to  teach  and  preach  his  belief.  Without  having  any  faith  in  Lieu- 
tenant Hunter's  scheme  of  submerged  propulsion,  he  nevertheless 
gave  that  officer  much  aid  in  his  projects  and  furnished  him  with 
designs  for  machinery  simply  because  llunter  needed  steam,  and 
liis  vessels,  although  fore-doomed  to  failure,  were  still  additions  to 
the  steam  navy.  Oaptain  Stockton,  also,  found  in  him  a  staunch 
supporter,  always  ready  to  supply  professional  facts  and  arguments 
in  refutation  of  the  many  objections  raised  by  the  old  conservatives 
against  Stockton's  scheme  for  a  war-steamer. 

Especially  fortunate  was  Mr,  Haswell  in  being  associated  with 
Captain  M.  0.  Perry  at  the  beginning  of  his  naval  career,  for  in 
him  he  found  a  friend  of  his  profession  and  a  supporter  broad- 
minded  enough  to  realize  that  a  new  era  in  naval  construction  had 
dawned,  and  that  the  interests  of  the  naval  service  demanded  its 
recognition  to  the  subordination  of  all  the  prejudices  of  the  past. 
To  quote  from  Captain  Perry's  biographer,  he,  ^^  first,  last,  and 


iJA  THE  bTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UIOTED  STTATES 

alwajB  honored  the  engineer  and  belioTed  in  his  eqnal  poflsession, 
with  the  line  officers,  of  all  the  soldierly  virtues,  notwithstanding 
that  the  man  at  the  lever,  ont  of  sight  of  the  enemy,  must  needs 
lack  the  thrilling  excitement  of  the  officers  on  deck.  He  felt  that 
conrage  in  the  engine-room  had  even  a  finer  moral  strain  than  the 
more  physically  exciting  passions  of  the  deck." 

As  this  is  probably  the  last  appearance  in  this  history  of  the 
eminent  engineer  who  was  the  first  leader  and  pioneer  of  the  naval 
engineer  corps,  except  by  occasional  reference  to  his  works,  it  iei 
fitting  that  this  chapter  should  close  with  a  brief  review  of  his 
career  and  achievements* 

Charles  H.  Haswell  was  bom  in  the  city  of  New  York  in  the 
year  1809,  and  from  earliest  youth  exhibited  a  decided  talent  for 
mechanical  investigations  and  pursuits,  having  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
constructed  a  small  fire-engine  and  later  a  steam  engine  of  such 
excellence  that  both  were  readily  disposed  of  to  pecuniary  advan- 
tage. After  receiving  a  classical  education,  he  entered  upon  the 
calling  to  which  his  natural  bent  directed  by  entering  the  employ  of 
the  engineering  establishment  of  James  P.  Allaire  of  New  York, 
where  he  developed  into  a  thorough  competent  theoretical  and 
practical  mechanical  engineer.  In  1836,  when  twenty-seven  years 
of  age,  and  with  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  best  scientific 
engineers  in  New  York,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment as  superintending  engineer  and  later  chief  engineer  of  the 
steamer  Fvlton^  his  naval  career  in  connection  with  that  vessel  and 
others  having  already  been  told.  While  connected  with  the  Fulton 
at  the  New  York  navy  yard  Mr.  Haswell  (in  1837)  lengthened  the 
gig  of  the  sloop-of-war  Ontario  and  fitted  in  it  a  small  engine  and 
boiler  with  which  the  boat  was  run  about  the  harbor;  this  was 
undoubtedly  the  first  successful  essay  of  a  steam  launch,  notwith- 
standing the  many  claims  that  have  been  put  forth  regarding  the 
origin  of  that  useful  application  of  steam. 

In  1846,  while  engineer-in-chief  of  the  navy,  Mr.  Haswell  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  placing  zinc  slabs  in  marine  boilers  to  divert 
oxidation  from  their  plates  and  had  zinc  placed  in  the  boilers  of  the 
Princeton  that  year  for  the  same  purpose.  He  also  had  zinc  placed 
in  the  hold  of  an  iron  steamer,  the  Legate  of  the  Revenue  Marine 
fieet,  with  the  same  object  in  view.  This  use  of  zinc  was  nearly 
thirty  years  before  it  was  tried  in  England  as  a  new  invention. 


THE  GfTEAM  NAYT  OF  THB  UNITED  STATES.  126 

Since  learing  the  naval  service  in  1852,  Mr.  Haswell  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  the  professions  of  civil  and  mechanical  engine- 
';  ering  in  his  native  city.  He  has  been  a  Member  and  President  of 
I  the  Common  Council  of  the  city  of  New  York;  a  trastee  of  the  New 
York  and  Brooklyn  bridge;  Surveyor  of  steamers  for  Lloyd's  and 
the  Underwriters  of  New  York,  Boston  and  Philadelphia;  Consult- 
ing Engineer  for  the  Health  Department,  Quarantine  Commission, 
and  Department  of  Public  Charities  and  Correction  of  New  York; 
etc.,  etc.  He  designed  and  superintended  the  construction  of  the 
long  crib  at  Hart's  Island,  and  the  filling  in  of  Hoffman's  Island 
and  the  erection  of  buildings  on  same;  designed  and  superintended 
many  commercial  steamers,  foundations  for  some  of  the  heaviest 
buildings  in  New  York,  tests  of  water  works  plants,  etc.  One  of  his 
greatest  works  is  the  volume  of  rules  and  formula  pertaining  to 
mathematics,  mechanics  and  physics,  compiled  in  the  engineer's 
handbook  that  bears  his  name,  a  book  so  invaluable  that  it  has 
reached  its  fifty-ninth  edition  and  has  won  the  name  of  the 
"Engineer's  Bible. "  Mr.  Haswell  is  an  honorary  life  member  of 
the  American  Society  of  Naval  Engineers  ;  a  member  of  the 
American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers;  the  Institution  of  Civil 
Engineers,  and  the  Institution  of  Naval  Architects  of  England;  the 
Engineer's  Club  of  Philadelphia,  the  New  York  Academy  of 
Sciences,  the  American  Institute  of  Architects,  the  New  York 
Microscopical  Society^    etc.,  etc. 


CHAPTER  IX 

»  •'Into  the  dty  of  Eunbalo,  '- 

By  the  road  that  leadeth  to  Ispahan 
At  the  head  of  his  dusty  carai^an, 
Laden  with  treasures  from  reabns  af&i. 
Baldaoca  and  Kelat  and  Kandahar, 
Bode  the  great  captain  Alau.'' 

— ^Longfellow. 

The  Expedition  to  Japan  and  Treaty  with  That  Country— Services  of  Engi- 
neers in  the  Expedition— Value  of  Steamers  in  Impressing  the  Japanese— -Othor 
Naval  Affairs  in  the  Far  East. 

THE  opening  of  the  ports  of  Japan  to  the  world's  commerce  was 
one  of  the  direct  sequences  of  the  settlement  of  Oalifornia  by 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  for  the  latter  event  v^as  accompanied 
with  an  immediate  marine  traffic  in  the  Pacific  and  this  in  tnrn 
demanded  the  establishment  of  coaling  ports,  harbors  of  refuge,  and 
other  necessities  to  navigation  on  all  the  shores  of  that  ocean.  An 
extensive  trade  with  China  already  existed,  and  the  American  whale 
fisheries  in  Asiatic  waters  gave  employment  to  ten  thousand  men 
and  represented  an  investment  of  seventeen  million  dollars.  The 
march  of  commercial  progress  demanded  that  the  veil  of  mystery 
and  exclusiyenesB  so  long  drawn  over  the  Japanese  islands  be  re- 
moved and  the  coasts  of  that  country  be  opened  and  free  to  the 
world's  shipping.  The  only  port  in  Japan  where  foreigners  were 
allowed  to  touch  was  Nagasaki  in  the  southern  part  of  the  empire, 
where  a  Dutch  trading  station  was  permitted  to  exist  under  almost 
penal  conditions,  allowing  annual  visits  from  a  single  ship,  bringing 
goods  for  exchange.  To  this  place,  any  sailors  who  might  be  ship- 
wrecked on  the  Japanese  coast,  and  they  were  numerous,  were 
conveyed  and  kept  in  close  confinement  until  the  time  arrived  for 
sending  them  out  of  the  country  by  the  Dutch  merchantman. 

In  1849,  Commander  James  Glynn,  U.  8.  Navy,  in  the  hrig 
Preble  visited  Nagasaki  to  demand  the  release  of  some  American 
sailors  known  to  be  imprisoned  there,  and  succeeded  in  his  mission 
although  not  without  much  difficulty,  as  the  authorities  were  very 


THE  KTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UOTTED  STATES.  127 

loth  to  have  anythiDg  to  do  with  a  foreigner,  other  than  the  lonely 
dutch  trader.  While  there,  Glynn  made  a  careful  stndy  of  Japanese 
affairs  and  when  he  retomed  to  the  United  States  early  in  1851  he 
represented  to  the  Navy  Department  that  the  time  was  ripe  for 
either  forcing  or  flattering  Japan  into  the  brotherhood  of  nations, 
urging  fnrthermore  that  he  be  sent  on  a  diplomatic  mission  with 
that  object  in  view.  The  idea  was  well  received,  bat  when  steps 
were  taken  to  organize  a  squadron  sufficiently  large  to  lend  force 
and  dignity  to  the  expedition,  Glynn  found  himself  speedily  out- 
ranked, and  had  to  step  aside  for  his  seniors  who  commanded  larger 
ships;  to  him,  however,  belongs  the  credit  for  beginning  the  move- 
ment which  ended  in  the  great  triumph  of  Matthew  G.  Perry.  In 
June,  1851,  Commodore  Aulick,  commissioned  by  Secretary  of 
State,  Daniel  Webster  to  negotiate  a  treaty  with  Japan,  sailed  for 
the  East  India  station  in  the  new  side- wheel  steamer  Snsgruehannaj 
some  of  the  details  of  this  first  vojskge  having  been  related  in  a  former 
chapter. 

Soon  after  arriving  on  the  station;  late  in  the  year,  Gommodore 
Aulick  was  abruptly  recalled,  being  temporarily  relieved  by  Gom- 
mander  Franklin  Buchanan  of  the  flagship  and  later  by  Commodore 
M.  O.  Ferry.  The  direct  cause  for  Aulick's  detachment  was 
alleged  violation  of  naval  orders  in  having  taken  his  son  to  sea  with 
him  as  a  passenger,  and  for  having  stated  that  he  had  been  obliged 
to  defray  the  expense  of  carrying  the  Brazilian  minister,  Macedo, 
from  the  United  States  to  his  own  country.  Gommodore  Aulick's 
friends  asserted  that  Ferry  had  deliberately  undermined  him,  and 
the  subject  became  one  of  those  factional  controversies  which  have 
from  time  to  time  become  notorious  in  our  naval  annals.  The  fact 
that  Ferry  had  for  some  time  been  making  a  study  of  matters  relat- 
ing to  Japan  and  its  people,  gave  strength  to  the  charge  that  he  had 
sacrificed  a  brother  captain  to  his  own  ambition,  but  it  is  also  a 
matter  of  official  record  that  he  was  at  the  same  time  an  applicant 
for  the  command  of  the  Mediterranean  squadron  and  felt  himself 
aggrieved  when  ordered  to  the  Far  East  His  biographer  publishes 
a  long  letter  addressed  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  dated  Decem- 
ber S,  1861,  in  which  Perry  speaks  of  the  command  of  the  Medit- 
erranean squadron  as  his  fondest  ambition,  and  objects  to  the  pro- 
posed detail  to  Japan  on  the  ground  that  it  would  be  a  degradation 


128  THE  8TSA1I  NATY  OF  THB  UNITBD  STATia. 


in  rank  for  bim  to  relieve  Aulick  who  had  served  under  him  in  a 
squadron  some  years  before.  This  seems  to  clear  Commodore 
Ferry  of  any  charge  of  donble-dealing  in  the  matter;  at  any  rate  the 
qnarrel  has  no  place  in  this  book,  and  would  not  be  referred  to 
were  it  not  necessary  for  the  sake  of  thoroughness,  to  outline  the 
steps  leading  up  to,  what  may  be  fairly  considered,  the  proudest 
achievement  of  die  American  navy. 

On  the  24th  of  January,  1862,  Perry  received  orders  to  assume 
command  of  the  East  India  squadron,  and  he  at  once  began  vigor- 
ously to  make  all  necessary  preparations  for  impressing  the  Japan- 
ese with  the  power  and  resources  of  the  nation  whose  friendship  they 
were  asked  to  accept.  His  steam  favorite  the  MUstwigpi  mm 
given  for  his  flagship,  and  in  compliance  with  his  urgent  request 
that  he  have  more  steamers,  the  IMncetan  and  AU&ffhany^  both 
then  under  extensive  repairs,  were  promised.  The  mishaps  to  these 
vessels  and  their  eventual  failure  to  become  part  of  the  expedition 
are  matters  that  have  already  been  told«  Perry  had  coal  and  ships' 
stores  sent  out  in  sailing  vessels  and  by  appealing  to  the  mechanical 
industries  of  the  country  he  made  a  vast  collection  of  the  imple- 
ments of  civilization  with  which  to  demonstrate  to  the  Japanese 
the  benefits  they  would  derive  from  intercourse  with  foreign  nations. 
Among  other  things  he  had  a  small  locomotive  and  car,  with  rails 
to  lay  a  circular  track  upon  which  to  operate;  agricultural  machin- 
ery, telegraphic  instruments,  arms,  sewing  machines,  printing 
presses,  metal- working  machinery,  tools  of  various  kinds,  and  all 
sorts  of  labor  saving  appliances.  In  a  word.  Perry  drew  upon  the 
field  of  the  engineer  for  his  most  potent  arguments,  and  by  that 
sign  he  conquered  a  peace  that  never  could  have  been  achieved  by 
mere  show  of  force  or  use  of  arms. 

Wearied  of  delays,  Perry  finally  sailed  from  Norfolk  with  only 
the  Miisissippi  on  the  24th  of  November,  1862,  and  proceeded  to 
his  station  by  way  of  Madeira  and  the  Gape  of  Good  Hope,  arriving 
At  Hong  Eong  on  the  6th  of  April,  1863,  and  at  Shanghai  on  May 
4th,  His  flag  was  transferred  to  the  Susquehanna  on  May  17,  that 
vessel  being  the  designated  flagship  of  the  squadron.  Before  going 
to  the  principal  Japanese  islands  a  visit  was  made  to  the  Bin  Eia 
<(also  spelled  Lew  Chew  and  Loo  Ghoo)  and  the  Bonin  islands.  At 
.Napa  in  Biu  Kiu  the  telegraphic,  photographic,  and  other  appliances 


THB  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  120 

were  tested  to  make  snre  that  no  failnreB  would  occur  later.  The 
artist,  Mr.  Brown,  who  had  charge  of  the  dagnerrotype  outfit,  not 
bemg  a  specialist  in  that  particnlar  art,  had  some  trouble  in  his  pre- 
liminarj  work  and  called  to  his  aid  Third  Assistant  Engineer 
£dward  D.  Bobie  of  the  JHhsisrippi^  who  from  a  love  for  scientific 
matters  had  made  himself  an  expert  in  this  art  He  succeeded  at 
hia  first  attempt  with  the  apparatus,  and  took  what  is  supposed  to 
be  the  first  dagnerrotjpe  eyer  made  in  the  far  east ;  it  being  a 
picture  of  Commodore  Ferry  standing  at  the  gateway  of  a  native 
temple.  Ferry  was  delighted  with  Bobie's  work  and  remarked  to 
liim,  <<I  believe  that  you  engineers  can  do  anything.  *' 

Finally  the  squadron,  then  consisting  of  the  steamers  JKiam* 
tippi  and  Susquehanna  and  the  sailing  sloops  of  war  SartUaga  and 
Bynunahj  proceeded  northward  and  on  the  7th  of  July  entered 
Teddo  Baj  and  came  to  anchor  off  the  village  of  ITraga.  Foreign 
ahips  were  no  curiosity  in  those  waters  even  then.  Seven  years 
before,  Commodore  Biddle  with  the  ship-of-the-line  OoJ/umbuB  and 
aloop-of-war  Vincennea  had  visited  the  same  spot,  in  the  hope  of 
aeenring  permission  for  his  countrymen  to  trade,  but  was  turned 
away  with  a  positive  refusal.  Many  whalers  and  merchant  vessels 
bad  beon  there,  sometimes  seeking  in  vain  for  commercial  inter- 
ooorse  with  the  people;  sometimes  driven  in  by  stress  of  weather  to 
be  refused  a  harbor  of  refuge,  and  sometimes  on  errands  of  mercy 
bringing  home  Japanese  wuf s  picked  up  adrift  at  sea  in  their  junks. 
In  1848  foreign  shipping  in  the  seas  about  Japan  had  so  increased 
tbat  the  fact  was  noted  as  a  remarkable  phenomenon  by  the  native 
dironiclers,  and  in  1860  it  had  been  made  a  matter  of  grave  report 
to  the  great  officials  of  the  empire  that  no  less  than  eighty-six  of  the 
"black  ships  of  the  irjm^^  had  been  counted  passing  Matsuma6 
within  the  space  of  a  single  year. 

If  foreign  ships  were  familiar  objects,  steamers  were  not, 
for  Perry's  two  steam  frigates  were  the  first  craft  of  the  kind  to  be 
seen  in  Japanese  waters  and  their  appearance  excited  the  utmost 
consternation  among  the  intelligent;  for  the  Japanese  are  of  an 
investigating  and  mechanical  turn  of  mind,  and  all  who  were  above 
ascribing  the  movements  of  the  mysterious  ships  without  sails  to  the 
spirits  of  evil,,  inmiediately  reasoned  that  they  must  have  some 
motivt  power,  to  themselves  unknown,  but  about  which,  it  would 


130  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

be  good  to  learn.  The  ignorant  peasants  supposed  that  the  foreign 
barbarians  had  succeeded  in  imprisoning  volcanoes  in  their  ships, 
or,  refusing  to  believe  the  evidence  of  their  own  eyes,  comforted 
each  other  with  the  assurance  that  the  uncannj  spectacle  was  simplj 
a  mirage  created  by  the  breath  of  clams  and  would  soon  pass  away. 

Gommodore  Ferry  had  thoroughly  informed  himself  of  the 
ceremonial  customs  of  Japan,  and  used  his  knowledge  of  the  extrav- 
agant etiquette  observed  by  the  people  of  that  country  to  good  and 
successful  purpose.  He  secluded  himself  in  his  cabin  and  played 
Mikado  and  Sho-gun  to  perfection,  first  to  the  provocation,  and 
finally  to  the  amazement  and  awe,  of  the  local  officials  of  constantly 
increasing  rank  who  visited  the  flagship,  only  to  be  snubbed  by 
refusals  to  see  the  chief  barbarian.  Even  the  governor  of  the  dis- 
trict learned  to  his  mortification  and  dismay  that  he  was  not  a  per- 
sonage important  enough  to  be  allowed  to  meet  the  mysterious 
power  hidden  behind  the  cabin  doors.  Orders  to  depart  were  met 
only  by  a  movement  of  the  ships  further  up  the  bay  towards  Yedo; 
offers  to  supply  food  and  water  in  the  hope  that  the  unwelcome  vis- 
itors would  then  leave  were  politely  declined,  and  the  natives  were 
forced  into  accepting  the  proposal  offered;  namely,  of  designating 
an  official  of  proper  rank  to  meet  the  barbarian  and  listen  to  what 
he  had  to  say.  On  the  14th  of  July,  all  arrangements  having  Been 
completed,  Ferry  first  showed  himself  and  went  on  shore  with  a 
large  suite  of  officers  and  foxu-  hundred  marines  and  sailors  to  meet 
the  two  commissioners  appointed  to  deal  with  him.  The  whole 
affair  was  conducted  studiously  for  theatrical  effect  to  impress  the 
natives  with  the  grandexu-  and  importance  of  the  event,  no  detail  of 
dress  or  ceremony  likely  to  appeal  to  the  sensibilities  of  the  Japan- 
ese being  omitted.  A  letter  from  the  President  of  the  United 
States  to  the  «' Emperor  of  Japan*'  asking  that  friendly  rela- 
tions between  the  two  nations  be  established  was  delivered  to  the 
comdiissioners  with  all  pomp  and  solemnity,  but  with  few  words, 
and  the  visitors  withdrew,  Ferry  saying  that  he  would  allow  ample 
time  for  consideration  and  would  return  the  following  spring  for  an 
answer. 

The  vessels  proceeded  southward  to  Hong  Eong,  where  the 
Powhatan^  which  had  left  the  United  States  in  Mareh  to  join  the 
squadron  in  place  of  the  discarded  IHneeton^  and  some  of  the  sail- 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  131 

ing  vessels  belonging  to  the  station  were  met  Headquarters  for 
the  Japanese  expedition  were  established  at  Macao,  where  a  honse 
was  rented  and  facilities  fnmished  the  members  of  the  expedition 
for  developing  their  sketches  and  writing  reports  of  their  observa- 
tions. A  number  of  specialists  were  attached  to  the  different  ships 
with  appointments  as  master's  mates  in  order  that  they  would  be 
snbject  to  naval  discipline,  thereby  avoiding  the  friction  always 
resulting  from  joint  naval  and  civil  enterprises  afloat.  Principal 
among  these  were  Messrs.  Heine  and  Brown,  the  water-color  artists 
whose  beautiful  pictures  so  embellish  Commodore  Perry's  report, 
and  Mr.  Bayard  Taylor,  the  *' landscape  painter  in  words."  Be- 
sides the  specialists  a  number  of  officers  belonging  regularly  to  the 
navy  contributed  much  valuable  material  for  the  report  of  the  exped- 
ition, notable  among  these  being  Surgeon  Daniel  S.  Green  and 
Chaplain  George  Jones.  A  number  of  the  most  accurate  drawings 
relating  to  Japanese  boat  building  and  marine  affairs  published  in 
the  report,  were  made  by  Third  Assistant  Engineer  Mortimer  Kel- 
logg of  the  PowhcUa^. 

In  January  1854  the  squadron  again  moved  northward,  con- 
sisting of  the  steamers  Powhatan^  Susqueha/nna  and  Missimppi^  and 
Ae  sloops-of-war  M<uied<mian^  Vcmdalia^  Plymouth  and  Swatoga; 
the  store-ships  Sv^Vy^  Leasington,  and  Southampton^  with  coal  and 
provisions  for  the  ships,  and  presents  for  the  Japanese  government, 
were  also  in  company.  On  the  11th  of  February  the  greater  part  of 
this  force  had  assembled  off  Yedo  Bay,  anchoring  on  the  13th  off 
Tokosuke,  where  the  great  navy  yard  of  New  Japan  is  now  located. 
The  mystery  play  began  again  by  Perry  retiring  from  public  view 
and  holding  t^e  visiting  officials  at  a  respectful  and  chilly  distance. 
While  the  Japanese  were  exhausting  their  efforts  to  induce  the  for* 
signers  to  go  away  and  leave  them  in  peace,  boats  were  kept  busy 
sounding  and  surveying  the  adjacent  waters  and  giving  intelligible 
names  to  the  prominent  features  of  the  region;  one  name  thus  be- 
stowed, Mississippi  Bay,  so  well  known  to  all  visitors  to  Japan,  will 
serve  for  all  time  to  perpetuate  in  a  far  country  the  name  of  the 
historical  old  steamer  whose  keel  was  the  first  of  foreign  build  to 
disturb  its  waters. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  of  the  engineer  corps 
serving  in  this  squadron  on  the  expedition  which  is  the  principal 
subject  of  this  chapter: 


182 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


OFFICE. 


XTAMB. 


SHIP. 


Chief  Engineer 

«»        •(         ..,!..! 

Fink  Assistant  Engineer... 
«         «•  •« 

i<         «  « 

I.        ((  << 

c«  «<  « 

Seeond  Assistant  Engineer 
•I         <i  (• 

it        tt  •< 

**         *•  ** 

«         •<  *<        *[^ 

•(         •«  («       "*" 

c«  <«  •« 

**  *•  '* 

Third  Assistant  Engineer.. 
•'         *•  *• 

<C  C4  <• 

Ct  »<  »« 

l<  <4  it 

•t  <«  (< 

4<  U  «< 


Jesse  Gay 

Samnel  Arehbold... 

George  SowelL 

John  P.  Whipple... 

Bobert  Bsnby 

WlUiam  Holland.. .. 
George  P.  Hebard... 
Henry  H.  Stewarts. «.. 

John  Faron 

George  T.  W.  Logan., 
George  Gideon,  Jr...... 

Edward  Fithian 

Eli  Crosby 

WilUam  Henry  King.. 
J.  G.  B.  Lawrence..... 
Wm.  H.  Rutherford.., 
George  W.  Alexander 

Thomas  A  Shock 

Williams.  Stamra..... 
Stephen  D.  Hibbert.... 
Mortimer  Kellogg... 

Henry  Fauth 

Edward  D.  Bobie... 

LeRoy  Arnold 

John  D.  Mercer. 


Mississippi. 

Susquehanna. 

Powhatan. 

Powhatan. 

Mississippi. 

Mississippi 

Susquehanna. 

Susquehanna. 

Powhatan. 

MiisissippL 

Powhatan. 

Susquelianna. 

Susquehanna. 

Powhatan. 

Susquehanna. 

Mississippi. 

Mississippi. 

Susquehanna. 

Powliatan. 

Susquehanna. 

Powhatan. 

Powhatan. 

Mississippi. 

Powhatan. 

Mississippi. 


On  the  24th  of  Febrnarj,  Perry,  to  conyiDce  the  Japanese  that 
he  was  in  earnest  and  would  not  be  put  off,  moved  six  of  the 
ships  up  the  Baj  to  within  hearing  of  the  temple  bells  of  Teddo  and 
anchored  not  far  above  Eanagawa.  This  move  had  the  desired  ef- 
fect, for  the  Sho-gnn's  government  sent  word  in  post  haste,  ^^  If 
the  American  ships  come  to  Yeddo  it  will  be  a  national  disgrace. 
Stop  them,  and  make  the  treaty  at  Eanagawa. ' '     Yokohama,  a  small 

fishing  village  across  an  arm  of  the  bay  from  Eanagawa,  was  finally 
fixed  upon  as  the  place  for  the  negotiations  and  there  the  Japanese 
erected  the  necessary  buildings  for  the  ceremony, the  enclosure  about 
them  embracing  the  present  location  of  the  Custom  House  and 
British  Consulate  in  the  cosmopolitan  city  that  Yokohama  has  now 
become. 

On  the  8th  of  March  Perry  landed  with  five  hundred  armed 
men,  and  a  glittering  staff  of  officers  in  full  uniform,  the  same  cer- 
monial  display  and  scrupulous  etiquette  being  observed  which  had 
io  impressed  the  natives  on  the  occasion  of  his  former  visit.  The 
first  formalities  having  been  performed  with  becoming  splendor  and, 


THE  STEAM  XAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  13S 

dignity,  the  discoBBion  of  what  was  wanted  was  oondncted  more  at 
leisore,  the  remainder  of  that  month  being  thna  consumed  before  a 
treaty  was  finally  agreed  to  and  signed.  This  treaty,  which  was 
signed  on  March  81st,  conceded  little  to  the  Americans,  but  served 
as  the  thin  end  of  the  wedge  for  great  possibilities  thereafter.  By 
its  terms  the  Japanese  agreed  to  treat  kindly  shipwrecked  mariners; 
gaye  permission  for  ships  to  buy  f  nel,  water,  proyisions,  and  other 
needed  stores,  and  specified  the  ports  of  Simoda  and  Hakodate  as 
places  where  foreign  ships  might  anchor  for  repairs  or  to  find  ref- 
vge  from  storms.  Trade  in  other  than  necessary  ship  supplies  and 
permission  to  reside  in  the  country  were  refused.  These  priyileges, 
together  with  many  others,  and  Uie  opening  of  seyeral  treaty  ports, 
followed  in  due  time  through  the  efforts  of  other  diplomats. 

While  negotiations  were  going  on  at  Yokohama  the  great  ooUec- 
tion  of  presents  brought  for  the  ^^  Emperor,"  but  by  error  giyen  to 
the  8ho-gun,  was  landed  and  displayed  to  the  officials  and  people. 
The  railway  track,  869  feet  in  circumference,  was  laid  by  Chief 
Engineer  Gay  of  the  JGsiisiippi  and  on  it  the  little  locomotiye  and 
ear  were  daily  operated,  under  the  superintendence  of  Engineer 
Bobert  Danby  of  the  same  steamer,  to  the  great  interest  and  de- 
light of  the  people.  The  telegraph  line,  a  mile  long,  was  another 
source  of  wonder  and  shrewd  inyestigation  on  the  part  of  the  inquis- 
itiye  and  intelligent  Japanese.  This '  was  in  charge  of  two  telegra- 
phers named  Draper  and  Williams,  rated  as  master's  mates,  but 
was  operated  part  of  the  time  by  engineers  Alexander  and  Bobie, 
whom  Commodore  Perry  had  sent  ashore  in  New  York  in  1852  for 
a  month,  for  the  express  purpose  of  learning  telegraphy.  A  wealth 
of  other  useful  articles — stoyes,  clocks,  maps,  books,  and  machinery 
of  all  kinds — ^were  displayed,  and  their  uses  explained,  this  exhibi- 
tion of  mechanical  appliances  did  more  to  win  the  people  oyer  to 
the  fact  that  it  would  be  beneficial  to  them  to  become  neighbourly 
with  other  nations  than  all  the  arguments  and  bluster  in  the  world. 
From  the  Japanese  accounts  of  this  most  important  eyent  in  their 
national  history,  it  appears  that  the  determining  factors  in  Perry's 
success  were  his  steamships  and  the  machinery  he  brought  with  him. 
With  a  decided  bent  for  the  mechanic  arts  themselyesjthe  Japanese 
were  quick  to  see  that  the  foreigners  were  far  ahead  of  them  in  that 
respect,  and  they  were  willing  to  lay  aside  their  ideas  of  exclusiye- 


184  THE  8T8AU  KAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

nesB  for  the  opportunity  of  learning  what  the  strangers  had  to  teach. 

The  world  at  lorpfe  knows  of  the  wonderful  results  which 
sprung  from  the  modest  beginning  above  outlined,  for  the  story  of 
Japan  is  the  most  marveloufi  in  all  the  histories  of  the  nations.  As 
Perry  saw  Japan,  the  people  of  that  country  were  engulfed  in  the 
darkness  and  ignorance  of  a  despotism  fixed  upon  them  by  an  un- 
changing and  pitiless  feudal  domination  of  twenty  centuries  duration, 
a  condition  beside  which  the  state  of  society  existing  along  the  banks 
of  the  Rhine  in  the  middle  of  the  Dark  Ages  would  appear  enlight- 
ened by  contrast.  From  such  a  forbidding  prospect  the  mind  ui 
dazed  as  it  turns  to  look  at  New  Japan  with  its  railways,  telegraph, 
post  offices,  factories,  school-houses,  and  church-steeples,  all  as  fa- 
miliar objects  to  the  people  as  they  are  to  the  dwellers  in  either 
Old  or  New  England.  The  feudal  system  abolished;  a  parliamen- 
tary form  of  government  established;  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
idle  and  predatory  knights  deprived  of  their  tyrannical  prerogatives 
and  transformed  into  industrious  men,  and  the  yoke  of  serfdom  re* 
moved  from  the  necks  of  four-fifths  of  the  population  of  the  empire 
are  examples  of  the  miracles  that  have  been  wrought  in  that  wonder- 
ful land  within  the  memory  of  men  but  little  past  middle  age. 

Having  placed  herself  iu  the  foremost  rank  of  the  civilized  na- 
tions by  making  full  use  of  the  heritage  of  the  ages  conferred  upon 
her,  Japan  has  made  herself  the  champion  of  modern  enlightenment 
and  assumed  the  task  of  breaking  down  Chinese  conservatism  and 
of  introducing  the  methods  of  Western  civilization  by  force  into  tha 
greatest  and  most  obstinate  country  that  has  ever  been  a  barrier  to 
the  world's  progress.  By  availing  themselves  of  Western  discip- 
line, tactics  and  humane  methods  of  warfare  the  brave  little  Japa- 
nese have  been  able  to  prevail  against  great  numerical  odds  and  by 
a  series  of  victories,  each  more  brilliant  than  its  predecessor,  have 
proceeded  uninterruptedly  on  their  mission  of  carrying  enlightment 
and  civilization  into  the  Dark  East.  Great  as  may  be  the  victory 
to  Japan  as  a  nation,  its  moral  and  far- reaching  effects  will  be  rnxm^ 
greater  for  the  well-being  of  the  world.  When  New  Japan  haa 
celebrated  her  victories  and  duly  honored  her  great  captains  who 
achieved  them,  she  cannot  pay  a  more  appropriate  tribute  to  the  first 
cause  that  made  her  modern  power  possible,  than  by  erecting  on  ihm 
strand  at  Yokohama  a  statue  of  Matthew  0.  Ferry,  looking  outward 
upon  the  water  over  which  his  steamers  brought  Western  methoda 


THS  STBAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITlfiD  STATO.  136 

islo  Japanese  history.  And  on  the  pedestal  of  that  statue  should  be 
ear?ed  an  image  of  a  steamship,  or  some  other  symbol  of  the  me- 
ehanic  arts,  as  the  true  sign  of  the  beginning  of  the  greatness  of 
New  Japan;  the  sign  by  which  she  was  conquered  and  by  which  she 
in  tiun  has  conquered. 

Following  the  completion  of  negotiations  in  Japan,  Ferry's 
•qnadron  began  to  disband,  the  Commodore  himself  proceeding  home 
\>j  way  of  Europe  in  a  Peninsular  and  Oriental  mail  steamer — ^the 
Sinduskkn.  The  MisMblppi  left  Hong  £ong  on  the  12th  of  Sep- 
tember and  alter  touching  at  Bimoda  in  Japan  began  the  long  voy- 
age homeward  by  way  of  Honolulu  and  Bio  de  Janeiro.  IShe  ar- 
ri?ed  at  New  York  the  23d  of  April,  1855,  having  circumnavigated 
the  globe  during  her  absence  and  placed  herself  on  record  as  the 
leeond  steam  vessel  of  the  United  States  navy  to  do  so.  The  Sua- 
fuihanna  also  returned  home  by  way  of  the  Pacific  and  South  Amer- 
ica, her  arrival  in  Philadelphia  on  the  10th  of  March  giving  her  the 
honor  of  being  the  first  American  naval  steamer  to  make  a  cruise 
arosnd  the  world. 

The  home-coming  ships  brought  with  them  many  presents,  now 
in  the  Smithsonian  Institution  at  Washington,  illustrative  of  the  skill 
of  artists  and  artisans  of  Japan,  consisting  of  bronze,  ivory,  porcelain, 
and  other  work.  More  appropriate  even  were  the  blocks  of  carved 
and  inscribed  stone  from  different  parts  of  Japan  given  for  the 
Washington  monument  aud  which  may  now  be  seen  in  the  walls  of 
that  structure.  From  Napa  in  Biu  Kiu  came  as  a  gift  the  large  bronze 
bell  which  for  so  many  years  has  hung  in  its  little  temple  in  the 
grounds  of  the  Naval  Academy.  The  date  of  founding  inscribed  on 
this  bell  corresponds  to  the  year  1156,  A.  D.,  and  part  of  the  in- 
•cription  on  it,  as  translated  by  Giro  Kuhitomo,  a  Japanese  student 
at  the  academy,  reads  as  follows: 

''This  beautiful  bell  has  been  founded,  and  hung  in  the  tower 
of  the  temple.  It  will  awaken  dreams  of  superstition.  If  one  will 
bear  in  mind  to  act  rightly  and  truly,  and  the  Lords  and  the  Minis- 
ten  will  do  justice  in  a  body,  the  barbarians  will  never  come  to  in- 
vade. The  sound  of  the  bell  will  convey  the  virtue  of  Fushi,  and 
will  echo  like  the  song  of  Tsuirai;  and  the  benevolence  of  the  Lords 
will  continue  forever  like  those  echoes." 

Begardless  of  the  prediction  thus  written  in  brass,  the  barbarians 
not  only  came  but  carried  the  bell  away  with  them. 


188  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 

heating  snrf ace.  The  alterations  in  machinery  were  made  by  Har- 
rison Loring,  Boston,  from  plans  s  applied  by  Chief  Engineer  D. 
B.  Martin,  IT.  S.  Navy.  When  completed,  the  new  steamer  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  was  employed  for  abont  three  years 
on  surveying  daty  in  the  North  Pacific,  Bering  and  China  seas, 
nnder  the  command  of  Lieutenant  John  Bodgers,  Messrs.  Elbridge 
Lawton  and  Darid  B.  Macomb  being  the  senior  engineers.  After 
making  a  surrey  of  Bering  Sea  the  John  Ha/acock  was  pat  out  of 
commission  at  San  Francisco  and  remained  there  as  a  receiving 
ship  or  in  ordinary  until  1865,  when  she  was  sold. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  fact  that  advocates 
of  steam  power  for  naval  purposes  were  compelled  to  face  a  most 
discouraging  argument  based  upon  the  unprotected  condition  of 
machinery  in  paddle-wheel  steamers.  Ericsson  had  proved  with 
the  Princeton  that  a  ship  could  be  driven  by  a  submerged  propel- 
ler, but  his  application  of  power  was  new,  at  least  to  the  navy,  and 
it  was  many  years  before  the  lesson  of  the  Princeton  was  accepted 
by  naval  officers  as  conclusive.  The  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Mr. 
Dobbin,  had  become  thoroughly  impressed  with  the  necessity  for 
building  up  a  steam  navy,  and  in  his  annual  report  for  1853  made 
an  urgent  appeal  to  Congress  for  authority  to  begin  the  immediate 
construction  of  six  ^^  first-class  steam  frigate  propellers,"  using  the 
following  argument  in  support  of  his  request : 

^' Steam  is  unquestionably  the  great  agent  to  be  used  on  the 
ocean,  as  well  for  purposes  of  war  as  of  commerce.  The  improved 
system  of  screw-propellers,  instead  of  side- wheels,  is  one  of  the 
grand  desiderata  to  render  the  use  of  steam  effective  in  naval  war- 
fare— the  one  being  exposed  to  the  shot  of  the  enemy,  the  otber 
submerged  and  comparatively  secure.  When  the  bayonet  was 
added  to  the  musket  the  invention  was  applauded,  for  placing  in 
the  hands  of  the  soldier,  at  one  time,  two  engines  of  destruction/ 
and  the  introduction  of  the  screw-propeller  has  been  similarly  appre- 
ciated, as  combining,  without  confusion,  two  elements  olprogrees — 
the  sail  and  the  steam-engine.  Side-wheel  steamers  are  much  im- 
paired in  their  capacity  for  sailing,  and  consume  too  much  coal  for 
distant  cruises.  Those  now  on  hand  can  be  made  to  answer  well 
for  short  cruises  and  for  despatch  vessels.  The  screw-propeller, 
being  upon  a  principle  not  so  much  interfering  with  th^  sailing 


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THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  141 

capacity,  inrith  the  improved  models  of  the  present  day,  can  be  so 
oonstmcted  as  to  sail  as  well  as  the  best  clipper  ships,  and  reserve 
the  use  of  steam  for  emergencies  when  the  greatest  speed  is  re- 
quired, or  when,  in  a  calm,  a  desirable  position  can  be  more 
promptly  and  sarely  taken.  The  great  necessary  expense  incident 
to  the  expedition  to  Japan  conld  have  been  materially,  indeed,  one- 
half  curtailed,  had  it  been  in  the  power  of  the  department  to  have 
supplied  the  squadron  with  screw-propellers  instead  of  the  side- 
wheel  steamers,  now  costing  so  much  from  the  consumption  of 
coal." 

In  the  same  year,  1853,  Mr.  Dobbin  had  already  begun  one 
screw  frigate  by  using  his  authority  to  repair  old  vessels,  the  one 
selected  being  the  old  ship-of-the-line  FranJdi/n^  Ijiz^g  ftt  the  Eit- 
tsry  Navy  Yard.  Orders  were  issued  to  repair  this  ship  and  make 
nieh  changes  in  her  model  as  would  fit  her  for  a  first-class  steam 
frigate.  The  old  ship  FrcmJclin  was  built  in  1815  at  Philadelphia, 
and  was  188  feet  long  and  50  feet  beam.  The  new  FrcmJdin^  as 
finished,  was  265  feet  long  on  the  load  water-line,  and  63  feet  8 
inches  beam,  dimensions  so  entirely  different  from  those  of  the 
<»iginal  ship  that  the  process  of  repairing  evidently  amounted  in 
reality  to  building  an  entirely  new  hull  out  of  the  old  material.  As 
the  amount  of  money  available  each  year  for  repairs  was  small, 
work  on  the  Franklin  progressed  slowly,  and  it  was  ten  years  be- 
fore the  condition  of  the  hull  warranted  a  contract  for  machinery, 
which  will  be  described  later  in  proper  chronological  order. 

The  recommendation  of  the  department  regarding  steam  frig- 
ates was  favorably  received  by  Congress,  and  a  few  months  later 
an  aet,  approved  April  6,  1854,  authorized  the  Secretary  of  the 
Haivy  to  have  constructed  <*  six  first-class  steam  frigates  to  be  pro- 
vided with  screw  propellers. "  These  ships  were  all  built  by  the 
Government  at  navy  yards  as  follows  :  The  Merrimac  at  Boston; 
the  Wabash  at  Philadelphia;  the  Minnesota  at  Washington;  the 
Raamoke  and  Colorado  at  Norfolk,  and  the  Niagara  at  New  York. 
The  three  first  named  were  launched  in  1855  and  the  three  others 
early  in  1856,  they  being,  when  completed,  the  superiors  of  any 
war  vessels  then  possessed  by  any  nation  in  the  world.  When  the 
first  of  them  went  abroad  they  became  objects  of  admiration  and 
envy  to  the  naval  architects  of  Europe,  and  their  type  was  quickly 


142  THE  8TBAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITED  STATES. 

copied  into  other  nayies,  notablj  that  of  England,  which  imitated 
their  construction  in  the  Orlamdo^  Mersey^  and  others  of  that  class. 

Jost  at  that  period  the  American  ship-building  industry  had 
reached  its  highest  deyelopment;  our  architects  had  attained  a  skill 
in  their  profession  which  made  their  work  famous  throughout  the 
world,  and  lent  to  the  word  American,  when  applied  to  ships,  a 
peculiar  significance,  always  an  accepted  guarantee  of  ezcellenoe. 
Some  of  the  most  eminent  of  the  American  ship-builders  were 
members  of  the  naval  construction  corps,  which  then  included  such 
men  as  Mr,  Lenthal,  the  chief  constructor  of  the  navy;  the  two 
Delaaos;  Messrs.  Pook  and  Hanscom,  and  several  others,  all 
famous  in  their  line.  To  these  gentlemen  the  navy  was  indebted 
for  the  designs  which  made  our  new  ships  the  admiration  of  the 
world,  and  so  elevated  the  standard  and  reputation  of  the  American 
navy  that  every  officer  and  man  felt  an  accession  of  pride  at  being 
part  of  such  an  organization. 

The  first  five  of  the  ships  named  were  frigate-built,  with  steam 
power  that  was  merely  auxiliary.  They  were  full  ship-rigged,  the 
area  of  the  ten  principal  sails  being  about  thirty-two  times  the  im- 
mersed midship  section,  which  ratio  is  only  slightly  less  than  that 
observed  in  the  practice  of  rigging  sailing  frigates.  They  were  built 
of  seasoned  live-oak  frames  in  stock  in  the  navy  yards  and  originally 
intended  for  use  in  old  style  sailing  ships,  an  adaptation  of  material 
that  exercised  a  controlling  influence  on  the  lines  of  the  new  shipa 
from  the  necessity  of  so  shaping  them  that  the  supply  of  frame  tim- 
bers could  be  worked  up  without  waste.  The  results,  however,  were 
entirely  satisfactory  as  the  ships  proved  to  be  fast  and  handy  under 
sail  alone,  and  their  steam  power  was  sufficient  for  the  purpose  in- 
tended— ^to  steam  in  and  out  of  port  or  across  calm  belts,  and  to  lend 
additional  manoeuvering  qualities  in  storms  and  battle.^ 

^Speaking  of  the  building  of  these  ships,  the  late  Rear  Admiral  Bdward  Simp- 
son, in  an  article  pubUshed  in  Harper's  Magazine,  Jane,  1886,  says:  '*  There  wsra 
those  at  that  time  who,  wise  beyond  thehr  generation,  reoognized  the  fall  mtmni^g  ^ 
the  adyent  of  steam,  and  saw  that  it  must  supplant  sails  altogether  as  a  motlTe 
power  for  ships.  These  advocated  tliat  new  oonstractions  should  be  provided  with 
fall  steam-power,  with  sails  as  an  auxiliary;  but  the  old  pride  in  the  sailing  ship, 
with  her  taut  and  graceful  spars,  oould  not  be  made  to  yield  at  once  to  the  Innovation; 
old  traditions  pointing  to  the  necessity  of  full  sail-power  could  not  be  dispeUed;  it  wis 
considered  a  sufficient  concession  to  admit  steam  on  any  terms,  and  thus  the  conser- 
vative  and  temporizing  course  was  adopted  of  xetaUiing^full  sail-power,  and  utUlziiig 
steam  as  an  auxiliary.'' 


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THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


146 


Of  these  Tessels  the  Mmrimad^  (or  M&rrirMio^  as  the  name  li 
nsnallj  spelled),  was  the  tjpe,  the  others  being  onlj  slight  modifi- 
cations of  the  original.  The  Waba%h  and  MiMietota  differed  onlj 
from  tiie  Marrimac  in  having  a  few  feet  more  length  inserted  amid- 
shipa  to  give  additional  space  for  machinery  and  fnel,  while  the 
Hoanoke  and  Oolarado^  exact  dnplicates  of  each  other,  differed  from 
the  others  mainly  in  having  abont  one  foot  more  beam.  The  follow- 
ing table  shows  the  principal  dimensions  of  these  frigates  as  origi- 
nally built,  from  which  the  points  of  difference  may  be  readily  traced: 


miiAa 

WAUSL 

ramoiL 

lOAMD. 

fffmiif 

IiH«lh  on  iMd  wftter  Hue,  feet 
e»4  InelMW........ ,...,..,. 

266.9 
51.4 

868.1 

4,635.6 
3,200 

2624 
51.4 

868.1 

4,774.3 
3,200 

264.8} 
51.4 

868.1 

4,833.4 
3,200 

263.8( 
52.6 

902.9 

4,772.2 
3.400 

268.8( 
52.6 

ii««fin  ^^  jiMmi.,.,,,.,.^.,.,,  ^,^  „^,^, 

Ana  of  Immened  midsblp  see- 

902.9 

4,772.2 
8.400 

^xinsse. 

The  HJerrimac  had  two  horizontal  back-acting  engines,  the  cyl- 
inders being  on  opposite  sides  of  the  ship  and  located  at  diagonally 
opposite  comers  of  a  rectangle  drcnmscribing  the  engines,  the  jet 
condenser,  air  pnmp  and  hot-well  of  one  cylinder  being  by  the  side 
of  the  other  cylinder,  the  two  piston  rods  of  each  cylinder  striding 
the  crank  shaft.  The  cylinders  were  72  inches  in  diameter  by  8  feet 
stroke  of  piston  and  were  designed  to  make  about  46  double  strokes 
per  minute.  A  three-ported  sUde  valve  placed  horizontally  on  top 
of  the  cylinder  and  actuated  by  a  rock-shaft  was  used,  expansion 
being  obtained  by  the  use  of  an  independent  cut-off  valve  of  the 
gridiron  type.  There  were  four  4-furnace  Martin's  vertical  water- 
tube  boilers  of  iron,  except  the  tubes  which  were  brass;  the  grate 
surface  of  all  boilers  was  883.6  square  feet  and  total  heating  surface 
13,587  square  feet.  The  single  smoke-pipe  was  8  feet  in  diameter, 
telescopic  to  avoid  spoiling  the  appearance  of  the  ship  while  in  port, 
and  stood  66  feet  above  the  grate  bars.  Each  boiler  had  a  system 
of  brass  tubes  underneath  for  a  feed- water  heater,  the  feed  water  be- 
ing pumped  through  the  tubes  which  were  kept  hot  by  the  supersalted 


146  THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATSa 

water  being  constantly  blown  off  to  keep  down  fihe  Baturation,  ac- 
cording to  the  practice  of  those  dajs.  The  propeller  was  a  two- 
bladed  Griffith's  screw  of  bronze  with  spherical  hnb  and  blades,  ad- 
justable to  different  pitches,  the  mean  pitch  being  25  feet,  and  di- 
ameter of  the  screw  17  feet  4  inches.  This  machinery  was  designed 
by  the  contractor,  Mr.  Bobert  P.  Parrot  and  bnilt  at  his  works  at 
Gold  Springs,  New  York,  nnder  the  inspection  of  Chief  Engineer 
Wm.  H.  Shock,  U.  S.  Navy,  who  subsequently  superintended  its 
erection  on  board  the  vessel  at  Boston. 

The  maximum  performance  of  the  Mennmao  in  smooth  water 
nnder  steam  alone  is  shown  by  the  following  figures: 

Speed  in  knots  per  hour 8.87 

Revolutions  of  screw  per  minute 46.7 

Steam  cut  off  in  fraction  of  stroke 0.3 

Steam  pressure  in  boilers  in  pounds  above  atmos- 
phere   18.6 

yacuum(mean)  in  inches  of  mercury 24.5 

Total  horse-power  developed  by  engines 1,294.4 

Founds  of  coal  per  hour  by  square  foot  of  grate..  12.74 

Pounds  of  coal  per  hour  per  horse-power 3. 28 

An  abstract  of  the  log  of  the  Merrimac  when  under  steam 
alone  and  in  all  conditions  of  wind  and  weather  shows  an  average 
speed  of  5.25  knots;  36.5  revolutions  per  minute;  12.8  average 
steam  pressure;  20.4  average  vacuum,  and  a  consumption  of  3,400 
pounds  of  anthracite  coal  per  hour.  A  similar  set  of  averages  nnder 
steam  and  sail  combined  shows  7.67  knots;  89.3  revolutions;  12.5 
steam  pressure;  21  inches  of  vacuum,  and  3,392  pounds  of  coal  per 
hour. 

The  Merrimac  was  put  in  commission  in  December,  1856« 
nnder  the  command  of  Oaptain  F.  H.  Gregory,  Mr.  Shock  being  the 
chief  engineer,  and  for  a  few  months  was  <m  special  duty  on  the 
home  coast,  going  later  to  Europe  where  she  visited  Sonthamptcm, 
Brest,  Lisbon,  Toulon,  and  other  naval  stations,  exciting  every- 
where the  admiration  of  naval  experts,  for  she  is  said  to  have  been 
the  most  beautiful  of  all  the  ships  of  her  class.  In  1857  she  went 
to  the  Pacific  as  the  flagship  and  remained  on  that  station   until 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  147 

1860,  her  chief  engineer  being  first  Mr.  R.  H.  Long  and  afterward 
Mr.  Alban  0.  Stimers.  In  1860  she  returned  home  and  was  laid 
np  at  the  Norfolk  navy  yard  for  extensive  repairs  to  her  machinery, 
which  was  very  unsatisfactory.  Mr.  Charles  H.  Loring,  engineer- 
in-chief  of  the  navy  a  few  years  since,  who  was  the  first  assistant 
engineer  of  the  Merrimac  daring  the  whole  period  of  her  service,  has 
written  the  author  regarding  her  machinery,  that  the  steam  log  books 
of  the  croise,  "  contained  a  record  of  efforts  to  overcome  inherent 
defects  of  design,  and  of  experimental  work  in  different  directions, 
that  would  be  interesting  even  now,  despite  its  being  very  ancient 
history."  The  arrival  of  this  ship  at  Norfolk  concluded  her  active 
career  in  the  United  States  navy;  later  chapters  dealing  with  the 
Civil  War  will  relate  the  circumstances  of  her  loss  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  her  career  in  the  hands  of  her  captors. 

The  Wabash  had  two  horizontal  condensing  cylinders  72  inches 
in  diameter  by  3  feet  stroke,  motion  being  coQimunicated  from  the 
piston  rods  to  the  crank  by  means  of  a  yoke  or  harp,  the  once  pop- 
nlar  steeple-engine  form  of  connection;  the  piston  rods  were  secur- 
ed to  the  large  end  of  the  harp,  from  the  opposite,  or  small  end  of 
which  the  connecting  rod  reached  backward,  the  crank  revolving 
inside  the  larger  part  of  the  harp,  the  bottom  of  the  large  end  of 
the  harp  was  fitted  with  a  shoe  which  rode  back  and  forth  on  a 
gnide-plate.  A  jet  condenser  was  employed.  The  steam  valves, 
operated  by  a  Stevenson  link  from  a  rock  shaft,  were  flat  slide 
valves  with  independent  cut-off  valves  on  the  back  of  each;  these 
latter  were  operated  by  separate  eccentrics  and  consisted  in  each 
case  of  two  blocks  or  plates  adjustable  by  right  and  left  hand  screws, 
being  in  short,  the  well-known  Meyer  expansion  valve,  which  from 
this  application  of  it  came  to  be  generally  known  in  our  navy  as  the 
"Wabash  valve."  The  boilers  were  the  same  in  number  and  type 
as  those  of  the  Merrimac^  differing  slightly  in  outside  dimensions 
but  containing  five  furnaces  instead  of  four,  the  grate  area  of  each 
fnmace  being  proportionately  smaller  and  the  total  grate  area 
practically  the  same.  The  same  type  of  feed-water  heater  was  used. 
The  propeller  was  a  two-bladed  true  screw  of  brass,  17  feet  finches 
in  diameter  and  23  feet  pitch,  made  to  disconnect  and  hoist  up  in  a 
well  in  the  stern.  This  machinery  was  built  by  Merrick  &  Sons, 
Philadelphia,  from  their  own  designs  and  was  superintended  while 
under  construction  by  Chief  Engineer  James  W  King,  U.  S.  Navy. 

10 


148  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  Wdhmh  was  first  commissioned  in  August,  1856,  and 
served  as  the  flagship  of  Commodore  Hiram  Paulding  on  the  home 
station  for  about  two  years,  then  going  to  the  Mediterranean  with 
the  flag  of  Commodore  Lavallette,  Mr.  King  being  the  first  chief 
engineer  and  Benjamin  F.  Garvin  the  second.  She  returned  home 
in  1869  and  remained  in  ordinary  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War,  when  she  was  put  in  commission  and  saw  much  active  service, 
as  outlined  in  the  appendix. 

The  Mmnesotd^a  engines  were  built  at  the  Washington  Navy 
Yard  from  designs  prepared  by  Engineer-in-Chief  D.  B.  Martin, 
and  furnish  a  third  example  of  the  engine  practice  of  that  day. 
There  were  two  horizontal  cylinders  of  the  Penn  trunk  type,  79^ 
inches  in  diameter  and  3  feet  stroke,  the  trunks  being  33  inches  in 
diameter.     Unlike  the  usual  Penn  design,  these  engines  had  a  sep- 
arate slide  valve  for  the  cut-off  valve,  placed  in  advance  of  the 
main  steam  valve  and  working  upon  a  fixed  seat  of  its  own.     The 
steam  valves  were  ordinary  double-ported  slides  operated  by  link 
motion  and  located  on  the  sides  of  the  cylinders  with  faces  vertical, 
while  the  cut-off  valves  were  above  them  and  horizontal,  thus  en- 
tailing the  disadvantage  of  leaving  a  considerable  space  filled  with 
steam  after  the  cut-offs  had  closed.     The  boilers  were  in  all  respects 
duplicates  of  the  Martin  boilers  described  in  the  case  of  the  Meni- 
mac^  and  the  propeller  was  exactly  the  same  as  that  of  the  Wabash. 
The  first  service  of  the  Minnesota  was  on  the  East  India  station  in 
1857-58  and  '59  under  the  command  of  Captain  S.  DuPont,  the 
JUississippi  being  the  flagship  of  that  squadron  at  the  time. 

The  engines,  boilers  and  screws  of  the  Hoanoke  and  Colorado 
were  in  all  respects  the  precise  duplicates  of  those  of  the  Minnesotay 
the  machinery  complete  for  both  ships  being  built  by  Anderson, 
Dulany  &  Co.,  (Tredegar  Iron  Works),  Richmond,  Virginia,  under 
the  superintendence  of  Chief  Engineer  W.  W.  W.  Wood,  U.  S. 
Navy.  The  Colorado  was  prepared  for  sea  when  completed  in 
1857,  but  did  very  little  service  besides  steaming  to  Boston,  where 
she  was  laid  up,  before  the  beginning  of  the  war.  The  Rooffuike 
was  flagship  of  the  home  squadron  in  1858,  1859,  and  the  first 
months  of  1860,  then  being  put  out  of  commission  and  laid  up  until 
the  war  made  her  services  again  necessary.  A  dearth  of  enlisted 
men,  and  the  increased  cost  of  maintaining  the  steam  frigates  in 


o 

be 


!  I 


E 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  161 

oomparison  with  the  cost  of  keeping  sailing  frigates  in  commiflflion, 
were  the  reasons  for  the  non-employment  of  these  fine  ships. 

The  Niagara  is  generally  spoken  of  as  a  frigate,  having  been 
associated  in  building  with  the  Merrimac  class,  bat  was  in  fact  an 
exceedingly  large  sloop-of-war  and  not  a  frigate  at  all.  The  idea 
of  speed  was  entertained  in  her  case,  and  Mr.  Oeorge  Steers,  an 
eminent  ship-builder  of  New  York,  who  had  acquired  fame  as  a  de- 
signer of  swift  clipper- ships  and  yachts^  was  called  upon  for  pro- 
fessional aid.  Mr.  Steers  was  given  a  ^temporary  appointment  as 
naval  constructor,  and  during  the  two  years  he  held  that  ofSce  he 
designed  the  Niaga/ra  and  superintended  her  construction  in  the 
New  York  Navy  Yard.  The  hull  was  designed  with  very  sharp 
lines  for  speed,  and  her  constructor  was  not  restricted  by  any  at- 
tempt to  accommodate  her  model  to  the  shape  of  frame  timbers  on 
hand;  speed  under  sail  was  the  primary  quality  sought,  but  speed 
under  steam  was  not  neglected,  about  fifty  per  cent,  more  power 
being  provided  than  in  the  case  of  frigates.  The  dimensions  of  the 
vessel  were  unusually  large  for  the  time,  length  on  the  load  water- 
line  being  328  feet  10^  inches;  breadth  at  same,  55  feet;  displace- 
ment, 5,540  tons,  and  registered  tonnage  (old  measurement),  4,580. 

The  Niaga/ra^B  engines  consisted  of  three  horizontal  direct- 
acting  cylinders  72  inches  in  diameter  and  3  feet  stroke,  fitted  with 
independent  gridiron  slide  cut-off  valves  and  jet  condensers.  The 
boilers  were  of  the  Martin  type,  the  same  as  used  in  the  five  frig- 
ates, but  were  considerably  larger,  having  six  furnaces  each  and 
about  fifty  per  cent,  more  grate  and  heating  surface.  No  heating 
apparatus  for  feed-water  was  supplied.  There  were  two  telescopic 
smoke-pipes,  and  the  propeller  was  of  the  same  hoisting  type  used 
on  the  frigates.  The  machinery  was  designed  and  built  by  Pease 
&  Murphy  (Fulton  Iron  Works),  New  York,  its  construction  being 
raider  the  direction  of  Chief  Engineer  William  H.  Everett,  who  also 
had  charge  of  the  work  of  installing  it  in  the  vessel.  The  maximum 
speed  in  smooth  water  under  steam  alone  was  found  to  be  10.9 
knots,  and  the  average  sea  speed  under  steam  and  sail  with  varying 
conditions  of  weather,  was  8. 5  knots. 


^  Mr.  Steers  designed  and  built  the  famous  yacht  America,  which  won  the 
Queen's  eup  in  the  regatta  at  Gowes,  England,  in  1861. 


152  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

The  Niagara  was  pnt  in  commission  in  the  spring  of  1857 
nuder  command  of  Captain  Hudson,   Mr.  Everett  being  her  chief 
engineer,  and  proceeded  to  England  in  April  to  undertake  the  work 
of  laying  the  first  Atlantic  cable.       One-half  the  cable  (about  1,250 
miles)  was  put  in  the  hold  of  the  Niagara  and  the  other  half  in  H. 
M.   S.  Agamemnon^  the  two  ships  leaving  Valencia,  Ireland,  Aug- 
ust 7th,  1857,  the  Niagara  paying  out  her  part  of  the  cable.     The 
U.  S.  S.  Susquehanna  accompanied  the  expedition  to  lend  assistance 
if  needed.     Four  days  after  leaving  Ireland  the  cable  broke  through 
defects  in  the  paying-out  machinery  and  the  enterprise  was  aban- 
doned for  that  year,  the  Niagara  returning  home.     Chief  Engineer 
Everett  had  detected  the  faults  in  the  cable  machinery  and  submitted 
plans  to  remedy  them  which  were  considered  so  excellent  that  at  the 
request  of  the  cable  company  he  was  detached  from  the  Niagara 
and  granted  leave  of  absence  with  permission  to  go  to  England  to 
direct  the  construction  of  the  mechanism  proposed  by  him.      In 
March,    1858,    the   Niagara   returned   to   England   and   with  the 
Agamemnon  proceeded   to  the  middle  of  the  ocean,  from  whence 
each  vessel  started  homeward,  each  paying  out  her  section  of  the 
cable,    Mr.    Everett    in  his    capacity   of   superintendent   for  the 
cable  company   directing  the  work  from  the  Nia^gara,      After   a 
delay  of  about  a  month  occasioned  by  a  break  in  the  Agamemnon's 
section  three  days  after  the  work  was  begun,   the  ships  had   no 
further  trouble  and  landed  their  ends  of  the  cable  successfully,  the 
Niagara  at  Trinity  Bay,  Newfoundland,   and  the  Agam>emnon  at 
Valencia,  Ireland. 

The  engineers  of  the  Niagara  on  this  noteworthy  voyage  were, 
Joshua  FoUansbee,  chief;  John  Faron  and  Wm.  8.  Stamm,  first 
assistants;  Oeorge  B.  Johnson  and  Mortimer  Kellogg,  second  as- 
sistants, and  Jackson  McElmell,  George  F.  Eutz,  and  Wm.  G. 
Buehler,  third  assistants.  They  all  received  gold  medals  from  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  city  of  New  York  in  commemoration 
of  the  event.  Chief  Engineer  Wm.  H.  Everett,  whose  genius  made 
the  undertaking  successful,  is  said  to  have  received  (25,000  from 
the  cable  company  for  his  services.  After  operating  for  two  weeks 
and  transmitting  about  four  hundred  messages,  the  cable  ceased 
working  on  account  of  defective  insulation,  and  was  not  replaced 
until  1866  when  a  much  larger  and  better  made  cable  was  laid  by 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES- .  153 


the  Great  Eagtem^  that  yesBel  having  failed  in  an  attempt  the  year 
before.  After  laying  the  cable  in  1858  the  Niagwra  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  that  year  in  a  task  which  was  neither  agreeable  or 
glorions.  To  meet  a  demand  of  public  sentiment  she  was  freighted 
with  nearly  three  hundred  destitute  and  savage  negroes,  who  had 
been  taken  from  a  slaver  named  the  Echo  off  the  coast  of  Cuba, 
and  transported  them  to  Liberia  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  Many 
of  the  negroes  died  on  the  voyage  and  the  whole  experience  with 
them  was  intensely  distasteful,  and  disagreeable. 

In  1860  the  Niaga/ra  conveyed  to  Japan  by  way  of  the  Gape  of 
Good  Hope  the  embassy  which  had  been  sent  to  the  United  States 
by  the  Sho-gun  of  that  country.  The  Civil  War  brought  her  home 
the  next  year  and  after  undergoing  extensive  repairs  she  was  sent  on 
special  service  to  Europe,  her  great  size  rendering  her  unfit  for 
hostile  operations  along  the  insurgent  coasts.  The  capture  of  the 
Confederate  privateer  Georgia  in  August,  1864,  and  refusing  battle 
with  the  iron-clad  ram  Stonewall  oflf  the  port  of  Ooruna  in  April, 
1865,  were  the  chief  incidents  of  this  cruise,  which  was  the  Niaga- 
ra's last.  At  the  close  of  the  war  she  was  laid  up  in  Boston  and 
and  remained  there  until  condemned  and  sold  in  1885.  In  1871- '72 
the  work  of  remodeling  and  repairing  her  was  prosecuted  for  a  time, 
bat  eventually  abandoned. 

A  resolution  of  Congress,  approved  February  3,  1855,  author- 
ized the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  *'  to  provide  and  despatch  a  suitable 
naval  or  other  steamer,  and,  if  necessary,  a  tender,  to  the  Arctic 
0eas  for  the  purpose  of  rescuing  or  affording  relief  to  Passed  Assist- 
ant Surgeon  E.  K.  Kane,  of  the  United  States  Navy,  and  the  officers 
and  men  under  his  command."  This  resolution  added  one  small 
▼easel  to  the  steam  navy,  the  Arctic^  purchased  in  1855  and  which 
rendered  most  efficient  service  and  made  the  relief  expedition  suc- 
cessful through  her  ability  as  a  steamer  to  "  bore  "  through  the  ice- 
pack of  Baffin's  Bay.  Lieutenant  H.  J.  Hartstene  in  the  bark  Re- 
lease commanded  the  expedition  and  succeeded  after  many  trials  and 
hardships  in  finding  Dr.  Kane  and  brought  him  and  his  party  safely 
home.  The  officers  volunteered  for  this  service  from  the  navy,  that 
that  being  a  requirement  imposed  by  the  congressional  resolution, 
the  only  one  now  believed  to  be  living,  being  Rear  Admiral  Joseph 
^yffe,  ^  who  was  a  passed  midshipman  in  the  Rdease.  First  Assist- 

^  Since  deceased. 


164  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNTTBD  STATES. 

ant  Engineer  Harman  Newell  and  Acting  Third  Assistant  Engineer 
Wm.  Johnson  went  in  the  Arctic.  In  1859  the  ArctuPs  machinery 
was  removed  and  the  hull  transferred  to  the  light  house  board  for 
a  light-ship. 

In  the  year  1855  also  a  somewhat  larger  screw  steamer,  the 
Despatch  was  purchased  and  sent  to  the  Pensacola  navy  yard  as  a 
tender  for  that  station,  her  tonnage  being  558  and  cost  $139,088.17. 
In  1859  she  was  rebuilt  at  the  Norfolk  navy  yard  and  enlarged  to 
694  tons,  the  name  being  at  that  time  changed  to  Pocahontas^  under 
which  she  performed  much  valuable  service  during  the  rebellion. 

By  an  act  of  Congress  approved  March  3,  1857,  authority  was 
given  for  the  immediate  construction  of  five  large  screw  sloops-of- 
war,  the  general  size  or  class  of  the  vessels  being  specified  by  the 
act.  Four  of  them  were  at  once  placed  under  construction  as  fol- 
lows: The  Pensacola  at  Pensacola;  the  Lancaster  at  Philadelphia; 
the  Hartford  at  Boston;  and  the  Richfnond  at  Norfolk.  In  order  to 
incite  a  healthful  rivalry  between  the  naval  constructors  and  civilian 
ship-builders  it  was  decided  to  commit  the  building  of  the  fifth  sloop 
wholly  to  private  enterprise,  and  advertisements  were  accordingly 
issued  for  competitive  plans  and  specifications.  Thirteen  proposals 
were  received  in  response,  from  which  a  board  of  officers  selected 
the  one  submitted  by  Mr.  Jacob  Westervelt  of  New  York,  to  whom 
a  contract  was  awarded.  The  vessel  thus  brought  into  existence 
was  the  Brooklyn^  the  hull  of  which  was  built  by  Mr.  Westervelt 
under  the  superintendence  of  Naval  Constructor  S.  H.  Pook,  and 
the  machinery  by  sub-contract  by  the  Fulton  Iron  Works,  superin- 
tended by  Chief  Engineer  D.  B.  Martin,  U.  S.  Navy. 

Mr.  Martin  was  the  engineer- in-chief  of  the  navy  for  a  full  term 
of  four  years  beginning  October  18,  1853,  and  was  known  as  a 
thoroughly  capable  and  painstaking  engineer,  familiar  with  the 
many  branches  of  his  calling  so  far  as  they  were  developed  in  his 
time.  He  was  the  inventor  of  the  vertical  water-tube  boiler  which 
for  many  years  was  the  type  of  excellence  in  marine  boiler  work 
and  was  an  improvement  over  the  flue  boilers  that  immed- 
iately preceded  it.  After  being  succeeded  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  office  as  engineer-in-chief  by  Chief  Engineer  Samuel  Arch- 
bold,  Mr.  Martin  performed  duty  as  inspector  of  machinery  for  the 
BrooJdyn^  and  as  general  inspector  for  some  smaller  sloops  built 


CHIEF  ENGINEER  DANIEL  B.  MARTIN,  U.  8.  NAVY*, 

Enghieer-ln  Chief  of  the  Navy  from  October  18,  1853,  to  October  17,  1857. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  167 

later,  as  well  as  serving  on  boards  for  the  selection  of  types  of  new 
vessels  anthorized.  He  resigned  from  the  service  in  1859  and,  like 
many  other  men  who  have  occupied  important  pnblic  offices,  ex- 
pressed his  weariness  with  the  thankless  world's  work  by  returning 
to  his  native  place  and  taking  np  the  peaceful  oct;upation  of  farmer. 

The  Broohl/yn  was  233  feet  long  on  the  load  water  line;  43 
feet  beam;  2,686  tons  displacement,  and  of  2,070  tons  burden.  Her 
machinery  consisted  of  two  horizontal  direct- acting  cylinders  61 
inches  in  diameter  by  33  inches  stroke.  The  steam  valve  was  a 
three-ported  slide  fitted  with  the  Meyer  cut-off  blocks  on  its  back. 
A  jet  condenser  was  used.  There  were  two  Martin  boilers  with 
seven  furnaces  each,  aggregating  250  square  feet  of  grate  surface 
and  7,788  square  feet  of  heating  surface,  fitted  with  one  telescopic 
Bmoke-pipe  7  feet  in  diameter  and  50  feet  high  above  the  grate  bars. 
The  propeller  was  a  two-bladed  hoisting  screw,  14^  feet  in  diameter 
and  24. 7  feet  mean  pitch.  The  total  weight  of  machinery  was  240 
tons  and  of  water  in  boilers,  64  tons.  The  vessel  was  completed  in 
little  more  than  a  year  after  the  date  of  contract  and  exhibited  a 
speed  of  9.2  knots  under  steam  alone  in  smooth  water,  with  51  rev- 
olutions of  the  screw,  18  pounds  steam  pressure,  27  inches  of 
vacuum,  878  developed  horse-power,  and  3.2  pounds  of  anthracite 
coal  consumed  per  hour,  per  horse  power.  Her  first  service  was  in 
the  home  squadron  in  1859-'60,'61. 

The  Ha/rtford^  built  at  the  Boston  Navy  Yard,  was  slightly 
smaller  than  the  Brooklyn^  her  principal  factors  being  length,  225 
feet;  beam,  44  feet;  tonnage  (old)  1,900,  and  displacement,  2,550. 
Her  machinery  was  built  by  Loring  &  Coney,  Boston,  under  the 
supervision  of  Chief  Engineer  Jesse  Gay,  U.  S.  Navy,  and  con- 
sisted of  a  direct-acting  two-cylinder  jet  condensing  engine  with 
cylinders  62  inches  in  diameter  by  34  inches  stroke,  and  two  Mar- 
tin boilers  with  253  square  feet  of  grate  surface  and  7,600  square 
feet  of  heating  surface.  The  screw  was  of  bronze,  two-bladed,  14 
feet  diameter  and  25  feet  pitch.  This  was  replaced  in  1880  by  a 
more  efficient  four-bladed  screw  and  the  original  one  diverted  to  a 
lasting  and  appropriate  use  by  being  melted  and  cast  into  the  statue 
of  Admiral  Farragut,  which  stands  in  Farragut  Square,  Washington, 
D.  C.  The  Hoflrtford  was  launched  early  in  1859  and  commissioned 
for  sea  the  following  summer,  going  to  the  East  India  station  to  re- 


158  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


lieve  the  Jlfisaissijppi  as  flagship.  Her  maximum  speed  under  steam 
alone  in  smooth  water  was  found  to  be  9.5  knots,  an  average  sea 
performance  with  sail  and  steam,  7. 3  knots.  In  1880  the  Sartford 
was  fitted  with  new  machinery,  the  engines  put  in  being  a  pair  of 
the  60"x86"  Isherwood  engines  built  by  Harrison  Loring  during  the 
war  for  a  sloop  that  was  never  finished — ^the  Kewaydin. 

The  Lancaster  was  the  largest  of  the  ships  of  her  class,  being 
235  feet  8  inches  long,  46  feet  beam,  3,290  tons  displacement,  and 
2,362  registered  tonnage.  Her  machinery  was  built  by  Beanie  & 
Neafie,  Philadelphia,  under  the  inspection  of  Chief  Engineer  W. 
W.  W.  Wood,  the  engines  and  attachments  being  exactly  like  those 
for  the  Brooklyn.  The  boilers  were  of  the  same  type,  but  about 
twelve  per  cent,  larger  in  grate  and  heating  surface  than  those  of 
the  Brooklyn.  The  contract  price  for  the  lAmcaster^s  machinery 
complete,  was  f  137, 600.  Like  the  Ha/rtford^  she  was  eventually 
fitted  with  a  pairof  the  60''x36''  Isherwood  engines,  built  during  the 
war.  In  1879-80  the  hull  was  thoroughly  overhauled  and  remod- 
eled with  a  ram- bow,  making  her  a  formidable  appearing  craft  for 
our  navy  at  that  time.  The  Lancaster'  was  launched  in  1858  and 
went  the  following  year  to  the  Pacific  station,  where  she  remained 
as  flagship  until  1867,  thus  being  deprived  of  an  active  part  in  the 
Civil  War,  in  which  her  sister  ships  achieved  so  much  glory. 

The  Richmond  was  built  at  the  Norfolk  Navy  Yard  and  her  ma- 
chinery at  the  Washington  Navy  Yard,  the  latter  being  designed  by 
Mr.  Archbold,  the  engineer-in-chief.  The  principal  dimensions  of 
the  vessel  were:  Length,  225  feet;  beam,  42  feet;  displacement, 
2,604  tons,  and  registered  tonnage  1,929.  The  machinery  con- 
sisted of  a  two- cylinder  direct- acting  engine  with  cylinders  58  inches 
in  diameter  and  36  inches  stroke  of  piston,  fitted  with  single  poppet 
valves  and  Sickles'  cut-offs.  The  use  of  the  poppet  valves  was 
forced  upon  the  department  by  the  political  influence  of  two  civilians 
who  at  that  time  had  a  contract  for  directing  the  construction  of 
machinery  for  the  Ptnaacola^  and  was  found  to  be  decidedly  harm- 
ful to  the  efficiency  of  the  ship.  Much  of  the  lighter  engine  work, 
pipe  fittings,  attachments,  etc.,  was  done  at  the  Norfolk  Navy  Yard, 
but  all  the  heavy  work  was  done  at  Washington.  In  1866,  as  soon 
as  she  could  be  spared  from  active  service,  the  Richmond  was  fitted 
with  a  pair  of  the  60^^x36^^  Isherwood  engines  built  expressly  for  her 


8 
i 


I 


THE  STKAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATBa  161 

at  the  Washington  Navy  Yard  during  the  three  preceding  years. 
The  Richmond  was  not  launched  until  1860,  and  in  the  latter  part 
of  that  year  went  to  the  Mediterranean  as  flagship  of  the  station; 
recalled  by  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  the  next  year,  she  joined 
the  West  Gulf  blockading  squadron,  and  was  a  conspicuous  factor 
in  the  varied  operations  which  made  Farragut  famous. 

The  last  of  these  five  ships,  the  Pensacola^  brought  into  the 
field  of  naval  contention  a  new  and  unique  character  in  the  person 
of  Mr.  Edward  N.  Dickerson,  who  made  the  engineering  life  of  the 
Navy  Department  exceedingly  interesting  for  a  number  of  years  and 
enriched  the  annals  of  scientific  experiment  not  a  little,  by  injecting 
an  element  of  novelty  and  humor  into  otherwise  dry  and  technical 
matters.  The  Pemacola  was  built  at  the  navy  yard,  Fensacola, 
Florida,  and  was  230  feet  8  inches  in  length;  44  feet  6  inches  beam; 
3,000  tons  displacement,  and  2,158  measured  tonnage.  Her  greater 
displacement  than  the  other  ships  of  practically  the  same  dimensions 
was  due  to  the  fact,  that  the  machinery  as  originally  installed 
weighed  540  tons,  while  that  of  the  Hwrtford  weighed  only  200 
tons,  and  of  the  larger  Lomcaster  246^  tons.  This  machinery  was 
built  at  the  Washington  Navy  Yard  by  the  Government  from  the 
designs,  and  under  the  supervision  of  two  civilians,  Messrs.  Sickles 
and  Dickerson. 

Mr.  Frederick  E.  Sickles  was  an  inventor  and  engineer  of 
ability  and  experience;  he  was  the  inventor  of  a  cut-off  mechanism 
for  poppet  valves,  and  at  this  time  was  engaged  in  fitting  his  patent 
to  the  engines  of  the  Bichmond^  as  previously  mentioned.  Mr. 
Dickerson  was  a  New  York  lawyer  who  had  become  acquainted 
with  Sickles  tlirough  patent  suits  and  from  gaining  a  smattering  of 
mechanical  matters  had  become  an  enthusiast  on  the  subject,  enter- 
ing into  the  study  of  engineering  with  all  the  zeal  and  blindness  of 
a  new  convert.  He  appears  to  have  become  enamored  of  Mariotte^s 
law  regarding  the  relationship  of  volumes,  pressures,  and  tempera- 
tures of  gases,  and  from  his  faith  in  the  infallibility  of  that  law 
under  all  conditions  came  to  the  conclusion  that  his  mission  upon 
earth  was  to  reform  the  engineering  practices  of  the  time,  in  which, 
as  now,  owing  to  material  diflBculties,  the  law  of  Mariotte  when 
applied  to  the  steam  engine  did  not  display  its  theoretical  perfec- 
tion.    Mr.  Dickerson  is  described  as  a  man  of  graceful  manners 


162  THE  STAAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

and  appearance,  and  a  m^et  eloquent  and  peranasive  speaker,  capa- 
ble of  convincing  almost  anyone  of  the  soundness  of  his  theories. i 

Having  entered  into  partnership  with  Sickels,  the  new  firm 
proposed  to  the  Navy  Department  to  design  machinery  for  one  of 
the  new  ships  which  would  '^produce  the  highest  possible  effect 
from  a  given  amount  of  fuel,  and  with  the  least  possible  weight '^ 
The  plans  suggested  were  regarded  by  all  engineers  as  very  faulty 
and  Mr.  Toucey,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  himself,  saw  their  im- 
practicability. £ngineer-in-Ohief  Martin  and  his  successor,  Mr. 
Archbold,  both  strenuously  opposed  the  proposition,  as  did  also  en- 
gineers generally  in  the  Navy  and  in  civil  life.  Mr.  Dickerson, 
however,  was  intimately  connected  socially  and  politically  with  Mr. 
Mallory  of  Florida,,  then  Chairman  of  the  Senate  Committee  on  na- 
val affairs,  and  with  Senator  Yulee  of  the  same  state  and  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  same  Committee,  through  whose  political  influ- 
ence, exerted  with  great  energy,  Mr.  Dickerson  eventually  obtained 
the  sought  for  contract.  The  opposition  of  the  Secretary  waa  over- 
borne and  he  most  unwillingly  signed  it.  The  date  of  this  contract 
was  April  3,  1858;  by  its  terms  Sickels  and  Dickerson  agreed  to  de- 
sign and  superintend  the  building  of  the  Pensacola^a  machinery  and 
allow  the  Qovernment  to  use  their  patents. 

The  drawings  furnished  by  them  are  still  on  file  in  the  Boreau 
of  Steam  Engineering,  Navy  Department,  and  exhibit  by  their  bril- 
liant coloring  and  crudeness  of  execution  their  amateur  origin.  Mr. 
Sickels  apparently  had  allowed  his  good  engineering  sense  to  lie 
dormant  and  permitted  his  enthusiastic  partner  to  revel  unchecked 
in  mechanical  movements  and  designs.  Cams,  ratchets,  bell-cranks, 
combination  levers,  etc.,  appear  in  profusion  for  the  performance 
of  the  simplest  functions,  seemingly  introduced  for  the  purpose  of 
indicating  knowledge  of  mechanical  motions  rather  than  from  any 
necessity  of  using  them.  The  peculiarities  of  the  machinery  thus 
designed  may  be  generally  stated  as  follows: 

^  Ab  a  patent  lawyer  Mr.  Dickerson  enjoyed  a  national  repaiation.  in  1855 
lie  was  oounsel  for  McGormick  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  Stated  in  the 
great  suit  involving  the  question  of  infringement  of  patents  on  harvesting  machin- 
ery. Associated  with  him  in  this  famous  case  were  William  H.  Seward  and  Reverdj 
Johnson,  while  the  opposing  counsel  were  Abraham  Lincoln,  Edwin  M.  Stanton  and 
Qeorge  Harding. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES.  163 

1.  The  nse  of  large  cylinders  to  work  steam  with  a  large  meas- 
nre  of  expansion. 

2.  The  use  of  a  peculiar  condensing  apparatus. 

3.  The  use  of  an  air  tight  fire-room. 

4.  The  nse  of  small  boilers  in  proportion  to  the  cylinders. 
Four  steam  cylinders  58  inches  in  diameter  and  3  feet  stroke  of 

piston  were  arranged  in  pairs  on  opposite  sides  of  the  ship,  the  cyl- 
inders being  jacketed  with  steam  belts  4^  inches  in  depth.  The 
cylinders  were  directly  opposite  each  other,  but  instead  of  two 
cranks,  as  was  possible  by  the  arrangement,  the  designer  complica- 
ted matters  by  having  sixain  order  to  effect  which,  two  of  the  con- 
necting rods  were  made  with  forked  ends  to  stride  the  crank  of  the 
opposite  cylinder,  each  arm  of  the  fork  grasping  a  crank  of  its  own. 
The  intoxicating  effect  of  this  thing  when  in  motion  may  be  easily 
imagined.  The  four  cylinders  with  their  connections  and  gear  made 
the  engine  plant  of  the  Pensaoola  practically  double  in  weight  that 
of  the  other  sloops,  a  fact  that  did  not  require  an  engineer  to  detect, 
and  was  fatal  to  the  claim  of  the  designers  of  minimizing  weights. 
Two  surface  condensers  with  very  small  circulating  pumps  were  sup- 
plied, the  main  dependence  for  effecting  the  circulation  of  water  be- 
ing scoops  projecting  from  the  ship's  bottom,  on  the  theory  that  the 
remarkable  speed  of  the  ship  would  drive  water  through  the  condensers, 
as  is  now  done  in  practice  on  swift  torpedo  boats.  The  idea  of  the 
air-tight  fijre-room  was  not  bad,  but  as  the  blowers  were  originally 
connected  it  was  shown  by  experiment  with  a  lamp  that  the  air 
pressure  obtained  was  actually  negative,  the  flame  of  the  lamp  draw- 
ing inward  from  an  open  air-lock  instead  of  being  blown  outward 
by  the  pressure  within.  Under  this  state  of  affairs  the  heat  of  the 
fire-room  was  so  intolerable  that  men  could  not  remain  in  it  for  any 
length  of  time.  Two  small  S-furnace  horizontal  fire-tube  boilers 
and  two  l-furnace  auxiliary  boilers  of  the  same  type  were  supplied, 
the  total  grate  surface  being  234  square  feet  and  heating  surface 
about  7000.  Sickels'  cut-off  gear  was  of  course  used,  the  valves  be- 
ing set  to  cut  off  very  early  in  the  stroke,  leaving  Mariotte's  law  to 
do  the  rest.  With  this  valve  gear  applied  to  steam  and  exhaust 
Talves  at  each  end  of  each  cylinder,  there  was  an  array  of  lifting  rods 
and  dash-pots,  decidedly  bewildering. 

The  requirements  of  the  department  called  for  a  2-bladed  hoist- 


164  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


ing  screw  of  the  type  then  in  favor,  and  the  designers  projected  such 
a  screw  with  very  fine  pitch  based  upon  a  calculated  engine  speed  of 
eighty  revolutions  per  minute,  but  as  the  work  progressed  they  lost 
faith  in  their  calculations  for  speed  and  altered  the  screw  by  increas- 
ing its  pitch  to  conform  U>  forty  revolutions  per  minute.  This  con- 
fronted them  with  a  new  and  unexpected  problem,  for  a  correspond- 
ing increase  in  the  surface  of  the  screw  followed  as  a  necessity,  to 
effect  which  the  diameter  was  increased  about  four  feet  and  four 
blades  substituted  for  two.  This  destroyed  the  hoisting  feature  of 
the  screw  and  necessitated  throwing  away  all  the  costly  brass  cast- 
ings for  the  hoisting  apparatus,  as  well  as  the  two-bladed  screw  al- 
ready made.  The  hull  had  to  be  docked  to  alter  the  stem  and  deep- 
en the  keel  to  accomodate  the  new  screw,  and  the  ship's  draft  ac- 
cordingly increased.  This  one  blunder  cost  about  (20,000,  and  is 
only  one  example  of  many,  illustrative  of  what  may  be  called 
the  piece-meal  manner  in  which  the  designing  and  fitting  together 
of  the  different  parts  of  the  machinery  was  conducted.  The  result 
was,  that  when  the  machinery  was  at  last  pro^unced  ready  for  trial 
it  had  cost  $308,460,  or  more  than  twice  as  much  as  that  of  any 
other  ship   of  the  Penaacala  class. 

Progressing  in  this  tentative  manner  the  work  was  necessarily 
slow  and  sometimes  came  to  a  complete  standstill  for  lack'Of  knowl- 
edge as  to  what  to  do  next.  The  other  ships  of  the  class  were  com- 
pleted and  in  service,  the  Civil  War  began,  and  still  the  Pensacola 
was  unfinished;  so  slow  and  uncertain  did  the  work  progress  that  the 
designers  were  finally  suspected  of  disloyalty  and  Mr.  Sickels,  who 
had  charge  of  installing  the  machinery,  was  actually  put  under  guard 
and  not  allowed  to  leave  the  vessel  or  his  work.  Finally  Mr.  Ed- 
ward Faron,  who  had  once  been  an  engineer  in  the  navy,  was  em- 
ployed and  put  in  charge  of  the  work,  his  energy  resulting  in  its 
completion  and  a  trial  trip  on  the  Potomac  the  3d  of  January,  1862. 
On  this  trial  a  maximum  speed  of  8.8  geographical  miles  per  hour 
was  developed,  this  costing  five  pounds  of  coal  per  horse  power,  or 
about  25  per  cent,  more  than  the  Hartford  or  Ixmcaiter,  while  the 
speed  was  0.7  miles  less. 

The  Pensacola  was  sent  at  once  to  join  Farragut's  fleet  off  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and  arrived  their  in  the  course  of  time,  af- 
ter having  been  ashore  for  ten  days  on  one  of  the  Florida  Keys,  her 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  165 

machinery,  and  engineers  as  well,  being  in  a  condition  of  semi-col- 
lapse when  she  got  in.  She  participated  in  the  brilliant  battle  of 
the  forts  below  New  Orleans  and  the  capture  of  that  city  in  April, 
but  was  so  uncertain  under  steam  that  she  was  thereafter  used  more 
as  a  floating  battery  than  as  a  reliable  cruising  ship.  In  1865  her  en- 
tire machinery  plant  was  taken  out  and  replaced  with  new  boilers 
and  engines,  the  latter  being  a  pair  of  the  60-inch  Isherwood  type 
built  by  Hazelhurst  &  Co.,  Baltimore,  for  a  large  sloop-of-war  pro- 
jected but  never  built,  the  name  of  which  was  Wimalosett^ 

Secession  deprived  Mr.  Dickerson  of  his  powerful  Florida 
friends,  but  his  persuasive  eloquence  about  Washington  had  won 
biffl  many  more,  with  the  support  of  whom  he  made  himself  a  veri- 
table thorn  in  the  side  of  Engineer-in- Chief  Isherwood,  as  well  as  a 
source  of  much  trouble  for  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  In  spite  of 
the  object  lesson  furnished  by  the  costly  failure  of  the  Penaacola^ 
Mr.  Dickerson  was  able  to  get  other  opportunities  to  experiment  with 
his  theories  at  public  expense  until  his  engineering  career  terminated 
with  the  complete  failure  of  one  of  the  finest  ships  ever  built  in  this 
or  any  other  country — the  Idaho.  The  opportunity  to  make  a  griev- 
ance out  of  the  Pensacola  affair  was  not  neglected  by  Dickerson, 
who  had  sufficient  influence  to  have  the  matter  made  a  subject  for 
congressional  investigation,  the  record  of  which  (Report  No.  8,  38th 
Congress,  second  session)  is  highly  creditable  to  the  engineering 
branch  of  the  navy,  and  totally  lacking  in  elements  vindicating  its 
instigator. 

In  1864  Mr.  Dickerson,  as  attorney  in  the  case  of  Mattingly  vs. 
the  Washington  and  Alexandria  Steamboat  Company,  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  address  a  jury  in  the  supreme  court  of  the  District  of  Col- 
umbia, on  which  occasion  he  launched  forth  upon  a  decidedly 
scholarly  speech  which  he  entitled  ''  The  Navy  of  the  United  States. 
An  Exposure  of  its  condition,  and  the  Causes  of  its  Failure."  As 
an  example  of  eloquent  invective  this  speech  is  worthy  of  classifica- 
tion with  the  famous  oration  of  Catiline,  and  its  author  was  so  proud 
of  it,  and  so  confident  of  its  destroying  the  reputation  of  his  arch- 
enemy, Isherwood,  that  he  caused  it  to  be  published  in  pamphlet 
form  and  distributed  broadcast.  It  turned  out  however  to  be  a  case 
of  one's  enemy  writing  a  book  and  getting  the  worst  of  it.  Mr. 
Isherwood  was  altogether  too  busy  with  a  multitude  of  official  cares 


166  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  OTATE& 

to  give  any  heed  to  this  furious  attack  upon  him,  and,  indeed,  it  dis- 
turbed him  very  little,  for  he  had  been  too  long  and  too  prominent 
in  public  life  to  be  super-sensitive  to  criticism.  There  were  other 
members  of  his  corps  who  had  more  leisure  and  who  were  capable 
of  detecting  in  the  Mattingly  speech  an  opportunity  for  amusement 
at  the  expense  of  the  author,  and  there  soon  appeared  an  illustrated 
booklet  entitled  '^  Uncle  Sam's  Whistle,  and  What  it  Costs,"  deal- 
ing with  Dickerson,  the  trial  trip  of  the  Pensacola^  and  the  famous 
speech,  in  a  most  entertaining  and  amusing  manner.  In  it  Dicker- 
son  and  his  theories  were  ridiculed  so  perfectly  that  instead  of  ap- 
pearing before  the  public  as  the  purifier  and  reformer  of  the  Navy 
Department,  he  found  himself  suddenly  transformed  into  a  laugh- 
ing-stock for  the  entire  engineering  and  naval  element  of  the 
country.  The  authorship  of  the  book  referred  to,  is  somewhat  in 
doubt;  the  caricatures  and  sketches  were  made  by  Second  Assistant 
Engineer  Bobert  Weir,  and  the  text  is  generally  credited  to  him,  as 
he  was  equally  handy  with  pen  and  pencil.  At  any  rate,  the  little 
book  was  the  most  exquisite  satire  ever  produced  within  the  navy, 
and  was  entirely  successful  in  its  purpose  of  turning  the  tables  upon 
the  assailant  of  the  head  of  the  engineering  branch  of  the  service.  ^ 

In  the  annual  report  for  1857  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  re- 
ported progress  on  the  five  ships  of  the  Richmond  class  and  took 
occasion  to  say  that  they  were  too  large  for  the  performance  of 
much  of  the  service  required  of  the  navy  on  our  own  coasts,  and 
especially  in  China.  Ten  steamers  of  "light  draft,  great  speed  and 
heavy  guns"  were  recommended  to  meet  the  deficiency,  to  which 
Congress  responded  by  an  act  approved  June  12,  1868,  authorizing 
the  construction  of  seven  screw-sloops  and  one  side-wheel  war 
steamer,  the  result  of  this  legislation  being  the  acquisition  of  a  class 
of  vessels  whose  names  were  familiar  in  the  navy  list  for  many 
years. 

The  side-wheel  steamer,  of  only  453  tons,  was  built  at  the  new- 
ly established  navy  yard  at  Mare  Island  near  San  Francisco  and  was 
named  Saginaw.  The  machinery  was  designed  and  built  by  the 
Union  Iron  Works  of  San  Francisco  under  the  supervision  of  Chief 
Engineer  George  Sewell,  and  consisted  of  a  2-cylinder  oscillating 


^  See  Appendix  C. 


S   i 

II 

.     5 


THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


169 


engine  with  cylinders  39  inches  in  diameter  by  48  inches  stroke,  and 
two  3-fnmace  Martin  boilers  aggregating  81  square  feet  of  grate  and 
2000  square  feet  of  heating  surface.  The  water  wheels  were  20 
feet  in  diameter  with  flouts  6  feet  in  length.  The  Saginaw  was  com- 
pleted in  about  a  year,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  1859  went  to  the 
China  Station  for  her  first  service,  remaining  on  that  station  until 
1862  when  she  returned  to  San  Francisco.  Thereafter  she  was  con- 
stantly in  conmiission  attached  to  the  Pacific  squadron  until  October, 
1870,  when  she  was  wrecked  on  Ocean  island. 

Of  the  seven  screw  sloops,  four  were  specified  to  be  of  13  feet 
draft  when  ready  for  service,'  and  the  other  three  of  10  feet  draft. 
The  following  table  exhibits  the  size,  etc.,  of  the  four  larger  sloops, 
as  well  as  the  navy  yard  where  each  was  built: 


Name. 

Displace- 
ment. 

Tonnage. 

Length. 

Beam. 

Immeraed 
midship 
section. 

Where  built. 

Mohican 

Iioqnols 

Wyoming... . 
Dwotah 

1,461 
1,488 
1,467 
1,369 

994 

1,016 

997 

996 

198^-  9" 
198M1" 
198'-  6" 
198'-  6" 

33' 

33'-10" 
33'-  2" 
32'.  9" 

363  sq.  ft. 
380  ••     *• 
366  **     " 
365  **    '* 

Kittery,  Maine. 
New  York. 
Philadelphia. 
Norfolk,  Va. 

The  Mohioan^s  machinery  was  built  by  Woodruflf  and  Beach, 
Hartford,  Conn.,  under  the  supervision  of  Chief  Engineer  D.  B. 
Martin,  and  consisted  of  a  2-cylinder  back-acting  engine  with 
cylinders  54  inches  in  diameter  by  30  inches  stroke,  supplied  with  a 
Pirsson's  condenser,  and  two  Martin  boilers.  Pease  &  Murphy  of 
New  York  built  the  machinery  for  the  IroquoiSj  which  was  of  the 
same  type  as  that  of  the  Mohican^  the  boilers  being  slightly  smaller 
and  the  stroke  of  pistons  28  instead  of  30  inches.  The  machinery 
for  the  Wyormnff  was  by  Merrick  &  Sons,  Philadelphia,  inspected 
by  Chief  Engineer  Edward  Whipple.  The  engines  were  direct- 
acting  with  two  cylinders  50  inches  in  diameter  by  30  inches  stroke, 
and  had  a  close  surface  condenser  of  Mr.  Merrick^ s  design.  The 
boilers  were  of  the  same  type  but  considerably  smaller  than  those 
of  either  the  Mohican  or  Iroqims.  Murray  &  Hazlehurst  of  Balti- 
more built  the  machinery  of  the  Dacotahj  which  was  radically  diff- 
erent from  that  of  the  other  sloops.     Two  large  direct-acting  en- 


170  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATE& 

gines,  63  inches  diameter  by  36  inches  stroke,  drove  a  hnge  wooden- 
toothed  gear  wheel,  which  in  turn  drove' a  pinion  keyed  to  the  pro- 
peller shaft,  the  speed  ratio  being  as  9  to  4.  The  engines  were 
designed  for  a  speed  of  36  revolutions  per  minute,  or  81  of  the 
screw,  which  was  about  the  same  as  the  direct  speed  of  the  other 
vessels.  The  boilers  of  the  Dacotah^  two  in  number,  were  of  the 
horizontal  return  fire-tube  variety,  instead  of  the  Martin  type  then 
BO  generally  used.  Chief  Engineer  H.  H.  Stewart  was  the  superin- 
tendent of  construction  of  this  machinery.  The  four  vessels  were 
all  completed  and  in  service  by  the  end  of  1869,  the  Mohican  being 
on  the  coast  of  Africa,  the  Iroquois  in  the  Mediterranean,  the  Wy- 
oming in  the  Pacific,  and  the  Dacotah  on  her  way  to  join  the  Asiatic 
squadron.  All  of  them  showed  a  speed  under  steam  alone  in  smooth 
water  of  about  11.5  knots  per  hour,  and  averaged  8  knots  for  gen- 
eral performance  at  sea. 

The  three  smaller  sloops  were  the  Na/rragomsett^  Seminoie^  and 
PoAJoneey  all  good  and  appropriate  American  names,  like  most  of  the 
names  bestowed  upon  our  war  vessels  in  those  days.  The  Narva- 
ga/nsett  was  of  1,235  tons  displacement  and  was  built  at  the  Boston 
navy  yard,  the  machinery  being  built  by  the  Boston  Locomotive 
Works.  She  had  a  pair  of  direct-acting  engines  with  cylinders  48 
inches  in  diameter  by  28  inches  stroke  of  piston,  driving  a  4- 
bladed  screw  12  feet  in  diameter.  Pirsson's  double-vacuum  con- 
denser was  used.  The  boilers,  two  in  number,  were  of  the  usual 
Martin  type,  containing  200  square  feet  of  grate  surface  and  about 
6,160  square  feet  of  heating  surf  ace.  The  Na/rragansett  was  com- 
pleted and  in  commission  by  the  end  of  1859,  sailing  shortly  there- 
after for  the  Pacific  station. 

The  Seminole^  built  at  the  navy  yard,  Pensacola,  Florida,  was 
a  sister-ship  of  the  HfoArragansett  and  similar  to  her  in  all  principal 
dimensions.  Her  machinery  was  built  by  the  Morgan  Iron  Works, 
New  York,  and  consisted  of  a  pair  of  back-acting  horizontal  engines 
with  cylinders  50  inches  diameter  by  30  inches  stroke,  and  two 
Martin  boilers  slightly  smaller  than  those  of  the  Narragamj^ett.  The 
Seminole  went  to  the  Brazil  station  in  1860  and  was  recalled  in 
1861  in  time  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  battle  of  Port  Royal  in 
November  of  that  year.  Later  she  served  in  Farragut's  West  Gulf 
squadron  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Mobile  Bay,  going  into 
action  lashed  alongside  the  La,ckawanna, 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


173 


The  third  of  these  sloops,  the  Pa/umee^  differed  much  from  the 
other  two  in  the  form  of  her  hull  and  in  the  feature  of  having  twin 
screws.  8he  was  bnilt  by  the  government  at  the  Philadelphia 
navy  yard,  but  from  the  designs  and  under  the  supervision  of  a 
ciTilian  ship-bnilder,  Mr.  John  W.  Qriffiths  of  New  York,  who  held 
a  temporary  appointment  as  a  naval  constructor  while  directing  this 
work.  It  had  been  determined  to  arm  the  Pcmnee  with  four  XI- 
inch  Dahlgren  guns,  and  it  was  to  demonstrate  that  this  could  be 
done  without  exceeding  the  specified  draft  of  ten  feet  that  Mr. 
6ri£Sth8  was  employed.  The  resulting  vessel  was  considerably 
longer  and  broader  than  the  others  of  her  class  and  of  somewhat 
less  than  ten  feet  draft  when  armed  and  equipped  for  service,  a  fact 
&at  made  her  of  great  use  with  her  heavy  battery  in  the  shallow 
riyers  of  the  southern  coast  during  the  war.  Besides  having  to 
carry  the  unusually  large  battery,  the  engines  to  drive  the  two  screws 


KMVATIOlSr,   LOOKISre  AFT,  OF  TWIN-SCREW  OEABED    ENGINES,  U.   S.    8.   PAWNEE. 

a,  cylinder,    b,  condenser,    c,  master- wheel,    d-d,  screw-shaft  pinions. 


were  considerably  heavier  than  in  other  vessels  of  the  class,  and 
this  necessitated  further  calculation  on  the  part  of  the  constructor, 
who  so  modified  the  form  of  the  hull  that  when  the  vessel  was  com- 
pleted her  bottom  was  actually  concave. 

The  Pavmee  was  221  feet  6  inches  long;  47  feet  beam;  1,533 
^  Ds  displacement  and  rated  at  1,289  tons  burden.  Chief  engineers 
^  m.  W.  W.  Wood  and  K.  H.  Long  superintended  the  building  of 
ti  3  machinery  at  the  works  of  Beanie  &  Neafie,  Philadelphia, 
ti  Jre  being  two   horizontal   direct-acting  cylinders  65   inches  in 


174  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

diameter  by  36  inches  stroke,  driving  a  large  gear  wheel  7  feet  3 
inches  in  diameter,  this  driving  two  smaller  wheels  keyed  to  the 
two  shafts,  the  small  wheels  or  pinions  being  2  feet  11  inches  dia- 
meter of  pitch  circle.  The  master  wheel  was  somewhat  to  port  of 
the  center  line  of  the  ship,  as  shown  by  the  outline  sketch  of  this 
nnusual  type  of  engine.  There  were  two  7-furnace  horizontal  re- 
turn fire-tubular  boilers  containing  133  square  feet  of  grate  surface 
each.  The  propellers  were  four-bladed,  nine  feet  in  diameter,  and 
instead  of  being  supported  by  struts  under  the  counters*  the  shafts 
were  prolonged  to  the  stern  post  where  they  were  upheld  by  a  cross- 
bar, the  screws  being  at  the  ends  of  the  shafts. 

This  vessel  was  launched  in  1859  but  was  not  completed  for 
sea  until  the  spring  of  1861  when  she  at  once  became  actively  en- 
gaged in  warlike  operations  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  her  first  im- 
portant service  being  at  the  destruction  of  the  Norfolk  navy  yard 
in  April.  During  the  same  year  she  took  part  in  the  attack  on 
Hatteras  Inlet  in  August  and  in  the  battle  of  Port  Royal  in  Novem- 
ber. During  the  following  years  of  the  war  she  was  attached  to 
the  South  Atlantic  blockading  squadron  and  did  much  important 
service  on  the  coast  of  Florida  and  elsewhere.  After  the  war  she 
made  one  cruise  to  the  Brazil  station  and  then  became  a  hospital  and 
store-ship  at  home,  being  finally  sold  out  of  the  service  at  Port 
Royal  in  1884. 

In  February,  1855,  the  Water  Witch^  which  for  years  had 
been  engaged  in  exploring  La  Plata  River  and  its  tributaries,  was 
forcibly  prevented  from  further  prosecuting  that  work  by  being 
fired  upon  by  a  Paraguayan  fort  commanding  the  river,  the  man  on 
duty  at  the  wheel  at  the  time  being  killed.  Attempts  to  gain  re- 
dress by  diplomatic  methods  having  been  steadily  repulsed  by 
Lopez,  the  autocratic  president  of  Paraguay,  our  government  was 
finally  forced  to  resort  to  a  show  of  power,  and  late  in  the  year  1858 
a  squadron  of  nineteen  naval  vessels  carrying  two  hundred  guns  and 
twenty-five  hundred  men  was  assembled  in  the  river  under  command 
of  Flag  Officer  W.  B.  Shubrick.  Nine  of  these  vessels  were  sailing 
frigates,  sloops-of-war  and  brigs,  the  other  ten  being  small  steamers 
capable  of  ascending  the  river.  Two  of  the  steamers,  the  Fulton 
and  Water  Witch  belonged  to  the  regular  naval  establishment;  an- 
other was  the  revenue  cutter  Ha/rriet  Lane^  named  for  the  ueice  of 


r 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATEa  175 

President  Buchanan,  and  the  others  were  merchant  steamers  char- 
tered and  armed  for  the  occasion.  Six  of  them  were  screw  steam- 
ers yarjing  from  220  to  550  tons  burden  and  were  named  Memphis^ 
Atlanta^  Caledonia^  Southern  Sta/r^  Weatemport^  and  M.  W. 
Chopin^  the  seventh,  the  Metdcomet^  being  a  side-wheel  steamer  of 
395  tons.  Thirty-eight  officers  of  the  engineer  corps  were  attached 
to  these  vessels. 

All  the  steamers  and  such  of  the  sailing  vessels  as  were  per- 
mitted by  their  draft  of  water  were  moved  up  the  river  to  a  point 
above  Bosario,  ready  to  act  against  Paraguay  if  necessary,  and  in 
January  1859  the  Flag  Officer  and  Mr.  Bowlin,  the  special  commiss- 
ioner of  the  United  States,  proceeded  in  the  Fulton  and  Water  Witch 
to  Assuncion,  the  capital  of  Paraguay.  No  difficulty  was  then  ex- 
perienced in  gaining  a  respectful  hearing  and  the  object  of  the  mis- 
sion was  fally  and  peacefully  accomplished.  A  satisfactory  apol- 
ogy was  extended  for  firing  on  the  Water  Witch\  an  indemnity  was 
paid  on  the  spot  for  the  benefit  of  the  family  of  the  seaman  who 
had  been  killed,  and  the  special  envoy  negotiated  a  new  and  ad- 
vantageous commercial  treaty  with  the  Paraguayan  government. 
Without  the  steamers  the  successful  termination  of  this  expedition 
would  have  been  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  Paraguay 
lying  so  far  inland  that  natural  obstacles  would  have  prevented  an 
approach  by  troops  on  land  or  by  sailing  vessels  on  the  river  except 
at  an  enormous  outlay  of  life  and  money. 

When  the  squadron  returned  to  the  United  States  the  chartered 
steamers  were  purchased  and  added  to  the  naval  establishment, 
about  one-half  of  their  cost  price  being  money  already  paid  or  due 
the  owners  for  their  charters.  After  purchase,  the  names  were 
changed  as  follows:  Metacomet  to  Pulaski]  Memphis  to  Jfystic; 
Vesiemport  to  Wyandotte] Caledonia  to  Mohawk;  Atlanta  to  Strni- 
ter\  Southern  Star  to  Orusader]  M.  W.  Chapin  to  Anacostia.  The 
fiide- wheel  vessel,  the  Pulaski^  was  kept  on  the  Brazil  station  doing 
exploring  and  other  river  service  until  1863,  when  she  was  sold  at 
Montevideo.  The  smallest  of  the  screw  steamers,  the  Anacosti^ 
b  came  a  navy  yard  tender  and  coastwise  transport  attached  to  the 
^  ishington  navy  yard,  and  the  five  other  screw  steamers  were  put 
Oi  active  cruising  duty  on  the  coasts  of  Cuba  and  Africa,  in  the 
ffi   pression  of  the  slave  trade.     All  did  good  service  during  the 


176  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Civil  War,  and  all  were  sold  at  its  close  with  the  exception  of  the 
Sv/mteTy  which  had  been  sunk  in  1863  by  an  accidental  collision 
with  the  army  transport  General  Meigs. 

In  the  naval  appropriation  act  approved  Jnne  22nd,  1860,  a 
claase  directed  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  have  all  the  sailing 
vessels  of  the  navy  surveyed  with  a  view  to  converting  them  into 
steamers.  This  dnty  was  performed  by  a  board  composed  of  Gap- 
tains  George  W.  Storer  and  S.  H.  Stringham;  Engineer-in-Ghief 
Archbold  and  Chief  Engineer  Isherwood;  Chief  Constructor  John 
Lenthal,  and  Naval  Constructor  B.  F.  Delano,  the  vessels  which 
were  abroad  and  therefore  not  accessible,  were  reported  upon  from 
their  records  and  drawings  in  the  department.  The  report  of  the 
board  was,  that  it  was  not  expedient  to  introduce  steam  into  the 
brigs,  sloops  and  frigates,  but  that  it  was  desirable  in  the  case  of 
the  ships  of  the  line,  which  class  was  recommended  to  be  razeed 
and  converted  into  first-class  steam  frigates.  The  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  transmitted  this  report  to  Congress  with  his  annual  report  at 
the  end  of  that  year,  and  urged  that  the  recommendation  be  carried 
out,  on  the  ground  that,  *'inthe  event; of  war  no  one  of  these  line- 
of-battle  ships,  in  the  present  state  of  steam  navigation,  could  go 
to  sea  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  safety.''  The  work  would  un- 
doubtedly have  been  authorized  by  Congress  that  winter  had  not 
events  of  startling  magnitude  intervened  to  split  both  Congress  and 
the  navy  in  twain,  and  made  the  problem  of  strengthening  the 
steam  navy  one  that  could  not  be  met  by  the  make-shift  of  patch- 
ing up  old  sailing  ships. 


r 


CHAPTER   XI. 

"Bt'd  now  we  hear  with  hiward  strife 
A  motion  tolling  in  the  gloom— 
The  spirit  of  the  years  to  eome 
rearaing  to  mix  himself  with  life." 

ALFBXD  TdTNTSON. 

Tbe  Bngineer  Corps  from  1860  to  the  Beginning  of  tlie  Civil  War— Congress  Peti- 
tioned to  Increase  the  Corps— Pay  Increased  by  United  Biforts  of  All  Offl- 
eers— Bank  of  Engineers  Defined— Issue  of  New  Bagnlations  GoTeming 
Appointment  and  Promotion— Opinions  of  Chief  Engineer  Gay  in  Relation  to 
Sails  and  Steam. 

The  membership  of  the  engineer  corps  provided  by  the  act  of 
Congress  of  1842  was  based  upon  the  number  of  steamers  in  the 
navy  at  the  time,  and  made  no  provision  for  the  performance  of 
ahore  duty,  except  by  the  engineer-in-chief,  thus  compelling  him 
to  obtain  technical  assistance  either  from  civilian  engineers 
employed  as  clerks  or  draftsmen,  or  naval  engineers  who 
might  be  unemployed  because  of  a  steam  war  vessel  having  been 
pnt  out  of  commission.  The  inspection  work  required  of  the 
engineer  corps  by  the  building  of  the  Powhatofi  and  other  steamers 
at  the  same  time,  had  with  great  difficulty  been  provided  for;  but 
had  imposed  upon  the  engineer-in-chief  a  vast  amount  of  care  and 
professional  labor,  greater  in  fact  than  one  man  could  perform.  In 
this  dilemma  the  engineers  petitioned  Congress  for  relief,  this  me- 
morial haying  been  preserved  in  official  form  as  Senate  Miscellane- 
ous Document  No.  45,  32d  Congress,  1st  session,  is  herewith  pre- 
sented. 

MBMORIAL 
OF 

Enqinssbs  of  thb  Navy, 

PBATIKG 
A  BXORQANIZATION   OF   THB   OOBFS   TO    WHICH   THBY    BELONG. 

February  24,  1862. 

Referred  to  the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs 

February  26,  1862. 

Ordered  to  be  Printed. 


178  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

To  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of 
America  in  Congress  assembled: 

The  nndersigned  respectfully  represent  to  yonr  honorable  bodies 
the  utter  inadequacy  of  the  present  organization  of  the  engineer 
corps  of  the  United  States  navy,  and  most  earnestly  solicit  your  at- 
tention to  the  following  brief  statement  of  facts  in  proof  of  this 
assertion,  and  in  support  of  the  propositions  herewith  submitted. 

The  law  of  Congress  authorizing  the  present  organization  of  the 
engineer  corps  was  established  in  the  very  infancy  of  our  steam  ma- 
rine— at  the  time  of  constructing  our  first  steam  ship  as  an  experiment. 
At  that  date  neither  a  rapid  increase  of  steamers  nor  an  enlarged 
sphere  of  duties  for  the  naval  engineers,  such  as  has  since  taken 
place,  was  contemplated;  and  the  organization  was  accordingly  made 
on  a  basis  to  meet  the  limited  duties,  both  in  extent  and  kind, 
which  were  intended  to  be  performed  by  the  corps. 

Those  limited  duties  were  to  be  entirely  performed  afloat  on  the 
Atlamitic  coast  of  the  United  States,  and  their  sphere  of  action  was 
to  be  confined  to  the  management  of  the  machinery  of  a  few  second 
class  vessels,  for  home  service  exclusively,  to  which  it  was  proposed 
to  restrict  our  steam  marine.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  here  to  state 
that  these  expectations  were  never,  even  from  the  first,  realized,  and 
the  engineers  of  the  naval  corps  at  once  entered  upon  a  wide  and 
very  responsible  range  of  duties  combining  all  of  theory  and  prac- 
tice known  in  the  extensively  ramified  arts  and  sciences;  making  up  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  principles  and  practice  of  marine  stoam 
engineering  and  steam  navigation — a  knowledge  which  it  is  believed 
will  not  be  contested  by  any  qualified  to  judge,  to  demand  quite  as 
much  natural  ability,  united  with  as  deep  study  and  long  practice,  as 
are  required  for  any  other  profession;  certainly  for  any  of  those  com- 
posing the  various  corps  in  the  government  service. 

Some  of  the  duties  of  the  engineer  corps  are  briefly  stated  as 
follows:  they  decide  uppn  and  design  the  various  complex  machinery 
of  the  government  war  steamers;  furnishing,  first,  the  working 
drawings  in  the  most  complete  detail,  then  superintending  its  manu- 
facture at  the  various  establishments  where  it  is  contracted  to  be 
built,  and  afterwards  its  erection  on  board  the  vessels;  finally  they 
operate  this  machinery  at  sea. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  179 

The  machinery  so  designed  and  constructed  is  of  the  largest, 
moat  complicated  and  costly  description,  frequently  amounting  in  a 
first-class  steam- ship  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars.  It  is 
manufactured  by  contract  at  the  various  works  where  the  Navy  de- 
partment may  direct,  and  naval  engineers  are  the  sole  guardians  of 
the  public  interest,  where  the  expenditures  constitute  a  formidable 
fraction  of  the  naval  appropriations.  They  furnish  the  only  barrier 
to  peculation  on  the  government,  and  the  fraudulent  performance  of 
contracts,  if  such  were  attempted. 

The  amounts  and  kinds  of  labor  done  are  determined  by  and 
paid  for  wholly  on  the  certificates  of  the  superintending  engineer 
and  the  engineer-in-chief. 

Having  thus  shown,  as  we  trust,  to  the  satisfaction  of  your 
honorable  bodies,  the  importance  of  having  at  all  times  in  the  coun- 
try, on  shore  duty,  a  sufficient  number  of  engineers  of  the  higher 
grades  to  discharge  the  above  mentioned  responsibilities,  we  proceed 
to  show  that  in  this  very  particular  the  present  organization  is  de- 
fective. The  act  of  1842  only  provides  for  the  appointment  of  a 
sofiScient  number  of  engineers  of  all  grades  to  supply  our  war  steam- 
ers, leaving  no  margin  for  sickness  or  other  disability,  and  making 
no  provision  whatever  either  for  the  supply  of  the  many  steamers 
attached  to  the  coast  survey,  or  for  the  designing  and  superintending 
the  construction  of  such  new  machinery  as  the  continually  increasing 
wants  of  the  service  may  require.  It  therefore  follows,  as  the  nec- 
essary consequence,  either  that  the  duty  afloat  must  be  performed 
by  an  insufficient  number  of  engineers — and  those,  too,  taken  from 
the  lower  grades,  not  possessing  the  requisite  experience  and  knowl- 
edge for  its  proper  performance — or  the  more  important,  and  indeed 
paramount,  shore  duties  must  be  neglected. 

The  Department  has  therefore  preferred  the  former,  rather  than 
incor  the  loss  and  inconvenience  of  the  latter.  From  the  very 
commencement  of  the  steam  navy  there  has  scarcely  ever  been  a 
steamship  in  commission  with  the  full  complement  of  engineers. 
Those  Engineers,  therefore,  who  are  ordered  on  duty  afloat — a  duty 
which  tasks  arduously  their  physical  qualities — have  thrown  upon 
them  a  much  greater  amount  than  can  fairly  be  performed  with  jus- 
ioe,  either  to  themselves  or  the  government.  And  if  the  latter 
Iternative  were  preferred,  and  the  service  afloat  -filXed  with  the  pre- 


180  THE  STBAM  NAVY  OP  THB  UNITED  STATES. 

scribed  nnmber  of  Engineers,  it  would  keep  the  whole  corps  at  sea, 
continually  absent  from  their  families,  and  without  the  rotation  of 
shore  duty  enjoyed  by  other  ofScers  of  the  nayy. 

The  present  organization  allows  one  chief  engineer,  (conunifl- 
sioned  by  the  President),  two  first  assistant,  two  second  assistant, 
and  three  third  assistant  engineers,  for  each  steamer-of-wa/r.  All 
the  assistant  engineers  hold  their  appointments  by  warrant  of  the 
Honorable  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

The  present  number  of  steamers-of-war  actually  in  conmiission 
is  ten^  and  in  the  course  of  four  months  five  more  will  probably  be 
added — making  fifteen^  in  all,  in  commission  by  the  first  of  June 
next. 

The  present  organization  authorizes  the  appointment  of  fifteen 
chief,  thirty  first  assistant,  thirty  second  assistant,  and  forty-five 
third  assistant  engineers.  Now,  by  the  first  of  June,  next,  twelve 
chief,  twenty-seven  first  assistant,  twenty-seven  second  assistant, 
and  thirty-nine  third  assistant  engineers  will  be  required  for  service 
afloat^  in  naval  steamers,  leaving  but  three  chief  and  twelve  assist- 
ant engineers  to  perform  the  various  shore  duties,  and  engineer  the 
six  coast  survey  steamers.  From  this  it  will  be  seen  how  insufficient 
the  present  organization  is,  to  provide  for  even  a  reasonable  approx- 
imation of  the  requisite  number. 

Further  :  the  original  organization  contemplating  only  a  provis- 
ion for  the  mcmagement  of  the  machinery  of  the  steam  ships,  provides 
merely  for  a  chief  engineer  afloat  as  the  highest  grade  ;  but,  as  has 
been  before  shown,  the  construction  of  this  machinery  has  been  also 
superintended  by  the  engineers  of  the  navy.  Now,  it  is  well  known 
that  designing  and  constructing  machinery  requires  a  much  higher 
order  of  ability  than  its  after  management ;  and  when  the  two  du- 
ties are  to  be  performed  by  the  same  Corps,  those  distinct  offices 
should  be  performed  by  distinct  grades — those  of  the  highest  talent 
being  taken  from  the  one  to  form  the  other. 

The  organization  of  1842  is,  therefore,  insufficient,  in  not  hav- 
ing this  provision,  and  we  suggest  to  your  honorable  bodies  the 
propriety  of  adding  another  grade,  formed  from  the  present  grade 
of  chief  engineers,  {without  increase  of  p(vy\  to  be  called  ^^  Inspect- 
ore  of  Machinery  Ashore  amd  Afloat.'^  ^  In  the  British  Navy,  the 
necessities  of  their  largest  steam  marine  have  already  compelled  the 


THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  181 

organization  here  recommended,  and  from  them  the  title  of  '^In- 
spectors of  Machinery  "  ii  borrowed. 

Another  reason  for  enlarging  the  engineer  corps  is  furnished  by 
the  fact  that  a  considerable  extension  of  our  steam  marine  most  soon 
be  made,  and  it  is  impossible  to  create  good  naval  engineers  as  fast 
as  it  is  possible  to  build  steamships. 

All  other  corps  are  sufficiently  numerous  to  anticipate  a  consid- 
erable increase  of  the  navy,  while  the  engineers  are  too  few  even 
for  the  present  service.  Were  a  sudden  enlargement  of  the  steam 
marine  now  to  be  made,  the  Engineer  Corps  will  have  to  be  filled 
with  such  talent  as  could  be  immediately  commanded — not  such  as 
would  be  desired — and  the  public  interests  would  inevitably  suffer 
as  a  consequence. 

We  would  urge  upon  your  honorable  bodies  the  strong  proba- 
bility, which  will  scarcely  be  contested  by  any  who  have  bestowed 
the  proper  reflection  upon  the  subject,  that  in  20  years  there  will  be 
no  naval  vessels  unpropelled  in  whole  or  in  part  by  steam.  The 
introduction  of  steam  for  all  marine  war  purposes  will  be  compelled 
by  necessity  and  the  pressure  of  circumstances. 

In  conclusion,  we,  your  memorialists,  would  state,  that  in  our 
opinion  the  following  additions  to  the  present  organization  are  neces- 
sary to  render  the  engineer  corps  equal  to  the  performance  of  the 
services  required  of  it,  viz  : 

The  addition  of  the  higher  grade  of  Inspector  of  machinery 
ashore  and  afloat.  An  inspector  of  machinery  ashore  to  be  allowed  for 
each  of  the  principal  navy  yards,  and  a  chief  engineer  for  each  of 
the  other  navy  yards  ;  also,  an  assistant  Engineer  of  each  grade  for 
each  navy-yard.  An  inspector  of  machinery  afloat  to  be  allowed 
for  each  squadron  containing  two  or  more  steamers. 

The  inspector  of  machinery  for  the  Washington  Navy  Yard 
to  be  attached  to  the  office  of  engineer-in-chief  of  the  Navy  and 
to  perform  such  duties  as  the  engineer-in-chief  may  require  of 
him. 

The  inspectors  of  machinery  to  receive  the  same  pay  and  be 
ntitled  to  the  same  privileges  and  immunities  in  all  respects  as 
hief  engineers,  and  to  be  commissioned  in  the  same  manner  as 
Uef  Engineers. 

The  inspectors  of  machinery  now  required  to  be  selected  by  the 


182  THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Navy  from  the  present  grade  of  Chief  En- 
gineers, bnt  that  thereafter  all  promotions  to  that  grade  to  be  made 
by  examination  by  a  Board  of  Inspectors  of  machinery. 

Believing  the  above  facts  to  be  trnthfnlly  stated  and  relying  on 
the  wisdom  and  justice  of  your  honorable  bodies,  we  respectfully 
solicit  for  them  a  favorable  consideration. 

Ohablbs  B.  Stuabt, 
Engineer-in-Ohief,  U.  8.  N.  Navy. 

B.  F.  ISHBRWOOD, 

Chief  Engineer  U.  S.  N.  for  the 
grade  of  Chief  Engineer. 

J.  W.  King, 
First  Assistant  Engineer  U.  S.  N. 
For  the  grade  of  Asst.  Engineer. 

A  bill  providing  for  more  engineers  on  the  lines  of  the  petition 
was  favorably  reported  by  the  naval  committees  of  Congress,  bnt 
like  the  great  majority  of  naval  bills,  failed  to  reach  a  vote  through 
lack  of  interest  in  Congress  and  external  opposition.  Soon  after- 
ward work  was  begun  on  the  large  screw  frigates  described  in  the 
preceding  chapter,  and  this  provided  the  opportunity  of  appointing 
engineers  for  them  before  they  were  completed,  nearly  fifty  new 
members  being  added  to  the  corps  in  the  next  three  years  and  thirty 
more  in  the  year  1857. 

In  1856  the  engineers  joined  with  all  other  branches  of  the 
service  in  an  organized  effort  to  obtain  an  increase  of  pay  from 
Congress  ;  this  effort  is  noteworthy  from  the  fact,  that  probably  it  is 
the  only  instance  on  record  where  all  the  corps  of  the  navy  laying 
aside  their  rivalries  and  jealousies  honestly  worked  together  for  a 
common  purpose,  also  for  the  more  especial  and  important  reason 
that  their  united  effort  was  successful. 

The  writer  has  been  fortunate  enough  to  have  been  given  a  copy 
of  a  circular  letter  prepared  by  the  olBBicers'  committee  in  Washing- 
ton and  sent  to  all  olBBicers  of  the  service,  directing  the  manner  to  be 
observed  in  furthering  their  endeavor,  which  letter  is  here  repro- 
duced as  an  instructive  example  of  the  method  of  going  about  the 
difficult  task  of  securing  legislation  for  the  navy. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  183 

"Washington,  December,  8,  1866. 
'^Sik:  At  a  meeting  of  Nayal  Officers,  held  in  this  city  on 
the  6th  instant,  with  the  view  of  concert  of  action  in  advocating 
the  necessity  of  a  general  increase  of  pay  for  the  Navy,  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  unanimously  appointed  a  committee,  charged  with 
the  management  of  the  memorial  to  which  yonr  signature  is  ap- 
pended, viz : 

W.  W.  Hunter,  Commander. 

Charles  Steedman,         '< 

Thomas  B.  Neille^  Purser. 

Harwell  WoodhuU,  Lieutenant. 

Roger  N.  Stembel,  '' 

Henry  A.  Wise,  " 

Joel  S.  Eennard,  '* 

William  G.  Temple,  " 

John  M.  Brooke,  " 

A.  W.  Johnson,  " 

Robert  Woodworth,  Surgeon. 

Mordecai  Yamall,  Professor  of  Mathematics. 

William  Chauvenet,       **         "  " 

Joseph  S.  Hubbard,      ''         "  '' 

Montgomery  Fletcher,  First  Assistant  Engineer. 

James  C.  Warner,  "  "  " 

''On  the  evening  following,  a  sub-commiitee  was  appointed 
from  this  Body,  under  instructions  to  wait  on  the  Hon.  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  present  the  Memorial  officially,  make  known  the  views 
of  the  memorialists,  the  action  which  had  been  already  taken,  and 
to  consult  with  him  as  to  the  course  most  promissory  of  success. 

"  The  Secretary  suggested  the  presentation  of  the  Memorial 
to  Congress  through  the  Chairman  of  the  Naval  Committees,  and 
that  if  any  suggestions  as  to  the  mode  of  increase  were  elicited  from 
the  Committee,  the  most  simple  should  be  offered  ;  he  has  no  objec- 
tion to  the  exercise  of  ^hBteyer  personal  influence  officers  may  pos- 
less  with  Members  of  Congress  in  furtherance  of  our  object,  but 
le  will  not  approve  indiscriminate  approach  to  these  gentlemen  ; 
ndeed  such  action  would  not  comport  with  the  dignity  of  our  posi- 
Ion  as  members  of  the  Naval  profession. 


184  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATBa 

^'  The  Secretary,  although  sensible  of  the  necessity  and  propri- 
ety of  onr  application  for  an  increase  of  pay,  and  willing  to  heartily 
second  onr  efforts  in  that  direction,  is  not  disposed  to  favor  per  cent- 
age  on  sea-service  ;  he  is  of  opinion  that  such  a  mode  of  increase 
would  not  be  strictly  jnst  in  its  operation  on  the  higher  grades  of 
the  service. 

'^  At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  General  Committee  it  was 
ananimously  resolved  :  '  That,  if  our  suggestions  upon  the  subject 
were  solicited  by  the  Naval  Committees,  we  should  simply  state, 
that,  in  our  opinion,  an  addition  of  thirty  per  cent,  to  our  present 
pay,  all  around,  and  in  each  grade^  would  not  be  taxing  too  much 
the  liberality  of  Congress. ' 

'^  As  a  matter  of  course,  the  Naval  Committees,  should  they 
require  information  upon  this  subject,  will  direct  its  enquiries  to  the 
Head  of  the  Navy  Department.  So  far  as  individual  action  of  the 
officers  is  concerned,  judicious  management  and  unanimity  of 
opinion  is  certainly  necessary.  It  is  with  this  view,  and  to  prevent 
embarrassment,  which  might  result  in  a  defeat  of  the  object  con- 
templated, that  we  address  to  you  this  circular.  This  Committee, 
acting  in  the  spirit  of  fairness  and  justice,  wopld  claim  your  confi- 
dence and  earnest  support. 

''  It  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  the  expression  of  adverse  views 
upon  Naval  matters  before  Congress  tends  to  obstruct  the  action  of 
that  body,  and  we  beg  that  in  the  exercise  of  whatever  personal 
force  you  may  be  able  to  bring  to  the  advancement  and  success  of  this 
measure,  you  will  support  the  recommendation  of  your  committee. ' ' 

A  bill  entitled  ^^A  bill  to  increase  and  regulate  the 
pay  of  the  navy,"  was  introduced  and  experienced  the  various 
vicissitudes  of  bills  for  two  congresses,  finally  becoming  a  law  on 
the  1st  of  June,  1860.  By  the  terms  of  the  act  an  increase  of  pay 
of  about  twenty-five  per  cent,  in  every  grade  and  corps  was  pro- 
vided for,  and  a  longevity  scale  adopted,  the  majority  of  the  grades 
being  provided  with  four  rates  of  pay  increasing  with  length  of  ser- 
vice.    The  following  rates  were  fixed  for  the  engineer  corps: 

Chief  Engikksbs,  (on  duty). 

For  first  five  years  after  date  of  commission f  1,800 

For  second  five  years  after  date  of  commission 2,  SCO 


THE  8TBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  185 

For  third  fire  years  after  date  of  commission |2,460 

After  fifteen  years  from  date  of  commission 2, 600 

On  LKAVB,  OB  WATTING  OBDBB8. 

For  first  five  years  after  date  of  commission f  1,200 

For  second  five  years  after  date  of  commission 1,300 

For  third  five  years  after  date  of  conmiission 1, 400 

After  fifteen  years  from  date  of  commission 1,600 

FntsT  Assistant  Enginssbs. 

On  duty fl,250 

On  leave,  or  waiting  orders 900 

SxooND  Assistant  Engineers. 

On  dnty |1,000 

On  leave,  or  waiting  orders 750 

Thibd  Assistant  Enginbbbs. 

On  duty I    760 

On  leave,  or  waiting  orders 600 

In  January  1859  Mr.  Toucey,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
issued  the  following  general  order  conferring  naval  rank  upon  the 
ofiicers  of  the  engineer  corps: 

'*  Chief  engineers  of  more  than  twelve  years  will  rank  with 
conmianders. 

"Chief  engineers  of  less  than  twelve  years  with  lieutenants. 

"  First  assistant  engineers  next  after  lieutenants. 

'^  Second  assistant  engineers  next  after  masters. 

"  Third  assistant  engineers  with  midshipmen. 

**This  order  confers  no  authority  to  exercise  military  command, 
except  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  and  no  additional  right  to 
i]aarters." 

This  order  was  affirmed  by  Congress  March  3,  1859,  with  the 
words  "except  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties"  stricken  out, 
which  omission  merely  served  to  emphasize  the  embarrassment  of 


186  THE  CTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  engineers  in  controlling  their  own  men  aboard  ship,  where  their 
authority  was  necessarily  military,  or  else  no  authority  at  all. 

Orders  defining  the  rank  of  surgeons  and  paymasters,  similar 
to  the  above,  had  been  in  existence  for  some  time  and  the  status 
thus  conferred  was  generally  satisfactory  to  the  staff  officers.  That 
it  was  not  satisfactory  to  others  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  de- 
partment had  to  re-affirm  the  staff  officers'  rank  by  the  following 
order,  issued  February  25,  1861: 

'^Surgeons  of  the  fleet,  surgeons,  paymasters,  and  chief  en- 
gineers of  more  than  twelve  years,  rank  with*  commanders.  Sur- 
geons, paymasters,  and  chief  engineers  of  less, than  twelve  years, 
rank  with  lieutenants.  Passed  assistant  surgeons  and  first  assistant 
engineers  rank  next  after  lieutenants.  Assistant  surgeons  and 
second  assistant  engineers  next  after  masters,  and  third  assistant 
engineers  with  midshipmen. 

^^  This  rank  is  now  established  by  law,  and  neither  the  depart- 
ment nor  any  officer  in  command  has  authority  to  withhold  it,  or  the 
honors  which  belong  to  it. 

"  Commanding  and  executive  officers  of  whatever  grade,  while 
on  duty,  take  precedence  of  surgeons,  paymasters  and  engineers, 
and  the  effect  of  this  precedence  is  to  elevate  the  former,  but  not  to 
depress  the  latter,  or  to  detract  from  the  rank  or  the  honors  of  the 
rank  already  secured  to  them.  Commanders,  while  on  duty  as 
commanding  officers,  will  have  a  corporal's  guard.  Lieutenants, 
while  on  duty  as  executive  officers,  will  wear  on  the  cuffs  a  gold 
embroidered  star,  one  inch  and  a  quarter  in  diameter,  to  be  placed 
one  half  of  an  inch  above  the  stripe  of  gold  lace,  and  these  will 
indicate  the  precedence  to  which  they  are  by  law  entitled." 

An  entirely  new  schedule  of  requirements  for  admission  and 
promotion  of  officers  in  the  engineer  corps  was  issued  in  1859,  the 
regulations  in  full  are  as  follows: 

Regulations  fob  Admission  and  Promotion  in  thb  Engineer  Corps. 

Before  persons  can  be  appointed  assistant  engineers  in  the  navy, 
they  must  have  passed  a  satisfactory  examination  before  a  board  of 
at  least  three  engineers,  designated  at  such  times  as  the  wants  of 


r 


THE  8TBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  187 

the  service  require.  Application  for  permission  to  appear  be- 
fore such  board  mnst  be  made  in  writing  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  accompanied  by  satisfactory  testimonials  as  to  good  moral 
character,  correct  habits,  and  sonnd  constitution.  The  application 
will  be  registered,  and  when  a  board  next  meets,  permission  will  be 
sent  to  the  applicant,  stating  the  time  and  place  of  the  meeting  of 
the  Board. 

In  the  examination  for  a  third  assistant  engineer^  the  candidate 
mnst  be  able  to  describe  all  the  diflEerent  parts  of  ordinary  condens- 
ing and  non-condensing  engines,  and  explain  their  uses  and  their 
mechanical  operation ;  to  explain  the  manner  of  putting  engines  in 
operation,  how  to  regulate  and  modify  their  action,  and  the  manner 
of  guarding  against  danger  from  the  boilers,  by  the  means  usually 
applied  to  them  for  that  purpose.  He  will  be  expected  to  write  a 
fair,  legible  hand,  and  to  be  well  acquainted  with  arithmetic  and  the 
mensuration  of  surfaces  and  solids  of  the  regular  forms;  to  have 
worked  not  less  (ban  one  year  in  a  marine  engine  manufactory,  and 
present  testimonials  of  his  mechanical  ability  from  the  director  of 
the  establishment  in  which  he  may  have  served.  He  must  not  be  less 
than  twenty  nor  more  than  twenty-six  years  of  age. 

Candidates  for  promotion  to  the  rank  oi  second  assistant  engineer 
most  have  served  at  least  two  years  as  third  assistants  in  the  manage- 
ment of  steam  engines  in  the  navy  in  actual  service,  must  produce 
testimonials  of  good  conduct  from  the  commanders  and  senior  engi- 
neers of  the  vessels  in  which  they  may  have  served,  and  must  pass 
-a  satisfactory  examination  upon  the  subjects,  and  to  the  extent  pre- 
scribed for  third  assistants;  they  must  likewise  be  able  to  explain 
the  peculiarities  of  the  different  kinds  of  valves,  the  construction  of 
expansion  valves,  the  manner  of  their  operation,  the  remedies  which 
are  usually  resorted  to,  to  check  foaming  in  boilers;  must  possess  a 
knowledge  of  the  usual  causes  of  derangement  in  the  operation  of 
air  pumps,  force  pumps,  and  feed  pipes,  the  proper  preventives  and 
remedies,  and  the  mode  of  cleaning  boilers  when  required.  They 
must  have  a  general  knowledge  of  the  mensuration  of  surfaces  and 
lolids. 

Before  promotion  to  the  rank  ot  first  assistojit  engineer  candi- 
^tes  must  have  been  employed  at  least  three  years  as  second  assis- 
ant  engineers  in  the  management  of  steam  engines  in  actual  service. 


188  THE  STEAM  NAVT  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

and  produce  testimonials  of  character  and  good  conduct  from  their 
former  commanders  and  superior  engineers;  must  pass  a  satisfactory 
examination  upon  the  subjects  prescribed  for  third  and  second  assis- 
tants, the  mechanical  powers,  the  different  kinds  of  deposits  and  in- 
crustations to  which  boilers  are  exposed,  and  be  able  to  furnish  a 
working  sketch  or  drawing  of  different  parts  of  engines  and  boilers; 
to  superintend  their  construction,  and  determine  upon  their  accuracy 
and  fitness  for  use. 

Promotions  to  the  grade  of  chief  engineer  are  to  be  made  after 
the  candidate  has  served  for  two  years  as  first  assistant  engineer  in 
the  management  of  steam  engines  in  the  navy  in  sea  service,  and 
has  been  examined  upon  any  of  the  subjects  specified  for  assistant, 
which  the  board  may  deem  expedient,  and  after  they  shall  have  sat- 
isfied the  board  of  their  previous  good  conduct  and  character,  of 
their  suflScient  knowledge  of  mechanics  and  natural  philosophy,  of 
the  forms,  arrangements,  and  principles  of  different  kinds  of  steam 
engines,  boilers,  propellers,  and  their  various  dependencies,  which 
have  been  successfully  applied  to  steam  vessels,  and  their  alleged 
relative  advantages,  for  sea  or  river  service,  and  shall  have  attained 
26  years  of  age. 

Candidates  for  promotion  who  may  fail  to  pass  a  satisfactory 
examination  may  be  examined  once  again,  and  if  they  fail  to  pass 
at  the  second  examination  they  shall  be  dropped  from  the  list  of  en- 
gineers. 

Candidates  for  admission  or  promotion  will  be  required  to  fur- 
nish the  board  of  examiners  with  evidence  of  their  abilities  in  the  ex- 
ecution of  mechanical  drawings,  and  their  proficiency  in  penmanship. 

The  examining  board  will  report  the  relative  qualifications  of 
the  persons  examined,  and  number  them,  giving  the  best  qualified 
the  lowest  number. 

When,  in  the  opinion  of  the  department,  the  wants  of  the  ser- 
vice require  the  admission  of  engineers  of  any  grade  above  that  of 
third  assistant,  the  same  qualifications  and  restrictions  as  to  times  of 
service  will  be  exacted  as  by  the  regulations  required  for  promotion 
to  the  grade  in  question:  Provided^  that  all  appointments  to  the 
grade  of  second  assistant  shall  be  made  between  the  ages  of  21  and 
28;  and  to  that  of  first  assistant,  between  25  and  32;  and  to  that  of 
Chief  engineer,  between  28  and  35. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  189 

The  assistants  must  employ  all  favorable  opportunities  for  ac- 
quiring a  practical  knowledge  of  the  fabrication  of  the  different  parts 
of  steam  engines  and  their  dependencies,  that  they  may  be  able  to 
repair  or  replace  snch  parts  as  the  space  and  means  for  making  and 
repairing  can  be  furnished  in  steam  vessels.  When  other  qualifica- 
tions are  equal,  candidates  whose  skill  and  abilities  in  these  particu- 
lars are  superior,  will  have  precedence  over  others  for  admission  or 
promotion,  who  may  be  considered  equal  in  other  particulars. 

ISAAO   TOUOEY, 

Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
Navy  Department,  May  7,  1859. 

During  this  decade  immediately  preceding  the  Civil  War  the 
supremacy  of  steam  power  over  sails  as  a  means  of  marine  locomo- 
tion came  to  be  very  generally  admitted  in  the  naval  service,  even 
by  the  most  conservative,  and  the  work  of  creating  an  efficient  steam 
fleet  was  begun  in  earnest.  Of  the  many  opinions  and  reports  origi- 
nating in  the  navy  about  this  time  and  dealing  with  the  subject  of 
steam  versus  sails,  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  valuable  that  has 
been  preserved  is  a  letter  by  Chief  Engineer  Jesse  Gay  of  the  Miss- 
issippi which  exhibits  so  much  good  practical  sense  in  looking  at  the 
question,  that  it  is  here  copied  for  the  benefit  of  a  younger  genera- 
tion of  naval  oflicers,  some  of  Mr.  Gay's  views  even  yet  being 
pertinent  to  naval  economy. 

U.  S.  Steamer  Mississippi, 

At  Sea,  NoYember  8,  1861. 

Sib:  After  long  experience  on  board  of  this  ship,  a  careful  obser- 
vation of  the  defects,  with  a  wish  to  render  her  more  efficient,  I  take 
the  liberty  to  make  the  following  observations,  and  suggest  improve- 
ments, which,  if  adopted,  will  render  the  Mississippi  more  useful, 
efficient  and  safe. 

The  objects  to  be  attained  in  a  War  Steamer  are,  first,  weight 
^f  battery.  Second,  speed  by  steam,  with  an  economical  expend i- 
ire  of  coals.  Third,  to  combine  her  steam  and  sails,  so  that  one 
lall  not  be  transported  at  the  expense  of  the  other.  A  ship  of  war, 
Ithout  guns,  would  be  perfectly  defenseless;  a  war  steamer,  with 
kcumbrance  on  her  steam  power,  is  equally  so.     The  sails  of  the 


190  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

JtRssissippi  are  auxiliary  to  her  steam;  with  her  sails  nnaided  by  the 
engines,  she  is  helpless;  on  the  other  hand  her  engines  are  sufficient 
to  handle  her  without  the  assistance  of  sails.  The  conclusion  is, 
therefore,  that  the  less  the  engines  are  encumbered  with  the  spars 
and  sails,  which  are  useless,  the  better  for  efficiency  and  safety. 
Again,  if  a  ship  is  overburdened  with  sails,  spars,  steam  engines, 
boilers,  besides  any  useless  weight,  it  deducts  the  same  number  of 
pounds  from  her  battery,  or  immerses  her  to  a  dangerous  depth  in 
the  water,  obstructs  her  speed,  and  occasions  a  useless  expenditure 
of  coal,  for  which  a  small  compensation  is  obtained. 

The  spars  and  sails  of  the  Mississippi  are  too  large;  if  they  were 
reduced  to  the  proper  size,  her  speed  would  be  augmented  more  than 
one  knot  per  hour,  allowing  her  to  draw  the  same  water.     The  en- 
gines not  only  have  her  vast  hull  to  propel,  but  the  great  surface  of 
spars,  which  are  a  great  obstruction  to  the  speed.     It  is  supposed 
the  larger  the  sails  the  more  assistance  they  are  capable  of  rendering. 
This  is  a  mistaken  idea,  as  experience  abundantly  has  shown;  a  pro- 
per area  of  sails  is  unquestionably  advantageous,  but  this  area  must 
not  exceed  a  limit  at  which  they  would  be  an  obstruction  to   speed 
by  steam.     When  the  winds  are  tair,  a  six  knot  breeze  is  required 
before  the  sails  are  of  any  use  in  propelling  the  ship  conjointly  with 
steam  power;  if  the  winds  are  strong  a  large  spread  of  canvas  is 
dangerous.     In  a  storm,  only  a  sufficient  quantity  is  necessary  to 
steady  the  ship,  and  this  will  of  course  be,fore  and  aft  sails.     With 
light  fair  winds,  the  power  of  the  engines  will  bring  light  airs  ahead; 
thus,  a  steamer  will  most  of  the  time  have  light  airs  ahead,  or  occa- 
sionally aft,  but  not  in  sufficient  force  to  make  her  sails  effective; 
hence,  it  is  clear  that  her  great  spars  are  an  encumbrance  to  her 
speed  under  most  of  these  circumstances;  the  mainsail  cannot  be 
carried — the  main  topsail  has  seldom  been  used — studding  sails  have 
been  useless — fore  topsail  useful — top-gallant  sails  seldom — ^fore- 
topmast  stay-sail  aud  jib  useful.     The  useful  sails  are  fore  and  main 
trysails,  fore  topmast  stay  sail  and  jib,  and  occasionally  the  spanker 
with  effect.     With  moderate  or  fresh  breezes  ahead,  the  top  gallant 
sails  are  necessarily  sent  down;  in  strong  head  winds,  lower  yards 
and  top  masts  are  also  sent  down.     In  fine  weather  all  these  spars 
are  again  sent  up  to  improve  the  appearance  of  the  ship.     All   this 
has  to  be  done  at  the  expense  of  labor  of  the  crew,  while  the  very 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  191 

spara  which  are  so  often  sent  up  and  down  are  seldom  of  any  use  in 
propelling  the  ship.  The  ship  may  be  propelled  by  the  aid  of  her 
sails,  but  in  a  very  awkard  manner;  the  first  difiScolty,  the  crew  is 
far  too  small  to  handle  her  immense  sails  with  sufficient  promptitude; 
in  the  second  place,  the  mainmast  is  so  far  abaft  the  centre  of  mo> 
tion  that  all  the  sails  upon  it,  (except  with  a  wind  directly  aft),  are 
of  but  little  or  no  use;  the  foremast  is  also  too  far  forward.  All 
these  difficulties  it  is  impossible  to  obviate;  with  sails  alone  she  is  a 
clumsy  ship,  hardly  capable  of  handling  herself;  she  never  can  be 
an  auxiliary  steamer  with  her  masts  in  their  present  position,  the 
moBt  important  of  which  cannot  be  moved  (the  main).  But  these 
are  not  all  the  difficulties;  the  great  length  of  spars  produce  another 
difficulty  of  equal  damage  to  her  efficiency,  which  must  exist  with 
her  great  spars,  viz:  spare  sails,  spars  and  rigging  must  be  put  into 
the  ship  to  the  amount  of  many  tons;  this  weight  only  adds  to  her  im- 
mersion and  reduces  her  speed;  or,  in  other  words,  it  requires  a 
portion  of  her  steam  power  to  transport  this  useless  weight,  which 
does  nothing  to  efficiency,  speed  or  safety.  As  I  before  remarked, 
all  the  unnecessary  weight  put  into  a  War  Steamer,  deducts  the 
same  from  her  general  efficiency  and  safety.  On  two  occasions  she 
has  been  fitted  for  a  cruise  with  all  the  spare  material  on  board, 
which  rendered  her  dangerously  deep  and  almost  unfit  for  sea,  and 
1  believe  a  very  small  proportion  of  these  sails  and  spare  spars  have 
ever  been  used,  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  put  on  board. 

To  remedy  the  difficulties  I  have  enumerated,  I  suggest  that 
the  spars,  including  lower  masts,  be  reduced  to  a  proper  dimension, 
which  would  not  exceed  in  weight  more  than  one  half  the  present 
ones;  this  would  be  a  reduction  of  many  tons,  beside  the  reduction 
of  weight  of  spare  spars,  sails  and  rigging,  the  saving  to  convert  to 
more  useful  purposes  room  which  it  now  occupies,  and  with  this  re- 
daction the  sails,  rigging,  etc.,  would  be  useful,  where  now  it  is  so 
unwieldly  as  not  to  be  used  at  all.  Again,  if  this  reduction  was 
made,  the  sails  and  spars  would  be  proportioned  to  her  crews,  and 
^uld  then  be  worked  with  ease,  where  now  they  cannot. 

Besides  the  reduction  of  spars,  she  requires  a  reduction  in  the 

eight  of  her  anchors  (she  now  carries  four,  which  weigh  63  cwt. 
'  ^ich;  she  only  requires  two,  or  if  four,  of  much  less  weight  than  the 

esent)  this  would  also  reduce  the  weight  of  chain.     At  no  time  du- 


192  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

ring  this  cruise  has  she  reqaired  more  than  two  anchors;  late  in  the 
cruise  a  mnch  smaller  one  was  snbstitnted  for  one  of  the  aboye 
weight;  this  has  been  found  sufficient  and  much  less  labor  to  work  it. 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  a  steamer  is  more  secure  with  two 
anchors  (and  not  extremely  heavy  ones)  than  a  sailing  ship  is  with 
four.  The  engines  themselves  are  a  greater  security  than  two  an- 
chors; hence,  a  steamer  does  not  require  so  great  weight  of  anchor. 

If  the  forgoing  suggestions  were  followed  out  the  Jtississippi 
could  then  carry  two  or  four  more  guns,  and  draw  less  water  than  she 
now  does;  her  speed> would  be  augmented  with  the  same  expenditure 
of  coal.  She  would  have  more  room  to  berth  her  crew,  which  she 
much  needs;  her  expenses  would  be  reduced,  and  she  would  be  more 
formidable;  but  if  her  present  spars  are  retained,  all  of  these  quali- 
ties, which  are  so  important  in  a  war  steamer,  will  be  lost. 

In  submitting  these  views,  which  I  have  gathered  from  experi- 
ence on  board  the  Missimppi,  I  have  felt  some  delicacy,  knowing 
that  I  have  ventured  opinions  which  do  not  accord  with  theory. 
What  I  have  submitted  is  based  upon  practical  observations  alone, 
for  the  correctness  and  verity  of  which  I  appeal  to  every  experienc- 
ed officer  who  has  sailed  in  her  any  length  of  time.  I  have  also  had 
opportunity  of  seeing  many  foreign  war  steamers,  particularly  those 
of  England  and  France,  the  difference  between  them  and  the  Missi- 
iaaippi  is,  they  carry  less  spars  and  more  guns.  I  have  not  seen  a 
war  steamer  of  any  nation  carrying  so  heavy  spars  as  the  MUdssipph 
but  I  have  frequently  met  with  those  of  much  less  tonnage  and 
power,  carrying  a  much  greater  weight  of  battery. 
I  am  very  respectfully. 

Tour  obedient  servant, 

Jbssb  Oay, 
Oapt.  John  C.  Long,  Chief  Engineer. 

Com.  U.  S.  Steamer  Mississippi, 


r 


CHAPTER  XII. 

''  There's  a  demon,  and  he  dwelleth  in  the  dram ; 
See  the  yolnnteers  as  down  the  street  they  eome. 
Proudly  the  prooession  marches, 
Under  bunting,  nnder  arches. 
To  the  rattle,  rattle,  rattle, 
Like  a  yolley  belehed  In  battle. 
And  he  saith : 
I  am  Cain  come  again ;  on  my  forehead  is  the  stain. 

Come, 

Come, 

ComOi  oome,  oome— 

Unto  Death.  "—FRAJircit  Z.  Stonk. 

THB   OIYIL   WAB. 

IN  Captain  Collnm's  excellent  history  of  the  United  States  Marine 
Corps  he  prefaces  his  account  of  the  services  of  the  marines 
during  the  war  of  the  rebellion  with  an  extract  from  Lossing's 
"Civil  War  in  America,"  which  outlines  most  eloquently  the  ser- 
vices rendered  by  the  navy  to  the  nation  during  that  gigantic 
straggle  for  life.  So  correctly  is  the  arduous  and  baffling  character 
of  the  naval  operations  indicated,  and  so  gracefully  is  the  praise  due 
die  navy  accorded,  that  the  author  feels  he  cannot  do  better  than 
introduce  the  same  extract  as  a  prelude  to  what  he  will  have  to  say 
regarding  the  achievements  of  the  naval  engineers  during  that  same 
trying  period. 

'*  In  the  spring  of  the  year  1861  a  civil  war  was  kindled  in  the 
United  States  of  America  which  has  neither  a  pattern  in  character 
Bor  a  precedent  in  causes  recorded  in  the  history  of  mankind.  It 
appears  in  the  annals  of  the  race  as  a  mighty  phenomenon,  but  not 
ftn  inexplicable  one.  Gazers  upon  it  at  this  moment,  when  its 
awfully  grand  and  mysterious  proportions  rather  fill  the  mind  with 
IV  nder  than  excite  the  reason,  look  for  the  half-hidden  springs  of 
it  existence  in  different  directions  among  the  absurdities  of  theory. 
T  ire  is  a  general  agreement,  however,  that  the  terrible  war  was 
cl  Lrly  the  fruit  of  a  conspiracy  against  the  nationality  of  the 
n  iblic,  and  an  attempt,  in  defiance  of  the  laws  of  divine  equity,  to 


Id4  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 

establish  an  empire  upon  a  basis  of  injustice  and  a  denial  of  the 

dearest  rights  of  man It  was  the  rebellion  of  an 

oligarchy  against  the  people,  with  whom  the  sovereign  power  is 
rightfully  lodged. 

^^  The  services  of  the  national  Navy  during  the  war,  on  account 
of  their  peculiarity,  attracted  less  attention  than  those  of  the  army, 
and  were  not  appreciated  by  the  people.  They  have  an  equal  claim 
to  the  gratitude  of  the  nation,  so  freely  accorded  to  the  other 
branch  of  the  service.  The  Confederates  having  no  navy,  in  a 
proper  sense,  and  only  flotillas  here  and  there,  and  with  some  pow- 
erful ^  rams'  on  rivers  and  in  harbors,  and  not  a  ship  on  the  ocean, 
excepting  roving  pirate  vessels, — built,  armed,  furnished,  and 
manned  chiefly  by  the  British,  and  cruising  alone, — there  were  few 
occasions  for  purely  naval  battles.  The  whole  force  of  the  Navy 
Department  was  employed  in  the  services  of  blockade,  in  assisting 
the  attacks  of  the  armies  on  fortifications  along  the  rivers  and  on  the 
borders  of  the  Gulf  and  the  ocean,  or  in  chasing  the  pirates*  In 
these  fields  of  great  usefulness  the  national  vessels  performed  labors 
of  incalculable  value,  and  officers  and  men  exhibited  skill,  valor, 
and  fortitude  unsurpassed. 

'*  Never  in  the  history  of  the  world  were  there  occasions  for 
such  exhausting  labors  and  highest  courage  in  service  afloat  as  the 
American  Navy  was  subjected  to  in  its  operations  among  the  rivers 
and  bayous  of  the  southwestern  regions  of  the  Republic.  Many  a 
victory  over  which  the  people  have  shouted  themselves  hoarse  in 
giving  plaudits  to  the  gallant  army  might  never  have  been  achieved 
but  for  the  co-operation  of  the  Navy.  To  the  common  observer  it, 
in  many  instances,  seemed  to  be  only  an  auxiliary,  or  wholly  a 
secondary  force,  when,  in  truth,  it  was  an  equals  if  not  the  chiefs 
power  in  gaining  a  victory.  Without  it,  what  might  have  been  the 
result  of  military  operations  at  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  Shiloh 
and  all  along  the  Mississippi  River,  especially  at  Yicksburg,  Port 
Hudson,  and  New  Orleans  ;  what  at  Mobile,  Pensacola,  Key  West, 
along  the  Florida  seaboard,  the  sea-coast  islands,  Charleston  and 
the  borders  of  North  Carolina,  and  even  in  holding  Fortress  Monroe 
and  Norfolk  ? 

"  Notwithstanding  the  weak  condition  of  the  naval  service,  the 
decree  went  forth,  in  the  spring  of  1861,  that  all  the  ports  of  the 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.   ,  195 

States  wherein  rebellion  existed  must  be  closed  against  commerce 
bj  a  strict  blockade.  Foreign  nations  protested  and  menaced,  iut 
the  work  vhm  done.  There  were  no  dock-yards  or  workmen  adequate 
to  oonstmct  the  vessels  needed  for  the  service,  yet  snch  was  the 
energy  of  the  Department  that  an  unrelazing  blockade  was  main- 
tained for  four  years,  from  the  Gapes  of  the  Chesapeake  to  the  Bio 
Grande,  while  a  flotilla  of  gunboats,  protecting  and  aiding  the  army 
in  its  movements,  penetrated  and  patrolled  our  rivers,  through  an 
internal  navigation  almost  continental,  from  the  Potomac  to  the 
Mississippi.  Ingenuity  and  mechanical  skill  developed  amazing  in- 
ventions.  That  marine  monster,  the  Monitor,  was  created  and 
began  a  new  era  in  naval  warfare  ;  and  the  world  was  suddenly  en- 
riched by  new  discoveries  in  naval  service.  Vessels  of  the  merchant 
service  were  purchased  and  converted  into  strong  warriors  ;  and  men 
from  that  service  were  invited  to  man  them.  Schools  were  estab- 
lished for  nautical  instruction  ;  dock-yards  were  enlarged  and  filled 
with  workmen  ;  and  very  soon  a  large  number  of  vessels  were 
afloat,  watching  the  harbors  under  the  ban.  No  less  than  two  hun- 
dred and  eight  war  vessels  were  constructed,  and  most  of  them 
fitted  out  during  the  four  years  ;  and  four  hundred  and  eighteen 
yessels  were  purchased  and  converted  into  war  ships. 

^' The  blockading  service  was  performed  with  great  vigor  and 
efficiency  under  the  triple  stimulus  of  patriotism,  duty,  and  personal 
emolument.  The  British  government  professed  to  be  neutral,  but 
British  merchants  and  adventurers  were  allowed  to  send  swarms  of 
swift-winged  steamers,  laden  with  arms,  ammunition,  clothing,  and 
everything  needed  by  the  insurgents,  to  run  the  blockade.  The 
profits  of  such  operations  were  enormous,  but  the  risks  were  equally 
80  ;  and  it  is  believed  that  a  true  balance-sheet  would  show  no 
profits  left,  in  the  aggregate,  with  the  foreign  violators  of  the  law. 
The  number  of  such  vessels  captured  and  destroyed  during  the  re- 
bellion by  the  national  Navy  was  fifteen  hundred  and  four.  The 
gross  proceeds  of  property  captured  and  condemned  as  lawful  prize 
before  the  first  of  November  following  the  close  of  the  war  amounted 
to  nearly  twenty-two  millions  of  dollars,  which  sum  was  subse- 
quently enlarged  by  new  decisions.  The  value  of  the  vessels  cap- 
tured and  destroyed  (eleven  hundred  and  forty-nine  captured  and 
hree  hundred  and  fifty-five  destroyed)  was  not  less  than  seven  mil- 


196  THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

lion  of  dollars,  making  a  total  loss,  chiefly  to  British  owners,  of  at 
least  thirty  million  of  dollars." 

It  is  not  believed  that  the  distinguished  historian  from  whose 
work  the  above  is  quoted  has  in  the  least  overstated  the  value  of 
the  services  rendered  the  nation  by  the  navy  daring  the  Civil  War. 
As  the  length  of  time  increases  since  the  conclusion  of  that  struggle, 
we  are  getting  to  study  its  events  more  carefully  and  to  be  more 
critical  in  analyzing  the  exact  relationship  between  causes  and 
effects.  An  analysis  that  was  quite  impracticable  in  the  years 
immediately  succeeding  the  close  of  the  war  because  at  that  time 
men's  minds  were  filled  with  the  magnitude  and  brilliancy  of  the 
achievements  of  an  army  numerically  so  enormous  as  to  eclipse  en- 
tirely the  naval  force,  and  in  which  a  personal  interest  was  com- 
pelled from  the  very  circumstance  of  its  greatness,  which  necessit- 
ated representation  in  its  ranks  of  every  family  within  the  borders 
of  the  nation.  The  blockade  of  the  sea  coast  alone,  of  the  revolted 
territory,  cannot  appear  now  in  any  other  light  than  a  deciding 
factor  in  the  ultimate  conquest  of  the  Confederacy.  Had  the 
Southern  states  been  free  to  ship  their  cotton  to  Europe  and  ex- 
change it  for  provisions  and  munitions  of  war,  who  is  wise  enough  to 
say  when  the  end  would  have  come  t  Could  the  invasion  of  the 
South  been  possible  had  not  the  naval  force,  hovering  over  the 
coasts  with  ceaseless  vigilance  for  more  than  three  years,  practic- 
ally disarmed  the  Confederacy  and  starved  its  people  into  submis- 
sion by  depriving  them  of  the  benefits  of  commerce  ? 

In  telling  the  story  of  the  maintenance  of  the  blockade  it  is 
impossible  to  give  too  much  credit  for  results  to  the  naval  engineers 
serving  in  the  blockading  squadrons.  A  great  object  in  view  was 
to  keep  the  vessels  in  condition  to  remain  on  their  stations,  for  the 
removal  of  even  one  steamer  at  a  time  meant  the  weakening  of  the 
line  of  watchers  and  might  involve  a  breaking  of  the  blockade,  and 
this  duty  to  a  great  extent  fell  upon  the  engineers,  for  without 
steam  power — always  ready — the  ships  were  worthless.  In  hastily 
constructed  gunboats,  or  commercial  vessels  as  hastily  equipped  for 
war  purposes,  without  an  adequate  supply  of  engineering  stores  and 
without  proper  tools  or  facilities  for  effecting  repairs,  the  duties  of 
the  engineers  were  the  most  difficult  and  fretting  that  can  be 
imagined;  notwithstanding  which,  they,  as  a  rule  were  found  equal 


\ 


r 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  197 

to  the  emerfi:eiicies  that  confronted  them  and  succeeded  in  keeping 
their  ships  and  the  blockade  e£Scient,  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  the  engineering  talent  of  every  sea-port  of  Great  Britain  was 
arrayed  against  them  in  the  effort  to  produce  marine  machinery 
that  conld  over-endnre  that  of  the  Federal  vessels. 

The  author  has  been  favored  with  a  large  number  of  letters 
from  men  who  as  regular  or  volunteer  engineers  performed  their 
share  in  the  labor  of  making  a  rigorous  blockade  possible,  and  from 
the  recital  of  trials  and  hardships  thus  presented  he  cannot  but  mar- 
vel at  the  faithfulness,  loyalty,  and  thoroughness  of  the  services 
rendered.  The  engineers  shared  with  other  officers  the  dangers  of 
battle,  pestilence,  and  storm,  as  well  as  the  hardships  due  to  im- 
proper food  and  insufficient  clothing,  and  in  addition,  they  had  to 
struggle  constantly  with  the  discouraging  task  of  keeping  old  and 
worn-out,  or  new  and  badly  adjusted,  machinery  in  working  order; 
a  task  that  permitted  no  rest  for  either  body  or  mind.  A  record  of 
the  make-shifts,  alterations,  inventions  and  substitutes  to  which 
these  devoted  men  were  compelled  to  resort  from  sheer  lack  of 
proper  mechanical  appliances  to  aid  them  in  their  labors,  would 
prove  a  most  interesting  chapter  in  the  history  of  man's  ingenuity, 
and  would  be  valuable  to  the  engineers  of  to-day,  even  though  our 
Bmallest  gun- vessels  now  carry  excellently  equipped  repair  shops, 
and  are  supplied  with  a  veritable  mine  of  tools,  fittings  and  spare 
parts. 

Had  the  service  been  less  arduous  and  afforded  some  oppor- 
tunities for  rest,  the  possibility  of  securing  it  was  often  wanting. 
Although  absolutely  essential  to  the  well-being  of  the  ship,  in  a 
degree  scarcely  approximated  by  any  other  class  of  officers,  the  en- 
gineer was  too  often  precluded  by  the  nebulous  nature  of  his  relat- 
ive rank  from  occupying  any,  but  the  merest  leavings  of  the  quarters 
in  which  he  was  supposed  to  have  a  share.     One  former  member 
of  the  corps  writes  of  an  instance  where  an  engineer  attached    to 
a  small  armed  steamer  was  completely  left  out  in  the  distribution 
^f  living  space  and  for  upwards  of  two  years  had  no  home  on  board 
batever,  except  a  piece  of  canvas  in  form  of  a  tent  under  which 
I  was  allowed  to  sleep,  summer  and  winter,  on  top   of  the  deck 
'Use.     Numerous  other  instances  have  been  related  to  the  writer 
engineers  unprovided  with  quarters  being  obliged  to  sleep  in  the 


198  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 

hot  drum-rooms  over  the  boilers,  or  who  oonstracted  for  themselveB 
rough  hnnks  in  the  engine  rooms  or  shaft  alleys.  These  cases  of 
indiyidnal  neglect  and  hardship  fortunately  do  not  stand  as  repre- 
sentatiye  of  the  experience  of  all,  for  in  many  vessels  there  was 
room  even  for  the  engineers,  but  they  serve  to  show  what  discour- 
agements were  encountered  by  a  considerable  number  of  an  invalu- 
able class  of  ofiScers  who  inherited  an  ofScial  position  vastly  inferior 
to  the  value  of  their  services  or  their  real  merits. 

Under  such  circumstauces  it  is  remarkable  that  the  engineers 
maintained  their  patriotism  and  devotion  to  duty  as  well  as  they  did, 
the  records  of  the  war  showing,  however,  that  instances  of  defection 
or  f aint-heartedness  among  them  were  rare  indeed.  Soon  after  the 
war  closed,  Bear  Admiral  David  D.  Porter,  writing  to  Chief  En- 
gineer W,W.  W.  Wood,  thus  referred  to  his  experience  with  the 
naval  engineers:  ^^  I  have  had  more  than  two  thousand  engineers 
under  my  command  during  the  Bebellion  and  I  have  never  known 
them  to  shrink  from  any  service."  There  were  of  course  occasional 
instances  of  discouragement  after  prolonged  and  arduous  duty 
where  the  engineer  gave  up  in  despair  and  declared  his  inability 
to  keep  his  department  longer  in  service,  and  there  were  also  a  very 
few  cases  where  the  engineer  allowed  a  wearied  and  disgusted  com- 
manding officer  to  influence  him  into  making  such  a  report  against 
his  judgment.  In  either  case  the  effort  to  get  off  the  blockade  and 
enjoy  a  respite  from  its  toils  at  some  Northern  navy  yard  generally 
came  to  naught. 

After  the  capture  of  Port  Boyal,  early  in  the  war,  a  naval  sup- 
ply and  repairing  station  was  maintained  at  that  place,  and  there  the 
broken-down  ships  from  the  blockade  were  usually  sent  for  examin- 
ation before  being  allowed  to  proceed  North.  The  mechanical  de- 
partment of  this  station  was  presided  over  by  veteran  chief  engin- 
eers of  the  old  navy,  who  had  long  before  lost  all  the  nonsense  of 
youth  and  were  incapable  of  sympathy  for  their  juniors  who  had 
tales  to  tell  of  what  they  covM  not  do.  To  their  minds,  an  engineer 
in  charge  of  a  steamer  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy  ought  to  be  able 
to  do  anything,  and  be  resourceful  enough  to  meet  any  emergency. 
If,  upon  examination,  they  decided  that  the  reported  defects  in  a 
vessel  could  have  been  repaired  at  sea  the  offending  engineer  whose 
report  had  taken  the  vessel  off  her  station  received    very    little 


THE  STKAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  199 

mercy.  A  report  to  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  squadron  meant 
a  eomt-martial,  and  that  in  torn  meant  reduction  in  grade  or  snm- 
mary  dismisBal  from  the  service.  This  may  seem  harsh  and  unchar- 
itable treatment  of  those  whose  duties  at  best  were  trying,  but  indi- 
yiduals  have  little  right  to  consideration  in  great  national  operations, 
and  their  chief  engineers,  whose  reports  would  have  appeared  cruel 
and  savored  of  persecution  in  time  of  peace,  were  merely  perform- 
ing their  proper  part  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war.  The  service 
rendered  by  them  in  this  manner,  and  in  directing  repairs  to  dis- 
abled ships,  was  of  incalculable  benefit  to  commanders  of  squadrons 
in  carrying  out  the  operations  entrusted  to  them,  a  fact  appreciated 
and  very  properly  referred  to  by  Rear  Admiral  Dahlgren,  who  wrote 
to  the  Department  on  the  occasion  of  relinquishing  command  of  the 
South  Atlantic  Blockading  Squadron  at  the  close  of  the  war:  ^^  Fleet 
Engineer  Danby  has  been  for  the  last  two  years  in  charge  of  the 
mechanical  steam  department  at  Bay  Point,  where  his  industry  and 
thorough  knowledge  of  his  business  has  alone  enabled  me  to  keep  in 
active  operation  so  many  steamers;  the  first  time,  perhaps,  that  this 
power  has  been  submitted  to  such  a  test. " 

To  those  who  study  the  social  and  industrial  conditions  existing 
within  the  United  States  prior  to  the  Civil  War,  conditions  which 
contributed  fully  as  much  to  the  causes  which  made  that  war  pos- 
sible, as  did  the  political  questions  generally  supposed  to  have  been 
its  provocation,  the  fact  that  the  mechanical  element  of  the  North, 
represented  by  the  engineers  of  the  navy,  had  such  an  important 
part  in  accomplishing  the  conquest  of  the  Confederacy  must  appear 
as  a  most  appropriate  manifestation  of  retributive  justice.  An  arti- 
ficial state  of  society  at  the  South,  founded  upon  the  institution  of 
human  slavery,  had  inculcated  a  genuine  contempt  for  labor  and 
the  industrial  arts,  and  resulted  in  the  utter  neglect  of  the  vast  min- 
eral resources  of  that  region,  now  one  of  its  most  important  sources 
of  wealth,  simply  because  no  one  was  so  low  in  the  social  scale  as  to 
burden  his  mind  with  a  knowledge  of  metallurgy,  which  involved 
practical  experience.  Had  the  South  possessed  the  educated 
scientists,  the  skilled  mechanics,  and  the  innumerable  mills  and 
workshops  that  a  higher  order  of  progress  has  no^  given  her,  there 
is  no  telling  when,  or  how  the  war  might  have  ended. 

As  it  was,  when  the  war  broke  out  there  was  but  one  establish- 


200  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATEa 

ment — the  Tredegar  Iron  Works,  of  Richmond — within  the  limits 
of  the  Confederacy  capable  of  making  the  very  modest  armor  plates 
used  on  the  Merrimac  and  Albemarle^  while  the  total  number  of 
skilled  artisans  was  probably  exceeded  by  the  number  employed 
in  any  one  of  a  score  or  more  of  Northern  workshops  busily  en- 
gaged in  making  ships,  engines  and  guns  for  the  national  nary. 
When  the  first  supply  of  arms  and  tools  had  been  exhausted,  the 
South  was  unable  to  make  others,  nor  could  she  receive  them  from 
abroad  on  account  of  the  vigilance  of  the  blockading  ships,  kept  up 
to  their  work  by  the  skill  of  the  Northern  engineers.  As  tereely 
expressed  by  £ngineer-in-Chief  Isherwood,  in  one  of  his  official  re- 
ports regarding  the  eonduct  of  the  war,  ^^our  antagonists  had 
neither  engineering  skill  nor  resources  in  themselves,  nor  could 
they,  owing  to  the  efficiency  of  our  navy,  obtain  them  from  others, 
and  the  want  was  fatal ;  they  had  despised  the  mechanical  arts  and 
sciences,  and  by  those  arts  and  sciences  they  fell." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"  Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  glory  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord; 
He  is  tnmpUng  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes  of  wrath  are  stored; 
He  hath  loosed  the  fateful  llghtniogs  of  his  terrible  swift  sword; 
His  truth  is  inarching  on. 
Julia.  Ward  Howe— Battle-Hi/mn  of  the  BetnMic, 

186L  The  CiTil  War,  continued— Engineers  and  Steam  Vessels  in  the  Navy  at  the 
Outbreak  of  Hostilities— Resignation  and  Dismissal  of  Officers— B.  F.  Isher- 
wood  Appointed  Bngineer-in-Chief  of  the  Navy— Increase  of  the  Engineer 
Ck>rps— Qualifications  of  the  Volunteer  Engineers— Bemarliable  Career  of  Don 
Carlos  Hasseltino— Vessels  Added  to  the  Fleet  during  the  Year— The  Eeab. 
SABGE  and  CAifAKDAiOTTA  Class  of  Steam  Sloops— The  Ninety  Day  Gunboats 
—The  First  Double-Enders. 

AT  the  beginning  of  the  eventful  year  1861  the  engineer  corps  of 
the  navy  consisted  of  twenty-eight  chief  engineers,  forty-three 
first  assistant  engineers,  twenty-nine  second  assistant  engineers,  and 
ninety-two  third  assistants,  a  total  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-two. 
This  number  was  established  by  adhering  as  closely  as  practicable  to 
the  provisions  of  the  act  of  Congress  of  1842,  which  authorized  the 
appointment  of  one  chief  engineer,  two  first  assistants,  two  second 
assistants,  and  three  third  assistants  for  each  steam-vessel  of  war. 
The  steam  navy  at  the  beginning  of  1861  consisted  of  six  great  ships, 
of  which  the  Niagara  and  Colorado  were  types,  and  which  in  their 
size,  battery  and  beauty  were  the  marvels  of  the  maritime  world  at 
that  day;  six  first-class  screw  sloops,  every  one  of  which  was  destned 
to  become  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  navy,  and  one  of  which — the 
Hartford — wag  to  become  a  name  synonymous  with  naval  glory ; 
four  large  side- wheel  steamers,  one  of  which  was  the  Powhatan; 
eight  second-class  steam-sloops,  represented  in  the  modern  navy  by 
the  Iroquois ;  five  purchased  screw  steamers  of  about  five  hundred 
tons  each,  and  five  small  side  wheel  gunboats,  the  Michigan  of  this 
"'ass  being  still  with  us. 

Twenty-seven  of  the  members  of  the  engineer  corps  were  Vir- 
inians,  and  seven  others  belonged  to  the  Carolinas,  Alabama,  and 
lorida,  but  the  majority  came  from  the  New  England  and  Middle 
bates,  Maryland  and  the  District  of  Columbia  being  especially  well 


202  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

represented.  The  Northwestern  States,  which  now  furnish  so  many 
naval  engineers  through  the  medinm  of  the  Naval  Academy,  then 
had  but  five  representatives — two  each  from  Ohio  and  Wisconsin 
and  one  from  Illinois.  Mr.  Samuel  Archbold  was  the  engineer-in- 
chief  of  the  navy  at  the  beginning  of  the  year,  but  in  March  he 
resigned  that  position  and  his  commission  as  a  chief  engineer  in  the 
navy  as  well,  going  out  of  the  service  without  any  suspicion  of  dis- 
loyalty, as  his  motives  for  resigning  were  personal  and  not  con- 
nected in  any  way  with  the  political  unrest  of  the  times.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.  Benjamin  F.  Isherwood,  who  was  selected  by  the 
President  and  appointed  engineer-in-chief  on  the  26th  day  of 
March,  1861.  Mr.  Isherwood's  name  was  the  fifth  in  order  on  t^e 
list  of  chief  engineers  at  the  time,  and  he  was  recognized  as  the 
foremost  man  of  his  corps  in  professional  ability  and  zeal,  while 
his  indefatigable  energy  and  intense  patriotism  brought  to  the  head  of 
one  of  the  most  important  executive  branches  of  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment a  man  well  fitted  for  the  Herculean  task  that  the  next  few 
years  had  in  store. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year  the  political  storm  that  had  been 
gathering  for  so  many  years  finally  burst,  and  the  officers  and  naen 
of  the  navy  were  confronted  with  the  desperate  issue  of  choosing 
between  two  flags.  Of  the  engineers  from  the  Southern  States  five 
resigned  and  had  their  resignations  accepted  by  the  Department,  but 
by  that  time  resignations  of  officers  of  the  army  and  navy  had  become 
epidemic,  and  President  Lincoln  directed  that  all  such  in  the  future 
be  treated  as  proof  of  disloyalty  sufficient  to  warrant  summary  dis- 
missal from  the  service  of  the  United  States,  which  treatment  was 
administered  to  seventeen  of  the  naval  engineers  who  sent  in  their 
resignations  after  it  was  too  late.  One  of  these,  William  P.  William- 
son, whose  name  had  stood  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  chief  engineers, 
became  the  engineer-in-chief  of  the  Confederate  navy;  a  few  others 
continued  their  profession  in  the  same  service,  while  others  went 
into  the  insurgent  army,  where  some  achieved  considerable  military 
distinction,  and  others  were  killed  or  crippled  fighting  against  the 
flag  under  which  they  had  acquired  their  first  military  ideas,  and  to 
which  they  would  have  remained  loyal  had  they  been  inspired  by 
that  thoughtful  good  judgment  supposed  to  be  an  attribute  of  all  en- 
gineers by  the  virtue  of  philosophic  nature  of  their  calling. 


CHIEF  ENGINEER  SAMUEL  ARCHBOLD,  U.  S.   N. 

Eogineer-in-Chief  of  the  Navy  from  October  16,  1857,  to  March  25,  1861. 


THE  gTFEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  205 

In  July,  1861,  Congress  provided  for  a  temporary  increase  of 
the  navy  **for  and  during  the  present  insurrection,"  which  act  au- 
thorized the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  hire,  purchase,  or  contract  for 
such  vessels  as  might  be  found  necessary,  to  arm  and  equip  them, 
and  to  appoint  acting  or  volunteer  officers  for  them.  Under  the 
operation  of  this  law  the  navy  grew  rapidly  both  in  ships  and  in  per- 
9omd:  such  vessels  as  were  bought  outright  or  built  on  the  order  of  the 
Navy  Department  became,  of  course,  government  war- vessels,  and 
as  such  served  to  authorize  a  great  increase  in  the  regular  engineer 
corpe,  a  considerable  increase  being  effected  during  the  first  year  of 
the  war,  but  not  at  all  in  proportion  to  the  increase  in  the  number  of 
war  steamers,  as  the  officials  of  the  Navy  Department  were  wise 
enough  to  know  that  the  rebellion  would  eventually  be  put  down, 
and  it  was  only  a  question  of  time  before  the  navy  would  have  to  be 
re-established  on  a  peace  basis.  Accordingly  the  majority  of  the 
new  engineers  held  only  acting  appointments.  At  the  end  of  the 
year  1861  the  regular  engineer  establishment  had  increased  to  four 
hundred  and  four,  of  whom  forty-eight  were  chief  engineers;  at  the 
same  time  there  were  three  hundred  and  sixty-four  acting  engineers 
distributed  through  the  grades  of  first,  second  and  third  assistants. 
The  increase  in  numbers  went  steadly  on  until,  in  January,  1866, 
there  were  four  hundred  and  seventy-four  regulars  and  eighteen 
hundred  and  three  volunteers,  of  which  numbers  fifty-nine  regulars 
and  fifty-  five  volunteers  were  chief  engineers. 

In  spite  of  all  the  hurry,  excitement,  and  anxiety  incident  to  the 
existence  of  a  state  of  war,  it  is  greatly  to  the  credit  of  the  officials 
at  the  head  of  the  engineer  corps  that  the  careful  system  of  examina- 
tions for  admission  to  the  regular  service  was  rigidly  adhered  to 
throughout  the  war,  thus  preventing  the  acquisition  to  the  permanent 
corps  of  any  who  were  not  professionally  and  morally  fit  for  the  ser- 
vice. In  the  case  of  acting  appointments  in  the  volunteer  service 
little  or  no  examination  was  required,  the  need  for  engineers  being 
•0  great  that  almost  any  one  who  could  show  a  letter  of  recommenda- 
tion from  a  commander  or  chief  engineer  of  a  war- vessel,  or  from  a 
civilian  of  prominence,  could  get  an  acting  appointment.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  acting  engineers  were  men  who  were  really  engineers, 
many  of  them  being  of  recognized  ability  and  reputation  hi  their 
line,  who  entered  the  service  from  motives  of  patriotism,  and  natur- 


206  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 

ally  chose  the  engineering  branch  of  the  navy  in  preference  to  wad- 
ing through  the  mud,  either  with  or  without  a  sword,  in  the  army. 

Numbers  of  the  volunteer  engineers  were  men  who  belonged  to 
the  profession  of  civil  engineering  and  were  attracted  to  the  en- 
gineer corps  of  the  navy  by  the  similarity  of   names,  when  they 
made  up  their  minds  to  enter  the  military  service  of  the  govern, 
ment.     These  gentlemen,   with  possibly  a  few  exceptions,    began 
with  no  practical  knowledge  of  marine  machinery,  but  with  their  ex- 
cellent training  in  matters  relating  to  civil  engineering  they  were 
quick  to  learn  and  in  a  short  time  became   among  the  best  acting 
engineers.     Several  of  them  entered  the  regular  service  by  taking 
the  prescribed  examinations  and,  both  during  the  war  and  since, 
have  been  professionally  prominent  in  the  corps.     As  was  often  the 
case  in  the  army,  many  men  of  education  and  ability  served  in  sub- 
ordinate positions  in  the  navy  solely  because  they  wished  to  serve 
their  country  in  its  day  of  need,  and  such  men  were  generally  ap- 
preciated and  promoted  to  ofScial  positions  after  short  periods  of 
faithful  service  as  subordinates.     A  case  in  point  is  that  of  Mr.  F. 
J.  McMahon,  a  civil  engineer  employed  on  the  Boston  and  Worces- 
ter Bailway,  who  was  a  personal  friend  of  the  chief  engineer  of  the 
Som  Jacinto^  and  was  very  desirous  of  going  to  sea  with  him  as  an 
acting  engineer.     The  plan  was  prevented  by  the  Scm  Jacinto  hur- 
riedly going  to  sea  at  a  time  when  her  complement  was  filled,  with 
the  exception  of  one  coal  heaver,  but  Mr.  McMahon  was  determined 
to  go,  and  accordingly  took  the  vacant  billet.     He  cheerfully  did 
duty  as  a  fireman,  oiler  and  yeoman  until,  in  about  a  year,  he  re- 
ceived the  coveted  warrant  as  an  acting  third  assistant  engineer; 
promotion  to  second  assistant  came  not  long  afterward,   and  the 
close  of  the  war  found  him  a  first  assistant  in  charge  of  the  machin- 
ery of  the  Mahaska, 

Mr.  McMahon' 8  predecessor  as  engineer  in  charge  of  the 
Mahaska  furnishes  a  curious  example  of  motive,  in  seeking  service 
in  the  volunteer  engineer  corps.  The  Atlantic  Works  of  Boston  did 
a  tremendous  business  from  the  very  beginning  of  the  war  in  build- 
ing ships  and  machinery  for  the  navy,  and  when  the  owners  found 
themselves  getting  rich  by  staying  at  home  they  came  to  the  very 
proper  conclusion  that  some  one  having  a  proprietary  interest  in  the 
business  must  repre  ent  the  patriotism  of  the  firm  by  going  to  the 


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war.  Accordingly,  the  proprietors  cast  lots  and  Mr.  Philander  S. 
Brown  was  elected  to  go  to  the  front.  He  chose  the  engineer  corps 
of  the  nary  for  his  field  of  nsef nlness,  asked  for,  and  received  a 
warrant  as  acting  first  assistant  engineer,  and  served  as  chief 
engineer  of  the  Maha^  until  the  war  was  over,  when  he  resigned 
and  returned  to  his  home  and  business  interests. 

Am  might  be  expected,  and  as  often  occcurred  in  the  other 
branches  of  the  nary,  some  acting  appointments  were  given  to  men 
who  were  unqualified  for  the  duties  they  were  expected  to  perform 
on  board  a  war  steamer.  Adventurers  who  saw  in  the  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  per  annum  of  the  ** Acting  Third"  in  the  navy 
more  attraction  than  was  offered  by  thirteen  dollars  per  month  and 
found  in  the  ranks  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  ;  firemen  recom- 
mended by  their  captains  for  some  gallant  or  meritorious  act ;  sons 
or  friends  of  prominent  military  and  civil  oflBcials;  subalterns 
disgasted  with  Ihe  Ohiekahominy  swamps,  and  many  other  classes 
too  numerous  to  mention,  all  had  their  representatives  in  the  volun- 
teer engineer  corps.  As  there  were  from  four  to  ten  engineers  on 
each  war  steamer  in  those  days,  the  presence  of  one  of  these  inex- 
perienced persons  was  not  dangerous,  as  he  was  always  under  the 
eye  of  some  one  who  was  able  to  prevent  disaster  by  interfering  in 
case  of  necessity.  When  a  number  of  them  happened  to  get 
shuflled  together,  as  sometimes  occurred,  and  thus  obliged  to  try  to  do 
something  without  being  told  how  to  do  it,  they  generally  came  to 
grief,  as  is  attested  by  innumerable  tales  in  the  service. 

One  of  these  stories  relates  to  the  wearing  away  of  the  valve 
faces  and  seats  of  the  engine  of  one  of  the  new  sloops-of-war  on 
one  of  her  first  sea  trips.  The  acting  engineer  in  charge  of  the 
machinery  had  been  in  the  regular  service  and  was  a  competent  en- 
gineer, but,  unfortunately  for  the  vessel,  he  was  confined  to  his 
RX)m  by  illness  on  the  voyage  referred  to.  Of  the  four  acting  as- 
sistant engineers,  one  only  had  any  experience  with  machinery 
and  that  was  limited  to  fire-room  work,  he  having  been  a  fireman 
promoted  as  a  reward  for  some  act  of  bravery  in  an  emergency;  his 
acholastic  attainments  were  extremely  limited  and  stopped  short  at 
the  problem  of  subtracting  the  hourly  records  of  tiie  engine-room 
<xmnter  and  dividing  the  remainder  by  sixty  to  find  the  average 
rwelutions  of  the  engines  per  minute,  a  problem  that  he  never 


210  THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

mastered,  and  which  finally  drove  him  back  into  the  fire-room,  where 
he  found  more  familiar  tools  to  handle  than  pencils  and  paper. 
This  case  had  nnmerons  parallels  in  the  line  as  well  as  in  the  en- 
gineer corps  during  the  war,  and  is  a  good  illustration  of  the  folly 
of  making  officers  of  enlisted  men  simply  as  a  reward  for  gallantry 
in  battle,  without  any  regard  for  the  fitness  of  the  person  to  perform 
the  duties  of  the  office  to  which  he  is  adyanced. 

Another  of  the  acting  engineers  was  a  village  schoolmaster 
from  the  up-country  of  New  Hampshire,  whose  knowledge  of 
marine  engines  had  been  obtained  from  a  picture  of  a  condensiog 
engine  in  Olmstead's  ^Trinciples  of  Natural  Philosophy,''  at  that 
time  a  favorite  text  book  in  the  country  schools  of  New  England. 
The  third  one  was  a  youth  of  about  seventeen,  who  had  been  the 
schoolmaster's  favorite  pupil  in  the  New  Hampshire  village,  and 
who  had  joined  him  in  the  enterprise  of  suppressing  the  rebellion 
through  tiie  medium  of  the  naval  engineer  corps.  The  fourth  acting 
engineer  had  gained  such  engineering  knowledge  as  he  possessed 
by  having  been  the  captain  of  a  tug  boat.  Although  well  meaning 
and  inspired  with  a  desire  to  do  their  best,  these  amateur  engineers 
in  some  way  managed  to  overlook  in  turn  the  necessity  of  having 
the  steam  chests  oiled,  and,  as  a  result,  the  valves  and  seats  at  the 
end  of  the  trip  were  found  to  be  reduced  to  little  more  than  a  heap 
of  iron  filings,  and  the  ship  was  kept  from  active  service  many 
weeks  in  consequence  while  damages  were  being  repaired. 

Another  incident  which  occurred  about  the  same  time  was  not 
the  source  of  any  great  amount  of  delight  to  the  acting  engineers 
directly  concerned.  A  war  steamer  left  New  York  for  the  seat  of 
war  one  fine  day,  the  commander  and  all  hands  indulging  in  high 
hopes  of  glory  and  prize  money.  After  a  few  hours  at  sea  the 
engine  suddenly  stopped,  and  then  began  running  backward  at  a 
furious  rate;  do  what  they  would,  the  engineers  could  not  coerce 
the  engine  into  going  ahead  again,  and  finally  the  captain  had  to 
ignominiously  abandon  his  cruise  and  take  his  ship,  tail  first,  back 
to  New  York,  an  object  of  surprise  and  derision  to  the  watermen  of 
that  busy  seaport.  The  navy  yard  was  reached  in  the  course  of 
time,  where  a  few  vigorous  remarks  from  the  chief  engineer  of  the 
yard  and  about  two  minutes  work  put  everything  to  rights.  The 
eccentric  had  slipped. 


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THE  ST£AM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  SIATEa  213 

The  Tolnnteer  engineer  who  was  not  an  engineer  did  not  always 
get  into  tronble,  as  is  shown  by  the  snccessf  nl  experience  of  one 
Don  Carlos  Hasseltino,  whose  remarkable  nayal  career  is  worthy  of 
a  little  space  in  the  history  of  the  nayal  engineering  of  the  rebellion. 
This  gentleman  was  a  natiye  of  the  West  Lidies,  bnt  had  graduated 
at  a  college  in  Ohio,  and  at  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  war  was 
reading  law  in  Hamilton,  Ohio.  His  sympathies  being  with  the 
South,  he  went  to  Montgomery,  Alabama,  and  entered  the  Oonf  ed- 
erate  army,  rising  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel  in  about  two 
years,  when  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  in  the  yicinity  of 
Fort  Donelson.  Pretending  to  be  a  ciyilian  and  a  foreigner,  which 
he  could  easily  do  by  his  ability  to  speak  French,  he  succeeded  in 
getting  a  pass  from  the  Union  officer  in  command  at  Memphis,  and 
went  to  St.  Louis,  not  knowing  just  why  he  was  going  there  or  what 
he  would  do  next. 

In  the  streets  of  St.  Louis  he  chanced  to  meet  a  former  college 
mate  who  was  an  assistant  engineer  on  one  of  the  gunboats  in  the 
Mississippi  Biyer.  This  friend  urged  him  to  giye  up  the  Confeder- 
ate cause  and  enter  the  nayy  as  an  engineer,  to  which  proposal  he 
demurred,  as  he  said  he  ^<did  not  know  a  steam  engine  from  a  horse 
power,"  but  his  friend  assured  him  that  did  not  make  any  dif- 
ference. Accordingly,  and  knowing  that  he  would  probably  be 
h&nged  as  a  spy  if  his  connection  with  the  South  were  discoyered,  he 
Btodied  some  of  the  assistant  engineer's  books  for  a  few  weeks  and 
then  presented  himself  to  the  authorities  as  a  candidate  for  the  en- 
gineer corps.  He  made  such  a  good  impression  that  he  was  giyen 
an  acting  appointment  as  a -first  assistant  engineer,  and  was  ordered 
to  duty  on  board  the  JSuWj  then  the  flag-ship  of  Bear- Admiral 
D.  D.  Porter. 

According  to  Mr.  Hasseltino's  account  of  himself , his  great  fear 
at  this  time  was  that  the  SUssex  would  be  ordered  to  get  under  way 
to  go  somewhere,  and  he  would  consequently  be  called  upon  to  do 
something  with  the  machinery,  which  he  knew  he  could  not  do,  his 
mechanical  knowledge  being  yet  so  imperfect  that  he  thought  the 
feed-pump  was  a  contriyance  for  making  the  yessel  go  sidewise. 
But  luck  was  on  his  side,  for  he  had  opportunities  to  talk  with  Ad- 
miral Porter,  and  so  impressed  that  distinguished  officer  with  his 
professional  worth  that  he  was  put  upon  the  Admiral's  staff  and  as* 


214  tH£  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UKITED  fiTtATfeB. 

signed  to  important  special  duty  in  oonneotioniritii  the baildiBgaad 
inspection  of  ironclads  at  Tarions  points  on  the  Missiasippi  Biyer. 
A  report  made  by  him  to  the  admiral  respecting  the  yalne  of  certain 
types  of  ironclads  for  rirer  serriee  was  considered  so  meritorions 
that  the  admiral  embodied  it  in  his  report  to  the  Becretaiy  of  the 
Nary,  and  that  official  in  torn  transmitted  it  to  Congress  in  his  an- 
nual report 

In  May,  1864,  after  less  than  a  year's  senrice,  Mr.  Hasseltino 
was  made  an  acting  chief  engineer,  in  which  capadty  he  continued 
on  duty  with  the  Mississippi  flotilla;  two  years  later,  in  May,  1866, 
he  was  honorably  mustered  out  of  the  service.  Subsequently  he 
acquired  the  title  of  general  and  considerable  wealth  by  engaging 
in  yarious  wars  in  Chile,  Peru,  and  Cuba,  but  with  this  we  need  not 
deal  here.  Acting  Assistant  Burgeon  J.  M.  Batten  has  written  an 
interesting  little  yolume  of  reminiscences  of  his  seryioe  in  the  nayy 
during  the  war,  in  which  book  occurs  the  following  account  of  the 
person  whose  yersatile  career  has  just  been  described: 

*<Don  Carlos  Hasseltino  was  chief  engineer  of  the  United 
States  monitor  Oatawba^  but  spent  most  of  his  time  on  board  the 
United  States  monitor  Oneota^and  was  one  of  the  messmates  of  that 
vessel.  I  associated  with  him  constantly  from  October  6,  1865,  to 
January  16,  1866.  He  was  a  jolly,  kind,  sympathetic  and  intelli- 
gent associate.  In  height  he  was  about  six  feet,  and  had  a  large, 
wiry  frame.  His  hair  and  eyes  were  black;  he  wore  a  black  mus- 
tache. He  never  gave  offense  to  any  one,  but  would  not  suffer 
himself  to  be  insulted.  He  carried  two  Derringers  in  leather 
pockets  buttoned  to  his  pantaloons  above  the  hips.  He  was  very 
polite  and  chivalrous;  woe  to  the  person  that  gave  offense  or  offered 
insult. '» 

The  progress  made  in  increasing  the  fleet  during  the  year  1861 
was  phenomenal.  Mr.  Oeorge  D.  Morgan  of  New  York  was  ap- 
pointed a  special  agent  of  the  Navy  Department  with  orders  to  buy 
every  American  merchant  vessel  found  at  all  suitable  for  war  purpo- 
ses, in  the  selection  of  which  he  was  aided  by  a  board  of  ofSoers  of 
the  navy — a  constrnctor,  a  chief  engineer,  and  an  ordnance  officer. 
This  board  had  a  small  steamer  in  New  York  harbor  and  made  a 
business  of  boarding  and  examining  every  American  vessel  withia 


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THX  BTEAM  NAYT  Of  THB  UNITXD  STATJEB.  217 

reaeh,  a  favorable  report  on  any  yeBsel  makmg  it  obligatory  on  Mr. 
Morgan's  part  to  buy  the  vestel  at  the  best  bargain  he  conld  make 
with  the  owners.  As  Mr.  Morgan  receiyed  a  commission  of  two  and 
one-half  per  cent,  on  his  purchases  this  obligation  to  buy,  was  for 
him,  a  decidedly  good  thing.  From  the  middle  of  July  until  the  first 
of  December  there  were  purchased  in  this  manner  thirty-six  side- 
wheel  steamers  aggregating  26,680  tons  and  costing  92,418,108; 
forty-three  screw  steamers  aggregating  20,403  tons  and  costing  92,- 
216,037,  and  one  hundred  and  eighteen  sailing  yessels — ships,  barks 
and  schooners — at  a  cost  of  919071,898.  Sixty  of  these  latter  were 
loaded  with  stone  and  sunk  for  the  purpose  of  closing  some  of  the 
southern  ports;  the  others,  and  all  of  the  steamers,  were  converted 
into  war  yessels  and  put  into  active  service. 

At  the  same  time  that  merchant  vessels  were  being  pressed  into 
•ervioe,  the  navy  yards  and  private  ship  and  engine  buildiug  estab- 
Ushments  were  worked  to  their  utmost  capacity  in  building  war  ves- 
lels.  By  the  end  of  the  year,  fifty-two  such  vessels  were  entirely 
completed  and  in  service  or  were  well  along  in  construction.  None 
of  the  navy  yards  were  then  equipped  for  the  building  of  engines  on 
a  large  scale,  which  work  therefore  had  to  be  let  out  by  contract  to 
marine  engine  builders,  the  machinery  specifications  in  the  majority 
of  cases  being  furnished  by  the  Navy  Department  from  designs  of 
Engineer-in-Ohief  Isherwood.  Excellent  plants  for  building  wooden 
ships  existed  at  the  navy  yards  and  many  of  the  halls  of  these  rapid- 
ly constructed  vessels  were  built  by  the  Government  at  the  different 
yards  while  their  machinery  was  under  construction  at  neighboring 
machine  shops. 

The  ship  and  engine  building  work  of  the  Navy  Department 
now  assumes  such  magnitude  that  space  forbids  the  practice  previously 
observed  in  these  pages  of  giving  detailed  information  as  to  the  de- 
signers and  builders  of  the  various  vessels,  their  machinery,  arma- 
ment, cost,  and  subsequent  naval  careers,  although  it  is  hoped  that 
the  value  of  this  work  will  be  enhanced  by  its  appendix,  in  which 
much  of  the  information  referred  to  is  given  in  tabular  form.  Hence- 
forth it  will  be  necessary  to  refer  to  new  vessels  in  general  terms 
enly,  except  in  certain  special  cases  where  peculiarities  of  design  or 
remarkable  engine  performance  occasion  so  much  interest  from  an 
engineering  point  of  view  that  a  more  detailed  history  of  their  origin 
is  desirable. 


218  THE  STEAM  KATT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

In  Febniary,  1861,  Congress  authorized  the  construction  of 
seven  sloops-of-war,  and  the  Navy  Department,  to  take  advantage 
of  the  plans  already  in  its  possession  of  the  sloops  built  in  1858, 
duplicated  the  Iroquois  in  the  Oneida^  the  Wyommg  in  the  Tusea" 
Tora^  the  Mohican  in  the  Keoflrwflrge^  and  the  engines  of  the  SemvMAe 
in  the  Waohusett.  These  vessels  were  of  about  1,560  tons  displace- 
ment. By  subsequent  action  of  Congress,  at  the  special  session, 
authority  was  granted  to  build  other  sloops  of  war,  similar  to  those 
previously  ordered,  making  fourteen  in  all,  and  work  on  them  was 
begun  in  the  early  fall  of  the  year.  These  sloops-of-war,  besides 
those  already  named,  were  the  Juniata^  Ompse^  Adirondack^  Sous- 
atonic^  Sacramento^  Oanandaifftia^  Lackawanna^  Hconderoga^  Shen- 
andoah^ and  Monongahda.  The  first  four  named  were  of  1,934 
tons  displacement,  and  the  other  six,  differing  somewhat  in  size 
from  each  other,  were  of  about  2,200  tons.  The  hulls  of  all  four- 
teen were  built  by  the  Oovemment  at  the  navy  yards,  three  each  at 
Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  Boston,  and  four  each  at  New  York  and 
Philadelphia,  the  machinery  being  built  by  contract  at  various 
places  in  New  England,  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 

These  fourteen  steam  sloops  were  large,  handsome  vessels  and 
did  much  excellent  service  during  the  war  and  afterward.  The  only 
one  still  remaining  in  the  service  is  the  Monongahela^  which,  with 
her  machinery  removed,  is  used  as  a  training  ship  in  which  naval 
cadets  and  apprentice  boys  acquire  those  arboreal  habits  supposed  to 
be  essential  in  the  training  of  modern  men-of-war's  men.  With  the 
disappearance  of  this  class  of  vessels  we  have  suffered  what  the 
author  regards  as  a  most  serious  loss  in  the  removal  from  the  navy 
list  of  those  sonorous  and  distinctively  American  names,  like  Can- 
andaiffiuij  Oneida^  Lackawanna^  Tmcwrora^  S/isnandodh^  and  the 
like,  which  were  sufficient  in  themselves  to  proclaim  the  nationality 
of  the  vessel  bearing  them,  and  at  the  same  time  precluded  by  their 
derivation  from  adoption  by  foreign  navies,  except  inappropriately. 
Our  -4^0!^,  Dolphin^  Petrel^  Vesuvvus.  and  others,  always  have  their 
namesakes  in  other  navies,  and  imply  a  poverty  of  resource  on  our 
part  wholly  undeserved  io  view  of  the  great  multitude  of  beautiful 
and  euphonious  words  that  have  become  part  of  our  American  lan- 
guage in  the  names  the  vanished  tribes  of  aborigines  gave  to  their 
lulls  and  forests,  rivers  and  lakes. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  221 

Before  work  on  the  fourteen  sloops  heretofore  named  had  been 
undertaken,  the  Nayy  Department,  acting  on  its  own  responsibility 
in  the  emergency,  without  waiting  for  the  sanction  of  Congress, 
issned  proposals  and  entered  into  contracts  with  different  builders 
for  the  construction  of  twenty-three  small,  heavily-armed  screw  gun* 
boats,  of  about  500  tons,  burden,  which,  from  the  rapidity  of  their 
construction  came  to  be  known  in  the  service  as  '^ninety-day  gun- 
boats." The  contracts  were  nearly  all  made  during  the  iirst  two 
weeks  in  July,  and  work  was  pushed  to  such  an  extent  that  four  of 
them  were  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Royal  on  the  seventh  of  November, 
and  seventeen  of  them  were  in  active  service  before  the  end  of  the 
year.  Their  names  were:  Huvon^  Sagamore^  Itasca^  Sciota^  Ken- 
nebeCj  £vneOj  Aroostook^  Chippewa^  Cayuga.  Chocura^  EJomanDha^ 
Katahdin^  MarUeAeadj  Ottawa^  OwascOj  FemMna^  Penobscot,  Pm- 
ola,  S&neca,  Tahoma,  Unadilla,   WUaahickon^  and  Winona. 

The  machinery  of  the  first  four  named  was  constructed  by  the 
Novelty  Iron  Works,  New  York,  which  establishment  duplicated  in 
them  the  machinery  it  had  previously  put  into  two  gunboats 
built  for  the  Russian  government.  The  machinery  for  the  other 
nineteen  was  built  by  various  contractors  from  designs  and  specifi- 
cations furnished  by  Eugineer-in- Chief  Isherwood,  and  was  some- 
what similar  to  that  of  the  first  four,  but  with  about  sixty  per  cent, 
more  boiler  power.  The  hulls  of  all  these  gunboats  were  built  by 
contract. 

For  service  in  shallow  and  narrow  rivers  a  new  and  peculiar 
type  of  gunboat  was  developed  in  the  "double-enders,"  twelve  of 
which  were  begun  during  (he  summer  and  fall  of  1861.  These  were 
pointed  at  both  ends  and  had  a  rudder  at  each  end,  being  thus 
freed  from  the  necessity  of  turning  around  by  being  able  to  steam 
at  equal  advantage  in  either  direction.  Paddle  wheels  had  become 
practically  obsolete  for  war  vessels,  but  the  imperative  demand  for 
very  light  draft  in  these  gunboats  made  it  necessary  to  adopt  side 
wheels  for  their  propulsion.  They  were  the  Maratanzaj  Mahaska^ 
Sebago,  Octorora,  Sonoma,  Conenumgh,  Tioga,  Genesaee,  Miami, 
Paid  Jones,  Port  Eoyal,  and  Cinimerone,  They  were  of  850  tons 
burden.  The  engines  were  built  by  contract  from  Mr.  Isherwood 's 
plans,  and  were  of  the  direct- acting  inclined  type.  All  had  Bartol's 
vertical  water  tube  boilers,  except  the  Paul  Jones^  which  had  Mar- 


Im 


t- 


^« 


I 


//  J' 


e  ^''^f 


; 


- 1^ 


3 

^?^^" 


.r* 


-j-^i 


^/ 


J 


CLASS. 


L 


THE  STEAM  KATT  OF  THX  UlUTXI)  STAim  SBRI 

tin'i  boilers.  All  had  blowers  for  forciiig  die  draft.  The  hulls  of 
the  last  three-named  were  built  by  contract,  and  the  other  nine  in 
the  navy  yards. 

Besides  the  forty-nine  steamers  already  referred  to,  three  iron- 
clad war  vessels  were  undertaken  during  this  same  busy  year. 
These,  being  a  new  departure  in  naval  construction  and  marking  a 
development  in  that  direction  exactly  in  line  with  the  naval  engin- 
eer's profession,  will  be  described  in  a  separate  chapter.  To  quote 
from  the  report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  regarding  the  war-ship 
building  of  the  year,  ^^Ho  sailing  vessels  ha^e  been  ordered  to  be 
built,  for  steam  as  well  as  heavy  ordnance,  has  become  an  indispens- 
able element  of  the  most  efficient  naval  power. '^ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

**  I  have  Been  him  in  the  watch-fires  of  a  hundred  ciroUng  camps ; 
They  have  builded  him  an  altar  in  the  evening  dews  and  damiM ; 
I  have  read  his  righteous  sentence  by  the  dim  and  flaring  lamps ; 

His  day  is  marching  on." 
Julia  Wabd  Hows—Baft to-Hymn  of  the  Republic 

1861.  The  Civil  War,  Ck)ntinued— The  Norfolk  Navy  Yard— Attempt  to  Save  the 
Frigate  Mkbbimao— Endeavors  of  Engineer-in-Chief  Isherwood— DestruoUon 
of  the  Yard— Attack  on  Hatteras  Inlet-^Destruction  of  the  Privateer  Jubah 
at  Pensacola. 

WITH  the  exception  of  two  events  in  the  career  of  the  frigate 
Chesapeake  early  in  the  present  century,  there  are  few  inci- 
dents in  our  naval  history  more  hnmiliating  than  the  loss  of  aeyeral 
of  onr  national  vessels  at  the  Norfolk  navy  yard  at  the  beginning 
of  the  rebellion.  So  utterly  lacking  is  this  i^air  in  redeeming  fea- 
tures that  it  would  be  gladly  passed  over  without  comment  were  it 
not  for  the  fact  that  the  principal  efforts  to  save  the  nation's  honor 
and  property  on  that  occasion  were  the  outcome  of  the  zeal  and  pa- 
triotism of  two  naval  engineers,  and  for  that  reason  the  story  most 
be  told  as  a  necessary  part  of  this  history* 

The  navy  yard  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  at  the  beginning  of  1861 
was  the  largest  and  most  important  of  the  government  navy   yards. 
It  was  one  of  the  oldest  in  date  of  establishment  and  the  most  com- 
pletely equipped  with  wharves,  docks,  ship-houses,  workshops,  and 
Btore-houscB.     Great  quantities  of  naval  material  and  stores  had  been 
assembled  there  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion,  among  other 
war  material  there  being  about  twelve  hundred  cannon  of    various 
types,  mostly  serviceable,  although  some  of  the  guns  were  of  very 
ancient  patterns;  fifty-two,  according  to  the  inventory  made   by  the 
Confederates  immediately  after  they  took  possession  of  the   yard, 
were  new  nine-inch  Dahlgren  guns,  at  that  time  formidable  pieces 
of  ordnance. 

At  the  beginning  of  April,  1861,  the  following  named  yeasela 
were  lying  at  the  Norfolk  Yard:  the  new  steam  frigate  Merrimac^  of 


TBK  STEAK  NAYT  OF  THE  UKITED  STATES.  28] 

forty  gimB;the  sloopB-of-war  GermantovmBJid  Plymauthj  of  twenty- 
two  guns  each;  the  brig  J)olphtn^  of  four  gUDs;  the  old  ships-of-the. 
Use  Pen/n8ylvama,I)elay)ar0  and  Oohtmiue]  the  frigates  United  States j 
BarUan  and  Columbia^  and  the  iloop-of-war  Oumberland.  An  un- 
finished ship-of-the-iine  named  the  Ifew  York  was  on  the  stocks  in 
one  of  the  ship  houses.  The  Merrimac  was  one  of  those  large  and 
beautiful  steam  frigates  of  which  the  Nayy  was  then  so  justly  proud. 
She  had  made  one  cruise,  as  flagship  of  the  Pacific  Station,  and  had 
been  laid  up  in  the  Norfolk  yard  for  an  extensive  oyerhauliug  of  her 
machinery.  The  sloops  Oermantown  and  Flymoutk  were  completely 
equipped  for  sea,  but  had  do  crews  on  board,  and  the  Dolphin  coxAi. 
have  been  made  ready  for  sea  in  a  few  hours.  The  frigate  United 
Stat€8  was  the  same  vessel,  rebuilt,  that  had  defeated  and  captured 
the  British  frigate  Macedonian  in  1812.  The  Pennsylvania  was  in 
commission  as  the  receiving  ship  and  was  famous  as  being  the  largest 
ship-of-the-line  ever  built  for  our  navy,  mounting  one  hundred  and 
twenty  guns  and  being  rated  as  of  3,241  tons,  old  measuremeut,  which 
is  little  more  than  one-half  the  present  rating  by  tons  displacement. 
The  other  large  battle  ships  of  that  time — ^the  North  CoMrolma^  Ver- 
numt  and  others — carried  eighty-four  guns  and  were  of  about  2,600 
tons.  The  Oumberland  wai  the  flagship  of  the  home  squadron  and 
had  just  arrived  at  the  yard  after  the  usual  winter  cruise  in  Southern 
waters.  She  was  saved  from  the  destruction  that  followed,  but  less 
than  a  year  later  was  destroyed  by  the  Merrimac^  which  vessel  by 
all  rights  should  have  been  the  one  to  have  towed  her  and  the  other 
sailijig  vessels  to  a  place  of  safety. 

The  navy  yard  was  commanded  by  Captain  Charles  S.  McCau- 
ley,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who,  according  to  the  custom  then 
prevailing,  was  addressed  as  Commodore.  The  twelve  other  line 
officers  associated  with  him  were  natives  of  southern  states,  seven  of 
them  being  Virginians;  three  of  the  four  medical  officers  were  Yir- 
ginians,  and  a  majority  of  the  other  staff  and  warrant  officers  was 
likewise  of  southern  nativity.  These  officers  had  been  assigned  to 
this  station  by  the  previous  administration  and  the  fact  that  the  pre- 
ponderance of  southerners  among  them  was  so  great  makes  it  reus- 
onably  certain  that  there  was  more  method  than  chance  in  their 
fielection.  The  Chief  Engineer  of  the  yard,  Mr.  Hubert  Danby,  was  a 
native  of  Delaware  and  could  be  depended  upon  to  stand  by  his 


232  THE  STBAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UKITSD  STATSS. 

colors,  for  the  inhabitants  of  that  little  State  haye  been  diBttngoidied 
for  loyalty  and  patriotism  ever  since  the  ^^Blne  Hen's  Ohickens," 
as  the  Delaware  Regiment  was  called,  made  snch  an  enviable  record 
in  the  Continental  Army. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  new  engineer-in-chief  was  to  call 
the  attention  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Nayy  to  the  possibility  of  get- 
ting the  Jferrimao  away  from  Norfolk,  and  it  is  certain  that  bad  it 
not  been  for  him  no  effort  to  that  end  would  haye  been  made.    The 
Secretary's  mind  was  engrossed  with  too  many  other  important 
matters  to  give  any  thought  to  this  particular  subject  unless  it  had 
been  urged  upon  him  and,  indeed,  it  is  more  than  probable,  as  he 
had  been  in  office  less  than  one  month,  and  that  month  a  most  harras- 
sing  one,  that  he  did  not  even  know  that  the  Morrimac  was  at  Nor- 
folk.    Mr.  Isherwood  was  familiar  with  the  Norfolk  yard  and  as 
the  worit  on  the  Merrimao^M  machinery  was  an  important  detail  of 
his  office,  the  subject  of  saying  the  ship  naturally  suggested  itself 
to  his  mind.     By  corresponding  with  chief  engineer  Danby,  Mr. 
Isherwood  had  learned  of  the  exact  state  of  affairs,  including  the 
information  that  the  Oonfederates  counted  surely  on  haying  the 
Mmrimae  as  a  nucleus  for  their  future  nayy,  which  intention  Mr. 
Isherwood  determined  to  defeat  if  possible.     With  this  knowledge 
he  repeatedly  urged  Secretary  Welles  to  order  the  removal  ol  the 
ship  and  finally,  on  the  11th  of  April,  orders  were  issued  looking 
towards  removing  the  Merrimae  to  Philadelphia,   but  about  this 
time  discouraging  news  came  from  Norfolk  in  the  form    of   an 
official  report  saying  that  it  would  take  a  month  to  get  her  machin- 
ery in  condition  to  move.     This  estimate  of  time  was  so  different 
from  the  private  information  received  from  the  chief  of  the    yard 
that  misrepresentation  was  evident  and  Mr.  Isherwood  at  his  own 
urgent  request  was  ordered  to  go  to  Norfolk  in  person,   take  fnll 
charge  of  the  Merrimae^  and  get  her  ready  as  soon  as  possible.    He 
carried  a  peremptory  order  to  Commodore  McCauley  to  place  the 
ship  entirely  in  his  hands,  which  order  contained  among^    other 
directions  these  words: 

*'The  Department  desires  to  have  the  Merrinuio  removed  from 
the  Norfolk  to  the  Philadelphia  Navy  Yard  with  the  utmost  des- 
patch. The  Engineer- in-Ohief,  Mr.  B.  F.  Isherwood,  has  been 
ordered  to  report  to  you  for  the  purpose  of  expediting  the  dntj, 


CHIEF  ENGINEER   ROBERT  DANBY,    U.    8.    NAVY. 


THX  SnUM  NATT  09  THX  UKITXD  KTAnS.  S» 

and  jon  will  har^  hit  rnggettioxis  for  that  end  promptly  carried 
into  effect " 

Mr.  leherwood  arrired  at  the  yard  on  Sunday  morning,  April 
14tb,  and  immediately,  in  company  with  Mr.  Danby,  made  a  most 
thorough  examination  of  the  M&rvmae^s  condition;  the  machinery 
was  completely  dismembered  and  many  parts  of  it  scattered  about 
the  ahops,  but  nothing  of  importance  was  in  such  bad  condition  as 
to  forbid  its  temporary  use.  The  Nayy  yard  employes  had  prev- 
iooaly  abandoned  their  places,  but  as  many  of  the  machiDists  and  other 
mechanics  were  known  to  Mr.  Isherwood  and  as  Mr.  Danby  had  been 
popular  witb  them,  those  two  officers  succeeded  that  Sunday  afternoon 
and  eyening  in  inducing  a  considerable  number  of  them  to  resume 
work  for  a  time.  The  force  thus  obtained  began  work  Monday 
morning  and  worked  night  and  day,  being  divided  into  three  eight- 
hour  gangs,  Messrs.  Isherwood  and  Danby  relieving  each  other 
erery  twelve  hours  and  exerdsing  the  most  minute  supervision  over 
eyety  detail,  for  they  did  not  wish  any  mistakes  to  be  made.  .  On 
Wednesday  afternoon  Mr.  Isherwood  had  the  satisfaction  of  report- 
ing to  the  Commandant  that  he  was  ready  to  get  up  steam.  Oom- 
modors  McOauley  was  seemingly  startled  by  the  suddenness  of  the 
preparation,  after  he  had  reported  that  a  month's  time  would  be 
oeoeesary  for  the  work  that  now  appeared  to  have  been  done  in 
three  days,  and  when  asked  for  authority  to  start  fires  hesitated  and 
finally  said,  that  the  next  morning  would  be  soon  enough,  which 
order  the  engineers  took  the  utmost  advantage  of  by  lighting  the 
fires  the  very  moment  that  midnight  had  passed.  The  follow- 
ing, from  Boynton's  history  of  the  navy,  gives  an  account  of 
whiU  followed  with  as  much  detail  as  is  presented  in  any  of  the 
TariouB  historical  accounts  of  this  affair: 

'^  About  9  o'clock  on  Thursday  morning  the  report  was  made 
to  Oommodore  McOauley  that  the  vessel  was  ready  to  proceed, 
when  he  replied  that  he  had  not  yet  decided  to  send  the  steamer 
ont  It  was  in  vain  that  he  was  reminded  of  the  peremptory  nature 
of  the  order  which  Mr.  Isherwood  brought  from  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy, 'to  get  the  Frigate  out  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  and 
Mud  her  to  Philadelphia;  he  only  replied  that  in  the  course  of  the 
day  he  would  let  his  decision  be  known.     He  seemed  to  fear  that 


m  THE  STSAIC  NAVY  OF  THK  UNITJED  STAOOBS. 

obstrnotionshad  been  placed  in  the  channel.  He  was  told  by  those 
who  were  well  informed  thatlEe  obstmcfions  already  there  wonld 
be  easily  passed  by  the  Merrimaey  but  that  every  night's  delay 
wonld  increase  the  danger.  All  this  produced  no  effect.  Early  in 
the  afternoon  Mr.  Isherwood  again  called  upon  Oommodore  Me- 
Oanley,  who  then  said  that  he  had  decided  to  retain  the  frigate,  and 
ordered  the  fires  to  be  drawn.  He  was  again  reminded  of  the  per- 
emptory nature  of  the  orders  from  the  Nayy  Department,  but  it 
seemed  to  produce  no  impression;  he  had  determined  to  retain  her, 
and  thus  the  noble  frigate  was  lost." 

The  writer  has  been  at  great  pains  to  get  at  the  real  truth  of 
this  event  and  with  that  object  in  view  has  made  a  careful  study  of 
the  various  official  reports  and  documents  relating  to  the  case,  aa 
well  as  making  use  of  numerous  histories  which  treat  of  naval 
operations  during  the  Oivil  War.  More  recently  he  has  been 
favored  with  a  thorough  and  most  carefully  written  account  of  the 
affair  from  the  pen  of  the  chief  actor — Chief  Engineer  Isherwood — 
which  throws  light  upon  some  of  the  dark  places  found  in  the  usual 
accounts,  and  which  will  be  made  use  of  as  this  narrative  progresses. 
The  principal  officers  concerned  in  the  event  were  called  upon  to 
testify  before  the  Senate  Committee  which  investigated  the  Conduct 
of  the  War,  and,  while  they  told  the  truth  so  far  as  they  went,  they 
told  no  more  than  was  necessary,  for  at  that  time  it  would  not  have 
been  either  patriotic  or  politic,  to  have  made  some  of  the  details 
public;  and  this  restriction  applies  to  a  considerable  extent  even 
yet. 

Commodore  McCauley's  conduct  appears  highly  inconsistent 
with  the  theory  that  he  was  loyal  to  the  Government  and  anxious  to 
defend  his  country's  honor,  notwithstanding  which  all  the  evidence 
shows  that  he  was  both  loyal  and  patriotic.  At  the  time  of  this 
trouble  he  had  been  fifty-two  years  in  the  Navy,  having  lived  all 
through  that  long  and  uneventful  period  following  the  war  of  1812, 
which  may  well  be  called  the  Dark  Age  of  our  naval  history,  during 
which  midshipmen  grew  to  middle  age  before  becoming  lieutenants, 
and  then  remained  in  that  grade  until  old  age  was  actually  upon 
them,  before  they  rose  to  a  position  of  individual  responsibility. 
He  was  surrounded  by  younger  officers  who,  as  we  have  already 


THB  8TKAM  KAYT  OF  THE  UNITBD  STATB8.  237 

seen,  were  southerners  and  who  systematically  deceiyed  him  by 
false  ramors  and  imaginary  difficulties,  bnt,  upon  whom  the 
Commodore  depended  entirely,  never  doubting  their  loyalty  to  him, 
until  they  actnidly  deserted  their  posts  of  dnty. 

In  addition  to  the  perplexities  of  the  actual  situation  at  the 
nayy  yard,  the  Oonunodore  was  hampered  with  political  instructions 
from  Washington  which  simply  added  to  his  bewilderment.  There 
was  a  false  hope  thatYirginia  would  not  secede,  and  President  Lin- 
eoln  waa  led  to  believe  by  arguments  and  influences  that  probably 
no  one  but  himself  ever  knew,  that  an  attitude  of  confidence  and 
trust  towards  Yirginia,  on  the  part  of  the  Federal  Government  would 
so  condlitate  the  people  that  they  would  remain  true  to  the  Union. 
This  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Norfolk  was  full  of  armed  men  openly 
avowing  their  intention  to  seize  upon  the  Navy  yard,  and  that  the 
Ti^inia  anthorities  had  begun  obstructing  the  channels  and  placing 
guns  ta  oppose  the  egress  of  any  of  the  national  vessels.  So  com- 
modore McOauley  was  repeatedly  cautioned  not  to  do  anything  that 
might  appear  hostile,  or  provoking  to  the  Virginians,  and  at  the 
same  time  he  was  ordered  to  save  the  public  property  under  his  com- 
mand by  any  means  in  his  power. 

All  these  contradictions  and  perplexities  were  too  much  for  the 
Commodore  to  unravel,  having  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  a 
sphere  where  he  only  did  what  some  one  else  told  him  to  do,  it  is  no 
wonder  therefore, that  the  poor  old  man  was  unable  to  rise  to  the  oc- 
casion. To  his  mind,  long  before  narrowed  to  follow  the  one  straight 
line  of  naval  customs  and  precedents,! the  situation  was  most  irregu- 
lar and  wholly  inexplicable.  His  common  sense  told  him  that  the 
information  that  his  subordinates  gave  him  could  not  be  true,  and 
yet  he  accepted  it  as  truth  because  he  himself  had  always  been  true 
to  his  superiors,  and  naval  laws  explicitly  required  such  loyalty. 
Never  before  had  he  heard  people  talk  of  taking  posession  of  a  navy 
yard,  a  place  sacred  by  every  tradition  of  the  service  to  the  imperi- 
al sway  of  the  commandant;  never  before  had  navy  yard  workmen 
been  known  to  leave  their  employment  and  refuse  to  return  except 
as  hofltiles;  never  before  had  the  majesty  of  a  navy  yard  been 
outraged  by  officers  walking  out  of  the  gates  without  leave,  and  with- 
out written  orders  properly  endorsed  by  the  commandant  as  re- 
quired by  regulation.     And  then,  as  if  to  prove   that   all   signs 


288  ItHE  STEiiM  NAVT  OF  THE  Ul^lTKD  STATED 

had  failed,  the  infallible  regalations  themaelrea  contained  not  8 
word  of  instrnotion  as  to  what  to  do  in  case  of  insorrection  and 
threatened  seizure  of  a  navy  yard.  The  fault  was  not  with  C!om- 
modore  McGanley,  but  with  the  system  that  had  trained  him. 

Mr.  Isherwood  thus  graphically  describes  the  pitifnl  situation 
of  the  Oommodore  at  this  trying  time: 

«« The  Oommodore  was  in  a  state  of  complete  prostration.  He 
sat  in  his  ofBlce  immoyable,  not  knowing  what  to  do.  He  was  weak, 
vacillating,  hesitating,  and  oyerwhelmed  by  the  responsibilities  of 
his  position.  He  listened  blandly,  or  seemed  to  listen,  to  what  was 
said  to  him,  but  could  not  be  made  to  give  any  order  or  take  any 
action.  I  kept  reporting  to  him  what  I  was  doing  and  what  I  in- 
tended to  do.  He  looked  vaguely  at  me,  nodded  his  head,  but  said 
nothing.  He  behaved  as  though  he  were  stupefied.  He  was  a 
very  good  man,  personally  brave  and  loyal,  perplexed  in  the  ex- 
treme, deserted  by  his  officers,  and  utterly  unequal  to  the  occaaioD. 
As  a  subordinate  he  would  have  done  well;  as  a  principal  he  was  a 
wretched  failure.  I  endeavored  to  advise  him,  to  explain  the 
object  of  the  Department,  and  to  make  him  understand  the  necess- 
ity of  getting  the  Merrimao  out  at  once,  and  I  told  him  we  could 
tow  out  at  the  same  time  several  other  vessels.  I  knew  the  Kavy 
Yard  would  be  in  our  possession  but  a  few  days  longer,  and  wanted 
to  save  all  the  public  property  I  could,  as  well  as  to  diminish  the 
force  of  the  enemy  by  preventing  it  from  falling  into  their  hands. 
All  was  in  vain.  I  could  not  get  him  to  do  anything.  He  never 
came  near  the  vessel." 

After  getting  up  steam  Thursday  morning  Mr.  Isherwood  kept 
the  engines  running  at  the  dock  all  day  as  a  visible  sign  that  the 
Frigate  was  ready  to  go;  he  had  got  enough  coal  and  stores  on 
board  by  his  own  exertions  (for  no  official  of  the  Yard  except  Mr. 
Danby  aided  him  by  word  or  deed  during  all  this  time)  to  take  the 
vessel  as  far  as  Newport  News  where  she  would  be  safe.  Knowing 
that  Oommander  Alden,  who  had  been  ordered  to  take  command  of 
the  vessel  after  her  machinery  had  been  put  in  working  order,  waa 
meeting  with  every  obstacle  that  red-tapeism  could  suggest  to  pre- 
vent his  getting  men,  Mr.  Isherwood  had  inquired  among  hia 
Bseohanics  and  found  some  who  had  been  to  sea,  and  these  he  de- 


THE  STEAM  NAYY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  288 

taUed  as  wheelmen  to  steer  the  yesBel.  By  lavish  promises  of  pay 
he  aecnred  a  sufficient  nnmber  of  the  others  to  act  as  firemen, 
oilers,  etc.  and  these  men  faithfully  agreed  to  work  the  ship  as  far 
as  Newport  News,  which  promise  they  undoubtedly  would  have 
kept,  as  they  needed  the  large  sums  offered  them,  and  they  were 
under  many  obligations  to  Chief  Engineer  Danby  for  liberal  treat- 
ment when  employed  under  him  in  the  yard.  Mr.  Isherwood  also 
on  his  own  authority  had  the  chain  cables  that  secured  the  ship  to 
the  dock  removed  and  replaced  with  rope  hawsers  and  he  had  provided 
axes  and  stationed  men  with  them  to  cut  the  hawsers  when  the 
word  to  go  was  given.  Many  other  details  of  preparation  were 
attended  to  by  him  and  throughout  the  day  the  vessel  was  entirely 
ready  to  go  out,  which  she  could  easily  have  done  without  a  pilot 
as  she  was  so  light  without  coal,  guns,  or  stores  that  she  would 
easily  have  passed  over  the  obstructions  already  in  the  channel. 
But  the  commandant  would  not  say  the  word  which  would  have 
anthoriased  them  to  start 

It  is  pertinent  to  say  just  here,  that  the  orders  to  Mr.  Isherwood 
gsve  him  full  and  absolute  authority  over  the  ship  until  the  engines 
were  in  condition  to  drive  her;  then  Commander  Alden  was  by  his 
orders  to  assume  command  and  take  the  ship  to  sea.     Had  this  au- 
diority  been  vested  in  Mr.  Isherwood  the  Merrimac  would  have 
been  saved  and  the  carnage  that  Hampton  Boads  saw  the  following 
March  would  never  have  been  heard  of.     As  it  was,  Mr.  Isherwood 
had  to  resist  a  very  strong  temptation  to  take  charge  of  tbe  ship  him- 
aelf^but  he  had  been  in  the  service  too  many  years  not  to  understand 
the  full  significance  of  the  laws  and  regulations  that  declared  staff 
officers  not  eligible  to  exercise  command,  and  he  felt  that  no  meritor- 
iovfl  result  of  such   an  assumption  on  his  part,  even  if  it  were  the 
Mmng  of  one  of  the  finest  ships  in  the  Navy,  would  serve  to  excu- 
se his  encroachment  upon  the  prerogatives  held   as  belonging  only 
to  another  class  of  officers.     Mr.  Isherwood  hunself  writes  as  fol- 
lows relative  to  this  perplexing  crisis: 

^*As  I  witnessed  the  gradual  dying  out  of  the  revolutions  of 
tlie  Merrimaff%  engines  at  the  dock  I  was  greatly  tempted  to  cut  the 
ropee  that  held  her,  and  to  bring  her  out  on  my  own  responsibility. 
Thia  would  have  been  my  destruction,  for  then,  the  disasters  which 


240  THE!  grrtiAM  KATT  OF  TH£  TmitSS}  8TATEa 

followed  her  detention,  and  which  are  mj  justification  for  <he  de^ 
to  take  the  matter  into  my  own  hands,  wonld  not  have  happened. '' 

The  last  act  in  this  miserable  affair,  when  the  commandaat 
finally  refused  to  allow  the  ship  to  leave  and  directed  h^r  fires  to  bs 
hauled,  is  told  by  Ohief  Engineer  Isherwood  in  a  letter  to  Ifts 
writer,  as  follows: 

^^  Although  I  could  not  get  the  Conunodore  to  take  any  d^ 
cisive  action  I  kept  the  engines  working  at  the  dock  all  day  in  hopes 
that  he  might  be  persuaded  to  carry  out  the  plain  intentions  of  the 
Department.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  at  our  last  interview,  he  told 
me  to  draw  the  fires  and  stop  the  engines  as  he  had  decided  to  re- 
tain the  vessel  and  meant  to  defend  the  yard.  I  looked  at  him  with 
amazement,  went  over  the  case  again,  urged  the  orders  and  the 
desire  of  the  Department,  told  him  the  inevitable  consequences  (A 
his  decision,  tried  to  show  him  the  utter  absurdity  of  attempting  to 
defend  an  unfortified  navy  yard  without  men  or  any  military  means 
at  command,  for  by  this  time  he  was  absolutely  alone.  But  he  w^ 
brave,  had  a  high  sense  of  honor  and  duty  and  considered  him. 
self  bound  to  struggle  to  the  last.  If  he  had  had  the  smallest  foiM 
on  which  he  could  have  depended  he  would  have  died  gallantly,  atod 
I  believe  gladly,  at  its  head,  sword  in  hand  against  any  odds. 

^^  Finding  that  I  could  not  move  him  and  that  he  was  growing 
impatient  at  my  reiterated  appeals  I  drew  from  my  pockdt  die 
order  of  the  Department  to  me,  wrote  upon  it  the  usual  indorse- 
ment that  having  completed  the  duty  assigned  me  to  return  to 
Washington,  and  laid  it  before  him.  He  understood  the  signifl- 
cance  of  the  act,  but  signed  the  indorsement  without  a  word.  With 
great  sorrow  and  chagrin'  I  dismissed  my  men,  waited  an  til  the  en- 
gines made  their  last  revolution,  when  I  left  the  navy  yard,  and 
have  never  seen  it  since." 

On  Wednesday,  the  17ih  of  April,  the  State  Convention  of 
Tirginia  had  passed  the  Ordinance  of  Secession,  so  there  was  no 
excuse  whatever  on  Thursday,  for  maintaining  a  pacific  attitude  at 
the  yard  for  fear  of  provoking  the  disloyal  sentiment  among  the 
inhabitants  into  open  rebellion;  the  rebellion  was  already  declared 


TdB  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UKITKD  8TATS8.  2ti 

iM  th<d  time  for  tomporizing  had  paMed.  Why  tibe  JUetrimsiej  wil^ 
h^r  engtn^A  working  and  a  cfnfficient  ntunber  of  men  on  board  to 
h&Endl^  her,  did  not  that  day  tow  ont  to  safety  the  other  Teaaela  h 
Me  of  thoae  apecnlatiTe  queationa  that  cannot  be  aatigfactorily 
(ttnswered.  Like  many  other  controversies  over  sins  of  omission  in 
\hie  past,  thiii  qnestion  is  important  chiefly  on  acconnt  of  the  diisas- 
tl»r8  thai  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  the  first  error,  the  knowledge 
c^  i^hich  was  of  conhie  hidden  at  the  time  that  its  possession  would 
hare  incited  action  on  the  part  of  those  whose  failure  it  is  now  eaMy 
to  Mticise. 

Mr.  Isheihrood's  work  on  the  Jl^rrtmae  was  known  to  all  in 
K6rfOlk,  and  natnrally,  was  greatly  resented  by  the  popnlace,  as  it 
was  a  menace  to  the  prospects  of  possessing  the  ship.  In  fact,  only 
sr  week  before,  the  Metrimao  had  been  moved  under  the  shears  of 
the  ordnance  wh«rf  to  have  her  guns  placed  on  board,  and  this  act  had 
raiaed  such  a  howl  of  protest  that  the  commandant  had  stopped  the 
work  and  moved  her  back,  so  we  can  readily  understand  the  feeling 
when  it  wa&  known  that  her  machinery  was  being  fitted  for  use.  A 
]rfot  to  capture  Mr.  Isherwood  and  hold  him  as  a  prisoner  of  war 
WM  hatched,  and  it  was  only  by  chance  that  he  escaped  falling  into 
die  hands  of  his  country^s  enemies.  Fortunately  for  him,  a  civiliaai 
in  the  town,  who  knew  of  the  plot-  was  his  warm  personal  friend 
and  this  gentleman  warned  him  of  his  danger.  The  friend  engaged 
a>  room  on  the  Baltimore  steamer  in  the  morning,  in  his  own  name, 
aiid  took  possession  of  it  with  Mr.  Isherwood's  trunk,  going  later  with 
a  Cloeed  carriage  to  die  hotel  and  conveying  the  unwelcome  guest  to 
&6  steamer,  where  he  reihained  locked  in  the  room  until  the  boat 
was  well  out  in  Chesapeake  Bay.  A  party  of  Confederates  waited 
for  hours  on  the  wharf  for  him  to  arrive,  and  only  knew  by  going 
to  the  hotel  after  the  steamer  had  left,  that  their  enemy  had  out- 
witted them  and  escaped  •  After  his  return  to  the  Department  Mr. 
Isherwood  made  a  short  written  report  of  his  connection  with  the 
MerrimaCj  and  the  Secretary  and  himself  never  exchanged  a  word 
about  it.  It  was  tacitly  understood  that  the  subject  was  to  be 
^ored,  as  one  nbt  politic  for  the  public  to  know  in  the  existing 
state  of  high  feeling  and  excitement,  and  it  was  ignored. 

Following  closely  upon  the  events  before  narrated,  came  the 
order  to  abandon  the  navy  yard.     Captain  Hiram  Paulding,  in  the 


S42  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

•tMm  flloop-of-war,  J\xwnee  with  one  hnndred  marinefl  and  a  raw 
regiment  of  Maasachnsetts  yolunteers  went  np  to  the  yard  on  April 
SO  and  fonnd  the  Qermaattown^  Plymouth^  and  Dolphin  scutded 
and  rapidly  sinking,  which  prevented  him  from  carrying  ont  his  in- 
tention to  use  those  vessels  to  defend  the  channel.  Feeling  that  the 
yard  was  hopelessly  lost,  and  not  wishing  to  let  anything  of  value 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  he  ordered  the  deetrnction  by  fire 
of  everything  inflammable,  and  the  work-shops,  ship-houses,  many 
of  the  ships,  and  numerous  other  buildings  went  up  in  smoke  that 
night.  The  guns  were  spiked  and  many  of  them  permanently 
ruined  by  knocking  off  the  trunnions,  but  all  efforts  in  tliis  direction 
failed  with  the  Dahlgren  guns  and  they  afterward  became  dreaded 
weapons  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The  wild  scene  of  destruction 
was  of  unearthly  awfulness  and  sublimity  utterly  indescribable. 
The  upper  works  of  the  Merrimac  were  burned  away,  but  the  sub- 
merged portion  of  the  hull  remained  intact  and  was  subsequently 
used  with  terrible  effect. 

As  the  morning  of  Sunday,  the  21st,  approached,  the  PofumM 
took  the  Ou/mierlcmd  in  tow  and  departed,  leaving  behind  no  ves- 
tage  of  the  soverignty  of  the  United  States.  The  Confederates 
rushed  in  as  the  Union  forces  left,  extinguished  the  train  that  was 
to  blow  up  the  granite  dry  dock,  saved  the  ofiicers'  houses  and 
some  other  buildings,  and  thus  provided  themselves  with  the  nucleus 
for  a  great  naval  station.  Thus  was  public  property  to  the  value  of 
ten  millions  of  dollars  destroyed  or  lost  to  the  Government.  One 
of  the  vessels  which  escaped  destruction  that  dreadful  ni^ht  was  the 
historical  old  frigate  United  States^  but  her  respite  was  brief,  for, 
in  May  of  the  following  year,  when  the  Confederates  in  turn  had  to 
abandon  Norfolk,  she,  too,  notwithstanding  the  glorious  memories 
that  clustered  about  her,  was  burned  to  ashes. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August,  1861,  an  expedition  planned  by 
the  Navy  Department,  and  commanded  by  Flag  Officer  Btringham, 
proceeded  from  Hampton  Boads  to  attack  Hatteras  Inlet,  which 
place  had  been  fortified  and  armed  with  iruns  taken  from  the  Nor- 
folk navy  yard.  Two  transport  steamers,  carrying  about  nine  hun- 
dred troops  under  the  command  of  Major  General  Benjamin  F. 
Butler,  accompanied  this  expedition  as  a  part  of  the  combined  at- 
tacking force.     The  naval  vessels  composing  the  squadron  were  the 


THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  243 

•teamen  Minnesota^  WabasAy  Su^quehantka^  MorUioeUo^  Pawnee^ 
and  Harriet  Lane^  and  the  sailiDg  frigate  Cumberland.  About 
thirty  engineers  of  the  na^j  were  attached  to  these  vessels  and  in 
their  appointed  stations  performed  their  duties  thoroughly  and  well, 
keeping  the  motive  power  of  their  vessels  in  a  constant  condition 
of  readiness  and  efficiency  to  meet  any  demand  that  the  exigencies 
of  the  expedition  might  require. 

The  squadron  arrived  off  Uatteras  on  August  28,  and  imme- 
diately landed  the  soldiers  and  marines  to  attack  the  fortifications 
from  the  land,  in  conjunction  with  the  bombardment  from  the  ships, 
which  was  maintained  all  the  afternoon  and  resumed  the  morning  of 
the  29th,  ceasing  only  with  the  surrender  of  the  enemy  about  11 
A.  v.  that  day.  The  most  exciting  event  connected  with  this  affair 
was  a  bad  quarter  of  an  hour  experienced  by  the  JUontioeUo^  during 
which  she  narrowly  escaped  destruction.  This  small  steamer,  after 
assisting  in  landing  the  marines  and  soldiers,  was  supplied  with  a 
local  coast  pilot  by  the  flag-ship  and  ordered  to  go  in  through  the 
inlet  to  see  what  was  going  on  inside.  The  pilot,  either  by  design 
or  through  ignorance,  took  her  into  the  wrong  channel  and  she 
began  to  strike  bottom  when  in  dangerous  proximity  to  the  forts, 
the  shoalness  of  the  water  finally  obliging  her  to  abandon  her  under- 
taking and  to  try  to  work  out  to  sea  again.  Seeing  the  ManUoMo 
in  this  distress  the  large  fort  of  fifteen  guns,  which  had  not 
molested  her  up  to  that  time,  opened  on  her  with  a  furious  cannon- 
ade, which  was  returned  with  the  fire  of  such  guns  as  could  be 
brought  to  bear.  By  working  the  engines  rapidly  back  and  forth, 
to  take  advantage  of  the  swell  and  eddying  currents,  the  ship  was 
finally  turned  around  and  worked  out  of  her  dangerous  predicament, 
not,  however,  until  she  had  suffered  seriously  from  the  merciless 
storm  of  shot  and  shell  poured  upon  her.  Her  escape  from  destruc- 
tion was  due  in  large  measure  to  the  skill  and  ability  of  the  engineers 
under  whose  alert  charge  the  machinery  responded  instantly  to  every 
movement  required.  Oommander  John  F.  Gillis,  who  commanded 
the  ManticeUo  at  the  time,  in  reporting  this  experience  expressed 
his  indebtedness  to  the  acting  chief  engineer  of  the  ship — Mr. 
George  M.  Waite — ^' for  his  care  and  promptness  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  engine.'*  The  assistant  engineers  of  the  Montieello  at 
this  time  were  Messrs.   Jonathan  Thomas  and  Columbus  L.  Griffin. 


944  THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

On  the  night  of  September  18,  the  U.  B.  B.  Colorado^  lying 
off  Fort  PiokeoB,  Florida,  sent  ont  an  expedition  in  four  boat^ 
against  tiie  nayy  yard  at  Pensaoola  then  in  possession  of  the  Goa- 
federates,'  the  objects  of  the  expedition  being  the  destraction  of  t^e 
schooner  Judah  fitting  ont  at  one  of  the  docks  for  a  privateer,  and 
the  spiking  of  a  gnn  in  battery  at  the  southeast  end  of  the  ysrd« 
The  party  consisted  of  exactly  one  hundred  ofBcers,  seamen  and 
marines,  die  officers  being  Lieutenants  Russell,  Sproston,  and  Blake, 
Oaptain  Beynolds  of  the  marine  corps;  Assistiuat  Surgeon  Kennedy, 
Assistant  Engineer  George  H.  White,  Gunner  Boreton  ftnd  Mi^- 
shipmen  Bteece,  Forrest  and  Higginson. 

The  attack  was  made  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  at  half  psft 
three  o'clock.  Instead  of  surprising  the  enemy,  the  crew  of  ihe 
Judah  was  found  awake  and  ready  to  receive  the  expedition,  doiag 
great  damage  with  musketry  fire  as  the  boats  approadied,  and  i^ot 
giving  up  their  vessel  until  after  a  most  desperate  hand-to-haad 
combat  on  the  deck.  The  schooner  being  captured  and  set  on  fire, 
and  the  gun  spiked,  the  naval  expedition  withdrew,  for  by  thi|t 
time  the  yard  was  as  busy  as  a  hornet's  neat  apd  fully  one  tliou|Nm4 
Confederates  were  swarming  for  an  attack.  The  Union  party  had 
three  men  killed  and  twelve  wounded,  among  the  latter  being  Qap. 
tain  Reynolds  ol  the  nuurines  and  Midshipman  F.  J.  Higginnop, 
who  had  the  end  of  his  liiumb  shot  off. 

Assistant  Engineer  White's  part  in  the  exploitu  of  the  ni^ 
is  indicated  by  the  following  extracts  from  the  official  report  of  tto 
affair: 

^<  In  the  meantime  the  vessel  was  set  on  fire  in  severid  jdaces. 
That  which  finally  consumed  her  was  lighted  in  the  cabin  by  Assist- 
ant Engineer  White  and  a  coal-heaver  Patrick  Driscoll,  who  went 
as  a  vcdunteer." 

«<  Assistant  Engineer  White  brought  down  from  the  croea-trees 
of  the  schooner  a  man  who  had  been  seen  to  fire  upon  the  boatSi 
kUling  him  instantly." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

'*I  IiaTe  read  a  fiery  gospel  writ  In  burnished  rows  of  steel ; 
*Ab  ye  deal  wilh  mj  ooBtomnto  so  with  yon  iny  giaee  shall  deal^; 
Ls*  IbeBero,  barn  <^  woman,  crush  the  serpent  wltti  his  beal; 
Slnea  Qod  is  marching  on." 
Julia  Ward  Howx— Battte  Bipnn  of  the  JUfnOO/U^ 

IMl.  The  ClYll  War,  Continned.— Bxpedltion  of  Flag  Ofleer  Dq  Pont  to  Port  BoyaL 
«-Iiosa  or  thfi  Oovinuw.— NaTal  Battle  at  Pout  KoymL-rKlUtDg  of  Aaslatant 
Engino«r  Whlttemore  on  the  MoMoan,  —The  Affair  of  the  Trent. 

I  IX  diyiding  the  coast  for  con^enienoe  in  maintaining  the  blockade 
proclaimed  along  the  entire  sea  line  of  the  insurgent  states  the 
limits  of  the  South  Atlantic  blockading  squadron  were  fixed  at  the 
iKOundarj  line  between  the  Carolinas  on  the  north  and  Cape  Florida 
op  the  south.  This  region  being  far  from  any  of  the  Union  ports  it 
became  necessary  to  establish  somewhere  within  its  limits  a  harbor 
of  refuge  in  heavy  weather  where  a  repair  station  and  depot  could 
be  maintained.  In  order  to  seize  such  a  place  and  hold  it  with  a 
strong  garrisQu  a  large  combined  army  and  naval  expedition,  com- 
manded by  Flag  OfScer  Samuel  F.  DuPont  and  Brigadier  General 
T.  W.  Sherman  (not  Wm.  T.  Shemian),  was  fitted  out  and  sailed 
from  Hampton  Boads  on  the  29th  of  October.  The  frigate  Wdiiuhj 
Commander  C.  B.  P.  Bodgers,  was  the  fiagship,  and  the  fieet, 
numbering  forty-eight  vessels  including  the  troop  ships,  was  the 
brgest  ever  before  assembled  under  our  flag.  A.  fleet  of  twenty- 
five  schooners  laden  with  coal  was  despatched  the  previous  day 
under  convoy  of  the  sailing  sloop  of  war  VandaMa  with  orders  to 
rendezvous  at  sea  off  Savannah. 

On  November  1st  the  fleet  was  scattered  by  a  furious  gale  from 
the  southeast,  approaching  a  hurricane  in  violence,  and  some  of  the 
Teesels  fared  very  badly,  especially  the  transports  which  had  been 
hurriedly  purchased  or  chartered  and  in  some  cases  were  actually 
ipieeaworthy.  The  steamer  Governor^  in  which  was  embarked  the 
fine  battalion  of  marines,  foundered,  and  the  marines  with  seven 
exceptions  were  rescued  by  the  frigate  8<Mne  and  the 


2i6  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

haac  Smithy  the  latter  vesBel  having  been  obliged  to  throw  over- 
board her  battery  to  aave  herself.  The  transport  Peerleu  alao  went 
down  and  her  people  were  taken  off  in  boats  under  the  most  peril- 
ous drcnmstances  by  the  crew  of  the  Mohican. 

The  selection  of  the  point  to  be  captured  was  left  entirely  to 
the  judgment  of  Flag  Officer  DuPont,  who  decided  that  Port  Boyal, 
South  Carolina,  was  the  best  located  and  mosfr  suitable  for  a  station 
for  the  blockading  squadron.  Accordingly  as  the  vessels  began  to 
reassemble  after  the  gale,  the  Wapash  led  them  to  the  vicinity  of 
that  place  and  anchored  off  the  bar  during  the  day  of  November  4. 
All  buoys  and  other  aids  to  navigation  had  been  removed  by  the 
enemy,  which  made  it  necessary  to  find,  sound,  and  buoy  the 
channel  before  any  of  the  vessels  could  venture,  further,  the  bar 
being  several  miles  off  shore.  This  work  was  done  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Boutelle  the  Assistant  Chief  of  the  Coast  Survey,  who 
was  very  familiar  with  the  coast  in  this  region  and  who  was  fortunately 
with  the  expedition  in  chaise  of  a  small  steamer  named  the  Vixen. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  the  transports  drawing  less  than  eighteen  feet 
of  water  and  all  the  gun- vessels  were  sent  to  the  anchorage  in  Port 
Boyal  roadstead,  the  gunboats  having  a  brush  with  two  or  three 
Confederate  steamers  under  command  of  Commodore  Tatnall,  of 
^^ blood  is  thicker  than  water"  fame,  and  drove  them  under  the 
shelter  of  the  batteries  on  Bay  Point  and  Hilton  Head  (Forts 
Beauregard  and  Walker). 

The  next  morning,  November  5,  the  grave  responsibility  of 
hazarding  the  noble  frigate  Wabash  in  crossing  the  bar  was  assumed 
by  DuPout  and  that  vessel,  thanks  to  the  careful  work  of  Mr. 
Boutelle,  was  safely  taken  inside,  followed  by  the  side-wheel  trig- 
ate  jSiuguehanfia  and  the  deep-draught  transports.  Immediate 
preparation  for  action  was  made  but  various  delays,  among  diem 
the  grounding  of  the  Wabash  after  getting  into  the  roadstead,  oc- 
curred and  night  came  on  before  the  fleet  was  ready,  while  a  south- 
westerly gale  the  following  day  again  postponed  the  assault 

On  the  morning  of  November  7  the  fleet  got  under  way  to 
attack  the  forts,  the  order  of  battle  comprising  a  main  squadron 
ranged  in  line  ahead,  and  a  flanking  squadron  to  engage  the  enemy's 
vessels  and  prevent  them  from  cutting  off  any  of  the  vessels  that 
might  be  disabled  and  fall  out  of  action.     The  main  squadron  was 


THE  8TSAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


made  np  of  the  Wabaahj  Suaqushanna^  Mohican^  Seminole^  Pofumee^ 
UnadiUa^  Ottawa^  JPemiinay  and  the  sailing-Bloop  VandcUta  towed 
bj  the  Isaac  Smith;  the  flanking  sqnadron  was  composed  of  the 
BienviUsj  Seneca^  OurleWj  Penguin^  and  Augusta.  The  battle  was 
opened  by  a  gun  from  Fort  Walker  at  9:26  ▲.  k.  and  ended  abont 
S  p.  X. ;  the  enemy  abandoning  his  works  with  great  2eal  and  pre* 
dpitation.  Commander  0.  B.  F.  Bodgers  with  a  force  of  marines 
and  bine  jackets  went  ashore  from  the  WiUfoah  and  took  possession 
of  Fort  Walker  and  by  nightfall  a  brigade  of  troops  was  landed 
and  in  possession.  At  smirise  the  next  morning  lieutenant  com- 
manding Daniel  Ammen  of  the  Seneca  landed  and  hoisted  the 
American  flag  on  Fort  Beanregard.  The  forts  were  badly  damaged 
by  the  furious  cannonading  to  which  they  had  been  subjected,  the 
terrific  nature  of  which  can  be  understood  from  the  fact  that  the 
Wabash  alone  fired  nearly  nine  hundred  shells,  besides  grape  and 
shrapnel. 

The  foregoing  briefiy  outlines  the  circumstances  attending  the 
taking  possession  of  the  forts  by  the  Union  forces,  and  is  given  in 
the  nsual  form  in  which  the  erent  is  recorded  in  history.  The 
following  extracts  from  Flag  OfScer  DuPont^s  detailed  report  of 
the  engagement  furnish  the  foundation  for  the  bestowal  upon  the 
distinguished  Bodgers  brothers  of  the  honor  of  landing  first  and 
personally  taking  possession  of  Fort  Walker: 

^*  I  sent  Commander  John  Bodgers  on  shore  with  a  fiag  of 
truce.  The  hasty  flight  of  the  enemy  was  visible,  and  was  re- 
ported from  the  tops.  At  twenty  minutes  after  two  Captain  Bod- 
gers hoisted  the  flag  of  the  Union  over  the  deserted  post.  At 
forty -five  minutes  after  two  I  anchored  and  sent  Commander  C.  B. 
F.  Bodgers  on  shore  with  the  marines  and  a  party  of  seamen  to 
take  possession,  and  prevent,  if  necessary,  the  destruction  of  public 
property." 

*<  Commander  John  Bodgers,  a  passenger  in  this  ship,  going 
to  take  command  of  the  steamer  JPlag^  volunteered  to  act  upon  my 
staff.  It  would  be  difficult  for  me  to  enumerate  the  duties  he  per- 
formed, they  were  so  numerous  and  various,  and  he  brought  to 
them  all  an  invincible  energy  and  the  highest  order  of  professional 
knowledge  and  merit     I  was  glad  to  show  my  appreciation  of  his 


241  THE  CTEAH  NAVT  OF  THjE  UNITED  8TATE& 

gyneftt  flerrices  by  allowing  him  tbe  honor  to  hoiat  th^  first  Ameriew 
ftug  on  the  rebdlions  soil  of  Sooth  Carolina. " 

In  large  operations  of  this  natpre  it  is  cnatomaryi  and  perhapi 
proper,  to  give  credit  for  worthy  deeds  to  the  officer  who  comnp^ands^ 
the  acts  ol  his  sabofdinates  beiiig  assnojued  to  be  his  own.  The 
a«)tna}  details  attending  the  landing  at  Fort  Walker  differ  somewhat 
twm  the  usnal  historical  aoconnts,  and  have  been  learned  by  the 
anthor  from  some  documents  loaned  him  by  Hr.  Hillary  Hessimer, 
Sofierintendent  of  Motive  Power  of  the  Galomet  and  Hecla  Hinii;i|; 
Oompaay,  one  of  the  most  important  papers  being  a  letter  writte9 
in  1883  by  Bear  Admiral  C.  B.  F.  Bodgers,  then  on  the  retired  Ust 

It  appears  from  these  records  that  Third  A^i^tant  Engineeir 
Hillary  Messimer  of  the  Wabaahj  hereafter  referred  to  as  havlog 
e|[0ited  the  admiration  of  his  superior  officers  by  his  coolness  and 
attention  to  duty  during  the  action  while  stationed  at  the  engine- 
rqom  signal  on  the  bridge,  was  selected  by  Flag  Officer  DuFont 
to  l#ke  charge  of  an  armed  party  of  marines  to  land  and  spike  the 
gfms  in  the  fort  should  the  enemy  show  imy  signs  of  returning. 
Mr.  Messimer's  party  took,  besides  the  necessary  tools,  an  Americ^tfi 
flag  with  which  he  landed  imd  W;as  inside  the  works  with  me^ 
st^tipned  at  the  guns  ready  to  spike  them  before  Commander  John 
Bodgers  set  his  foot  on  the  shore.     The  latter  officer  shoved   ofi 
from  the  WiUnuA  when  Messimer's  boat  was  almost  on  shore  and 
his  ipen  about  to  jump  overboard  to  land,  in  doing  which  a  few 
moments  later  Messimer  took  care  to  be  first,  although  followe4 
closely  by  his  men,  and  to  him  belongs  the  credit  of  being  the  fir^t 
person  from  the  Union  force  to  land  in  this  stronghold  of  the  enemy. 
With  his  own  hands,  assisted  by  a  marine  corporal,  ]Ar.  MeaaimOT 
hanldd  down  the  Confederate  flags  from  the  general  imd  regimental 
headquarters,  after  which,  leaving  a  sergeant  in  command  of  the 
spiking  party,  he  went  down  to  the  beach  to  meet  Commander  C* 
B.  F.  Bodgers  then  landing  with  a  force  of  men  f rpi^  the  TFo^wA. 

After  receiving  and  approving  Messimer^s  report  of  what  h|i 
ha4  done.  Commander  Bodgers  ordered  him  to  go  ofl!  tp  the  flag- 
ship <md  deliver  to  Flag  Officer  DuPont  the  captured  fli^ge  and  fiLre 
Cqpfederate  prisoners  whom  he  had  taken,  and  then  to  return  to 
the  ff^  with  the  chaplain  of  the  ship  to  bury  the  dead;  all  whicih 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  2S» 

WHS  done.  A  sword  carried  on  board  the  Wabash  with  the  Gonf  ed- 
fflrtite  flagawaa  afterward  given  to  Mr.  Kessimier  by  Flag  Officier  Pa- 
Pont  with  the  Gomplimentary  remark,  '*  Yon  have  earned  if 

This  engagement  furnishes  one  of  the  many  striking  instances 
illnatrative  of  the  division  of  families  over  the  issues  which  caused 
the  Civil  War.  The  Confederate  commander  of  the  works  at  Fort 
Bojal  was  General  Drftyton  brother  of  Commander  Fercival  Dray- 
ton of  the  Federal  navy,  whose  vessel,  the  Poeahontaay  was  so  dis- 
abled in  the  gale  on  the  voyage  down  that  he  did  not  arrive  in  tuae 
tQ  )^  assigned  a  position  in  the  order  of  battle,  but  he  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  scene  of  action  about  noon  and  rendered  gallant  serv- 
icse  by  engaging  the  batteries  on  both  sides  in  succession,  and  aided 
iQate^rially  in  driving  his  brother  and  his  men  out  of  the  works. 

Several  of  the  vessels  engaged  were  badly  cut  up  by  the  fire 
fr9^  &e  forts  and  it  was  a  matter  of  surprise,  expressed  at  the 
time  in  the  official  reports,  that  the  casualties  under  the  circum- 
itncM  were  not  greater  than  they  were.  These  amounted  to  eight 
kifled  and  twenty-three  wounded,  seven  of  the  latter  severely.  The 
ooly  officfBT  killed  was  Third  Assistant  Engineer  John  W.  Whitte- 
B^re,  of  the  Mohican^  who  was  stationed  on  deck  at  the  engine 
room  telegraph  where  he  was  instantly  killed  by  a  solid  shot  con;i- 
ipg  through  the  hammock  rail  and  driving  before  it  a  piece  of  an 
ifpQ  bolt  or  screw  from  the  rigging  which  passed  through  his  heitd. 
Mr.  Whittomore  was  the  son  of  a  celebrated  Universaiist  minister 
id  Boston,  and  was  a  highly  cultured  and  accomplished  young  gen- 
tle^oan,  whose  New  England  spirit  of  patriotism  had  impelled  him 
to  enter  the  naval  service  in  a  capacity  where  he  felt  he  could  serve 
his  country  most  usefully.  He  had  been  in  the  service  less  than 
tl)r^  months  at  the  time  pf  his  death,  but  in  that  short  time  his 
VfWnj  admirable  qualities  had  greatly  endeared  him  to  all  who  were 
M0Ociated  with  him. 

On  the  same  vessel  another  assistant  engineer,    Mr.  Mayland 

Cothbert,  narrowly  escaped  being  killed  while  at  his  post  of  duty  in 

til^e  starboard  gfingway  in  charge  of  the  fire  division.     A  shot  struck 

~ie  main  yard  and  cut  the  j^ck  stay  into  pieces,  one  of  which  toolj: 

II  oblique  direction    downward,  striking  Cuthbert  in  the  thigh  and 

flicting  a  frightful  wound,  in  which  the  femoral  artery   was  laid 

1*0,  but  fortunately  not  cat.     The  vacancy  on  the  Mohdean  caused 


260  TfiS  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITED  8TATXS. 

bj  the  killing  of  Whittemore  was  filled  by  transferring  Assistant 
Engineer  Absalom  Kirby  from  the  PooahonUu^  which  fact  is  men- 
tioned because,  by  a  cnrions  coincidence,  Mr.  Kirby  had  narrowly 
escaped  being  killed  in  the  action  nnder  the  same  circumstances 
leading  to  the  death  of  Mr.  Whittemore.  He, also,  was  stationed  at 
the  engine-room  bell,  which  on  the  Pocahontoi  was  attached  to  the 
main  mast,  and  while  standing  at  his  station  a  solid  shot  passed 
through  the  mast  within  a  few  inches  of  his  head,  showering  him 
with  splinters  bnt  doing  him  no  serious  harm. 

Attached  to  the  various  steamers  of  the  assaulting  squadron  were 
about  seventy-five  officers  of  the  Engineer  Corps,  regulars  and  vol- 
unteers, all  of  whom  acquitted  themselves  with  great  credit  and  by 
their  skilful  performance  of  duty,  contributed  very  materially  to  the 
success  of  the  undertaking.  The  chief  or  senior  engineers  of  the 
different  vessels  engaged  were  the  following:  WabasAj  J.  W  King; 
SusgrueAanna^  Geo.  Sewell;  Mohican^  E.  D.  Bobie,  SenUnoUy  B.  L. 
Harris;  Pawnee,  W.  H.  Butherford;  Unadilla,  Edw.  Marsland;  Ot- 
tawa,  W.  W.  Dungan;  Pembina,  Jefferson  Young;  Imac  Smith,  J. 
TvLc\iet\BienvilU,  W.  H.  Wright;  Seneca,  J.  W.  de  Erafft;  Owimo, 
George  B.  lSx[ioxj\  Penguin,  M.  P.  Bandall;  Augusta,  George  T. 
Bloat  Mr.  J.  M.  Hobby,  who  at  a  later  period  in  the  war  signal- 
ly distinguished  himself  as  chief  engineer  of  the  Sassacus  in  battle 
with  the  ram  Albemarle,  was,  on  this  occasion,  the  first  assistant  of 
the  Susquehanna. 

That  one  at  least  of  the  vessels  was  kept  in  action  by  the  ability 
of  her  engineers  is  shown  by  the  following  extract  from  the  report 
of  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Ourlew: 

<(  Messrs  Emory,  Swasey,  McConnell,  and  Loyds  engineers  of 
the  vessel,  with  great  difficulties  to  contend  against,  in  the  general 
unfitness  of  engine,  boilers  and  condensing  apparatus,  for  such  rough 
service,  managed  to  carry  us  tkrongh  the  action,  for  which  I  was 
thankful. 

Commander  C.  B.  P.  Bodgers  of  the  flag  ship  reported  as  fol- 
lows regarding  the  work  of  the  engineers  of  that  vessel. 

**The  engine  and  steam,  during  the  whole  action,  were  managed 
with  consummate  skill,  which  did  great  credit  to  Chief  Engineer 
King  and  his  assistants.     Third  Assistant  Engineer   Messimer.  who 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  261 

ttood  upon  the  bridge  by  my  side  during  the  action,  impressed  me 
Tery  fayorably  by  his  cool  intelligence  and  promptness.'' 

Flag  officer  DuFont  also  mentioned  Mr.  Messimer's  excellence 
in  his  report  of  the  battle,  and  in  other  reports  of  commanding  offi- 
cers occnr  references  from  which  one  concludes  that  the  engineers 
were  very  necessary  officials  and  a  part  of  the  combatant  element  of 
the  fleet. 

The  affair  of  the  li^enij  on  account  of  its  international  aspect, 
attaicted  probably  more  attention  and  wide-spread  interest  than 
any  other  single  event  connected  with  the  operations  of  the  Navy 
during  the  Oivil  War,  and,  as  two  officers  of  the  engineer  corps  were 
prominently  concerned,  it  is  proper  that  a  brief  account  be  given 
in  this  work.  The  U.  8.  Steamer,  San  Jacinto^  commanded  by 
Captain  Charles  Wilkes,  was  employed  the  latter  part  of  this  year 
in  emifling  about  the  West  Indies  seeking  for  the  Confederate  pri- 
vateer Sumter^  which  had  comniitted  numerous  depredations  in  those 
waters;  the  last  day  of  October  the  San  Jacinto  went  into  the  port 
cf  Havana,  where  Wilkes  learned  that  Messrs  Mason  and  Blidell, 
commissioners  from  the  insurgent  states  to  England  and  France, 
were  about  to  sail  from  that  port  for  St.  Thomas  on  their  way  to 
Europe  in  the  British  mail  steamer  li'ent.  These  gentlemen  with 
their  families  and  secretaries  had  escaped  from  the  blockade  about 
Charleston  in  a  famous  swift  blockade-runner,  the  Theodora^  which 
had  landed  them  at  Cardenas  in  Cuba.  Captain  Wilkes  was  a  grim, 
tacitum  seaman  of  the  old  school,  which  had  for  its  chief  article  of 
faith  the  celebrated  sentiment  of  Stephen  Decatur — ^^Our  country  I 
In  her  intercourse  with  foreign  nations  may  she  always  be  in  the 
right;  but  our  country,  right  or  wrong," — so  when  he  learned  of  the 
proposed  expedition  of  the  Confederate  emissaries  to  preach  disrup- 
tion of  the  Union  abroad,  there  was,  according  to  his  lights,  but  one 
course  of  action  to  pursue,  and  that  was,  to  intercept  them,  *^  right 
Off  wrong.'* 

With  this  determination  in  his  mind  Captain  Wilkes  went  to 
sea  on  the  Snd  of  November,  after  having  coaled  ship  in  Havana, 
and  for  a  day  or  two  cruised  along  the  northern  coast  of  Cuba  look- 
iD|i;  for  the  Sumter \  then  he  went  over  to  Key  West  hoping  to  find 
the  J^cwJiatan  to  accompany  him  on  his  intended  enterprise,  but 
that  ship  had  gone  to  sea  the  day  before,  thus  making  it  necessary 


ate  '  THE  STEAM  HAVY  OF  THE  UKITED  STATES. 

for  the  San  Jaeinto  to  vatch  for  this  I¥ent  alone.  The  Treni  wHs 
echedaled  to  sail  from  Havana  on  the  7th  of  November,  and  to 
make  sure  of  her,  Wilkes  went  down  the  coast  some  two  htndrod 
and  forty  miles  to  a  place  on  the  soa  ronte  to  St.  Thomas  where  the 
old  Bahama  Channel  narrows  to  a  width  of  fifteen  miles;  here  ths 
San  Jacinto  arrived  on  November  4  and  laid  in  wait  foi"  her  prey, 
with  all  the  patience  of  a  red  Mohawk  lurking  sleeplessly  on  the 
trail  over  which  his  en^my  might  pass.  About  noon  of  November 
8  the  Thent  ran  into  this  fatal  snare  and  was  hove  to  by  a  shdll 
thrown  across  her  bows,  after  a  shot  had  been  disregarded. 

The  interesting  details  of  what  happened  when  the  I^ent  i^^ 
boarded  are  given  hereafter  in  the  copies  of  official  reports  of  t!he 
boarding  officers.  For  th6  present  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  Messnl. 
Mason  and  Slidell,  after  refusing  to  leave  the  mail  steamer,  wefe 
man-handled  and  put  into  the  boats  of  the  San  JacifUOj  taken 
aboard  that  vessel  as  prisoner^,  and  ultimately  incarcerated  in  foitt 
Warren,  Boston  Harbor.  The  Tr^nt  was  allowed  to  resume  h^ 
voyage  after  the  commissioners  had  been  taken.  After  a  few  y/reeks 
imprisonment  Mason  and  Slidell  were  delivered  to  tfhe  British 
government  in  response  to  a  demand  not  over  gracious  niade  by 
Earl  Bussel.  Captain  Wilkes  made  a  mistake  in  allowing  the  liraU 
to  escape,  for  the  weight  of  precedent,  established  by  decisions  of 
the  British  admiralty  courts,  was  largely  on  the  side  of  tihe  theoi^y 
that  neutral  vessels  knowingly  carrying  officials  or  despatches  of  the 
enemy  were  liable  to  capture  and  condemnation.  No  accepted 
principle  of  international  law  justified  the  act  of  taking  the  commis- 
sioners out  of  the  vessel,  and  no  nation  but  England  had  ever  in- 
sisted upon  such  a  right;  indeed,  in  1813,  the  ITnited  States  hsd 
gone  to  war  with  the  mother-country  in  opposition  to  the  very 
doctrine  involved  in  Wilkes'  act. 

It  is  not  probable,  however,  that  Wilkes'  technical  breach  of 
international  law  in  failing  to  take  the  li'ent  into  port  as  a  prUe 
had  any  real  effect  upon  subsequent  events  in  the  case;  such  a  pro- 
cedure would  have  been  entirely  in  accord  with  the  established 
rules  of  War,  but  the  wave  of  popular  indignation  and  rage  which 
swept  over  England  when  the  passengers  of  the  Irent  cakne  home 
with  their  tale,  is  suffiivlent  proof  that  considerations  of  abstract 
right  would  not  have  a  dctcnnining  part  in  the  action  taken  by  the 


i 


THE  STEAM  KAVt  OF  THt  XJNItSD  STATS9.  Sl3 

Britiflli  (s^oyernment.  The  United  States,  being  folly  employed  In 
the  task  of  snppf  efisfng  the  most  gigantie  rebellion  that  ever  threat- 
ened  a  nation's  life,  could  not  engage  in  war  with  powerful  neigh- 
bors disposed  to  seek  it,  and  the  demands  made  had  to  be  acceded 
to  whether  agreeable  or  not.  A  few  years  later,  wheli  the  rebellion 
^ras  crushed,  and  the  ITnited  States  had  a  million  antt^d  men,  haM- 
^tted  by  years  of  campaigning  both  ready  and  willing  for  any  se^- 
rice,  and  onr  navy,  with  five  hnndred  vessels  in  commission,  po«- 
sessed  the  heaviest  iron-clads  and  the  swiftest  cruisers  in  Ae  world, 
another  controversey  between  England  and  onr  conntry  end^d  in 
the  former  swallowing  her  pride,  and  accepting  the  decidedly  hnh 
Miliating  terms  imposed  by  an  arbitration  oommission.  The  two 
events,  considered  singly  or  together,  are  an  excellent  illnstradon 
of  the  trnlfh  of  the  principle,  that  m^ht  more  frequently  than  right 
determines  the  actions  of  nations  as  well  as  <^  men. 

The  officers  of  the  Som  Jacinio  who  boarded  the  l^mt^ 
ddiongh  performing  a  duty  in  which  they  had  no  personal  conc^n, 
were  treated  with  great  contempt  and  indignity  on  board  that  vessel, 
end  exhibited  in  return  a  spirit  of  forbearance  and  dignity  highly 
creditable  to  them,  and  the  service  which  they  represented.  The 
details  of  their  experience  on  board  the  Ti'ent  are  usually  edipeed 
by  the  more  important  complicatione  growing  out  of  the  event;  they 
are,  however,  most  interesting  as  riio^ngwhat  naval  officers  som^ 
titties  have  to  do  in  the  line  of  their  varied  duties,  and  are  here 
presented  in  the  form  of  the  reports  made  by  the  boarding  officers. 

VmUtD  BtAMB  SttAMBBSAH  JaCIHIO, 

At  SM,  Koramliw  12,  ISOL 
Sib:  At  1:20  p.  m.,  on  the  8th  instant,  I  repaired  alongside  of 

tlie  British  mail  patcket  in  an  armed  cutter,  accompanied  by  Mr. 

Houston,  second  assistant  engineer,  and  Mr.  Qrace,  the  boatswain. 
1  went  on  board  the  Ti'&ne  alone,  leaving  the  two  officers  in  the 

beat  widi  orders  to  await  until  it  became  necessary  to  show  some 

force. 

I  Was  shown  up  by  the  first  officer  to  tiie  quarter-deck,  where  I 

met  the  Captain  and  informed  him  who  I  was,  asking  to  see  the  pas- 

ssnger  list.     He  deolined  letting  me  see  it     I  then  told  him  that  I 

had  information  of  H!r.  Mason,  Mr.  81idell|  Vx.  Enstis,  and  Mr. 


264  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATESL 

If  cFarland  hayiDg  taken  their  passage  at  Havana  in  the  packet  to 
St.  Thomas,  and  would  satisfy  myself  whether  they  were  on  board 
before  allowing  the  steamer  to  proceed.  Mr.  81idell,  evidently  hear- 
ing his  name  mentioned,  came  up  to  me  and  asked  if  I  wanted  to 
see  him.  Mr.  Mason  soon  joined  us,  and  then  Mr.  Eostis  and  Mr. 
McFarland,  when  I  made  known  the  object  of  my  visit.  The  cap- 
tain of  the  IVefU  opposed  anything  like  the  search  of  his  vessel,  nor 
would  he  consent  to  show  papers  or  passenger  list.  The  four  gen- 
tlemen above  mentioned  protested  also  against  my  arresting  and 
sending  them  to  the  United  States  steamer  near  by.  There  was  con- 
siderable noise  among  the  passengers  just  about  this  time,  and  that 
led  Mr.  Houston  and  Mr.  Grace  to  repair  on  board  with  some  six  or 
eight  men,  all  armed.  After  several  unsuccessful  efforts  to  persuade 
Mr.  Mason  and  Mr.  Slidell,  to  go  with  me  peaceably,  I  called  to 
Mr.  Houston  and  ordered  him  to  return  to  the  ship  with  the  infor- 
mation that  the  four  gentlemen  named  in  your  order  of  the  8th  in- 
stant were  on  board,  and  force  must  be  applied  to  take  them  out  of 
the  packet. 

About  three  minutes  after  there  was  still  greater  excitement  on 
the  quarter  deck,  which  brought  Mr.  Grace  with  his  armed  party. 
I  however  deemed  the  presence  of  any  armed  men  unnecessary,  and 
only  calculated  to  alarm  the  ladies  present,  and  directed  Mr.  Grace 
to  return  to  the  lower  deck,  where  he  had  been  since  first  coming  on 
board.  It  must  have  been  less  than  half  an  hour  after  I  boarded  the 
Ti'ent  when  the  second  armed  cutter,  under  Lieutenant  Greer,  came 
alongside,  (only  two  armed  boats  being  used).  He  brought  in  the 
third  cutter  eight  marines  and  four  machinists,  in  addition  to  a  crew 
of  some  twelve  men.  When  the  marines  and  some  armed  men  had 
been  formed  just  out  side  of  the  main  deck  cabin,  where  these  four 
gentlemen  had  gone  to  pack  up  their  baggage,  I  renewed  my  efforts 
to  induce  them  to  accompany  me  on  board — still  refusing  to  accomp- 
any me  unless  force  was  applied.  I  called  in  to  my  assistance  f onr 
or  five  officers,  and  first  taking  hold  of  Mr.  Mason's  shoulder,  with 
another  officer  on  the  opposite  side,  I  went  as  far  as  the  gangway  of 
the  steamer,  and  delivered  him  over  to  Lieutenant  Greer,  to  be 
placed  in  the  boat  I  then  returned  for  Mr.  Slidell,  who  insisted 
that  I  must  apply  considerable  force  to  get  him  to  go  with  me;  calling^ 
in  at  last  three  officers,  he  also  was  taken  in  charge  and  handed  over 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  2S5 

to  Mr.  Greer.  Mr.  McFarland  and  Mr.  Enstis,  after  protesting, 
went  quietly  into  the  boat.  They  had  been  permitted  to  collect 
their  baggage,  but  were  sent  in  adrance  of  it  under  charge  of  Lieu- 
tenant Greer.  I  gave  my  personal  attention  to  the  luggage,  saw  it 
pat  in  a  boat  and  sent  in  charge  of  an  officer  to  the  8cm  Jacmto. 

When  Mr.  Slidell  was  taken  prisoner  a  great  deal  of  noise  was 
made  by  some  of  the  passengers,  which  caused  Lieutenant  Greer  to 
send  the  marines  into  the  cabin.  They  were  immediately  ordered 
to  return  to  their  former  position  outside.  I  carried  out  my  purpose 
without  using  any  force  beyond  what  appears  in  this  report.  The 
mail  agent,  who  is  a  retired  commander  in  the  British  nayy,  seem- 
ed to  have  a  great  deal  to  say  as  to  the  propriety  of  my  course,  but 
I  purposely  avoided  all  official  intercourse  with  him.  When  I  finally 
was  leaving  the  steamer  he  made  some  apology  for  his  rude  conduct^ 
and  expressed  personally  his  approval  of  the  manner  in  which  I 
had  carried  out  my  orders.  We  parted  company  from  the  Trent  at 
2:30  p.  m. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

D.  M.  Faibtax, 
Lieutenant  and  Executive  Officer. 

Captaih  Chasus  Wilkes,  U.  S.  N., 
Commanding  San  Jacirao. 


Untied  States  Stbahbb  San  Jacinto, 
At  Sea,  November  12,  1861. 

Bib:  In  accordance  with  your  instructions  I  submit  the  follow- 
ing: On  November  8th,  between  1  and  2  p.  m.,  I  was  ordered  by 
Lieutenant  Breese,  acting  executive  officer,  to  shove  off  with  the 
third  cutter  and  go  alongside  the  English  mail  steamer,  which 
was  then  lying-to  under  our  guns.  In  the  boat  with  me  were  Third 
AssiBtant  Engineer  Hall,  Paymaster's  Clerk  Simpson,  Master's 
Hate  Dahlgren,  one  sergeant,  one  corporal,  and  six  privates,  of 
marines;  four  machinists  and  the  crew,  consisting  of  thirteen  men, 
the  whole  party  being  well  armed.  When  I  arrived  on  the  steamer, 
I  was  met  on  the  guard  by  Mr.  Grace,  with  a  message  from  Lieu- 
tenant Fairfax  (who  had  preceded  me  on  board)  to  bring  the  marines 
on  board  and  station  them  outside  of  the  cabin,  which  I  did;  also  to 

15 


256  THE  8T£AM  NAVY  OF  THE  UOTTBD  STATES. 

keep  the  spare  men  on  the  gnard,  and  to  have  the  boat's  crew  in 
readiness  to  jnmp  on  board  if  needed.     As  soon  as  the  marines  were 
stationed,  I  had  the  space  outside  and  forward  of  the  cabin  kept  clear 
of  passengers,  and  assumed  a  position  where  I  could  see  Lieutenant 
Fairfax,  who  was  then  engaged  in  conversation  with  persons  in  the 
cabin.  He  shortly  came  out  and  told  me  to  remain  as  I  was.    He  then 
went  back  into  the  cabin,  and  in  a  few  minutes  returned  with  Mr. 
Mason.     He  had  his  hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  I  think  Mr.  Hall 
had  his  on  the  other  one.     He  transferred  Mr.  Mason  to  me,  and  I 
had  the  third  cutter  hauled  up,  into  which  he  got.     Shortly  after 
Mr.  McFarland  came  out  and  got  into  the  boat;  I  think  he  was  un- 
accompanied by  any  of  the  officers.    About  this  time  I  heard  a  good 
deal  of  loud  talking  in  the  cabin,  and  above  all  I  heard  a  woman's 
voice.     I  could  not  hear  what  she  said.     Mr.  Fairfax  appeared  to  be 
having  an  altercation  with  some  one.     There  was  much  confusion 
created  by  the  passengers  and  ship's  officers,  who  were  making  all 
kinds  of  disagreeable  and  contemptuous  noises  and  remarks. 

Just  then  Mr.  Houston  came  to  me  and  said  he  thought  there 
would  be  trouble.  I  told  him  to  ask  Mr.  Fairfax  if  I  should  bring 
in  the  marines.  He  returned  with  an  answer  to  bring  them  in.  At 
that  time  I  heard  some  one  call  out  ''  shoot  him."  I  ordered  the 
marines  to  come  into  the  cabin,  which  they  did  at  quick  time.  As 
they  advanced  the  passengers  fell  back.  Mr.  Fairfax  then  ordered 
the  marines  to  go  out  of  the  cabin,  which  they  did,  Mr.  Slidell  at 
the  same  time  jumping  out  of  a  window  of  a  state-room  into  the 
cabin,  where  he  was  arrested  by  Mr.  Fairfax,  and  was  then  brought 
by  Mr.  Hall  and  Mr.  Grace  to  the  boat,  into  which  he  got.  Soon 
after  Mr.  Eustis  came  to  the  boat,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Fairfax.  1 
then,  by  his  order,  took  charge  of  the  boat  and  conveyed  the  gen- 
tlemen arrested,  viz:  Messrs.  Slidell,  Mason,  McFarland,  and 
Eustis  to  the  8(m  Jacinto^  where  I  delivered  them  over  to  Captain 
Wilkes.  This  was  about  2  o'clock.  I  then  returned  to  the  steamer; 
when  I  reached  her  the  baggage  of  the  gentlemen  was  being 
brought  up  and  sent  to  the  Sam,  Jacinto.  Soon  after  Mr.  Fairfax 
told  me  to  send  the  marines  and  spare  hands  on  board,  which  I  did. 
He  then  left  me  in  charge  of  our  party  and  went  on  board  the  San 
Jdcinto.  About  3  o'clock  she  ran  under  the  TrenVs  stern;  I  was 
hailed  and  directed  to  come  on  board,  which  I  did  with  all  except- 


THE  CTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  267 


ing  Mr.  Grace,  Mr.  Dahlgren  and  Mr.  Hall,  who  came  in  another 

boat 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

James  A.  Gsbeb, 

Lieutenant. 
Captain  C.  Wnxss, 

CtommandiDg  San  JaiClnu>. 

P.  S.  I  desire  to  add  that  it  was  about  1.35  p.  m.  when  I 
went  alongside  the  Trent.  There  were  but  two  armed  boats  used 
during  the  day;  a  third  boat,  the  crew  of  which  were  unarmed,  went 
alongside  during  the  detention.  When  I  first  went  on  board  with 
the  marines,  and  at  intervals  during  my  stay,  the  officers  of  the 
steamer  made  a  great  many  irritating  remarks  to  each  other  and  to 
the  passengers,  which  were  evidently  intended  for  our  benefit. 
Among  other  things  said  were:  **Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  an  out- 
rage!" "Marines  on  board!  Why,  this  looks  devilish  like 
mutiny."  *'  These  Yankees  will  have  to  pay  well  for  this."  '*  This 
18  the  best  thing  in  the  world  for  the  South;  England  will  open  the 
blockade."  *'  We  will  have  a  good  chance  at  them  now."  *'  Did 
you  ever  hear  of  such  a  piratical  act?"  "Why,  this  is  a  perfect 
Bull's  Run!"  "They  would  not  have  dared  to  have  done  it  if  an 
English  man-of-war  had  been  in  sight."  The  mail  agent,  (a  man  in 
the  uniform  of  a  commander  in  the  royal  navy,  I  think)  was  very 
indignant  and  talkative,  and  tried  several  times  to  get  me  into  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  matter.  I  told  him  I  was  not  there  for  that  purpose. 
He  was  very  bitter;  He  told  me  that  the  English  squadron  would 
raise  the  blockade  in  twenty  days  after  his  report  of  this  outrage  (I 
think  he  said  outrage)  got  home;  that  the  Northerners  might  as  well 
give  up  now,  .etc., etc."  Most  all  the  officers  of  the  vessel  showed 
an  undisguised  hatred  for  the  Northern  people  and  a  sympathy  for 
the  Confederates.  I  will  do  the  captain  of  the  vessel  the  justice  to 
say  that  he  acted  differently  from  the  rest,  being,  when  I  saw  him, 
very  reserved  and  dignified.  The  officers  and  men  of  our  party 
took  no  apparent  notice  of  the  remarks  that  were  made,  and  acted 
with  the  greatest  forbearance. 

Respectfully, 

Jas.  a.  Gbbbb, 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


Ukitkd  Statbs  Stxuobb  San  Jacikto, 
At  sea,  November  13, 1861. 

Sir:  In  obedience  to  jour  order  of  the  11th  instant,  1  respect- 
fully report:  That  upon  going  alongside  of  the  English  steamer 
Trent^  on  the  8th  of  this  month,  Lieutenant  Fairfax  went  on  board, 
ordering  the  boatswain  and  myself  to  remain  in  the  boat.  A  few 
minutes  after  this  my  attention  was  attracted  by  persons  speaking  in 
a  loud  and  excited  manner  upon  the  steamer's  upper  deck.  While 
considering  its  meaning  the  noise  was  repeated,  which  decided  me 
to  join  Lieutenant  Fairfax  immediately  on  board,  and  found  him. 
surrounded  by  the  officers  of  the  ship  and  passengers,  among  whom 
I  recognized  Messrs.  Mason,  Slidell,and  Eustis.  The  confusion  at 
this  time  passes  description.  So  soon,  however,  as  he  could  be 
heard,  the  mail  agent  (who  was  a  retired  lieutenant  or  commander 
in  the  British  navy)  protested  against  the  act  of  removing  passen- 
gers from  an  English  steamer.  Lieutenant  Fairfax  requested  Mr. 
Mason  to  go  quietly  to  the  So/n  Jacinto^  but  that  gentleman  replied 
that  he  would  ''yield  only  to  force;"  whereupon  I  was  ordered  to 
our  ship  to  report  the  presence  of  the  above-named  gentlemen, 
together  with  Mr.  McFarland,  and  ask  that  the  remainder  of  onr 
force  be  sent  to  the  Trent ^  after  which  I  returned  to  her,  and  enter- 
ing the  cabin,  saw  Mr.  Fairfax  endeavoring  to  enter  Mr.  Slidell's 
room,  which  was  then  prevented  in  a  measure  by  the  excitement 
which  prevailed  in  and  around  that  gentleman's  quarters.  The  pas- 
sengers (not  including  Mr.  Mason,  Slidell,  Eustis  or  McFarland) 
were  disposed  to  give  trouble;  some  of  them  went  so  far  as  to 
threaten,  and  upon  Lieutenant  Greer  being  informed  by  me  of  this 
fact,  he  ordered  the  marines  to  clear  the  passage-way  of  the  cabin, 
but  as  Mr.  Slidell  had  now  come  out  of  his  state  room  through  the 
window,  where  we  could  get  to  him,  the  order  to  the  marines  was 
countermanded  by  Lieutenant  Fairfax.  Mr.  Slidell  was  removed  to 
the  boat  by  Mr.  Grace  and  myself,  and  no  more  force  was  used 
than  would  show  what  would  be  done  in  case  of  necessity.  Mr. 
Mason  was  taken  in  charge  by  Lieutenant  Fairfax  and  Third  Assist- 
ant Engineer  Hall.  The  two  secretaries  walked  into  the  boat  by 
themselves. 

While  we  were  on  board  of  the  Trent  many  remarks  were  made 
reflecting  discreditably  upon  us  and  the  government  of  the  United 


THB  8TBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  289 

States.  No  one  was  more  abusive  than  the  mail  agent,  who  took 
pains  at  the  same  time  to  inform  ns  that  he  was  the  only  person  on 
board  officially  connected  with  her  Brittanic  majesty's  goyemment, 
who  he  said  would,  in  consequence  of  this  act,  break  the  blockade 
of  the  southern  United  States  ports.  Another  person,  supposed  to 
be  a  passenger,  was  so  violent  that  the  captain  ordered  him  to 
be  locked  up.  A  short  time  before  leaving  the  steamer  I  was  in- 
formed by  one  of  her  crew  that  the  mail  agent  was  advising  the  cap- 
tain to  arm  the  crew  and  passengers  of  his  ship,  which  I  immediately 
communicated  to  Lieutenant  Greer.  About  3:30  p.  m.  we  returned 
to  the  San  Jacinto. 

I  am,  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  B.  Houston, 

Second  Assistant  Engineer, 

U.  S.  Steamer  Son  Jacinto. 
Captain  Chabubs  Wilkks, 

CommaDdlng. 


United  Statxs  Stbamsb  San  Jacinto, 
At  sea,  November  13, 1S61. 

Snt: — In  obedience  to  your  order  of  the  11th  instant,!  respect- 
fully make  the  following  report  of  what  came  under  my  observation 
on  board  the  mail  steamer  Ti'ent  whilst  hove-to  under  our  guns  on 
the  8th  instant: 

I  boarded  the  steamer  in  the  third  cutter,  under  the  command 
of  Lieutenant  Greer.  Immediately  on  reaching  the  steamer's  deck 
I  stationed  four  men  (an  oiler,  assistant  oiler  and  two  firemeu)  who 
accompanied  me,  in  the  port  gang- way.  I  then  went  into  the  cabin, 
where  I  saw  Lieutenant  Fairfax,  surrounded  by  a  large  number  of 
passengers  and  the  officers  of  the  ship.  He  was  conversing  with  Mt. 
Mason,  and  endeavoring  to  get  him  to  come  peaceably  on  board  this 
ship.  Mr.  Mason  refused  to  comply  unless  by  force,  and  taking 
hold  of  Mr.  Mason's  coat  collar,  gave  an  order,  <' Gentlemen,  lay 
hands  on  him."  I  then  laid  hold  of  him  by  the  coat  collar,  when 
Mr.  Mason  said  he  would  yield  under  protest.  I  accompanied  him 
as  far  as  the  boat,  which  was  at  the  port  gang- way. 

Keturning  to  the  cabin.  Lieutenant  Fairfax  was  at  Mr.  Slidell's 
room.     After  a  short  time  Mr.  Slidell  came  from  his  room  through 


2e0  THS  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

a  side  window.  He  also  refused  Lieutenant  Fairfax's  order  to  come 
on  board  this  ship,  unless  by  force.  I,  with  several  of  the  officers, 
then  caught  hold,  and  used  sufficient  power  to  remove  him  from  the 
cabin.  He  was  accompanied  to  the  boat  bj  Second  Assistant  Engi- 
neer Houston  and  Boatswain  Qr/Lce.  I  then  received  an  order  from 
both  Lieutenants  Fairfax  and  Qreer  to  retain  the  boat  until  Messrs. 
Eustis  and  McFarland  were  found.  I  remained  in  the  gangway  tUl 
Messrs.  Mason,  Slidell,  Eustis  and  McFarland  shoved  off,  Lieuten- 
ant Greer  having  charge  of  the  gentlemen. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  excitement  and  talking  during  the 
whole  time,  the  officers  of  the  steamer  endeavoring  particularly  to 
thwart  Lieutenant  Fairfax  in  carrying  out  his  orders.  They  also 
used  very  harsh  expressions  toward  us,  calling  us  pirates,  piratical 
expedition,  etc.,  and  threatened  to  open  our  blockade  in  a  few  weeks. 
At  one  time  the  officers  and  passengers  made  a  demonstration,  at  the 
moment  the  marine  guard  came  hastily  in  the  cabin,  but  were  imme- 
diately ordered  back  by  Lieutenant  Fairfax. 

As  far  as  I  am  able  to  judge,  everything  was  conducted  on  our 
part  in  a  peaceable,  quiet  and  gentlemanly  manner,  and  most  re- 
markably so  by  Lieutenant  Fairfax,  who  certainly  had  sufficient  cause 
to  resort  to  arms.  I  remained  aboard  the  Trent  till  after  the  bag- 
gage belonging  to  the  gentlemen  had  been  sent,  and  finally  returned 
to  this  ship  with  Lieutenant  Greer. 

Most  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Geo.  W.  Hall, 
Third  Assistant  Engineer,  U.  S.  N. 

GAFTAnr  CHABLSS  WnUKKSy 

Commanding  U.  S.  Steamer  San  Jacinto. 

Lieutenants  Fairfax  and  Greer,  who  had  such  a  conspicuous 
part  in  this  affair,  have  both  since  made  enviable  records  for  dis- 
tinguished services  in  the  navy,  and  have  both  risen  to  the  rank  of 
rear  admiral;  the  former  was  retired  in  1881  and  died  in  January, 
1894.  Bear  Admiral  Greer  is  also  on  the  retired  list  now,  having 
had  the  distinguished  honor  of  being  the  senior  officer  of  the  navy 
for  some  months  before  his  retirement.  Second  Assistant  Engineer 
Houston  served  his  country  faithfully  throughout  the  war  and  resigned 
from  the  naval  service  in  July,  1865,  to  engage  in  business.     He 


THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  261 

has  been  eminently  sacceesf  al,  having  been  a  director,  vice-presi- 
dent and  president  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company  for  a 
long  period  of  years,  and  only  recently  gave  np  active  business  to 
enter  into  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  a  fortune  which  his  talents  have 
enabled  him  to  amass  during  his  busy  life.  Third  Assistant  Engi- 
neer Hall  served  faithfully  throughout  the  rebellion  and  resigned 
from  the  service  not  long  after  the  close  of  the  war. 

The  chief  engineer  of  the  Sa/n  Jacmto  was  Mr.  John  Faron,who 
three  years  later  was  killed  on  board  the  Tecvmseh,  with  all  five  of 
his  assistant  engineers  in  the  battle  of  Mobile  Bay. 


CHAPTER  XVL 

''  The  man  who  goes  into  action  in  a  wooden  vessel  is  a  fool,  and  th^  man  who 
sends  him  there  is  a  villain."— Admibai.  Sib  Johk  Hat. 

1861.  The  Civil  War, continued— The  First  American  Iron  Olads— The  Stevens  Battery 
Condemned  by  a  Board  of  Naval  Officers— Authority  to  Build  Armored  Yesselt 
Conferred  by  Act  of  Gongress—Beport  of  Board  on  Iron-Clad  Vessels— The 
Gaxjeha,  New  Ibonsidbs,  and  Mohitob— Armored  Vessels  in  the  Mississippi 
River. 

AT  the  outbreak  of  the  Oivil  War  the  United  States  bad  no  armored 
Jr\  war  yesBels,  although  the  example  of  the  unfinished  Stevens' 
battery  and  the  presentation  of  plans  for  an  armored  floating  battery 
by  the  Swedish- American  inventor  John  Ericsson  to  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  III.  had  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  iron  armor  abroad  to 
a  limited  extent.  Three  iron- plated  floating  batteries  had  been  used 
by  the  French  in  the  Crimean  War,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1861  that  nation  had  La  Gloire  and  three  other  large  wooden  steam 
frigates  in  commission,  all  sheathed  with  light  iron  armor,  and  four- 
teen others  in  process  of  construction.  England  also  had  entered 
the  field  and  had  at  sea  the  Warrior^  £lack  Prince,  Defeme,  Resis- 
tance and  Royal  Oak,  large  armored  steam-ships  similar  to  La  Oloire, 
with  sixteen  other  armor-clads  in  various  stages  of  construction. 
These  British  and  French  vessels  were  large  full-rigged  ships  with 
auxiliary  steam  power,  dependent  upon  the  wind  fully  as  much  as 
upon  steam  for  locomotion;  their  iron  sides  constituted  the  only  fea- 
ture wherein  they  resembled  the  Stevens'  battery  or  the  vessel  sug- 
gested by  Ericsson  to  Napoleon  in  1854. 

A  joint  resolution  of  Congress  approved  June  24, 1861,  directed 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  appoint  a  board  to  examine  the  Stevens' 
battery  and  ascertain  the  cost  and  time  necessary  for  its  completion, 
and  the  expediency  thereof.  The  board  consisted  of  Commodores 
Silas  H.  Stringham  and  William  Inman,  Captain  T.  A.  Dornin, 
Chief  Engineer  A.  C.  Stimers,  and  Joseph  Henry,  Esq.,  Secretary 
of  the  Smithsonian  Institution.  The  report  of  this  board,  not  made 
until  the  end  of  the  year,  was  adverse  to  the  completion  of  the  iron 


THE  STEAM  KAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATBS.  968 

battery,  and  the  project  was  then  dropped,  bo  far  as  the  goyernment 
was  concerned. 

An  extra  session  of  Oongress  was  assembled  by  presidential 
proclamation  Jnly  4,  1861,  to  which,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
made  a  report  on  the  condition  of  the  navy  at  that  time.  In  this 
report  the  Secretary  referred  to  the  attention  given  by  England  and 
France  to  iron-clad  war-steamers,  and  asked  for  authority  to  con- 
struct snch  vessels  if  an  investigation  by  a  competent  board  should 
show  such  construction  to  be  advisable.  Congress  responded  with 
liberality  and  promptness  by  an  act,  approved  August  3,  1861,  en- 
titled ''An  Act  to  provide  for  the  construction  of  one  or  more 
armored  ships  and  floating  batteries,  and  for  other  purposes, "  it  be- 
ing brief  and  to  the  point,  as  follows: 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  RefresentaHves  of  the 
United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled^  That  the  Secretary  of 
the  Navy  be,  and  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  appoint  a 
board  of  three  skilful  naval  officers  to  investigate  the  plans  and  spe- 
cifications that  may  be  submitted  for  the  construction  or  completing 
of  iron  or  steel-clad  steamships  or  steam  batteries,  and,  on  their  re- 
port, should  it  be  favorable,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  will  cause 
one  or  more  armored  or  iron  or  steel-clad  steamships  or  floating  steam 
batteries  to  be  built;  and  there  is  hereby  appropriated,  out  of  any 
money  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated,  the  sum  of  one 
million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Sso.  2.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  in  case  of  a  vacancy  in 
the  office  of  engineer-in-chief  of  the  navy  the  appointment  thereto 
shall  be  made  from  the  list  of  chief  engineers. 

August  7,  the  Navy  Department  issued  an  advertisement  ask- 
ing for  bids  from  responsible  persons  for  the  construction  of  one  or 
more  iron- clad  steam- vessels  of  war,  either  of  iron  or  of  wood  and 
iron  combined,  for  sea  or  river  service,  the  advertisement  giving  in 
general  terms  the  principal  requirements.  These,  were,  that  vessels 
proposed  must  be  of  not  less  than  ten,  nor  more  than  sixteen  feet 
draft;  must  carry  an  armament  of  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty  tons  weight, with  provisions  and  stores  for  from  one  hundred 
and  sixty-five  to  three  hundred  persons,  according  to  armament,  for 


964  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

sixty  days,  with  coal  for  eight  days;  must  have  two  masts, with  wire 
rope  standing  rigging  for  navigating  the  sea.  The  lighter  draft  of 
water,  compatible  with  other  requisites,  was  preferred.  General 
descriptions  and  drawings  of  vessel,  armor  and  machinery  were  re- 
quired, as  well  as  estimates  of  cost  and  time  for  completion  of 
the  whole.  Twenty-five  days  from  date  of  advertisement  were  al- 
lowed for  the  presentation  of  plans. 

A  naval  board,  composed  of  Commodore  Joseph  Smith,  Com- 
modore Hiram  Panlding,  and  Commander  Charles  H.  Davis,  was 
appointed  on  the  eighth  of  August  to  examine  carefully  all  plans 
submitted  and  report  upon  the  same.  The  report  of  this  board, 
dated  September  16,  1861,  is  both  interesting  and  dnstructive  from 
many  points  of  view,  showing  as  it  does  the  opinions  entertained  by 
the  naval  men  of  that  period  regarding  armor,  and  its  probable  utility; 
it  also  unfolds  some  of  the  rare  schemes  of  inventors  and  patriots, 
who  rushed  to  their  country's  succor.     It  follows  in  full: 

REPORT  ON  IRON  CLAD  YBSSBLS. 

Navt  Dspabtmkht, 
Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks,  September  16, 1861. 

Sib:  The  undersigned,  constituting  a  board  appointed  by  your 
order  of  the  8th  ultimo,  proceeded  to  the  duty  assigned  to  them,  in 
accordance  with  the  first  section  of  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  3d 
of  August  1861,  directing  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  <'to  appoint  a 
board  of  three  skilful  naval  officers  to  investigate  the  plans  and  speci- 
fications that  may  be  submitted  for  the  construction  or  completing 
of  iron-clad  steam-ships  or  steam  batteries,  and  on  their  report, 
should  it  be  favorable,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  will  cause  one  or 
more  armored  or  iron-clad  or  steel  clad  steamships  or  floating  steam 
batteries  to  be  built;  and  there  is  hereby  appropriated,  out  of  any 
money  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated,  the  sum  of  one 
million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars." 

Distrustful  of  our  ability  to  discharge  this  duty,  which  the  law 
requires  should  be  performed  by  three  skilful  naval  officers,  we  ap- 
proach the  subject  with  diffidence,  having  no  experience  and  but 
scanty  knowledge  in  this  branch  of  naval  architecture. 

The  plans  submitted  are  so  various,  and  in  many  respects  so 
entirely  dissimilar,  that  without  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  this 


THB  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNtlBD  STATBa  265 

mode  of  conBtmction  and  the  resisting  properties  of  iron  than  we 
possess,  it  is  very  likely  that  some  of  onr  conclusions  may  prove 
erroneons. 

Application  was  made  to  the  Department  for  a  naval  constmc- 
tor,  to  be  placed  nnder  onr  orders,  with  whom  we  might  consult; 
bnt  it  appears  that  they  are  all  so  employed  on  important  service 
that  none  conld  be  assigned  to  this  duty. 

The  construction  of  iron  clad  steamships  of  war  is  now  zealously 
claiming  the  attention  of  foreign  naval  powers.  France  led;  Eng- 
land followed,  and  is  now  somewhat  extensively  engaged  in  the  sys- 
tem; and  other  powers  seem  to  emulate  their  example,  though  on  a 
smaller  scale. 

Opinions  differ  amongst  naval  and  scientific  men  as  to  the 
policy  of  adopting  the  iron  armature  for  ships-of-war.  For  coast 
and  harbor  defence  they  are  undoubtedly  formidable  adjuncts  to 
fortifications  on  land«  As  cruising  vessels,  however,  we  are  skepti- 
cal as  to  their  advantage  and  ultimate  adoption.  But  whilst  other 
nations  are  endeavoring  to  perfect  them,  we  must  not  remain  idle. 

The  enormous  load  of  iron,  as  so  much  additional  weight  to  the 
vessel;  the  great  breadth  of  beam  necessary  to  give  her  stability;  the 
short  supply  of  coal  she  will  be  able  to  stow  in  bunkers;  the  greater 
power  required  to  propel  her;  and  the  largely  increased  cost  of  con- 
struction, are  objections  to  this  class  of  vessels  as  cruisers,  which  we 
believe  it  is  difficult  successfully  to  overcome.  For  river  and  har- 
bor service  we  consider  iron-clad  vessels  of  light  draught,  or  floating 
batteries  thus  shielded,  as  very  important;  and  w6  feel  at  this  mo- 
ment the  necessity  of  them  on  some  of  our  rivers  and  inlets  to  en- 
force obedience  to  the  laws.  We  however  do  not  hesitate  to  express 
the  opinion,  notwithstanding  all  we  have  heard  or  seen  written  on 
the  subject,  that  no  ship  or  floating  battery,  however  heavily  she 
may  be  plated,  can  cope  successfully  with  a  properly  constructed 
fortification  of  masonry.  The  one  is  fixed  and  immovable  and 
though  constructed  of  a  material  which  may  be  shattered  by  shot,  can 
be  covered  if  need  be,  by  the  same  or  much  heavier  armor  than  a 
floating  vessel  can  bear,  whilst  the  other  is  subject  to  disturbances 
by  winds  and  waves,  and  to  the  powerful  effects  of  tides  and  currents. 

Armored  ships  or  batteries  may  be  employed  advantageously 
to  pass  fortifications  on  land  for  ulterior  objects  of  attacks  to  run  a 


286  THE  gTBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UJOTED  STATES. 

blockade,  or  to  reduce  temporary  batteries  on  the  shores  of  rivers 
and  the  approaches  to  our  harbors. 

From  what  we  know  of  the  comparative  advantages  and  disad- 
▼antages  of  ships  constructed  of  wood  over  those  of  iron,  we  are 
clearly  of  opinion  that  no  iron-clad  vessel  of  equal  displacement  can 
be  made  to  obtain  the  same  speed  as  one  not  thus  encumbered,  be- 
cause her  form  would  be  better  adapted  to  speed.  Her  form  and 
dimensions,  the  unyielding  nature  of  the  shield,  detract  materially 
in  a  heavy  sea  from  the  life,  buoyancy  and  spring  which  a  ship  bnilt 
of  wood  possesses. 

Wooden  ships  may  be  said  to  be  but  co£Sns  for  their  crews 
when  brought  in  conflict  with  iron-clad  vessels;  but  the  speed  of  the 
former,  we  take  for  granted,  being  greater  than  that  of  the  latter, 
they  can  readily  choose  their  position  and  keep  out  of  harm's  way 
entirely. 

Recent  improvements  in  the  form  and  preparations  of  projec- 
tiles, and  their  increased  capacity  for  destruction,  have  elicited  a 
large  amount  of  ingenuity  and  skill  to  devise  means  for  resisting 
them  in  the  construction  of  ships-of-war.  As  yet  we  know  of  noth- 
ing superior  to  the  large  and  heavy  spherical  shot  in  its  destructive 
effects  on  vessels,  whether  plated  or  not. 

Rifled  guns  have  greater  range,  but  the  conical  shot  does  not 
produce  the  crushing  effect  of  spherical  shot. 

It  is  assumed  that  4^  inch  plates  are  the  heaviest  armor  a  sea 
going  vessel  can  safely  carry.  These  plates  should  be  of  tough  iron, 
and  rolled  in  large,  long  pieces.  This  thiokness  of  armor,  it  is  be- 
lieved, will  resist  all  projectiles  now  in  use  at  a  distance  of  600 
yards,  especially  if  the  ship's  sides  are  angular. 

Plates  hammered  in  large  masses  are  less  fibrous  and  tough 
than  when  rolled.  The  question  whether  wooden  backing,  or  any 
elastic  substance  behind  the  iron  plating,  will  tend  to  relieve  at  all 
the  frame  of  the  ships  from  the  crushing  effect  of  a  heavy  projectile, 
is  not  yet  decided.  Major  Barnard  says:  ^^to  put  an  elastic  material 
behind  the  iron  is  to  insure  its  destruction."  With  all  deference 
to  such  creditable  authority,  we  may  suggest  that  it  is  possible  a 
backing  of  some  elastic  substance  (soft  wood,  perhaps,  is  the  best) 
might  relieve  the  frame  of  the  ship  somewhat  from  the  terrible  shock 
of  a  heavy  projectile,  though  the  plate  should  not  be  fractured. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  267 

With  respect  to  a  comparison  between  ships  of  iron  and  those 
of  wood,  withoat  plating,  high  authorities  in  England  differ  as  to 
which  is  the  best.  The  tops  of  ships  built  of  iron,  we  are  told,  wear 
out  three  bottoms,  whilst  the  bottoms  of  those  built  of  wood  will 
outwear  three  tops.  In  deciding  on  the  relatire  merits  of  iron  and 
wooden-framed  vessels,  for  each  of  which  we  have  offers,  the  board 
is  of  opinion  that  it  would  be  well  to  try  a  specimen  of  each,  as  both 
have  distingqished  advocates.  One  strong  objection  to  iron  vessels, 
which,  BO  far  as  we  know,  has  not  yet  been  overcome,  is  the  oxida- 
tion or  rust  in  salt  water,  and  their  liability  of  becoming  foul  under 
water  by  the  attachment  of  sea  grass  and  animalcules  to  their  bot- 
toms. The  best  preventive  we  know  of  is  a  coating  of  pure  zinc 
paint,  which  so  long  as  it  lasts,  is  believed  to  be  an  antidote  to  this 
cause  of  evil. 

After  these  brief  remarks  on  the  subject  generally,  we  proceed 
to  notice  the  plans  and  offers  referred  to  us  for  the  construction  of 
plated  vessels  and  floating  batteries. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  most  ready  mode  of  obtaining  an 
iron-clad  ship  of  war  would  be  to  contract  with  responsible  parties 
in  England  for  its  complete  construction;  and  we  are  assured  that 
parties  there  are  ready  to  engage  in  such  an  enterprise  on  terms 
more  reasonable,  perhaps,  than  such  vessels  could  be  built  in 
this  country,  having  much  greater  experience  and  facilities  than  we 
possess.  Indeed,  we  are  informed  there  are  no  mills  and  machinery 
in  this  country  capable  of  rolling  iron  4^  inches  thick,  though  plates 
might  be  hammered  to  that  thickness  in  many  of  our  work-shops.  As 
before  observed,  rolled  iron  is  considered  much  the  best,  and  the 
difficulty  of  rolling  it  increases  rapidly  with  the  increase  of  thick- 
ness. It  has,  however,  occured  to  us  that  a  difficulty  might  arise 
with  the  British  government  in  case  we  should  undertake  to  con- 
struct ships-of-war  in  that  country,  which  might  complicate  their  de- 
livery; and,  moreover,  we  are  of  opinion  that  every  people  or 
nation  who  can  maintain  a  navy  should  be  capable  of  constructing  it 
themselves. 

Our  immediate  demands  seem  to  require,  first,  so  far  as  practi- 
cable, vessels  invulnerable  to  shot,  of  light  draught  of  water,  to 
penetrate  our  shoal  harbors,  rivers  and  bayous.  We  therefore  favor 
the  construction  of  this  class  of  vessels  before  going  into  a  more 
perfect  system  of  large  iron-clad  sea-going  vessels  of  war.     We 


988  THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UHITED  firTATESL 

are  here  met  with  the  difficulty  of  encumbering  small  TesfleU  with 
armor,  which,  from  their  size,  they  are  miable  to  bear.  We  neyerthe* 
1e88  recommend  that  contracts  be  made  with  responsible  parties  for 
the  oonstmction  of  one  or  more  iron-clad  vessels  or  batteries  of  as  light 
a  draught  of  water  as  practicable,  consistent  with  their  weight  of  armor. 
Meanwhile,  availing  onrselves  of  the  experience  thus  obtained, 
and  the  improvements  which  we  believe  are  yet  to  be  made  by  other 
naval  powers  in  building  iron-clad  ships,  we  would  advise  the  con* 
strnction,  in  onr  own  navy  yards,  of  one  or  more  of  these  vessels, 
npon  a  large  and  more  perfect  scale,  when  Congress  shall  see  fit  to 
authorize  it.  The  amount  now  appropriated  is  not  sufficient  to  build 
both  classes  of  vessels  to  any  great  extent. 

We  have  made  a  synopsis  of  the  propositions  and  specifications 
submitted,  which  we  annex,  and  now  proceed  to  state,  in  brief,  the 
result  of  our  decisions  upon  the  offers  presented  to  us. 

J.  Ericsson,  New  York,  page  19. — This  plan  of  a  floating  bat- 
tery is  novel,  but  seems  to  be  based  upon  a  plan  which  will  render 
the  battery  shot  and  shell  proof.  We  are  somewhat  apprehensive 
that  her  properties  for  sea  are  not  such  as  a  sea-going  vessel  should 
possess.  But  she  may  be  moved  from  one  place  to  another  on  the 
coast  in  smooth  water.  We  recommend  that  an  experiment  be  made 
with  one  battery  of  this  description  on  the  terms  proposed,  with  ^ 
guarantee  and  forfeiture  in  case  of  failure  in  any  of  the  properties 
and  points  of  the  vessel  as  proposed. 

Price,  $275,000;  length  of  vessel,  172  feet;  breadth  of  beam, 
41  feet;  depth  of  hold,  11^  feet;  time,  100  days;  draught  of  water 
10  feet;  displacement,  1,255  tons;  speed  per  hour,  9  statute  miles. 

John  W.  Nystrom,  Philadelphia,  1216  Chestnut  St,  page  1. — 
The  plan  of  (quadruple)  guns  is  not  known  and  cannot  be  consid- 
ered. The  dimensions  would  not  float  the  vessel  without  the 
guards,  which  we  are  not  satisfied  would  repel  shot.  We  do  not 
recommend  the  plan. 

Price,  about  |175,000;  length  of  vessel,  175  feet;  breadth  of 
beam,  27  feet;  depth  of  hold,  13  feet;  time,  four  months;  draught 
of  water,  10  feet;  displacement,  875  tons;  speed  per  hour,  12 
knots. - 

William  Pebinb,  New  York,  2777  post  office  box,  presents 
three  plans.     The  specifications  and  drawings  are  not  full.     The 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  200 

last  proposal  (ISo.  3,  page  2)  for  the  heavy  plating  is  the  only  one 
we  have  considered;  but  there  is  neither  drawing  nor  model,  and 
the  capacity  of  the  vessel,  we  think,  will  not  bear  the  armor  and 
armament  proposed. 

Price,  1621,000;  length  of  vessel,  225  feet;  breadth  of  beam, 
45^  feet;  depth  of  hold,  15^  feet;  time,  9  months;  draught  of  water 
13  feet;  displacement,  2,454  tons;  speed  per  hour,  10  knots. 

John  G.  Le  Fxbbb,  Boston,  page  9. — Description  deficient. 
Not  recommended.  Sent  a  model,  but  neither  price,  time,  iror 
dimensions  stated. 

E.  8.  BsNwioK,  New  York,  335  Broadway,  presents  drawings, 
specifications  and  model  of  an  iron-clad  vessel  of  large  capacity  and 
powerful  engines,  with  great  speed,  capable  of  carrying  a  heavy 
battery,  and  stated  to  be  shot-proof  and  a  good  sea  boat.  The 
form  and  manner  of  construction  and  proportions  of  the  vessel  are 
novel,  and  will  attract  the  attention  of  scientific  and  practical  men. 
She  is  of  very  light  draft  of  water,  and  on  the  question  whether  she 
will  prove  to  be  a  safe  and  comfortable  sea-boat  we  do  not  express 
a  decided  opinion.  Vessels  of  somewhat  similar  form,  in  the  part 
of  the  vessel  which  is  emersed,  of  light  draught  of  water  on  our 
western  lakes,  have,  we  believe,  proved  entirely  satisfactory  in  all 
weathers.  To  counteract  the  effect  of  the  waves,  when  disturbed 
by  the  winds,  by  producing  a  jerk,  or  sudden  rolling  motion  of  flat 
shoal  vessels,  it  is  proposed  to  carry  a  sufficient  weight  above  the 
center  of  gravity  to  counterpoise  the  heavy  weight  below,  which  is 
done  in  this  ship  by  the  immense  iron  armor.  If,  after  a  full  dis- 
cussion and  examination  by  experts  on  this  plan,  it  should  be  de- 
cided that  she  is  a  safe  vessel  for  sea  service,  we  would  recommend 
the  construction  upon  it  of  one  ship  at  one  of  our  dock  yards. 

The  estimate  cost  of  this  ship,  11,500,000,  precludes  action 
upon  the  plan  until  further  appropriations  shall  be  made  by  Con- 
gress for  such  objects. 

Time  not  stated;  length  of  vessel  400  feet;  breadth  of  beam, 
60  feet;  depth  of  hold,  33  feet;  draught  of  water,  16  feet;  displace- 
ment, 6,520  tons;  speed  per  hour,  at  least  18  miles. 

Whitnbt  &  Rowland,  Brooklyn,  Greenpoint,  page  13;  propose 
an  iron  gunboat,  armor  of  bars  of  iron  and  thin  plate  over  it.  No 
price  stated.  Dimensions  of  vessel,  we  think,  will  not  bear  the 
weight  and  possess  stability.    Time,  5  months.    Not  recommended. 


270  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Length  of  vesBel,  140  feet;  breadth  of  beam,  28  feet;  depth  of 
hold,  18^  feet;  draught  of  water,  8  feet. 

Donald  MoKat,  Boston,  page  6. — Yessel,  in  general  dimen- 
sions and  armor,  approved.  The  speed  estimated  slow.  The  cost 
precludes  the  consideration  of  construction  by  the  board. 

Price,  $1,000,000;  length  of  yessel,  227  feet;  breadth  of  beam, 
50  feet;  depth  of  hold,  26^  feet;  time,  9  to  10  months;  draught  of 
water,  14  feet;  displacement,  3,100  tons;  speed  per  hour,  6  to  7 
knots. 

William  -H.  Wood,  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  page  14. — ^Dimen- 
sions will  not  float  the  guns  high  enough;  not  recommended. 

Price,  $256,000;  length  of  vessel,  160  feet;  breadth  of  beam, 
34  feet;  depth  of  hold,  22  feet;  time,  4  mouths;  draught  of  water, 
13  feet;  displacement,  1,215  tons;  speed,  not  stated. 

MsBBiOK  &  Sons,  Philadelphia,  pages  7  and  8 — Yessel  of 
wood  and  iron  combined.  This  proposition  we  consider  the  most 
practical  one  for  heavy  armor.  We  recommend  that  a  contract  be 
made  with  that  party,  under  a  guarantee,  with  forfeiture  in  case  of 
failure  to  comply  with  the  specifications;  and  that  the  contract  re- 
quire the  plates  to  be  15  feet  long  and  36  inches  wide,  with  a  reser- 
vation of  some  modifications  which  may  occur  as  the  work  pro- 
gresses, not  to  affect  the  cost. 

Price,  $780,000;  length  of  vessel,  220  feet;  breadth  of  beam, 
60  feet;  depth  of  hold,  28  feet;  time,  9  months;  draught  of  water, 
13  feet;  displacement,  3,296  tons;  speed  per  hour,  9^  knots. 

Benjamin  Bathbubn, ,  page  20. — We  do  not  recommend 

the  plan  for  adoption. 

Price  not  stated;  length  of  vessel  not  stated;  breadth  of  beam, 
80  feet;  depth  of  hold,  74  feet;  time  not  stated;  draught  of  water, 
25  feet;  displacement,  15,000  tons;  speed  not  stated;  specifications 
incomplete. 

Henbt  K.  Dunham,  New  York,  page  11. — Vessel  too  costly 
for  the  appropriation;  no  drawings  or  specifications;  not  recom- 
mended. 

Price,  $1,200,000;  length  of  vessel,  825  feet;  breadth  of  beam, 
60  feet;  depth  of  hold  not  stated;  time,  15  to  18  months;  draught 
of  water,  16  feet;  displacement  not  stated;  speed  per  hour,  12 
miles. 

C.  S.  BusHNBLL  &  Co.,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  page  121. — Pro- 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  271 

pose  a  yessel  to  be  iron-clad,  od  the  rail  and  plate  principle,  and  to 
obtain  high  speed.  The  objection  to  this  vessel  is  the  fear  that  she 
will  not  float  her  armor  and  load  sufficiently  high,  and  have  stabil- 
ity enough  for  a  sea  vessel.  With  a  guarantee  that  she  shall  do 
these,  we  recommend  on  that  basis  a  contract. 

Price,  f 235, 260;  length  of  vessel,  180  feet;  breadth  of  beam, 
—  feet;  depth  of  hold,  12f  feet;  time,  4  months;  draught  of  water, 
10  feet;  displacement,  —  tons;  speed  per  hour,  12  knots. 

John  Wbstwood,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  page  17. — Vessel  of  wood, 
with  iron  armor;  plan  good  enough,  but  the  breadth  not  enough  to 
bear  the  armor.  No  detailed  specification;  no  price  or  time  stated; 
only  a  general  drawing.     Not  recommended. 

Neafdb  &  Levy,  Philadelphia,  page  5. — No  plans  or  drawings, 
therefore  not  considered.     Neither  price  nor  time  stated. 

Length  of  vessel,  200  feet;  breadth  of  beam,  40  feet;  depth  of 
hold,  15  feet;  draught  of  water,  13  feet;  displacement,  1,748  tons; 
speed  per  hour,  10  knots. 

Wm.  Nobris,  New  York,  26  Cedar  street,  page  6. — Iron  boat 
without  armor — too  small  and  not  recommended. 

Price,  $32,000;  length  of  vessel  88  feet;  breadth  of  beam  25 
feet;  depth  of  hold  14  feet;  time  60  to  75  days;  draught  of  water.  3 
feet;  displacement  90  tons;  speed  not  stated. 

Wm.  Kingslby,  Washington,  D.  C,  page  10,  proposes  a  rwW^- 
dad  vessel,  which  we  cannot  recommend.  No  price  or  dimensions 
stated. 

A.  Besbb,  New  York,  82  Broadway,  page  18. — Specification 
and  sketch  defective.     Plan  not  approved. 

Price,  $50,000;  length  of  vessel,  120  feet;  breadth  of  beam,  55 
feet;  depth  not  stated;  time  100  days;  draught  of  water,  6  ft.  dis- 
placement, 1,000  tons;  speed  per  hour,  8  knots. 

These  three  propositions  recommended,  viz:  Bushnell  &  Co., 
New  Haven,  Connecticut;  Merrick  &  Sons,  Philadelphia,  and  J. 
Ericsson,  New  York,  will  absorb  $1,290,050  of  the  appropriation 
of  $1,500,000,  leaving  $209,750  yet  unexpended. 

The  board  recommends  that  armor  with  heavy  guns  be  placed 
( n  one  of  our  river  craft,  or,  if  none  will  bear  it,  to  construct  a 
J  30W,  which  will  answer,  to  plate  and  shield  the  guns,  for  the  river 
I  jrvice  on  the  Potomac,  to  be  constructed  or  prepared  by  the  gov- 
<  nment  at  the  navy  yard  here  for  immediate  use. 
Id 


272  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

We  would  further  recommend  that  the  Department  ask  of  Con- 
gress at  the  next  session,  an  appropriation,  for  experimenting  on 
iron  plates  of  different  kinds,  of  f  10,000. 

AH  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted, 

Joseph  Smfih, 

H.  Paulding, 

C.  H.  Davib. 
HoK.  GroKOK  Wkllxs, 

Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

The  first  of  the  three  plans  accepted  resulted  in  a  contract 
dated  September  27,  1861,  with  C.  8.  Bushnell   &  Co.,  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  for  the  armored  gunboat  that  was  named  OcdeMi, 
She  was  built  at  Mystic  Bridge,  Conn,,  from  designs  prepared  by 
Mr.  S.  H.  Pook,  afterward  a  constructor  in  the  navy,  for  $236,250, 
and  was  completed  in  April,  1862,  being  almost  immediately  there- 
after in  action  and  badly  damaged  at  Drury's  Bluff,  on  James' 
river.      In  form  the  Galena  was  similar  to  an  ordinary  gun- vessel, 
with  the  important  difference  that  her  sides  tumbled  home  at  an 
angle  of  nearly  forty -five  degrees  and  were  covered  with  iron  bars 
and  plates,  protecting  a  gun  deck  in  which  six  large   guns  were 
mounted.     She  was  rated  as  of  738  tons  burden,  and  was  rigged  as 
a  two-masted  foretopsail  schooner.    There  were  two  Ericsson  vibrat- 
ing lever  engines,  with  horizontal  cylinders  for:y-eight  inches  in 
diameter  and  three  feet  stroke,  driving  a  four-bladed  screw  pro- 
peller, twelve  feet  in  diameter  and  twenty  feet  pitch.     Steam  was 
supplied  by  two  horizontal  tubular  boilers  with  three  furnaces  in 
each,    two  blower  engines   for   fan   blast  being   provided.      The 
Galena* 8  armor  was  about  four  inches  in  thickness  and  was  so  badly 
shattered  at  Drury's  Bluff  that  she  was  not  considered  a  success  as 
an  armor  clad,  although  she  continued  in  active  service  throughout 
the  war,  and,  lashed  to  the  unfortunate  Oneida^  was  in  Farragut's 
fleet  in  Mobile  Bay.     In  the  early  '70'tf,  under  the  guise  of  *'  repair- 
ing" her,  the  Department  built  the  1,900  ton  sloop  of  war  Galena^ 
that  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  figure  in  our  wooden  fleet. 

The  contract  with  Merrick  &  Sons  of  Philadelphia  gave  the  United 
States  navy  the  New  Ironsides^  beyond  question  the  finest  and  most 
formidable  example  of  a  battle-ship  in  existence  at   the   time  she 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  273 

first  took  the  sea.  The  hull  was  built  of  white  oak  at  Cramp's  ship- 
yard in  Philadelphia,  Merrick  &  Sons  building  the  machinery  at 
their  own  works.  The  engines  were  of  only  about  seven  hundred 
horse  power  and  could  drive  the  ship  scarcely  six  knots  an  hour, 
but  that  was  regarded  as  fast  enough  for  the  service  required  of  her, 
as  it  was  not  apprehended  that  she  would  be  obliged  to  run  away 
from  anything  then  afloat.  The  contract  price  was  $780,000.  She 
was  of  4,120  tons  displacement;  232  feet  long;  57^  feet  beam,  and 
mounted  a  very  heavy  battery,  consisting  of  sixteen  Xl-inch  Dahl- 
gren  guns,  two  200-pounder  Farrott  rifles,  and  four  24-pounder 
howitzers. 

The  Jfew  Ironsides  was  large  and  decidedly  ship-shape  in  ap- 
pearance, with  a  projecting  ram  bow,  the  sides  for  the  length  of  the 
main  battery  being  sheathed  with  four  inches  of  iron  plate  aimor, 
the  bow  and  stern  sections  being  unarmored.  The  main  battery 
was  also  protected  with  athwart-ship  bulkheads,  or  walls,  of  the 
same  thickness  of  armor  as  the  sides,  so  she  was  really  a  case-muted 
ship.  She  was  originally  bark- rigged,  but  when  sent  to  the  seat  of 
war  she  was  stripped  for  fightiug,  the  masts  being  taken  out  at 
Port  Boyal  and  replaced  with  light  clothes-poles,  with  which  rig 
her  appearance  was  remarkably  like  that  of  a  modern  war-vessel. 
In  1863  the  masts  were  replaced  previous  to  a  trip  north  for  repairs, 
but  were  again  removed,  this  time  at  Norfolk,  before  she  again 
went  into  action. 

Completed  late  in  1862,  she  proceeded  at  once  to  the  front  and 
was  actively  employed  during  the  remainder  of  the  rebellion,  it 
being  said  of  her  that  she  was  in  action  more  days  than  any  other 
vessel  of  our  navy  during  the  war.  Mr.  William  8.  Wells  of  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  recently  the  Bear  Admiral  of  the  National 
Association  of  Naval  Veterans,  was  attached  to  the  J^ew  Ironsides 
as  an  assistant  engineer  during  her  entire  period  of  war  service,  be- 
ginning with  her  first  commission,  and  was  the  only  officer  who  re- 
mained in  her  that  length  of  time.  To  him  Admiral  Porter  wrote 
long  after  the  war  that  the  I^ew  Ironsides  had  a  record  for  having 
been  hammered  more  thoroughly  than  any  vessel  that  ever  floated, 
md  gave,  with  other  interesting  facts  about  the  ship,  the  statement 
hat  in  a  series  of  engagements  from  July  18  to  September  8,  1863, 
le  had  fired  fcmr  thousand  four  hundred  amd  thirty-nine  eleven- 


274  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


inch  projectiles.  In  one  engagement  with  the  batteries  on  Sulli- 
van's Island  she  was  struck  seventy  times  within  three  hours,  but 
aside  from  some  temporary  damage  to  the  port-shutters,  which  the 
engineers  quickly  repaired,  was  in  perfect  fighting  condition  at  the 
end  of  the  action.  On  another  occasion  she  very  narrowly  escaped 
being  blown  up  by  a  torpedo.  At  the  close  of  the  war  she  was  laid 
up  at  the  League  Island  navy  yard,  where,  on  the  night  of  Decem- 
ber 16-16,  1866,  she  was  burned  to  the  water's  edge,  having  taken 
fire  in  some  unknown  manner  late  at  night  and  not  discovered  until 
the  flames  were  beyond  control. 

The  picture  of  this  famous  ship  which  appears  in  the  text  is  a 
reproduction  of  a  drawing  made  by  Second  Assistant  Engineer  Wil- 
liam S.  Wells,  before  referred  to  as  having  served  in  her  through- 
out her  war  career,  and  represents  the  Nefw  Ironsides  exactly  as  she 
looked  in  the  battles  in  Charleston  harbor  in  1863. 

The  third  proposal  accepted  resulted  in  the  construction  of 
John  Ericcson's  Monitor^  probably  the  most  famous  and  epoch- 
making  cratt  that  ever  floated,  unless  we  revert  to  very  ancient  his-  * 
tory  and  except  Noah's  Ark.  The  contract  for  this  novel  iron-clad 
was  made  October  4,  1861,  between  John  Ericsson  and  his  sureties 
on  one  part,  and  Gideon  Welles,  as  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  on  the 
other.  It  provided  that  the  parties  of  the  first  part  should  construct 
an  iron-clad,  shot-proof  steam  battery,  of  iron  and  wood  combined, 
on  Ericsson's  plan;  the  length  to  be  179  feet;  extreme  breadth,  41 
feet,  and  depth  5  feet,  or  larger  if  found  necessary,  to  carry  the 
required  armament  and  stores.  A  sea  speed  of  eight  knots  an  hour, 
maintained  for  twelve  consecutive  hours  was  stipulated.  The  con- 
tract price  was  $275,000,  to  be  paid  in  five  instalments  of  $50,000 
each  and  one  of  $25,000,  payments  to  be  made  upon  certificates  of 
the  naval  superintendent  of  construction  when  in  his  judgment  work 
had  progressed  sufficiently  to  warrant  them.  A  reservation  of 
twenty -five  per  cent,  was  withheld  from  each  payment  to  be  re- 
tained until  after  the  completion  and  satisfactory  trial  of  the  vessel, 
not  to  exceed  ninety  days  after  she  was  ready  for  sea. 

A  clause  of  the  contract  provided  that  in  case  the  vessel  did 
not  develop  the  stipulated  speed  or  failed  in  other  stated  require- 
ments, the  contractors  should  refund  to  the  United  States  the  full 
amount  of  money  paid  them.     This  clause  is  the  basis  of  the  oft- 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  277 

repeated  statement  that  EricsBon  and  his  snreties  paid  for  the  bnild- 
iDg  of  the  yessel  themselves;  this  was  not  the  case,  as  all  the  pay- 
ments, excepting  the  twenty-five  per  cent,  reservation,  were  made 
before  the  Monitor  left  New  York,  although  the  contract  would 
have  required  the  contractors  to  pay  for  her  had  it  not  been  for  her 
fortunate  encounter  with  the  Merri/mac^  as  her  speed  and  some 
other  qualities  could  not  have  been  regarded  as  satisfactory.  Her 
performance  in  Hampton  Koads  was  regarded  as  a  satisfactory  test 
and  the  Navy  Department  paid  the  reservations  within  a  week 
thereafter  without  insisting  upon  the  full  letter  of  the  contract  being 
carried  out  in  minor  particulars.  A  curious  clause  in  the  contract, 
which  Ericsson  ignored  and  the  Department  did  not  insist  upon,  in- 
dicates how  reluctant  the  naval  advisers  of  the  Secretary  were  to 
authorise  an  entire  departure  from  the  method  of  marine  propulsion 
which  they  had  grown  up  to  believe  was  the  only  reliable  one.  The 
clause  referred  to  required  the  contractors  to  '^furnish  masts,  spars, 
sails,  and  rigging  of  sufficient  dimensions  to  drive  the  vessel  at  the 
rate  of  six  knots  per  hour  in  a  fair  breeze  of  wind.'' 

The  adoption  of  the  plan  proposed  by  Ericsson  was  due  to  a 
train  of  accidental  circumstances  far  more  than  to  any  percipience 
on  the  part  of  the  board  to  which  it  was  submitted.  After  being 
promised  the  contract  for  the  OobLenob^  Mr.  G.  S.  Bushnell  called 
upon  Ericsson  in  New  York  for  professional  advice  regarding  some 
of  the  details  of  his  plans,  and  during  the  interview  Ericsson  resur- 
rected from  a  rubbish  heap  in  the  corner  of  his  office  the  model  that 
he  had  made  for  the  French  naval  officials  in  1854,  and  exhibited 
it  as  A^  idea  of  what  an  iron-clad  should  be.  Bushnell  instantly 
perceived  the  possibilities  of  the  design,  but  could  not  induce 
Ericsson  to  submit  it  to  the  naval  board,  the  inventor  having 
already  had  a  surfeit  of  experiences  with  the  Navy  Department  in 
years  gone  by.  He  did  succeed,  however,' in  getting  Ericsson's 
permission  to  take  the  model  and  submit  it  himself.  Knowing  that 
Secretary  Welles,  who  was  his  personal  friend,  was  then  in  Con- 
necticut, Mr.  Bushnell  hastened  thither  and  laid  the  plan  before 
him,  the  Secretary  being  so  impressed  with  its  merits  that  he  urged 
Bushnell  to  take  it  to  Washington  immediately,  promising  that  he 
would,  if  necessary,  order  the  board  to  extend  the  limit  of  time 
prescribed  for  the  submission  of  plans. 


278  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  8TATE& 

Through  influential  friends  Mr.  Bushnell  obtained  a  personal 
interview  with  President  Lincoln  and  so  enlisted  his  support  by  ex- 
hibiting the  model  and  explaining  the  simplicity  of  operation  of  the 
ship  it  represented  that  the  President  voluntarily  offered  to  accom- 
pany him  to  the  Navy  Department  the  next  day.  At  the  appointed 
time  Mr.  Bushnell  and  the  President  called  on  Assistant  Secretary 
Fox  and  exhibited  the  model  to  him  and  a  number  of  naval  officers, 
including  members  of  the  iron-clad  board.  All  were  surprised  with 
the  simplicity  and  novelty  of  the  plan,  and  some  favored  giving  it 
a  trial ;  others  ridiculed  it.  The  following  day  Commodore  Smith 
convened  his  board  and  gave  Mr.  Bushnell  an  official  hearing,  that 
gentleman  quitting  the  session  with  a  hope  that  he  had  successfully 
presented  his  case;  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment,  however,  for 
the  next  morning  he  found  the  interest  of  the  previous  day  entirely 
gone,  and  the  members  of  the  board  indifferent  and  skeptical.  The  two 
commodores  told  him  that  they  would  vote  for  a  trial  of  the  design 
if  he  could  get  Commander  Davis  to  vote  for  it,  Davis  as  the  junior 
member  of  the  board  being  evidently  used  as  the  executioner  to  ad- 
minister the  coup  de  grace  to  suspected  < ^cranks."  The  latter 
officer,  when  appealed  to  by  Bushnell,  grew  merry  over  what  he  re- 
garded as  the  absurdities  of  the  project  and  told  Bushnell  that  he 
might  ''take  the  little  thing  home  and  worship  it,  as  it  would  not 
be  idolatry,  because  it  was  in  the  image  of  nothing  in  the  heaven 
above  or  on  the  earth  beneath  or  in  the  waters  under  the  earth.  "^ 

Almost  in  despair,  Mr.  Bushnell  resolved  to  play  his  last  card 
by  calling  in  the  eloquent  voice  of  Ericsson  to  explain  his  own  in- 
vention, a  difficult  thing  to  do,  for  Ericsson  had  been  so  shamefully 
treated  by  the  Nayy  Department  in  regard  to  the  Princeton  that  he 
had  often  announced  his  determination  never  to  set  foot  in  Wash- 
ington again.  Bushnell  proceeded  to  New  York  and  by  represent- 
ing the  state  of  affairs  in  much  brighter  colors  than  the  actual 
facts  warranted,  induced  Ericsson  to  go  to  Washington  and  appear 
before  the  board.  Arriving  there,  he  was  coldly  received  and  in- 
formed that  his  plan  had  already  been  rejected;  mortified  and  indig- 
nant, he  was  about  to  leave,  but  a  remark  dropped  by  Commodore 


^  Letter  from  Mr.  Bushnell  to  Hon.  Gideon  Welles ;  published  in  W.  C« 
Church's  Life  of  John  Ericsson,  Vol.  L,  page  250. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  279 

Smith  to  the  effect  that  the  cause  for  rejection  was  lack  of  stability 
excited  his  professional  pride  and  he  launched  forth  into  a  most 
masterful  and  eloquent  defense  of  his  model,  convincing  the  mem- 
bers of  the  board  in  short  order  that  he  knew  more  of  stability  and 
ships  in  general  than  had  ever  been  dreamed  of  in  their  philosophy. 
The  impression  he  made  gained  him  another  audience  with  the 
board,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  who  had  fortunately  returned  to 
Washington,  being  present  on  the  second  occasion;  after  Ericsson 
had  charmed  everyone  in  the  room  with  his  glowing  description  of 
what  his  vessel  could  do,  Mr.  Welles  asked  each  member  of  the 
board  in  turn  if  he  approved  of  a  contract  being  made  with  Ericsson, 
and  each  in  turn  gently  answered,  "  Yes,  by  all  means."  No  more 
time  was  lost;  the  Secretary  told  Ericsson  that  he  would  be  awarded 
a  contract,  and  urged  him  to  begin  work  at  once  without  waiting  for 
formalities,  which  he  did  with  such  vim  that  in  the  few  days  that 
elapsed  before  the  contract  was  drawn  up  the  keel  plates  of  the 
Monitor  were  put  through  the  rolling  mill.  Thus  by  the  precar- 
ious train  of  happenings  above  related  did  Ericsson's  model  nar- 
rowly escape  remaining  for  an  indefinite  time  in  the  dusty  oblivion 
of  his  workshop. 

The  name  Monitor  was  given  by  Ericsson  himself  to  his  iron- 
clad, his  reasons  for  the  selection  being  thus  stated  in  a  letter  of 
his  to  Assistant  Secretary  Fox,  dated  January  20,  1862: 

*'  Sib:  In  accordance  with  your  request,  I  now  submit  for  your 
approbation  a  name  for  the  floating  battery  at  Greenpoint.  The 
impregnable  and  aggressive  character  of  this  structure  will  admonish 
the  leaders  of  the  Southern  Bebellion  that  the  batteries  on  the  banks 
of  their  rivers  will  no  longer  present  barriers  to  the  entrance  of  the 
Union  forces.  The  iron-clad  intruder  will  thus  prove  a  severe 
monitor  to  those  leaders.  But  there  are  other  leaders  who  will  also 
be  startled  and  admonished  by  the  booming  of  the  guns  from  the 
impregnable  iron  turret.  '  Downing  Street'  will  hardly  view  with 
indiflference  this  last  '  Yankee  notion',  this  monitor.  To  the  Lords 
of  the  Admiralty  the  new  craft  will  be  a  monitor,  suggesting  doubts 
as  to  the  propriety  of  completing  those  four  steel-clad  ships  at  three 
and  a  half  millions  apiece.  On  these  and  many  similar  grounds,  I 
propose  to  name  the  new  battery  Monitor. ^^ 


280  THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Every  part  of  this  wonderful  vessel  was  designed  by  John 
Ericsson,  and  she  was  purely  and  wholly  an  engineers'  ship,  entirely 
free  from  the  trappings  and  adjuncts  pertaining  to  the  seamanship 
of  the  period  in  which  she  was  built.  Hall,  machinery,  turrets, 
gun  carriages,  anchor  hoists,  everything,  all  were  built  from  work- 
ing drawings  made  by  Ericsson's  own  hands.  In  order  to  hasten 
the  work  it  was  given  out  by  sub-contracts  to  different  establish- 
ments: the  hull  was  built  by  Thomas  F.  Rowland  at  the  Continental 
Iron  Works,  Greenpoint;  the  propelling  engines  and  all  auxiliary 
machinery  by  Delamater  &  Co.,  and  the  turret,  built  up  of  eight 
layers  of  one-inch  iron  plates  bolted  together,  by  the  Novelty  Iron 
Works.  Chief  Engineer  Alban  C.  Stimers,  U.  S.  Navy,  repre- 
sented the  Government  as  the  inspector  of  construction  of  the  whole 
fabric.  Within  one  hundred  working  days  from  the  laying  of  the 
keel  the  Monitor  was  practically  completed  and  her  engines  had 
been  operated  under  steam.     As  built,  her  extreme  length  was  173 


e 
THE  ORIGnffAL  KBICSSOK  MOKITOS. 


a.  awning,    b.  pilot  house  of  iron  "  logs."    c.  anchor  well.    d.  wooden  upper 
body  or  raft,  armored  on  sides  and  deck.    e.  iron  hull  or  under-body. 

feet;  breadth,  41^  feet;  depth  of  hold,  llj  feet;  draft  of  water,  10^ 
feet;  inside  diameter  of  turret,  20  feet;  height  of  turret,  9  feet. 
The  deck  was  plated  with  iron  an  inch  thick,  and  the  sides  of  the 
upper  body,  or  wooden  cover  of  the  iron  hull  as  it  may  be  called, 
were  protected  with  five  inches  of  iron  armor.  Two  Xl-inch  Dahl- 
gren  guns  were  mounted  in  the  turret.  The  engines  were  of  Ericsson's 
vibrating-lever  type,  with  cylinders  three  feet  in  diameter  and  twenty- 
six  inches  stroke,  driving  a  propeller  nine  feet  in  diameter. 

While  the  Monitor  was  being  built,  the  Navy  Department  and 
Captain  Ericsson  were  liberally  ridiculed  and  abused  by  the  public 
press  for  what  was  regarded  as  a  f atuitous  waste  of  public  money, 
and  Ericsson  himself,  in  the  midst  of  his  overwhelming  labors,  bad 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES.  281 

constantly  to  calm  the  doubts  of  Commodore  Smith,  who  appears 
from  his  many  letters  full  of  foreboding  to  Ericsson,  to  have  repented 
of  his  approval  of  this  revolutionary  design  in  naval  architecture. 
In  the  midst  of  all  this  hostility  and  opposition,  Mr.  Secretary  Welles, 
Captain  Ericsson,  the  three  gentlemen  who  became  his  sureties 
(Messrs.  C.  8.  Bushnell,  John  A.  Griswold,  and  John  F.  Winslow), 
and  Chief  Engineer  Stimers  remained  steadfast  in  their  faith  in  the 
new. departure,  and  seem  to  have  been  about  the  only  persons  in- 
terested who  did  not  regard  the  scheme  as  a  crazy  dream,  doomed 
to  utter  failure.  The  performance  of  the  Monitor  in  battle  imme- 
diately after  her  completion  caused  a  sudden  change  in  sentiment, 
naval  and  civil,  and  many  who  had  been  loudest  in  jeering  became 


BOILEB  (2)  OF  THK  MONITOB,   1861. 


5-5 


equally  loud  in  praise,  announcing  their  own  pretltttgnce.  Credit  for 
the  creation  of  the  Monitor  belongs  largely  to  llkljj^Secretary  Welles 
for  appreciating  its  possibilities  and  for  his  action  in  influencing  the 
armor-clad  board  to  approve  the  original  plans;  after  him, the  credit 
is  probably  fairly  distributed  in  his  own  words  as  follows: 

^<  To  the  distinguished  inventor  of  this  new-class  vessel,  to  his 
sureties,  to  the  board  of  naval  oflScers  who  reported  in  her  favor,  to 
the  vigilant  and  very  able  naval  oflScer  who  superintended  her  con- 
struction, the  Secretary  has,  on  repeated  occasions,  tendered  his 
obligations  and  his  thanks  for  their  patriotic  services  in  coming  to 
the  assistance  of  the  department  and  the  government  in  a  great 
emergency.     Great  praise  and  commendation  are  due  to  them  re- 


282  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

spectively,  but  no  one  can  be  justified  in  attempting  to  arrogate  to 
himself  undue  merit  at  the  expense  of  others.  The  Navy  Depart- 
ment, under  great  embarrassments,  was  compelled  to  enter  upon  a 
new  field  in  naval  warfare,  and  in  this  experiment  it  had  the  services 
and  active  and  efficient  co-operation  of  Captain  John  Ericsson,  with 
that  of  the  wealthy  and  deserving  gentlemen  who  aided  in  the  Je- 
velopment  of  this  new  class  of  vessels,  which  have  entered  into  the 
navy  of  the  United  States,  and  been  elsewhere  incorporated  into  the 
service  of  other  governments."  ^ 

The  year  1861  also  saw  the  appearance  of  iron-clad  steamers  in 
the  Mississippi  Kiver,  built  by  the  War  Department  for  use  in  con- 
nection with  the  army.  Seven  of  thrse  iron-clads  were  built  by  the 
distinguished  engineer  of  St.  Louis,  Mr.  James  B.  Edes,  under  a 
contract  dated  August  7,  1861,  and  were  mostly  completed  by  the 
end  of  the  year.  They  were  175  feet  long,  60  feet  beam,  and  were 
propelled  by  a  huge  paddle-wheel  amidships  near  the  stern,  work- 
ing in  an  opening  18  feet  wide  and  60  feet  long  fore  and  aft,  the  two 
parts  of  the  after  body  of  the  vessel  thus  formed  being  joined  abaft 
the  wheel  by  a  flying  deck,  known  in  river  parlance  as  the  *'  fan- 
tail.''  The  wheel  was  22  feet  in  diameter.  Almost  the  entire  deck  was 
covered  with  a  casemate,  or  superstructure,  with  sides  sloping  inward 
and  upward  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  enclosing  the  battery, 
machinery  and  paddle-wheel.  The  expectation  being  to  fight  bows 
on  as  a  rule,  the  front  end  of  the  casemate  was  plated  with  2^  inches 
of  iron,  backed  with  twenty  inches  of  oak.  The  sides  abreast  the 
engines  and  boile/^  had  the  same  thickness  of  iron  without  any  oak 
backing,  and  the  remainder  of  the  surface  was  unprotected.  The  en- 
gines were  of  the  usual  high-pressure  river  type,  and,  with  the 
boilers,  were  in  constant  danger  from  shot  in  action,  the  light  draft 
of  the  boats  making  it  impossible  for  the  machinery  to  be  placed  be- 
low the  water  line.  These  Edes  gun- boats  were  named  Oairo^  Cat- 
onddet^  Oincimiati^  Louisville^  Mound  Oity^  PitUhwrgh^  and  St. 
Louis^  after  towns  in  the  Mississippi  valley.  They  had  two  horizon- 
tal high-pressure  .steam  cylinders,  22  inches  in  diameter  and  6  feet 
stroke,  and  five  cylindrical  flue  boilers,  3  feet  in  diameter  and  24 
feet  long. 

1  Senate  Ex.  Doc.,  No.  86;  40th  Congress,  2d  Session. 


' 


I 


o 


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p      a> 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  286 

Two  Other  steamers — the  Essex  and  Benton — nearly  twice  as 
large  as  the  £des'  boats,  were  bought  and  converted  into  gunboats,  the 
armor  both  iron  and  wood  backing,  being  heavier  than  that  of 
the  seven  contract  vessels.  A  naval  officer  (Commander  John 
Bodgers  first,  and  Captain  A.  H.  Foote  a  few  months  later)  had 
general  command  of  this  flotilla  under  the  army  authorities,  and  of- 
ficers of  the  ri  gular  navy  were  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  dif- 
ferent steamers:  the  subordinate  officers  were  volunteers,  recruited 
chiefly  from  the  captains,  engineers,  mates  and  pilots  of  the  river, 
and  the  crews  were  decidedly  mixed — soldiers,  rivermen,  men-of- 
war's-men  from  the  East,  and  sailors  from  the  Great  Lakes.  The 
naval  commanders  were  of  necessity  junior  by  relative  rank  to  the 
numerous  generals  and  colonels  doing  duty  about  them,  and  this 
produced  more  or  less  friction,  as  the  army  officers  hud  authority  to 
give  orders  to  the  gunboats,  or  "  interfere  "  with  them,  as  Captain 
Foote  expressed  it.  In  July,  1862  this  unpleasant  state  of  affairs 
was  done  away  with  by  the  transferring  of  the  entire  river  flotilla  to 
the  Navy  Department. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"  Then,  like  a  kraken  huge  and  black. 
She  crushed  our  ribs  in  her  iron  grasp ! 
Down  went  the  Cumberland  all  a  wrack, 

With  a  sudden  shudder  of  death. 

And  the  cannon's  breath 
For  her  dying  ga8p."--^LoNGFRLLOW. 

1862.  The  Civil  War,  Continued.  Capture  of  Roanoke  Island  and  Elizabeth  City. 
The  Mbbbimac  and  her  Raid.  Destruction  of  the  Cokgresb  and  Cumbkr- 
LA.ND.  The  Monitor  Completed  and  Commissioned^  Her  Chief  Engineer 
Isaac  Newton.  Voyage  of  the  Monitor  from  New  York  and  her  arrival  in 
Hampton  Roads. 

AT  the  beginning  of  1862  a  large  combined  military  and  naval 
force  under  tie  command  of  Flag  Officer  L.  M.  Goldsborough 
and  Brigadier  General  A.  E.  Bumside  was  fitted  out  at  Annapolis 
for  the  purpose  of  entering  the  Sounds  of  North  Carolina  through 
Hatteras  Inlet,  and  capturing  the  fortified  positions  of  the  enemy  on 
Eoanoke  Island,  the  possession  of  which  would  give  to  the  Union 
forces  the  military  command  of  those  waters.  This  expedition  has 
passed  into  history  as  the  "Bumside  Expedition,"  but  it  might  with 
much  propriety  be  designated  by  Goldsborough 's  name,  inas- 
much as  its  character  was  essentially  naval.  Owing  to  the  shoalness 
of  water  on  the  bulkhead  at  Hatteras  Inlet  and  at  many  places  in 
the  Sounds,  vessels  of  light  draft  were  necessarily  used,  several  of 
them  being  armed  ferry-boats,  and  others  were  purchased  tugs,  river 
steamers,  freight-boats,  etc.,  not  one  of  them  having  been  built  for 
war  purposes.  It  should  be  remarked  in  regard  to  the  ferry-boats 
that  in  spite  of  their  uncouth  appearance  they  were  found  remarkably 
useful  for  coast  and  river  service,  combining  light  draft  with  handi- 
ness  in  narrow  places,  being  able  to  steam  and  steer  equally  well  in 
either  direction,  while  the  broad  overhanging  deck  furnished  an 
excellent  gun  platform  on  which  heavy  batteries  were  habitually 
mounted. 

Proceeding   down    Chesapeake   Bay,    the   flotilla  assembled  in 
Hampton   Koads  and  sailed  thence  the  11th  of  January,  being  then 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  287 

composed  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  vessels,  about  twenty  of 
which  belonged  to  the  navy  and  the  remainder  were  purchased  or 
chartered  army  transports,  carrying  some  twelve  thousand  soldiers, 
with  horses,  ammimition,  provisions,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of 
war.  With  much  tooting  of  whistles,  waving  of  flags,  and  cheering 
of  soldiers,  the  expedition  moved  out  towards  the  Capes  of  the 
Chesapeake,  being  probably  the  most  motley  and  piebald  aggregation 
of  craft  ever  afloat  with  warlike  intent.  The  enthusiasm  of  the 
soldiers  speedily  subsided  when  the  Atlantic  was  reached  and  the 
voyage  down  the  coast  was  so  devoid  of  pleasure  that  men  who 
subsequently  became  hardened  veterans  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
now  refer  to  that  sea  experience  with  more  abhorrence  than  they 
exhibit  in  recalling  the  dreadful  scenes  of  Chancellorsville  and 
Gettysburg. 

The   fleet  arrived   off  Hatteras  January   13,   and  spent  some 
two  weeks  in  the  very  difficult  task  of  working  over  the  shoals  inside 
the  Sounds,  the  army  transports  not  all  getting  inside  until  the  5th 
of   February.     Three  of  the  transports  were  wrecked  and  a  con- 
siderable number  of  horses,   rifles,   and  ordnance  stores  were  lost. 
One  of  the  naval  steamers,  the  Whitehall,  was  so  injured  in  trying  to 
get  in  that  she  had  to  return  to  Hampton  Koads  for  repairs.     As 
finally  collected  inside,  the  naval  force  consisted  of  nineteen  vessels 
arranged  in  three  divisions,  commanded  respectively  by  Lieutenant 
Reed  Werden  in  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  Lieutenant  A.  Murray  in  the 
Louisiana,    and   Lieutenant   H.    K.    Davenport   in    the   Hetzel.     A 
number  of  the  army  vessels  were  armed  with  one  or  more  guns  and 
were  intended  for  fighting  as  well  as  transport   purposes ;  these, 
bearing  such  names  as  Picket,  Lancer,  Huzzar,&c.,  were  formed  into 
a  division  under  the  command  of  Commander  S.  F.   Hazard,  of  the 
navy.     Mr.  Chas.  H.  Haswell,  who  has  figured  so  prominently  in 
the  earlier  chapters  of  this  work,  was  attached  to  General  Burnside's 
staff  as  fleet  engineer,  and  Lieutenant  D.  W.  Flagler,  now  brigadier 
general  and  Chief   of  the  Ordnance  Department  of  the  army,  was 
Burnside's   chief   ordnance   officer.     Flag    Officer    Goldsborough's 
lagship,  the  Philadelphia,  not  being  suited  for  safe  handling  over 
he    lumpy  and   uncertain   bottom  about  Roanoke  Island,   did  not 
>articipate  in  the  ensuing  engagement,   Goldsborough  temporarily 
•arisf erring  his  flag  and  going,  with  his  fleet  captain.    Commander 
L.  L.  Case,  into  action  in  the  armed  ferry-boat  SaiUhfield. 


288  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

February  7th  the  fleet  moved  up  and  engaged  the  shore  batteries 
and  a  small  squadron  of  gunboats  of  the  enemy  with  such  good  effect 
that  by  midnight  Burnside  had  been  able  to  land  over  ten  thousand 
troops.  The  next  day  the  attack  was  begun  at  daybreak  and  con- 
tinued until  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  when  a  bold  charge  of  the 
military  forces  gained  possession  of  the  enemy's  strongest  positions 
and  compelled  his  surrender.  About  three  tliousand  Confederates 
were  made  prisoners,  the  remainder  escaping  in  their  gunboats  to 
Elizabeth  City  near  the  Albemarle  end  of  the  Dismal  Swamp  canal. 

The  casualties  in  the  fleet  were  small  considering  the  character 
of  the  vessels  and  the  severe  bombardment  they  underwent,  the  total 
loss  amounting  to  seven  killed  and  sixteen  wounded.  Two  of  the 
killed  were  officers — Charles  Harris,  Master's  Mate  of  the  Hckel^ 
and  Acting  Second  Assistant  Engineer  Stephen  Mealius,  senior  en- 
gineer of  the  Seymour.  Mr  Mealius  was  struck  in  the  hip  by  a  32- 
pound  shot  and  so  injured  that  he  died  about  a  week  later,  the  same 
shot  killing  a  coal-heaver  at  his  side.  These  two  were  the  only 
casualties  on  the  Seymour.  The  unsuitability  of  the  vessels  for  war 
service  was  shown  by  the  fact  that  several  of  them  were  temporarily 
disabled  during  the  attack  by  injuries  to  their  machinery.  The  cross- 
head  and  one  of  the  slides  of  the  engine  of  the  Hunchback  were  shot 
away,  and  the  Commodore  Perry  was  partly  crippled  by  a  shot  which 
passed  between  the  engine  and  boiler  and  destroyed  the  feed-water 
tank.  A  shell  struck  the  upper  deck  of  the  Ceres  and  glancing 
downward  from  a  beam  in  very  curious  flight  passed  thi'ough  the 
lower  deck  and  rolled  into  one  of  the  ash  pits  where  it  exploded, 
hurling  fire  and  grate-  bars  in  all  directions. 

One  episode  of  the  fight  brought  Chief  Engineer  Haswell  into 
enviable  prominence  for  gallantry,  the  affair  being  thus  related  in 
Frank  Leslie's  Pictorial  History  of  the  War;  ^'During  her  efforts 
to  get  near  the  fort,  the  Ranger  got  aground,  and  for  a  few  moments 
was  in  great  danger,  being  a  stationary  target  for  the  rebel  gims. 
Mr.  Charles  Haswell,  Engineer-in-chief  of  the  fleet,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  steamer  Tempest^  at  this  critical  jimcture  went  to 
the  rescue,  and  taking  her  hawser,  towed  the  Banger  out  of  danger 
into  deep  water  again.     The  act  was  greatly  applauded.'' 

Immediately  after  the  capture  of  Koanoke  Island,  Flag  Officer 
Goldsborough  despatched  his  second  in  command,  Commander  S. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


0.  Bowan,  with  fourteen  of  the  steamers  to  Elizabeth  City  to  attack 
the  Confederate  gunboats,  all  of  which  had  taken  refuge  there  with 
the  exception  of  the  Oivrkw  which  had  been  so  badly  damaged  in  the 
fight  of  the  7th  that  she  had  been  set  on  fire  and  destroyed.  Feb- 
ruary 10th  Rowan's  squadron  attacked  the  enemy  and  destroyed  all 
his  vessels  except  one,  the  Ellis^  which  was  captured  in  good  condi- 
tion and  converted  into  a  Federal  gunboat,  performing  good  service 
as  such  in  the  waters  of  the  Sounds  until  her  loss  by  stranding  near 
the  end  of  the  year.  At  the  time  of  her  loss  she  was  under  the 
command  of  Lieutenant  Wm.  B.  Cushing,  then  rising  into  promi- 
nence by  virtue  of  a  courage  at  once  heroic  and  reckless.  For 
exceptional  excellence  in  the  action  at  Elizabeth  City  Mr.  John 
Oahill,  second  assistant  engineer  and  acting  chief  of  the  Undervmter^ 
was  highly  commended  in  the  report  of  his  commanding  oflScer, 
Lieutenant  William  N.  Jeffers,  who  praised  Mr.  Cahill's  manage- 
ment of  the  engineer  department  and  also  his  services  in  working 
the  after  gun  during  the  fight.  The  same  engagement  furnished  an 
instance  of  remarkable  courage  and  presence  of  mind  on  the  part  of 
John  Davis,  gunner's  mate  of  the  Valley  Gity,  who,  when  the  maga- 
zine was  set  on  fire  by  a  shell,  deliberately  sat  down  in  an  open 
barrel  of  powder  and  prevented  its  ignition  until  the  fire  division 
came  to  the  rescue. 

After  the  affair  at  Elizabeth  City  an  expedition  consisting  of 
the  Shawsheeii,  Lockwoodj  and  two  or  three  smaller  vessels,  all  under 
the  command  of  Lieutenant  Jeffers,  was  sent  to  drive  the  enemy 
away  from  the  mouth  of  the  Chesapeake  and  Albemarle  canal  and 
to  block  up  that  water-way.  On  February  13,  after  shelling  the 
position  and  driving  the  enemy  back  half  a  mile  or  more,  a  force  of 
sailors  and  engine-room  men  under  Acting  Master  Graves  and 
Second  Assistant  Engineer  John  L.  Lay,  acting  chief  of  the  Louisiana^ 
was  landed  and  destroyed  the  machinery  of  a  large  dredging  machine, 
afterward  sinking  it  and  some  schooners  in  the  canal,  completely 
obstructing  it.  Mr.  Lay,  who  afterward  became  prominent  in  the 
navy  in  connection  with  the  torpedo  service,  was  highly  commended 
in  the  commanding  officer's  report  for  the  thorough  manner  in  which 
the  work  had  been  done. 

The  story  of  how  the  fine  frigate  MerriTnac  was  lost  to  the  Union 
has  been  told  in  a  former  chapter.     After  gaining  possession  of  the 


290  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

Norfolk  navy  yard  the  Confederates  lost  no  time  in  making  repairs 
and  reaping  the  benefit  of  their  enormous  prize.  Their  most  valu- 
able booty  consisted  of  the  great  number  of  guns,  mostly  uninjured, 
and  the  vast  quantities  of  ordnance  and  equipment  supplies  that  fell 
into  their  hands,  but  they  gave  attention  also  to  the  ships  that  had 
been  scuttled.  The  Gcrrrxdntovm^  Plymouth  and  Merrimac  were 
raised  and  the  first  two  easily  restored  to  a  serviceable  condition, 
but  were  not  equipped  for  sea.  The  failure  to  attempt  to  make  use 
of  these  two  ships  may  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  some  of  the 
most  able  and  progressive  oflicers  of  the  old  navy  had  joined  the 
Confederacy  and  these  gentlemen,  from  having  studiously  observed 
the  tendencies  of  war-ship  development,  were  ready  to  accept  the 
inevitable  and  admit  that  the  day  of  the  sailing  ship  of  war  was  aver. 
They  had  discerned  the  growing  shadow  of  coming  events  and  in 
this  regard  were  far  ahead  of  their  naval  brethern  at  the  North,  who 
did  not  awake  from  the  spell  of  old  beliefs  until  the  Southerners  gave 
them  a  rude  and  terrible  object  lesson. 

The  upper  works  of  the  Merrimac  had  been  burned  as  she  sank 
but  all  the  lower  hull,  as  well  as  the  machinery,  was  found  in  as 
good  condition  as  could  be  expected  after  a  month's  submersion.  A 
board,  consisting  of  Engineer-m-Chief  William  P.  Williamson,  Lieu- 
tenant John  M.  Brooke,  and  Chief  Constructor  John  L.  Porter  was 
assembled  early  in  June  to  determine  upon  a  plan  for  converting  the 
Merrimac  into  an  iron-clad  battery,  and  a  plan  was  adopted  without 
any  great  delay.  Lieutenant  Brooke  was  given  credit  at  the  time  in 
the  newspaper  and  oflicial  reports  for  having  originated  the  design 
adopted,  and  the  question  has  been  a  matter  of  dispute  and  contro- 
versy ever  since.  Constructor  Porter  claimed  the  honor  and  he  un- 
doubtedly made  the  drawings  from  which  the  vessel  was  recon- 
structed, as  that  was  a  duty  pertaining  to  his  office,  but  he  might 
have  made  them  without  originating  them.  In  Scharf's  History  of 
the  Confederate  States'  Navy  the  matter  is  gone  over  at  length  and 
Mr.  Porter's  claim  very  fully  supported.  Chief  Engineer  Thom 
Williamson,  II.  S.  Navy,  who  is  a  son  of  the  Confederate  Engineer 
in-Chief,  has  informed  the  author  that  years  before  the  war,  when  in- 
terest in  the  Stevens  battery  had  directed  the  minds  of  naval  men  to 
the  possibilities  of  iron  armor,  his  father  had  made  drawings  of  un 
iron-clad  war  vessel,  and   that  the   reccmstructed  Menimac  was   in 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  291 

general  design  an  exact  reproduction  of  those  plans.  Williamson 
beyond  doubt  submitted  his  design  and  Porter  developed  it,  the  two 
men  as  representative  ship  engineers  of  the  South  being  jointly  en- 
titled to  the  credit  of  having  created  the  vessel  which  became  the 
type  and  embodied  the  ideas  of  the  engineers  of  the  South  of  what  an 
armored  war-ship  should  be. 

The  damaged  hull  of  the  Merrimac  was  rebuilt  up  to  the  level  of 
the  berth  deck  and  a  huge  cast  iron  spur  was  fitted  on  the  bow  about 
two  feet  below  the  water-line  and  projecting  eighteen  inches  beyond 
the  cutwater.  When  equipped  for  service,  with  coal  and  stores  on 
board,  it  was  designed  that  the  vessel  should  float  with  her  deck 
slightly  submerged.  On  the  central  part  of  the  deck  extending  one 
handred  and  seventy  feet  fore  and  aft  and  the  full  width  of  the 
vessel  athwartship  was  erected  a  citadel  or  casemate,  with  rounded 
ends,  the  sides  sloping  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees  and  extend- 
ing some  two  feet  below  the  water  line  along  the  sides,  or  eaves ^  as 
the  lower  edges  have  appropriately  been  called.  This  casemate  was 
seven  feet  high  in  the  clear,  its  flat  top  being  covered  with  a  wooden 
grating  to  let  light  and  air  inside,  and  forming  the  promenade  or 
spar  deck  of  the  ship.  The  structure  was  built  of  pine,  twenty  inches 
in  thickness,  sheathed  with  four  inches  of  oak  planking  and  this  in 
turn  with  two  layers  of  2-inch  iron  bars  or  plates,  these  being  eight 
inches  wide  and  about  ten  feet  long.  The  first  layer  of  these  armor 
bars  was  put  on  horizontally  like  a  ship's  planking,  the  other,  or 
outer  course  being  up  and  down.  Through-bolts,  one  and  three- 
eighths  inches  in  diameter  secured  inside  fastened  the  armor  to  the 
wooden  superstructure.  The  battery  mounted  in  this  floating  strong- 
hold consisted  of  a  Vll-inch  Brooke  rifle  pivoted  in  each  of  the 
rounded  ends  and  eight  guns  in  broadside,  four  on  each  side,  six  of 
the  latfer  being  IX-inch  Dahlgrens  and  two  32-pounder  Brooke  rifles. 
The  iron-clad  approached  completion  early  in  March  and  was 
christened  Virffinia,  but  the  name  she  had  borne  in  the  old  navy 
stuck  to  her,  probably  on  account  of  its  alliterative  affinity  with 
MonUor,  and  as  the  Merrimac  she  will  ever  be  known.  On  the  8th 
of  March  she  got  under  way  from  the  Norfolk  navy  yard  and  pro- 
ceeded down  the  Elizabeth  River  accompanied  by  the  gunboats 
Beaufort  and  Ralcighj  mounting  one  gun  each.  Her  crew  of  about 
three   hundred  men  was  composed  mostly  of  volunteers  fi'om  the 


17 


292  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

troops  about  Bichmond,  and  because  of  the  crowds  of  workmen  on 
board  until  the  last  minute  had  not  been  exercised  at  their  stations. 
The  engines,  which  had  been  a  nightmare  to  the  engineers  of  the  old 
navy,  had  been  thoroughly  overhauled  under  the  direction  of  Chief 
Engineer  Williamson,  but,  with  a  raw  force  to  manage  them,  were  an 
object  of  apprehension  rather  than  a  reliable  source  of  power.  The 
Union  force  in  and  about  Hampton  Roads  consisted  of  the  large  40- 
gun  firigate8:i2oa7ioike  and  Minnesota^  sister  ships  of  the  original  Mer- 
rinfiacj  some  small  armed  tugs,  the  50-gun  sailing  frigates  Congress 
and  St,  LawrencCj  and  the  24:-gun  sloop-of-war  Oumberland.  The 
two  steam  frigates  have  been  described  in  a  former  chapter,  and 
were  regarded  as  the  climax  of  all  excellence  in  war-ship  construc- 
tion, "  yet,''  as  remarked  by  Professor  Soley,  "it  required  but  the 
experience  of  a  single  afternoon  in  Hampton  Roads,  in  the  month  of 
March,  1862,  to  show  that  they  were  antiquated,  displaced,  super- 
seded, and  that  a  new  era  had  opened  in  naval  warfare." 

*'The  Congress  and  Cumberland  had  been  lying  off  Newport 
News  for  several  months.  Their  ostensible  duty  was  to  blockade 
the  Junes  River;  but  it  is  not  very  clear  how  a  sailing-vessel  at 
anchor  could  be  of  any  use  for  this  purpose.  Most  of  the  old  sailing 
vessels  of  the  navy  had  by  this  time  been  relegated  to  their  proper 
place  as  school-ships,  store-ships,  and  receiving-ships,  or  had  been 
sent  to  foreign  stations  where  their  only  duty  was  to  display  the 
flag.  Nothing  shows  more  clearly  the  persistence  of  old  traditions 
than  the  presence  of  these  helpless  vessels  in  so  dangerous  a  neigh- 
borhood. Although  the  ships  themselves  were  of  no  value  for  mod- 
ern warfare,  their  armament  could  ill  be  spared;  and  they  carried  be- 
tween them  over  eight  hundred  officers  and  men.  whose  lives  were 
exposed  to  fruitless  sacrifice."^ 

The  Merrimac  emerged  from  the  river  about  1  p.  m  and  turned 
down  towards  Newport  News  where  the  Congress  and  Owmberland 
lay  at  anchor,  already  cleared  for  action.  Three  Confederate  gun- 
boats, the  Jamestov/n^  Teazer  and  Patrick  Henry  (or  YoTkt(ywn\  soon 
afterwards  came  out  of  the  James  River  past  the  Federal  batteries 
at  Newport  News  and  took  part  in  the  ensuing  engagement,  render- 
ing much  aid  to  the  Merrimac.     The  story  of  what  happened  that 


^  Professor  J.  R.  Soley:  The  Blockade  and  the  CruiseiB,  page  61,  chapter  iii. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  293 

afternoon  has  been  told  so  often  that  no  detailed  account  of  it  will  be 
repeated  here.  As  the  ram  approached  the  sailing  vessels  she  was 
fiuiously  ponnded  by  their  broadside  fire,  but  her  sloping  armor 
glanced  the  shot  oflE  like  peas;  passing  the  GongresSy  she  deliberately 
rammed  the  Owmberland  in  the  wake  of  the  starboard  forechains, 
tearing  a  great  hole  in  her  side,  in  which  the  cast-iron  beak  re- 
mained, it  having  been  wrenched  off  in  impact,  Before  reaching  the 
Chimberland  a  broadside  from  that  vessel  put  one  or  two  shells  into 
the  forward  gun  port  of  the  Merrimdo^  killing  two  and  wounding  five 
men,^  but  doing  no  serious  damage  to  the  ship  itself.  The  first 
lieutenant  of  the  Oumberlandj  Lieutenant  George  Upham  Morris, 
who  was  in  command  in  the  absence  of  his  captain,  gallantly  refused 
to  surrender  and  fought  his  ship  with  a  heroism  not  excelled  in  naval 
history,  but  in  vain,  for  she  sank  in  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  carry- 
ing down  the  wounded  and  many  of  the  crew.  The  Congress^  next 
assailed,  was  run  on  shore  in  hope  of  saving  her,  but  the  enemy  got 
into  easy  range  astern  and  tore  her  through  and  through  with  shot 
and  shell,  butchering  her  people  without  mercy.  Unable  to  make 
any  resistance,  she  surrendered,  but  the  army  force  on  shore,  not  un- 
derstanding the  situation,  fired  on  the  Confederate  gunboats  that  had 
gone  alongside  to  remove  the  prisoners,  and  drove  them  off.  The 
Merrimac  then  set  her  on  fire  with  incendiary  shot,  the  survivors  of 
the  crew  escaping  to  the  shore  in  their  boats  or  by  swimming.  The 
Congress  burned  until  far  into  the  night,  when  she  blew  up. 

Meanwhile  the  Minnesota  had  got  under  way  from  Hampton 
Roads  and  approached  the  scene  of  action,  but  ran  aground  when 
still  more  than  a  mile  distant;  she  was  fortunately  in  such  a  position 
with  regard  to  the  deep-water  channel  that  the  Merrimac  could  not 
get  within  effective  range  of  her,  but  the  gunboats  YorHovm  and 
Teazer  took  comparatively  safe  positions  off  her  bow  and  stern  and 
did  her  much  damage,  besides  killing  three  and  wounding  sixteen  of 
her  men.  The  Roanoke  was  unable  to  move  under  steam,  having 
broken  her  shaft  some  months  previously,  and  consequently  had  no 
more  business  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy  than  had  the  sailing  fri- 
gates.    However,  her  gallant  captain,  John  Marsden,   as  well  as 


^  William  Xorris,  a  member  of  the  Aferrimac's  crew;  in  Southern  Magazine 
NoYemher,  1874. 


2W  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  TJNITED  STATE& 

Captain  Purviance  of  the  St.  Lawrence^  felt  it  to  be  duty  to  be  in  ac- 
tion, even  in  a  forlorn  hope,  and  they  made  desperate  efforts  to  move 
their  vessels  from  Hampton  Eoads  with  the  aid  of  armed  tugs,  called 
gunboats,  to  the  scene  of  action.  The  approach  of  night  and  the  falling 
of  the  tide  defeated  the  brave  endeavors  of  these  two  captains,  and 
their  ships  consequently  did  not  become  a  prey  to  the  invulnerable 
monster  they  hoped  to  destroy. 

About  7  P.  M.  the  Merrimmc  withdrew  from  action  and  anchored 
off  SewalPs  Point,  intending  to  complete  her  work  of  destruction  in 
the  morning.  Her  captain,  Franklin  Buchanan,  had  been  wounded 
by  a  rifle  ball  from  shore;  the  muzzles  of  two  of  her  guns  had  been 
knocked  off,  and  her  steaming  ability,  bad  at  best,  had  been  consider- 
ably weakened  by  the  loss  of  the  smoke  pipe  above  the  casemate: 
otherwise  she  was  entirely  fit  for  action.  Her  people  were  jubilant 
over  their  success,  and  well  they  might  be,  for  besides  winning  a  sea- 
fight  against  great  numerical  odds  they  had  proved  their  vessel  to  be 
absolutely  in  control  of  the  situation  with  no  apparent  limit  to  the 
range  of  her  conquests.  Her  performance  that  afternoon  had  been 
exactly  what  we  have  a  right  to  believe  would  have  resulted  had  the 
Demologos^  nearly  fifty  years  before,  been  completed  in  time  to  en- 
counter a  fleet  of  British  frigates.  The  sound  of  the  Merrimcic'B  guns 
had  rung  the  curtain  down  forever  upon  the  most  picturesque  and  ro- 
mantic mode  of  sea  fighting  that  the  world  has  ever  known:  thence- 
forth the  march  of  iron  and  the  engineer  would  have  to  be  recognized 
as  all-important  in  naval  warfare,  and  the  picturesque  must  yield  be- 
fore a  homely  materialism. 

Besides  the  loss  of  the  Congress  and  Oamberlandj  the  Federal 
navy  suffered  severely  in  men.  The  official  reports  show  that  the 
Qmgress  lost  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  men,  or  nearly  one-third  of  her  entire  crew.  Among  her  dead 
was  her  gallant  commanding  officer,  Lieutenant  Joseph  B.  Smith. 
The  Oumberland  lost  one  hundred  and  twenty-one,  also  about  one- 
third  of  her  crew,  which  numbered  three  hundred  and  seventy-six  of- 
ficers and  men  when  the  action  began.  The  Minnesota's  casualities, 
previously  mentioned,  were  nineteen.  On  the  gunboat  Whii^hall 
Third  Assistant  Engineer  Andrew  Nesbitt  was  instantly  killed  by  a 
fragment  of  shell  from  the  Mei^^Tnac^  and  another  assistant  engineer 
was  wounded  in  the  face  in  the  same  manner.     Two  of  her  men  were 


THE  STBAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATBa  2»6 

killed.  The  Whitehall  was  a  small  New  York  ferryboat  of  823  tons, 
purcliased  and  armed  in  1861,  and  has  been  mentioned  before  in  this 
chapter  as  having  been  disabled  in  the  Bnmside  Expedition.  Her 
career  ended  the  following  night,  March  9,  by  destruction  by  fire 
while  lying  at  the  wharf  at  Fortress  Mnnroe,  the  chief  loss  involved 
being  the  breeching,  tackles,  and  other  gnn  gear  of  the  Minnesota^ 
together  with  a  quantity  of  small  arms  and  equipment,  put  on  board 
her  for  safe  keeping  the  night  of  the  8th  when  the  destruction  of  the 
Minnesota  seemed  imminent.  All  the  casualities  due  to  the  raid  of 
the  Jferrimac,  as  above  enumerated,  amount  to  a  total  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty.  The  Confederate  loss,  including  casualities  on  their  gun- 
boats, was  not  more  than  one  tenth  of  this  figure. 

Ericsson's  Monitor  was  launched  January  30,  1862,  and  by  the 
middle  of  February  was  practically  completed,  going  on  a  trial  trip 
the  19th  of  that  month.  On  this  occasion  the  main  engines,  the 
steering  gear,  the  turret  turning  mechanism,  almost  everything  in 
fact,  went  wrong  or  refused  to  work;  natural  results  of  the  lack  of 
adjustment  due  to  hasty  construction,  and  needing  only  this  trial  to 
show  what  remedies  were  required.  The  newspapers  that  had  in- 
dulged in  endless  jeremiads  over  "  Ericsson's  Tolly  "  now  redoubled 
their  attacks  and  added  greatly  to  the  public  mistrust  of  the  vessel, 
but  Ericsson  himself  and  Chief  Engineer  Stimers  maintained  their 
faith  unmoved  and,  ignoring  the  opportunities  for  controversy,  pa- 
tiently set  to  work  to  remedy  the  defects.  February  25,  the  Monitor 
was  put  in  commission  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  John  L. 
Worden,  U.  S.  Navy,  and  on  the  4th  of  March  a  final  and  successful 
trial  trip  was  run,  the  gims  being  satisfactorily  tried  at  this  time  and 
a  favorable  report  regarding  the  vessel  was  made  by  a  board  of  naval 
officers.  On  these  trials  and  while  adjusting  the  machinery  Mr.  Sti- 
mers made  it  his  business  to  operate  personally  every  piece  of  mechan- 
ism in  the  ship  and  to  become  thoroughly  familiar  with  and  master 
of  every  detail  of  every  department,  thus  gaining  knowledge  without 
which  the  performance  of  the  MomJUyr  immediately  thereafter  would 
have  been  impossible  and  the  events  of  the  Civil  War  materially 
changed. 

Escaping  finally  from  the  onslaughts  of  the  press,  the  MoniJixyr 
faced  a  new  foe  by  putting  to  sea  on  the  6th  of  March,  being  con- 
voyed by  the  gunboats  Sachem  and  Owrritvxik  and  in  tow  of  the  steamer 


296  THE  STEAH  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Sdh  Low,  although  she  used  her  own  steam  as  well.  Two  hoars  after 
her  departure  a  telegraphic  order  arrived  for  her  to  proceed  direct  to 
Washington  and  this  order  was  repeated  to  Captain  Marsden  at  Hamp- 
ton Eoads.  The  failure  of  Worden  to  receive  this  order  before  leav- 
ing New  York  is  referred  to  by  naval  historians  as  little  less  than 
providential,  and  so  it  seems  in  view  of  the  ensuing  events;  at  any 
rate  the  circumstance  adds  one  more  to  the  list  of  almost  miraculous 
chances  that  united  in  making  the  Monitor  possible  and  in  shaping 
her  career.  The  officers  who  went  in  her  as  volunteers  for  the  more 
than  hazardous  experiment  of  taking  her  to  sea  were,  besides  Worden 
the  commander,  Lieutenant  Samuel  Dana  Greene;  Acting  .Masters 
John  J.  N.  Webber  and  Louis  N.  Stodder;  Acting  Assistant  Paymaster 
W.  F.  Keeler;  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon  Daniel  C.  Logue;  First  As- 
sistant Engineer  Isaac  Newton;  Second  Assistant  Engineer  Albert  B. 
Campbell,  and  Third  Assistant  Engineers  K.  W.  Hands  and  M.  T. 
Sundstrum.  The  commander,  executive  officer,  and  all  the  engineers 
were  of  the  regular  service  and  the  other  officers  volunteers.  The 
crew  consisted  of  forty-three  men  who  had  volunteered  from  the  re- 
ceiving-ship North  Carolma  and  the  sailing  frigate  Sabine.  Chief 
Engineer  Stimers  voluntarily  went  as  a  passenger  to  observe  the  work- 
ing of  the  novel  craft  and  to  give  her  officers  the  benefit  of  his  know- 
ledge, he  being,  as  stated  by  W.  C.  Church  in  his  Life  of  John 
Ericsson,  '^The  only  man  on  board  who  thoroughly  understood  the 
characteristics  of  the  vessel." 

Mr.  Isaac  Newton,  the  acting  chief  engineer  of  the  JHonitor,  was 
a  genius  in  his  way  who  deserves  more  than  passing  mention.  His 
father,  also  named  Isaac  Newton,  was  a  prominent  North  River 
steamboat  builder  and  owner,  and  young  Newton,  besides  getting  an 
excellent  education  in  the  New  York  city  schools,  had  grown  up  in 
his  father's  steamers  and  shops,  so  that  by  the  time  he  reached  man- 
hood he  was  a  thorough  steamboat  captain,  pilot,  engineer,  boat 
builder,  machinist,  and  all-around  mechanic.  In  June,  1861,  he 
volimteered  for  the  war  and  selected  the  engineer  corps  of  the  navy 
for  his  place  of  best  service,  coming  into  the  navy  with  letters  of 
commendation  from  a  number  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  New 
York.  His  education  enabled  him  to  overstep  the  nominal  require- 
ments for  the  volunteer  service,  and  by  passing  the  required  exami- 
nations he  obtained  an  appointment  as  a  first  assistant  engineer  in  the 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


regular  service.  If  his  experience  could  have  been  augmented  with 
the  four  or  five  years  of  military  training  so  essential  to  service  in  the 
regular  navy  he  would  have  been  an  ideal  naval  officer  for  a  war- 
steamer:  as  it  was,  he  won  a  fine  reputation  for  ability  as  an  engineer 
and  for  general  usefulness.  He  resigned  at  the  close  of  the  war  and 
associated  himself  with  John  Ericsson  in  his  disastrous  Matkiwdska- 
Wampanoag  controversy  with  Engineer-in-Chief  Isherwood;  was  later 
General  McClellan's  associate  in  the  work  of  rebuilding  the  Stevens 
battery,  and  again,  having  embarked  in  politics,  held  the  very  im- 
portant position  of  chief  engineer  of  the  Croton  Aqueduct  in  the  Pub- 
lic Works  Department  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

The  first  twenty-four  hours  of  the  voyage  of  the  Monitor  from 
Sandy  Hook  were  uneventful,  light  winds  and  smooth  water  being 
encountered.  The  wind  and  sea  then  rose  and  the  vessel  was  soon 
in  great  peril.  Great  quantities  of  water  came  in  through  the  hawse 
pipes,  due  to  ^^gross  carelessness  in  going  to  sea  without  stopping 
them  up,"  as  claimed  by  Ericsson  in  a  paper  on  the  '^Building  of 
the  Jlfom^,"  in  Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil  War.  The  turret 
was  designed  to  slide  on  a  bronze  ring  let  into  the  deck  at  its  base, 
thifi  joint  not  being  water  tight  nor  intended  to  be,  pumps  being 
provided  to  remove  the  small  quantity  of  water  that  would  come  in 
through  this  necessary  crack.  Before  leaving  New  York,  however, 
some  '^expert"  at  the  navy  yard,  accustomed  to  the  manifold  uses 
of  rope  on  shipboard,  had  caused  the  turret  to  be  wedged  up  and 
had  driven  into  the  wide  opening  thus  formed  a  plaited  hemp  gas- 
ket, the  result  being  that  when  the  sea  began  to  break  violently  over 
the  deck  this  gasket  was  washed  out  and  water  poured  in  cascades 
down  the  whole  annular  space  sixty-three  feet  in  circumference.  The 
smoke  pipes  and  blower  supply  pipes,  were  simply  temporary  trunks 
intended  to  be  removed  in  action,  projecting  only  about  six  feet 
above  the  deck,  over  which  the  seas  broke  and  interrupted  the  action 
of  the  furnaces  very  seriously. 

From  getting  wet,  the  belts  of  the  blowers  would  not  cling  and 
the  engine  and  fire-rooms  soon  became  charged  with  poisonous  gases 
to  such  an  extent  that  life  below  became  almost  impossible.  Messrs. 
Newton  and  Stimers,  with  the  help  of  their  assistants,  struggled 
bravely  to  get  the  blowers  in  operation  and  kept  at  this  task  until 
thej  succumbed  to  the  gas  and  were  carried  to  the  top  of  the  turret. 


298  THS  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITBD  STATES. 

where  they  revived,  though  they  were  thought  dead  when  dragged 
out  of  the  engine  room.  Lieutenant  Greene,  the  executive  officer,  a 
few  days  latter  gave  an  account  of  the  Jfomtor'8  experience  in  a  letter 
written  to  his  mother,  which  is  regarded  as  the  most  graphic  narra- 
tive of  the  event  in  existence,  and  which  has  been  twice  published  in 
the  United  Service  Magazine  (In  April,  1885  and  October,  1893), 
in  which  he  speaks  of  this  incident  as  follows:  ^'  Our  engineers  be- 
haved like  heroes,  every  one  of  them.  They  fought  with  the  gas, 
endeavoring  to  get  the  blowers  to  work,  imtil  they  dropped  appar- 
ently dead. ' '  In  the  meantime  the  fires  had  become  so  low  from  water 
and  loss  of  air  that  the  pumps  stopped  and  loss  by  foundering  became 
imminent.  The  tug  was  directed  to  steer  shoreward  and  after  four 
or  five  hours  of  constant  peril  smoother  water  was  reached,  the 
machinery  started  again,  water  pumped  out,  and  danger  for  the  time 
averted.  It  was  then  evening  of  the  7th,  and  for  a  time  safe  pro- 
gress was  made,  but  soon  after  midnight  danger  once  more  appeared 
as  thus  described  by  Lieutenant  Oreene  in  the  letter  to  his  mother: 

"  We  were  just  passing  a  shoal,  and  the  sea  suddenly  became 
rough  and  right  ahead.  It  came  up  with  tremendous  force  through  our 
anchor-well,  and  forced  the  air  through  our  hawse-pipe  where  the 
chain  comes,  and  then  the  water  would  rush  through  in  a  perfect 
stream,  clear  to  our  berth  deck,  over  the  wardroom  table.  The 
noise  resembled  the  death-groans  of  twenty  men,  and  was  the  most 
dismal,  awful  sound  I  have  ever  heard.  Of  course  the  captain  and 
myself  were  on  our  feet  in  a  moment,  and  endeavored  to  stop  the 
hawse-pipe.  We  suceeded  partially,  but  now  the  water  began  to 
come  down  our  blowers  again,  and  we  feared  the  same  accident  that 
happened  in  the  afternoon.  We  tried  to  hail  the  tug-boat,  but  the 
wind  being  dead  ahead  they  could  not  hear  us,  and  we  had  no  way 
of  signaling  them,as  the  steam- whistle  which  father  had  recomnaended 
had  not  been  put  on. 

'^  We  began  then  to  think  the  '  Monitor '  would  never  see  day- 
light. We  watched  carefully  every  drop  of  water  that  went  down 
the  blowers,  and  sent  continually  to  ask  the  fireman  how  they  were 
going.  His  only  answer  was  '  Slowly,'  but  could  not  be  kept  going 
much  longer  unless  the  water  could  be  kept  from  coming  down. 
The  sea  was  washing  couipletely  over  the  decks,  and  it  was  danger- 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


OBs  for  a  man  to  go  on  them,  so  we  could  do  nothing  to  the  blowers. 
In  the  midst  of  all  this  our  wheel-ropes  jumped  oflE  the  steering 
wheel  (owing  to  the  pitching  of  the  ship),  and  became  jammed.  She 
now  began  to  sheer  about  at  an  awful  rate,  and  we  thought  our  haw- 
ser would  certainly  part.  Fortunately  it  was  new,  and  held  on  well. 
In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  we  freed  our  wheel-ropes,  and  now  the 
blowers  were  the  only  diflSculty.  About  three  o'clock  Saturday  A. 
M.  the  sea  became  a  little  smoother,  though  still  rough,  and  going 
down  our  blowers  somewhat." 

By  8  o'clock  the  next  morning  smooth  water  was  again  found 
and  the  M(ymixyr  slowly  and  wearily  pursued  her  voyage,  entering  the 
Capes  of  the  Chesapeake  about  4  p.  m.  Here  they  heard  the  sound 
of  shotted  guns,  for  the  Merrvnuic  was  at  that  moment  in  the  midst 
of  her  camiyal  of  destruction,  and  the  worn-out  crew  infused  with 
new  life  cleared  their  novel  and  untried  craft  for  action.  A  pilot- 
boat  coming  out  told  them  of  what  was  going  on  at  Newport  News 
but  the  tale  of  big  frigates  being  helpless  in  the  presence  of  any 
known  form  of  enemy  was  so  improbable  that  it  was  not  believed 
until  night  came  on  and  thdpitiful  spectacle  of  the  doomed '  6bn^re^« 
loomed  up  in  lines  of  fire  against  the  dark  sky.  About  9  p.  m.  the 
Monitor  anchored  in  Hampton  Koads  and  Worden  reported  in  person 
to  Captain  Marsden  on  the  Rocmoke. 

In  view  of  the  events  of  the  day  it  was  decided  without  hesita- 
tion to  disregard  the  order  of  the  Department  to  send  the  Monitor 
direct  to  Washington,  the  occasion  for  which  she  was  built  being 
nearer  at  hand.  The  programme  of  the  enemy  for  the  morning  so 
obviously  would  begin  with  an  attack  upon  the  grounded  Minnesota 
that  Worden  was  ordered  to  go  up  to  Newport  News  to  protect  that 
vessel  if  he  could,  so  the  Monitor*  got  under  way  again  and  about  2 
A.  M.  came  to  anchor  near  the  distressed  frigate,  her  wearied  crew 
spending  the  rest  of  the  night  in  repairing  damages  wrought  by  the 
sea  and  in  making  ready  for  the  struggle  that  they  knew  would  come 
with  the  morning. 

The  stage  settings  were  now  complete;  the  curtain  had  fallen 
just  before  upon  the  last  of  a  long  series  of  glorious  deeds  performed 
under  a  slowly-fading  system  of  seamanship  that  had  many  years  be- 
fore reached  its  culmination,  and  a  new  order  of  seamanship  with  a 
new  type  of  sea  warrior  was  about  to  appear  upon  the  stage.     The 


900  THB  8TBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  IJNITBD  STATES. 

engineer's  machine  of  John  Ericsson  was  to  face  the  fabric  that  rep- 
resented the  engineering  ingennity  of  the  South,  and  the  telegraphic 
tidings  of  their  encounter  would  inflict  an  inconsolable  fright  upon 
the  old  romance  of  the  sea,  and  in  an  hour  reduce  the  masted  navies 
of  the  world  to  mere  collections  of  picturesque  and  useless  relics. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

' '  The  old  mast  fall,  and  time  iteelf  must  change, 
And  thuB  new  life  shall  blossom  from  the  rains." 

SCHILLBB. 

1862— The  avil  War,  Continued— First  Fight  of  Iron-Clads— Effects  of  the 
Battle— Extraordinary  Services  Bendered  by  Chief  Engineer  Stimers— 
Attack  on  Drury's  Bluff— The  Galkna  Badly  Injured— Gallantry  of  As- 
sistant Engineer  J.  W.  Thomson. 

THE  morning  of  Sunday,  March  9,  dawned  upon  a  peaceful  scene 
in  Hampton  Boads.  The  Roanoke  and  St.  Lawrence  were  lying 
at  anchor  near  Fortress  Monroe;  the  Minnesota^  still  aground  off  New- 
port News,  overshadowed  with  her  great  hull  the  Monitor  lying  beside 
her,  and  off  SewalPs  Point,  black  and  ominously  still,  wasthe  J/er- 
rimac.  The  topmasts  of  the  OwmberUmd  sticking  out  of  the  water  and 
blackened  wreckage  about  the  spot  where  the  Congress  burned  were 
the  only  signs  that  anything  unusual  had  happened  or  was  likely 
to  happen.  Soon  after  daylight,  volumes  of  black  smoke  appeared 
over  the  MerrimaCj  rising  and  spreading  in  the  quiet  morning  air  into 
a  cloud  that  must  have  seemed  a  veritable  embodiment  of  the  Shadow 
of  Death  to  the  men  in  the  Federal  ships. 

About  8  A.  M.  the  Merrimac  got  underway  and  proceeded  slowly 
up  towards  the  Kip  Baps  in  order  to  swing  into  the  channel  whence 
she  could  assail  the  Mmnesota.  Captain  Buchanan's  wound  of  the  day 
before  had  proved  so  serious  that  he  had  been  obliged  to  give  up  his^ 
command  to  the  first  lieutenant,  Catesby  Ap  B.  Jones,  who  was  now 
taking  the  ship  into  action.  Lieutenant  Jones,  upon  whom  the  re- 
sponsibility for  the  day's  work  rested,  was  about  forty  years  of  age 
and  was  a  thoroughly  trained  naval  oflScer,  having  seen  twenty-five 
years'  service  in  the  old  navy  in  the  grades  from  midshipman  to  lieu- 
tenant. One  cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  pause  a  moment  and 
speculate  upon  the  possibilities  that  must  have  arisen  before  the  men- 
tal vision  of  this  young  and  ambitious  oiBcer  as  he  moved  his  destroy- 
ing machine  slowly  up  to  the  place  for  action.  The  events  of  the  day 
before  left  no  doubt  as  to  the  outcome  of  the  combat  he  was  about  to 


3Q2  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

precipitate,  and  looking  beyond  his  actual  Bnrronndings  hie  mind's 
eye  saw  the  cities  of  the  North  laid  under  ransom  by  his  guns;  the 
national  capitol  abandoned;  the  sovereignty  of  the  South  acknowl- 
edged; the  war  ended,  and  himself  its  central  naval  figure:  he  would 
be  the  admiral  of  the  Southern  navy;  perhaps  the  president  of  the  new 
nation  of  the  South.  It  was  indeed  an  hour  of  vast  possibilities  for 
him. 

Turning  leisurely  down  the  main  ship-channel  the  Merrirnac 
headed  for  the  Minnesota  and  opened  fire  when  still  a  mile  distant, 
the  first  shot  striking  the  counter  near  the  water  line  but  doing  no  se- 
rious damage.  Whatever  dreams  of  conquest  Lieutenant  Jones  may 
have  indulged  in  earlier  in  the  morning  he  was  now  giving  all  his  at- 
tention to  the  material  scene  about  him,  and  as  he  looked  away  to 
where  the  Minnesota  lay  stranded  to  see  the  effect  of  his  shot,  his  eye 
fell  on  an  unfamiliar  object.  The  Monitor  had  moved  out  from  be- 
hind the  big  frigate  and  was  coming  unflinchingly  across  the  stretch 
of  water  to  meet  him.  This  movement  of  the  MomioT  excited  the  ad- 
miration of  Captain  Yan  Brunt  of  the  Mi/rmesotaj  who  said  in  his  offi- 
cial report  that  she  ran  "  right  within  range  of  the  Merrimac  com- 
pletely covering  my  ship  as  far  as  was  possible  with  her  diminutive 
dimensions,  and  much  to  my  astonishment  laid  herself  right  along- 
side of  the  MerrirruiCy  and  the  contrast  was  that  of  a  pigmy  to  a  giant. '' 

On  board  the  Monitor  every  preparation  for  battle  had  been 
made,  but  the  officers  and  men  were  kept  up  by  nervous  excitement 
rather  than  by  physical  strength;  almost  vriithout  exception  they  had 
been  vriithout  sleep  for  more  than  forty-eight  hours,  and  on  account  of 
lack  of  facilities  for  cooking  had  had  no  proper  food  to  sustain  them. 
Worden  had  left  a  sick  bed  to  go  on  board  at  New  York  and  had  suf- 
fered much  on  the  voyage  down.  Newton,  who  had  been  at  the  point 
of  death  when  dragged  out  of  the  engine-room  on  the  occasion  of  the 
stoppage  of  the  blowers,  was  confined  to  his  bed  and  reported  as  be- 
ing unable  to  do  duty  for  at  least  a  week;  when  the  call  to  arms  sounded, 
however,  he  got  up  and  performed  his  part  in  the  fight  courageously 
and  well.  There  was  scarcely  a  man  in  the  ship  who  would  not  have 
been  in  a  condition  of  physical  prostration  had  it  not  been  for  the  ex- 
citement due  to  the  presence  of  the  enemy. 

Worden  took  his  station  in  the  pilot  house,  Greene  with  sixteen  men 
in  charge  of  the  guns  in  the  turret,  Stodder  at  the  turret  turning  gear 


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THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  905 

and  Webber  had  the  small  powder  division  on  the  berth  deck.  Stodder 
was  disabled  early  in  the  action  by  the  concussion  of  a  shot  striking  the 
turret  when  he  was  touching  it  and  Stimers  took  his  place,  he  having 
volunteered  at  the  beginning  of  the  fight  to  go  in  the  turret  and  show 
the  people  how  to  operate  it.  The  pilot  house,built  log  cabin  fashion  of 
iron  beams  or  billet8,9  inches  by  12  inches,with  the  comers  dovetailed 
and  bolted  together,  was  far  forward  on  deck  with  no  means  of  com- 
municating with  the  turret  except  by  a  speaking  tube;  this  became 
disconnected  soon  after  the  fight  began  and  communication  between 
Worden  and  Greene  then  had  to  be  maintained  by  passing  the  word 
along  the  berth  deck,  Paymaster  Keeler  and  the  captain's  clerk  doing 
this  important  service.  The  great  error  of  separating  the  captain 
from  the  battery  was  remedied  in  the  later  monitors  by  simply  plac- 
ing the  pilot-house  on  top  of  the  turret,  engineer  Isaac  Newton  h^y- 
i^S  suggested  this  arrangement  immediately  after  the  fight.  As  an 
offset  to  the  wearied  condition  of  the  Monitor^s  men,  the  Merrimac 
was  far  from  being  in  perfect  fighting  trim.  Two  of  her  guns  were 
disabled  by  the  loss  of  their  muzzles,  her  ram  had  been  wrenched  off, 
and  the  upper  part  of  the  smoke-pipe  was  shot  a^ay.  This  last  was 
her  greatest  injury  for  it  so  impaired  the  furnace  draft  that  steam 
conld  not  be  maintained  at  anything  like  a  proper  working  pressure, 
and  her  motions  were  consequently  extremely  sluggish.  Speed  is  a 
word  hardly  applicable  to  either  the  Monitor  or  MerriToac^  but  by  rea- 
son of  the  damage  to  the  latter  the  great  advantage  of  quicker  move- 
ment rested  with  the  Monitor. 

The  first  shot  fired  at  the  Monitor  missed  her  and  the  Confeder- 
ates realized  that  they  no  longer  had  the  big  hull  of  a  frigate  for  a 
target.  Further  enlightenment  regarding  the  altered  status  of  their 
antagonists  came  quickly  in  the  furious  impact  of  the  heavy  Xl-inch 
solid  shot  of  the  Monitor  against  their  casemate,  knocking  men  down 
and  leaving  them  dazed  and  bleeding  at  the  nose,  ears  and  mouth. 
It  will  be  needless  to  repeat  the  circumstantial  account  of  the  com- 
bat, which  has  been  told  so  carefully  by  so  many  writers.  Neither 
vessel  could  penetrate  the  armor  of  the  other,  which  prevented  the 
question  of  their  supremacy  being  definitely  settled  and  left  it  open 
to  dispute  ever  since.  Each  at  different  stages  of  the  fight  tried  ram- 
ming, the  Monitoi'  with  the  most  success  as  she  struck  her  enemy 
fairly  enough  near  the  stern,  havmg  aimed  to  injure  the  propeller. 


306  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

bat  on  acconnt  of  the  smoke  and  other  obstacles  to  exact  steering 
missed  the  vital  spot  by  about  three  feet  only.  The  Merrirnao^s  at- 
tempt resulted  in  a  harmless  glancing  blow,  the  superior  speed  of  the 
Monitor  making  it  an  easy  matter  to  elude  her  antagonist. 

After  about  an  hour  of  fighting, the  Merrimac  tried  to  give  the  MoniioT 
up  as  a  bad  task  and  turned  her  attention  again  to  the  JRnnemta^  the 
first  shell  fired  at  the  frigate  passing  '^  through  the  chief  engineer's 
state-room,  through  the  engineers'  mess-room,  amidships,  and  burst 
in  the  boatswain's  room,  tearing  four  rooms  into  one  in  its  passage, 
and  exploding  two  charges  of  powder,  which  set  the  ship  on  fire."  ^ 
The  second  shell  exploded  the  boiler  of  tug-boat  Dragon  lying  along- 
side the  Minneaotaj  and  by  the  time  the  third  shell  was  thrown  the 
Jfomtor,  not  disposed  to  be  ignored,  had  again  interposed  between 
the  Mmnesota  and  her  assailant  and  thereafter  she  engrossed  the  en- 
tire attention  of  the  enemy.  Shortly  after  this  diversion  the  ammu- 
nition in  the  Monitor^s  turret  became  exhausted  and  she  had  to  go  out 
of  action  to  replenish  it,  the  scuttle  by  which  it  was  passed  being  im- 
possible to  use  except  when  the  turret  was  stationary  and  in  a  certain 
position.  This  circumstance  greatly  encouraged  the  Confederates 
who  believed  their  opponent  to  be  disabled  from  their  fire,  but  in  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  their  hopes  were  dispelled  by  the  Monitor  resum- 
ing the  fight  more  vigorously  than  ever. 

Soon  after  11  a.  m.  Lieutenant  Worden,  while  looking  through 
a  sight-hole  in  the  pilot-house,  was  disabled  by  a  shell  striking  and 
exploding  immediately  in  front  of  his  eyes,  he  being  temporarily 
blinded  and  his  face  terribly  burned  and  cut  by  the  flying  grains  of 
powder  and  bits  of  iroD.  The  steersman  was  stunned  for  a  few 
minutes  by  the  concussion  also  and  in  that  short  space  of  time  the 
Monitor  without  anyone  in  control  of  her  ran  off  aimlessly  towards 
shoal  water  away  from  the  fight,  for  no  one  had  signalled  the 
engine-room  to  stop.  This  gave  such  an  appearance  of  defeat  that 
on  the  Minnesota  all  hope  was  abandoned  and  every  preparation 
made  for  setting  the  ship  on  fire  and  abandoning  her.  In  a  short 
time,  however,  Lieutenant  Greene  learned  of  the  casualty  in  the 
pilot-house  and,  leaving  Stimers  in  charge  of  the  guns,  took  com- 
mand of  the  ship  and  turned  upon  his  foe  again.     Then  to  the 


^  Official  report  of  Captain  Van  Brunt  of  the  Minnesota. 


THE  fiTTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UMTED  STATEa  307 

amazement  of  all  the  Merrimac  snddenly  gave  up  the  fight  and 
steamed  away  toward  Norfolk.  Catesby  Jones  reported  afterward 
as  a  reason  for  withdrawing  at  this  time  that  he  believed  the  Monitor 
disabled  and  he  was  very  desirous  of  crossing  the  Elizabeth  River 
bar  before  ebb  tide.  There  was  no  reason  for  believing  the  Monitor 
oat  of  action  and  every  reason  for  believing  the  contrary,  for  when 
she  returned  under  the  command  of  Greene,  Stimers  fired  two  or 
three  shots  against  the  Merri/niac^  which  were  the  last  guns  of  the 
encounter.  Had  the  Confederates  believed  in  their  success  to  the 
extent  of  demanding  the  surrender  of  the  Monitor^  ^Oreene  could 
and  very  probably  would  have  replied  in  the  words  used  long  before 
by  John  Paul  Jones  under  similar  circumstances — ^'We  have  not 
yet  begun  to  fight. " 

Lieutenant  Oreene  did  not  follow  the  retreating  enemy,  the 
orders  under  which  the  Monitor  fought  limiting  her  action  to  a  de- 
fense of  the  Federal  ships,  the  Minnesota  especially.  Oreene  was 
very  young  at  the  time  and  inexperienced  in  judging  of  the  amount 
of  discretion  allowed  a  commanding  officer  in  obeying  orders  in 
battle,  so  it  was  with  many  misgivings  that  he  allowed  the  Merri- 
mac to  go  unmolested  while  he  returned  to  the  side  of  the  Minne- 
sota^  but  the  superior  officers  of  both  army  and  navy  present 
SQstained  his  action  and  assured  him  that  he  had  done  exactly  the 
right  thing.  Curious  as  it  appears,  many  able  writers  have  in- 
dulged in  much  argument  to  prove  which  of  the  two  iron-clads  won 
the  fight.  The  Msrrimac  won  a  most  decided  victory  in  her  attack 
npon  the  wooden  sailing  vessels  the  first  day  of  her  appearance, 
but  when  all  argument  regarding  the  second  day's  fight  is  ex- 
hausted a  few  very  pertinent  facts  remain  undisturbed.  When  the 
Merrimac  got  up  steam  in  the  morning  it  was  obviously  for  no  other 
purpose  than  to  destroy  the  Federal  vessels  in  Hampton  Boads,  and 
she  did  not  destroy  anything.  When  the  day  was  done  she  was 
not  even  in  Hampton  Roads  herself.  The  Monitor  was  ordered  to 
protect  the  wooden  ships,  and  she  protected  them.  When  night 
came  she  was  still  on  guard  over  them,  grim,  ugly,  and  ready  to 
fight. 

The  Monitor  was  struck  twenty- one  times  in  the  action  and 
fired  forty-one  Xl-inch  solid  shot.  The  most  damaging  blow  she 
received  was  from  the  shell  which  disabled  Worden,   this  having 


908  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

cracked   one  of  the   heavy   iron  logs  of  the  pilot-honse   entirelj 
through  and  forced  the  fractured  ends   inboard  an  inch  and  a  half, 
besides  knocking  the  loose  cover  of  the  pilot-house  half  off.      The 
deepest  indentation  in  her  turret  was  two  inches  and  the  deepest 
score  on  her  deck  was  only  one-half  inch.     Two   people   in  the 
turret  were  disabled  by  concussion  and  Chief  Engineer  Btimers  was 
hurt  in  the  same  way,  but  his  injuries  were  slight  and  he  pluckilj 
continued  in  the  fight  to  the  end.    The  Merrimac  was  struck  ninety- 
seven  times  in  the  two  days'  fight,  twenty  of  her  shot  marks  being 
from  the  guns  of  the  Monitor.      Six  plates  of  her  outer  layer  of 
iron  were  penetrated  but  the  inner  layer  was  not  broken.     The  XI- 
inch  guns  of  the  Monitor  were  new  and  large  for  their  time  and  the 
Bureau  of  Ordnance  was  suspicious  of  them,  having  issued  orders 
not  to  use  more  than  fifteen  pounds  of  powder  for  their  charge; 
otherwise  their  shot  would  probably  have  broken  into  the  casemate 
of  the  Merriinac.     At  a  later  period  greater  confidence  regarding 
these  guns  was  entertained  and  thirty,  and  even  fifty  pounds  of 
powder  were  safely  used  in  charging  them.       Engineer  Isaac  New- 
ton, who  was  very  level-headed  about  such  matters,  testified  before 
the  Congressional  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War  that  he 
believed  the  failure  of  the  Monitor  to  destroy  her  antagonist  was 
due  entirely  to  the  low  powder  charges  prescribed.     He  also  test- 
ified to  his  belief  that,  "But  for  the  injury  received  by  Lieutenant 
Worden,  that  vigorous  oiBcer  would  very  likely  have  badgered  the 
Merrimdc to  a  surrender."      The  Merrimac  having  been  hastily 
equipped  and  not  expecting  to  meet  any  but  wooden  ships  had 
nothing  but  shell  on  board;  had  she  been  provided  with  solid  shot 
the  effect  upon  the  Monitor  might  have  been  different. 

The  success  of  the  Monitor  completely  changed  the  aspect  of 
the  opening  military  operations  of  the  year  and  raised  the  North 
from  a  depth  of  apprehension  to  a  pinnacle  of  hope  and  jubilation. 
No  single  event  of  the  Civil  War  so  thoroughly  aroused  the  enthus- 
iastic admiration  of  the  loyal  North  as  did  this  Sunday  duel  in 
Hampton  Roads,  and  the  Monitor  and  her  crew  became  the  great 
and  almost  only  subject  for  public  discussion  and  applause.  The 
world  is  prone  to  sing  the  praises  of  the  warrior  who  destroys,  and 
to  neglect  the  honors  due  to  him  who  makes  the  soldier's  success 
possible  by  providing  him  with  his  armor  and  his  weapons,  but  in 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  309 

this  case  the  patient  toiler  reaped  the  greater  glory,  and  the  name 
and  fame  of  John  Ericsson  went  to  the  nttermost  parts  of  the  earth. 
Worden,  Oreene,  Stimers  and  Newton  were  all  heroes  in  the  public 
estimation  and  saw  their  pictures  and  the  story  of  their  deeds  in  the 
pnblic  prints  for  many  a  day,  but  all  the  applause  showered  upon 
them  was  little  compared  to  the  perfect  avalanche  of  honors  heaped 
upon  Ericsson  the  Engineer.  The  reason  for  this  unusual  sentiment 
ifi  easily  found.  Ericsson  had  been  for  several  months  held  up  to 
ridicule  and  abuse  to  such  an  extent  by  the  press  that  he  and  his 
work  were  known  to  all  men,  and  when  his  hour  of  triumph  came, 
that  innate  sense  of  sympathy  for  the  ^'  under  dog''  in  a  fight  mani- 
fested itself  joyously  at  seeing  him  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  come 
uppermost.  Ericsson's  enemies  had  so  overdone  the  matter  of  per- 
secution that  in  the  end  he  owed  much  of  his  fame  to  their  acts. 

Abroad,  the  news  of  the  battle  created  a  profound  sensation  and 
more  than  one  naval  power  whose  commercial  interests  or  thirst  for 
foreign  conquest  had  led  to  the  point  of  seriously  preparing  to  assail 
the  American  Bepublic  in  the  day  of  its  distress,  now  paused  to 
take  a  sober  second  thought  and  ultimately  concluded  to  check  their 
designs.  ' '  Probably  no  naval  conflict  in  the  history  of  the  world 
ever  attracted  as  much  attention  as  did  the  battle  in  Hampton 
Koads,  between  the  Monitor  and  the  Merrvmac.  It  revolutionized 
the  navies  of  the  world,  and  showed  that  the  wooden  ships,  which 
had  long  held  control  of  the  ocean,  were  of  no  further  use  for  fight- 
ing purposes.  Commenting  upon  the  news  of  that  event,  the  Lon- 
don Times  said:  'Whereas  we  had  available  for  immediate  pur- 
poses one  hundred  and  forty-nine  first-class  war-ships, we  have  now 
two,  these  two  being  the  Warrior  and  her  sister  Ironside.  There 
is  not  now  a  ship  in  the  English  navy,  apart  from  these  two,  that  it 
would  not  be  madness  to  trust  to  an  engagement  with  that  little 
Monitoi\ '  England  and  all  other  maritime  powers  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  reconstruct  their  navies,  and  the  old  fashioned  three  and 
four-decker  line-of- battle  ships  were  condemned  as  useless.  Not 
only  in  ships,  but  in  their  armament,  there  was  rapid  progress,  and 
so  great  has  been  the  advance  in  marine  artillery  that  the  Monitors 
of  1862,  and  the  subsequent  years  of  the  American  war,  would  be 
unable  to  resist  the  shot  from  the  guns  of  1880-'87."i 

*  Thomas  W.  Knox;— Decisive  Battles  since  Waterloo. 
18 


310  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

On  March  28,  by  joint  resolution,  Congress  passed  a  vote  of 
thanks  to  Ericsson  for  his  '* enterprise,  skill, energy,  and  forecast" 
in  the  design  and  construction  of  the  Monitor^  and  he  was  the  re- 
cipient of  similar  honors  from  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New 
York  and  from  innumerable  civil  organizations  and  societies. 
Lieutenant  Worden  was  tendered  the  thanks  of  Congress  by  a  resolu- 
tion approved  July  11,  1862,  and  in  the  following  February  was 
given  more  substantial  recognition  for  his  great  service  by  a  second 
resolution  authorizing  his  advancement  one  grade,  that  is,  to  the 
rank  of  captain,  he  having  been  promoted  to  commander  in  the 
meantime.  Ericsson  steadily  maintained  that  Stimers  and  not 
Worden  was  the  real  hero  of  the  Monitor^  because  he  alone  of  all 
on  board  knew  how  to  operate  the  various  mechanisms  of  the 
vessel,  without  which  knowledge  she  would  have  been  utterly 
useless  in  the  face  of  the  enemy.  At  a  banquet  given  him  by  the 
New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  Ericsson  made  a  point  of  assert- 
ing in  his  speech  that  he  regarded  the  success  of  the  Monitor  as 
"entirely  owing  to  the  presence  of  a  master-mind  (Mr.  Stimers)," 
a  belief  which  he  defended  at  length  and  with  an  indisputable  array 
of  facts. 

This  public  laudation  of  Stimers,  not  confined  by  any  means  to 
Ericsson,  greatly  disturbed  Lieutenant  Worden  and  his  friends,  and 
Worden,  as  late  as  two  years  after  the  fight,  waited  upon  Mr. 
Griswold,  a  Member  of  Congress  and  a  friend  of  Ericsson,  having 
been  one  of  his  sureties  in  the  enterprise  of  building  the  Mon- 
itor ^  to  complain  of  the  fancied  injustice  done  him  by  Ericsson. 
Of  this  interview  Mr.  Griswold  wrote  to  Ericsson:  *'I  have 
just  had  a  call  from  Captain  Worden,  He  thinks  you  did  him 
injustice  in  your  Chamber  of  Commerce  remarks  for  the  sake  of 
complimenting  Stimers,  and  says  the  '  master-spirit '  had  nothing  at 
all  to  do  with  the  affairs  of  the  Merrimac,  was  not  consulted,  and 
was  in  no  special  way  tributary  to  the  result  of  that  combat. ''^  In 
spite  of  this  assertion,  the  great  weight  of  testimony  goes  to  show 
that  Stimers  was  consulted  and  was  in  a  special  way  *'  tributary  " 
to  the  result  of  the  action.  Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy  Fox, 
who  saw  the  fight,  telegraphed  the  Navy  Department  as  soon  as  he 


1  W.  C.  Church;— Life  of  John  Ericsson,  Vol.  I,  p.  298. 


CHIEF  ENGINEER   ALBAN   C.   STIMERS,   U.    S.    NAVV. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  313 

could  leam  particulars  that  '^Lieutenant  Worden,  who  com- 
manded the  Monitor^  handled  her  with  great  skill,  and  was  assisted 
by  Chief  Engineer  Stimers."  He  could  have  had  no  other  object 
in  mentioning  Stimers'  name,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  other 
officers,  in  this  message  except  the  wish  to  have  the  Department 
understand  who,  next  to  Worden,  deserved  credit  for  the  victory  of 
the  Monitor. 

Lieutenant  Oreene  in  the  letter  to  his  mother  before  quoted 
from  in  these  pages,  and  which  for  obvious  reasons  is  more  apt  to 
reveal  unvarnished  facts  than  a  formal  official  report  that  would 
become  a  public  document,  says  in  regard  to  the  officers'  stations 
for  battle  :  '< Acting  Master  Stodder  was  at  the  wheel  which  turns 
the  tower,  Imt  as  he  could  not  mcmage  itj  he  was  relieved  by 
Stimers."     The  italics  are  the  author's. 

Mr.  W.  C.  Church,  who  cannot  be  accused  of  partiality  for 
Mr.  Stimers,  says  in  his  Life  of  John  Ericsson:  '' During  the  pass- 
age from  New  York,  the  working  gear  of  the  turret  was  permitted 
to  rust  for  want  of  proper  cleaning  and  oiling,  and  it  worked  with 
BO  much  difficulty  during  the  engagement  with  the  Merrimac  that, 
but  for  the  energy  and  determination  of  Engineer  Stimers,  it  might 
not  have  revolved  at  all." 

Proofs  like  the  above  may  be  multiplied,  but  these  are  suffi- 
cient for  every  logical  purpose.  The  writer  has  no  desire  to 
magnify  the  services  of  Mr.  Stimers,  especially  as  it  will  become  a 
duty  as  this  history  progresses  to  narrate  certain  mistakes  of  that 
officer  whereby  the  naval  engineer  corps  suffered  the  most  serious 
reflection  upon  its  professional  competence  that  it  has  ever  experi- 
enced, but  from  an  impartial  review  of  all  the  facts  connected  with 
the  Monitor- Merrimac  battle  the  conclusion  is  plain  that  Chief 
Engineer  Alban  C.  Stimers  was  the  one  person  on  board  the  Mon- 
itor who  thoroughly  knew  how  to  use  that  vessel  and  her  weapons, 
and  but  for  his  presence  the  result  of  the  combat  would  in  all 
probability  have  been  very  different,  and  most  disastrous  to  the 
Monitor^  to  the  reputation  of  Lieutenant  Worden,  and  to  the  cause 
of  the  Union. 

The  day  after  the  fight  of  the  iron-clads,  the  Minnesota  was 
floated  and  soon  restored  to  serviceable  condition.  Immediately 
thereafter  the  Union  fleet  in  Hampton  Koads  began  receiving  addi- 


314  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

tioDB  almost  daily,  for  the  naval  occnpation  of  this  position  was  an 
important  element  in  the  grand  campaign  against  Richmond  then  in 
movement  by  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  M&rrimac  retired 
to  Norfolk  where  she  was  docked  by  Constructor  Porter,  her  plating 
repaired  and  strengthened,  and  a  new  spur  fitted  to  her  bow.  The 
rough-and-ready  old  commodore,  Josiah  Tatnall,  was  placed  in  com- 
mand and  great  things  were  expected.  On  two  occasions — April 
11  and  May  8 — she  went  into  Hampton  Roads  and  looked  at  the 
Monitor  and  the  Federal  fleet,  but  no  fight  occurred  at  either  time. 
From  the  reports  of  the  Federal  commander-in-chief,  Ooldsborough, 
and  of  Tatnall  it  appears  that  each  party  earnestly  desired  a  conflict 
and  that  the  other  was  afraid,  or  at  least  avoided  hostilities. 

Military  operations  compelled  the  surrender  of  Norfolk  to  the 
Union  forces  on  the  10th  of  May,  and  Tatnall  endeavored  to  save 
the  Merrvm/OLO  by  taking  her  up  the  James  river,  but  finding  her  to 
draw  several  feet  too  much  water  for  the  river  he  reluctantly  set  her 
on  fire  and  abandoned  her.  Early  on  the  morning  of  May  11  the 
fire  reached  her  magazine  and  she  blew  up.  This  event  occasioned 
such  a  wild  outburst  of  public  grief  in  Richmond  that  for  a  time  it 
was  feared  the  governmental  departments  of  the  Confederacy  would 
be  attacked  by  a  mob.  The  MerHma^c  had  been  proudly  called  the 
^< iron  diadem  of  the  South,"  and  had  been  so  confidently  relied 
upon  for  the  defense  of  the  James  River  that  after  her  destruction 
serious  thoughts  of  surrendering  Richmond  were  entertained.  The 
men  of  the  Merrimac  were  utilized  to  man  a  battery  up  the  river  at 
Drury's  Bluff,  where  a  few  days  later  they  again  encountered  their 
old  foes  of  the  Monitor. 

Immediately  after  the  destruction  of  the  Merrimac^  Flag  OflScer 
Goldsborough  took  possesbion  of  the  lower  part  of  James  River 
with  his  flagship,  the  Suaquehannay  and  a  number  of  smaller  vessels, 
sending  Oonmiander  John  Rodgers  with  the  Oalenaj  Monitor^  Aroos- 
took and  Port  Royal  on  an  expedition  up  the  river.  The  Galetia 
had  just  come  from  the  builders'  works  at  Mystic,  Conn.,  and  will 
be  recalled  as  the  iron-clad  gunboat  built  in  accordance  with  the  re- 
port of  the  board  on  armored  vessels  of  the  previous  year.  The 
Monitor  was  now  commanded  by  Lieutenant  William  N.  Jeffers. 
The  Aroostooh  was  one  of  the  ninety-day  gunboats  and  the  Port 
Royal  was  one  of  the  first  lot  of  double- enders.     Accompanying 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATER  315 

them  was  the  vessel  fitted  ont  by  the  Steyens  brothers  to  demon- 
strate the  excellence  of  their  system  of  protective  armor,  this  vessel 
being  referred  to  indiscriminately  in  the  official  reports  as  the  Ncm- 
qaimk^xA  the  *'U.  S.  revenue  steamer  E,  A.  Stevens]^^  she  was 
commanded  by  a  revenue  marine  lieutenant  named  D.  0.  Con- 
stable. 

The  morning  of  May  15  this  squadron  came  up  to  Ward's,  or 
Drnry's  Bluff,  eight  miles  below  Bichmond,  where  the  river  was 
fomid  obstructed  with  piles  and  sunken  vessels  and  defended  by  a 
heavy  battery  mounted  about  two  hundred  feet  above  the  water. 
The  Qalena  and  Monitor  anchored  about  six  hundred  yards  from  the 
battery  and  the  unarmored  vessels  about  twice  that  distance,  all 
opening  fire  upon  the  enemy's  works.  The  Monitor  soon  had  to  re- 
move to  a  greater  distance  on  account  of  being  unable  to  elevate  her 
guns  sufficiently.  She  was  struck  only  three  times  during  the  attack 
and  had*  no  casualities.  The  100-pounder  Parrott  gun  of  the  Nau- 
gaJtuoh  burst  early  in  the  action  and  disabled  that  vessel  as  it  was  the 
only  gun  she  had,  the  accident  resulting  eventually  in  the  discour- 
agement of  the  efforts  of  the  Stevens  brothers  to  induce  the  govern- 
ment to  accept  their  unfinished  battery. 

The  Qalena^  at  anchor  and  with  her  broadside  sprung  towards  the 
enemy's  battery,  proved  a  fine  target  and  was  very  roughly  used  by 
the  plunging  shot  from  the  bluff,  which  struck  her  sloping  side 
armor  almost  at  right  angles.  In  the  plain  words  of  her  commander, 
John  Kodgers,  <^We  demonstrated  that  she  is  not  shot  proof." 
Thirteen  shot  penetrated  the  side  armor,  several  coming  clear  through 
and  doing  great  damage  to  the  crew  by  scattering  splinters  and  frag- 
ments of  the  iron  plating,  while  others  stuck  in  the  wooden  backing 
after  passing  through  the  plating.  One  shell  made  a  clean  passage 
through  the  side  and  exploded  in  the  steerage,  setting  the  ship  on 
fire.  The  spar  deck  was  badly  splintered  and  broken  through  in 
some  places.  All  along  the  port  side,  which  was  the  one  exposed, 
knees,  planks,  bulkheads,  and  beams  were  splintered  and  started 
out  of  place.  Although  exposed  to  this  terrible  riddling.  Commander 
Bodgers  kept  his  ship  in  action  for  more  than  three  hours  and  only 
withdrew  when  his  ammunition  was  nearly  expended.  The  Galena 
had  thirteen  men  killed  and  eleven  wounded;  the  Naugatucky  two 
wounded,  and  the  Port  Royal  had  her  commander,  George  Morris, 
wounded. 


316  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  official  report  of  Commander 
Bodgers  of  the  Galena  refer  to  meritorious  services  performed  by 
members  of  the  engineer  department  of  that  vessel: 

''Mr.  J.  W.  Thomson,  first  assistant  engineer,  coolly  repaired 
some  of  the  valve  gear  which  broke  down,  ander  fire,  and  under  his 
direction  a  fire  in  the  steerage,  caused  by  an  exploding  shell,  was 
extinguished  before  the  regular  firemen  reached  the  place." 

''Mr.  T.  T.  MillhoUand,  third  assistant  engineer,  in  charge  of 
the  steam  fire  department,  was  active  and  efficient;  as  a  sharp- 
shooter he  did  good  service." 

"  Charles  Eenyon,  fireman,  was  conspicuous  for  persistent  cour- 
age in  extracting  a  priming  wire,  which  had  become  bent  and  fixed 
in  the  bow  gun,  and  in  returning  to  work  the  piece  after  'his  hand, 
severely  burnt,  had  been  roughly  dressed  by  himself  with  cotton 
waste  and  oil." 

The  Wachvsett  being  at  City  Point  in  the  James  River  the  19th 
of  May,  it  was  represented  to  her  captain  that  there  were  no  physi- 
cians in  the  town  and  that  some  of  the  people,  mostly  women  and 
children,  were  in  great  need  of  medical  attendance.  The  enemy's 
lines  were  believed  to  be  about  eight  miles  from  the  town,  so  there 
was  apparently  no  danger  in  answering  this  appeal.  Assistant  Sur- 
geon G.  D.  Slocum  volunteered  to  go  on  shore  and  minister  to  the 
distressed  people  if  some  of  his  shipmates  would  go  with  him,  he  not 
caring  to  be  entirely  alone  in  an  enemy's  town,  and  Assistant  Fay- 
master  L.  S.  Stockwell,  Chief  Engineer  Charles  H.  Baker,  and  Lieu- 
tenant DeFord  of  the  army  signal  corps  agreed  to  accompany  him. 
On  shore,  while  visiting  the  sick,  a  detachment  of  Confederate  cav- 
alry suddenly  appeared  and  made  prisoners  of  the  officers  and  two  of 
the  boat's  crew  with  them,  carrying  them  off  to  Petersburg.  At 
that  place  the  commander  of  the  district.  General  fluger,  apologized 
to  them  for  the  stupidity  of  his  men  and  said  he  would  have  them 
released,  as  they  had  been  captured  while  rendering  humane  aid  to 
citizens  of  Virginia,  and,  furthermore,  were  unarmed  with  the  excep- 
tion of  side  arms  when  taken. 

The  Richmond  authorities  refused  to  release  the  prisoners  on 
General  Huger's  reconmiendation  and  they  were  accordingly  taken 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  317 

to  a  military  prison  at  Salisbury,  North  Oarolina,  and  confined  in 
that  place.  The  peculiar  action  of  the  Richmond  government  in 
this  case  was  dne  to  the  fact  that  there  was  talk  at  the  North  of  treat- 
ing some  Confederate  officers  captured  on  priyateers  as  pirates,  and 
the  Southerners  wished  to  hold  some  Federal  naval  officers  as  hos- 
tages to  insure  their  own  officers  being  treated  as  prisoners  of  war. 
Alter  a  detention  of  twelve  weeks  in  Salisbury,  Mr.  Baker  and  some 
of  the  others  were  transferred  to  Libby  prison  in  Bichmond,  and 
about  a  week  later  were  allowed  to  enter  the  Union  lines  on  parole. 
On  the  24th  of  September  Chief  Engineer  Baker  was  exchanged  for 
a  Confederate  army  captain  and  resumed  duty  under  his  own  flag. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

'*  He  has  sounded  forth  the  trumpet  that  shall  never  call  retreat ; 
He  is  sifting  out  the  hearts  of  men  before  his  Judgement-seat ; 
Oh  I  be  swift,  my  soul,  to  answer  Him ;  be  jubilant,  my  feet ; 
Our  God  is  marching  on.'* 
JxTLiA  Ward  Hows~Battle-fi]/mn  of  the  RepubUc 

1862'-The  Civil  War,  Continued— Naval  Operations  in  the  Mifisissippi  River 
— Battles  Below  New  Orleans— Catastrophe  to  the  Mound  City — Attack 
on  Vicksbuig — Warfare  on  the  Atlantic  Coast — Wreck  of  the  Adiron- 
dack—Loss of  the  Monitor— Peril  of  the  Passaic — Heroism  of  Assistant 
Engineer  H.  W.  Robie. 

Al  Boon  as  a  saflScient  nnmber  of  iron-clad  steamers  in  the  Missis- 
sippi were  completed,  Commodore  Foote  hastened  to  make  use 
of  them,  the  first  hostile  movement  being  an  attack  upon  Fort  Henry, 
which  was  captnred  Febmry  6th  after  a  closely  contested  action  of 
little  more  than  one  hour.  The  attacking  force  consisted  of  the  iron- 
clads Bentouj  (Foote' s  flagship);  Essex^  Carondelet,  andfiJt.  Louisy  and 
the  wooden  gunboats  Ocmestoga^  Tyler j  and  Lexington.  The  attack 
was  planned  as  a  joint  army  and  navy  enterprise  by  General  IT.  S. 
Grant  and  Commodore  Foote,  bnt  owing  to  the  wretched  condition 
of  the  roads  ihe  army  was  delayed  and  consequently  did  not  share 
in  the  honor  of  the  capture,  the  fort  having  surrendered  to  the  naval 
force.  From  Fort  Henry,  Foote  moved  with  his  flotilla  to  Fort 
Donelson,  which  place  he  attacked  February  14th.  Here  he  met 
with  much  more  vigorous  opposition  than  had  been  experienced  at 
Fort  Henry,  and  in  the  course  of  an  hour  and  a  half  two  of  his  ves- 
sels were  temporarily  disabled,  and  the  attack  was  discontinued  for 
the  night.  The  next  morning,  upon  resuming  the  bombardment, 
the  enemy  was  found  considerably  demoralized  and  after  a  feeble 
resistance  surrendered. 

A  naval  movement  on  a  far  greater  scale  was  already  on  foot, 
having  for  its  object  the  opening  of  the  Mississippi  River  from  its 
mouth.  Captain  David  G.  Farragut  was  selected  for  the  command 
of  this  expedition  and  in  his  flagship,  the  Hartford^  arrived  on  the 
20th  of  February  off  the  mouth  of  the  great  river  where  he  was  to 


THE  STEAM  NATT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


M9 


make  his  name  famous.  The  yessels  ordered  to  this  etation  assem- 
bled one  by  one  at  the  Soathwest  Pass  and  the  entire  month  of 
March  was  consumed  in  the  task  of  getting  the  heavier  ships  into 
the  deep  water  of  the  river  inside,  which  labor  was  finally  accom- 
plished with  the  exception  of  the  Colorado^  which  vessel  could  not  be 
lightened  enough  to  make  her  entrance  possible.  Her  commander 
and  a  large  number  of  her  officers  and  men  went  as  volunteers  in 
other  ships  of  the  fleet.  As  finally  assembled  in  the  river  at  Pilot 
Town  the  fleet  proper  consisted  of  seventeen  vessels  of  the  classes 
and  armament  exhibited  in  the  table  following.  The  Vanma  was  a 
merchant  steamer  purchased  in  1861  for9135,000,  but  all  the  others 
will  be  recognized  as  being  regularly  built  war- vessels  and  all,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Mississippi^  of  a  type  then  modem. 


HAUB. 

TOHS. 

OT7S& 

COMMANDniQ  OFFIGSB, 

CHUBV  BlTGnmB. 

Screw  Slocp$ 

:   i   1       i 

1990 

2158 
2070 
1929 
1032 
1300 
1016 

24 

23 
22 

24 

9 

10 

7 

Capt.  D.  G.  Parragut.1 
Capt.  H.H.Bell.» 
Capt  H.  W.  Morris.' 
Capt.  T.  T.  Crayon. 
Com.  James  Alden. 
Com.  S.  P.  Lee. 
Com.  Chas.  S.  Boggs. 
Com.  John  DeCamp. 

Chief  Kngr.  J.  B.  Kimball. 

Chief  Eng.  S.  D.  Hibbert 
Chief  Eng.  Wm.  B.  Brooks. 
Chief  Eng.  John  W.  Moore. 
Chief  Eng.  P.  C.  Dade 

Yarnna. 

Iroquois 

Act.  Ist  A.  Eng.  R.  Henry. 
Ist  Asst  Eng.  John  H.  Long. 

aide  Wheel. 

Mississippi  .. 

1692 

17 

Com.  M.  Smith. 

Chief  Eng.  E.  Lawton. 

Ninety-day 
gunboaU 

Cayuga 

Itaska 

507 
607 
507 
507 
507 
607 
507 
507 
507 

2 
2 
2 
2 
2 
2 
2 
2 
2 

Lieut.  N.  B.  Harrison. 
Lieut.  C.  H.  B.  Caldwell. 
Lieut.  Geo.  H.  Preble. 
Lieut  J.  H.  Russell. 
Lieut  G.  M.  Ransom. 
Lieut.  Pierce  Crosby. 
Lieut  E.  Donaldson. 
Lieut  £.  T.  Nichols. 
Lieut  A.  N.  Smith. 

2d.  Asst  Eng.  G.  W.  Rodgers. 
2d.  Asst  Eng.  J.  H.  Morrison 

Eatahdin.  ... 
Kennebec.... 

Klneo 

Pinola 

2d.  As.  Eng.  T.  M.  Dukehart 
2d.  As.  Eng.  Henry  W.  Fitch. 
2d.  As.  Eng.  S.  W.  Cragg. 
1st  As.  Eng.  John  Johnson. 

Seiota. 

2d.  A.  Eng.  Chas.  B.  Devalin 

Winona 

Wissahickon 

2d.  A.  Eng,  Jas.  P.  Sprague. 
2d.  A.  Eng.  T.  S.  Cunningham. 

^  Flf«  Officer,  commanding  fleet. 

*  FleelrCaptain.    Commander  Richard  Wainwrighl  actually  comsianded  the 
Hartford  during  the  ensuing  operations. 

*  Owing  to  Captain  Morris'  defective  eyesight,  the  executive  officer,  Lieutenant 
F.  A.  Roe,  was  In  practical  charge  of  this  ship. 


320  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

In  addition  to  this  force  there  was  also  a  flotilla  of  twenty 
schooners  under  the  command  of  Commander  David  D.  Porter,  each 
schooner  mounting  one  XIII- inch  mortar.  These  vessels  were  mostly 
commanded  by  their  former  captains,  who  had  entered  the  naval  ser- 
vice as  acting  masters  and  were  excellent  examples  of  that  lai^e  and 
courageous  class  of  practical  seamen  who  contributed  so  largely  to 
the  success  of  the  naval  arms  during  the  rebellion.  Their  character 
and  services  were  well  understood  by  Porter,  who  thus  refers  to 
them  in  a  report  written  by  him  in  July,  1862: 

'< Again,  sir,  I  have  to  mention  favorably  the  divisional  officers, 
and  the  acting  masters  commanding  mortar  vessels.  Anchored  at 
all  times  in  a  position  selected  by  myself,  more  with  regard  to  the 
object  to  be  accomplished  than  to  any  one's  comfort  or  safety; 
knowing  that  they  will  have  to  stay  there  without  a  chance  of  get- 
ting away  till  I  think  proper  to  remove  them,  (no  matter  how  thick 
the  shot  and  shell  may  fly)  there  has  always  existed  a  rivalry  as  to 
who  shall  have  the  post  of  honor  (the  leading  vessel)  almost  certain 
to  be  struck,  if  not  destroyed. 

''They  know  no  weariness,  and  they  really  seem  to  take  de- 
light in  mortar  firing,  which  is  painful  even  to  those  accustomed  to 
it.  It  requires  more  than  ordinary  zeal  to  stand  the  ordeal. 
Though  I  may  have  at  times  been  exacting  and  fault-finding  with 
them  for  not  conforming  with  the  rules  of  the  service  (which  re- 
quires the  education  of  a  life-time  to  learn)  yet  I  cannot  withhold 
my  applause  when  I  see  these  men  working  with  such  earnest  and 
untiring  devotion  to  their  duties  while  under  fire." 

Six  steamers  accompanied  the  mortar  fleet  to  move  the 
schooners  about  and  to  protect  them  in  a  measure  from  attacks 
that  their  peculiar  armament  could  not  oppose,  these  steamers  being 
the  Owaaco^  Miami^  Sa/rriet  Lane^  Westjidd^  Clifton^  and  J.  F. 
Jackson.  The  Owasco  was  a  ninety-day  gunboat;  the  Mia/mi  one 
of  the  first  lot  of  double-enders;  the  Harriet  I/me  a  side- wheel  rev- 
enue cutter  transferred  from  the  Treasury  Department,  and  the 
other  three  were  large  and  heavily-armed  side-wheel  ferry-boats. 

After  the  fleet  had  stripped  for  action  and  left  at  Pilot  Town 
all  spars,  sails,  rigging  and  unnecessary  boats,  it  moved  up  to  the 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  tJNITEt)  STATES.  821 

desperate  undertaking  of  attacking  and  passing  the  two  forts, 
Jackson  and  St.  Phillip,  most  advantageously  located  at  a  bend  on 
opposite  banks  of  the  river.  A  short  distance  below  the  forts  the 
river  was  barred  with  a  combination  of  large  log  rafts  and  schoon- 
ers at  anchor,  supporting  heavy  chains  reaching  from  bank  to  bank. 
Auxiliary  to  the  forts  and  above  them  in  the  river  was  a  flotilla  of 
Confederate  vessels,  consisting  of  four  naval  steamers,  six  gunboats 
of  the  local  Biver  Defense  Fleet,  and  two  armed  steamers  belong- 
ing to  the  State  of  Louisiana.  The  most  formidable  of  the  Confed- 
erate naval  vessels  was  the  ram  Manassas^  which  the  previous 
October  had  been  in  action  with  the  Richmond  in  the  Southwest 
Pass  and  had  somewhat  damaged  that  vessel.  She  was  originally 
a  large  sea-going  tug-boat  named  Enoch  Train  and  had  been  con- 
verted into  a  ram  by  being  arched  over  with  timber  and  plated  with 
old-fashioned  railroad  strap  iron,  about  an  inch  thick.  She  had 
twin  screws  and  carried  one  32-pounder  gun  pointing  right  ahead. 
Another  of  the  naval  vessels  was  the  Zouisicma^  a  large  armored 
river  steamer  similar  to  the  Federal  iron-clad  Benton  described  in  a 
previous  chapter;  she  had  sixteen  heavy  guns,  nine  of  them  being 
YI  and  Yll-inch  rifles,  and  would  have  been  a  formidable  antago- 
nist had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  Farragnt  made  his  attack  before 
her  machinery  was  quite  finished.  The  other  naval  vessels  and  the 
Biver  Defense  boats  were  river  steamers  mounting  from  two  to 
seven  guns  each,  lightly  armored  forward,  and  the  two  State  vessels 
were  small  sea-going  steamers,  also  armored  on  their  bows,  and 
mounting  two  guns  each. 

The  mortar  flotilla  was  moved  up  to  within  about  three  thousand 
yards  of  Fort  Jackson  and  rendered  almost  indistinguishable  by 
dressing  the  masts  with  bushes  and  foliage,  the  vessels  lying  close 
to  the  bank  with  a  background  of  trees.  On  the  18th  of  April  they 
opened  fire  upon  Jackson  and  for  nearly  six  days  maintained  an 
almost  uninterrupted  bombardment,  doing  the  enemy's  works  much 
damage  and  receiving  some  in  return,  one  of  the  schooners  being 
sunk  at  her  anchors  by  a  shell  dropping  completely  through  her. 
To  divert  the  fire  of  the  forts  from  the  mortar  fleet,  a  sloop  of  war 
and  two  or  three  gunboats  were  each  day  advanced  into  the  zone  of 
fire  and  effected  the  object  satisfactorily  by  moving  about  near  the 
head  of  the  line  of  schooners  and  firing  on  the  forts  at  the  same 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 


time.  The  Oneida^  jnet  ont  of  the  shipyard  where  she  was  built, 
was  the  first  of  the  sloops  to  go  into  this  fire  and  she  demonstrated 
that  in  spite  of  her  pretty  name  of  the  beantif  al  lake  of  the  Iro- 
quois she  was  to  be  ruled  by  an  evil  star,  for  her  baptism  of  fire 
cost  her  many  ugly  hits  and  nine  men  badly  wounded.  Thence- 
forth her  career  was  one  of  misfortune,  until  finally  in  a  far-distant 
sea  she  went  to  the  bottom  with  the  greater  part  of  her  crew. 

While  the  mortars  were  thus  furiously  engaged,  Farragut  was 
making  all  ready  for  the  attempt  to  run  past  the  forts.  One  inter- 
esting expedient  adopted  by  him  was  the  shifting  of  weights  on 
board  all  the  yessels  so  that  they  were  down  by  the  head  about  one 
foot,  the  object  being  to  prevent  the  swift  current  from  swinging 
them  head  down  stream  in  case  of  taking  the  bottom,  as  would 
have  resulted  had  they  grounded  with  the  usual  trim  of  the  greatest 
draft  aft.  All  unnecessary  top-liamper  had  been  previously  dis- 
pensed with,  and  now  five  of  the  gunboats  removed  even  their 
lower  masts.  Chain  cables  were  stopped  up  and  down  the  ships' 
sides  to  protect  the  machinery,  and  the  vessels  were  rendered 
difficult  to  see  on  the  muddy  water  by  daubing  them  over  with  the 
yellow  mud  of  the  river.  These  last  two  expedients  were  due  to 
the  ingenuity  of  engineers  on  board  the  Richmond,  The  use  of 
chain  cable  for  armor  is  said  by  several  officers  who  were  attached 
to  the  jRiohnumd  at  the  time  to  have  been  suggested  by  First  Assist- 
ant Engineer  Eben  Hoyt  of  that  vessel  and  was  proposed  to  the 
commanding  officer  by  the  chief  engineer,  Mr.  John  W.  Moore. 
From  Farragut's  detailed  report  of  the  battles  below  New  Orleans 
the  following  relating  to  this  point  is  quoted: 

'^  Every  vessel  was  as  well  prepared  as  the  ingenuity  of  her 
commander  and  officers  could  suggest,  both  for  the  preservation  of 
life  and  of  the  vessel,  and,  perhaps,  there  is  not  on  record  such  a 
display  of  ingenuity  as  has  been  evinced  in  this  little  squadron. 
The  first  was  by  the  engineer  of  the  Richmond,  Mr.  Moore,  by 
suggesting  that  the  sheet  cables  be  stopped  up  and  down  on  the 
sides  in  the  line  of  the  engines,  which  was  immediately  adopted  by 
all  the  vessels." 

Under  the  date  of  October  16,  1862,  Ohief  Engineer  Moore, 


THB  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


writing  from  the  Richmond^  then  at  Pensacola,  addreseed  the  Navy 
Department  in  regard  to  a  change  which  had  been  made  to  his 
disadvantage  in  the  arrangement  of  the  list  of  chief  engineers.  On 
the  original  of  this  letter,  now  on  file  in  the  Department,  in  Admiral 
Farragut's  own  handwriting  is  the  following  endorsement: 

^'Bespectfally  forwarded.  Mr.  Moore  is  the  gentleman  whom 
I  mentioned  in  my  official  letter  as  the  originator  of  cladding  the 
ships  with  their  chain  cables  and  has  always  been  spoken  of  by  his 
Commander  as  a  man  of  great  merit  both  in  and  out  of  his  pro- 
fession. 

**  Very  respectfully, 

D.  G.  Faebaqut." 

The  commanding  officer  of  the  Richmond  in  forwarding  Mr. 
Moore's  protest  took  occasion  to  write  the  following  letter,  which 
certainly  is  conclusive  as  to  whether  or  not  the  expedients  referred 
to  originated  with  members  of  the  engineer  corps: 

^'  Sib: — I  have  the  honor  to  enclose  herewith  a  remonstrance 
of  Chief  Engineer  Moore  of  this  vessel  against  the  action  of  a  Board 
of  Examiners  which  has  evidently  done  him  great  injostice.  Being 
more  or  less  interested  in  the  welfare  of  all  those  serving  under  my 
command  and  feeling  it  a  duty  to  come  to  their  aid  when  they  re- 
quire it,  I  trust  that  I  shall  be  excused  for  thus  trespassing  on  your 
valuable  time  and  will  proceed  at  once  to  the  point.  Imprimis 
then,  Mr.  Moore's  professional  standing  has  been  fixed  at  the  high- 
est point  by  the  several  Boards  before  which  he  has  appeared,  and 
to  my  mind  he  is  justly  entitled  to  that  distinction;  but  I  wish  now 
to  show  the  Department  that  he  has  besides  that  other  claims  to 
consideration.  They  are  as  follows:  About  this  time  last  year  I 
arrived  at  the  Southwest  Pass  in  the  Soutk  Carolina  pretty  nearly 
broken  down  in  machinery.  Our  main  shaft  was  all  adrift  and 
neither  the  Niagara  and  Colorado  could  do  anything  for  us.  Mr. 
Moore,  who  was  on  board  this  ship  at  the  time  at  the  head  of  the 
passes,  hearing  of  our  trouble  came  down  and  very  soon  decided 
that  he  could  make  us  all  right  again,  and  in  less  than  three  days 
we  were,  by  his  individual  exertions,  fully  and  efficiently  repaired 


324  THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

and  off  for  our  station.  Again,  the  idea  of  mailing  oar  vessels' 
sides,  which  was  adopted  by  all  the  ships  of  the  sqaadron,  with 
chain  cables,  is  his.  We  know  that  it  saved  this  ship's  as  well  as 
the  Hartford? %  machinery  from  serious  injury  and  consequently  the 
vessels  from  destruction,  the  armor  on  both  having  been  struck  by 
solid  shot  in  that  vital  locality.  After  the  passage  of  the  forts 
two-thirds  of  a  32-pounder  shot,  which  had  broken  its  way  through 
parts  of  the  chain,  was  found  embedded  in  our  side.  The  Captain 
of  the  BrooMyn  says  in  his  oflBcial  report,  in  speaking  of  the  ram 
Mmassas:  "  His  efforts  to  damage  me  were  completely  frustrated, 
our  chain  armor  proving  a  perfect  protection  to  our  sides."  Bub- 
sequent  examiaation  showed,  .however,  that  the  ship  had  received 
serious  damage  and  that  nothing  but  the  armor  sewed  her  from 
destruction. 

^' The  idea  of  painting  the  ships  with  the  mud  of  the  Missis 
sippi  on  that  memorable  occasion  so  as  to  screen  them  as  much  as 
possible  from  observation,  a  color  now  adopted  by  the  Department 
as  national,  is  also  Mr.  Moore's. 

"Regretting  my  inability  to  state  this  case  properly  in  fewer 
words,  I  am,  Respectfully,  Your  obedient  servant, 

"James  Aldbn,  Commander. 
"Hon.  Gideon  Welles,  Secretary  tJ.  S.  Navy,  Washington,  D.  C." 

The  night  of  the  20th  of  April,  Lieutenant  Caldwell  in  the 
ItcLska  most  gallantly  boarded  one  of  the  schooners  supporting  the 
barrier  chain  and,  finding  its  ends  bitted  on  board,  slipped  them 
and  thus  created  a  gap  in  the  line  of  obstructions.  The  night  of  the 
23rd  Farragut  made  all  final  preparations  for  passing  through  the 
gap  and  running  the  batteries  of  the  forts.  A  detailed  account  of  the 
event  that  followed  would  fill  a  book  the  size  of  this  if  properly 
dealt  with,  and  is,  moreover,  a  story  of  our  navy  to  which  sufficient 
justice  has  never  yet  been  done  by  historians,  it  being  one  of  the 
greatest  and  most  desperate  engagements  in  our  naval  annals. 
Briefly,  at  2  a.  m.  the  24th,  the  signal — two  blood-red  lights  at  the 
peak  of  the  Hartford — was  made  for  the  movement  to  begin  and 
the  leading  division,  after  some  delay  on  account  of  difficulty  in 


THE  STEAM  NATY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  325 

managing  the  anchors  in  the  strong  current,  moved  np  through  the 
opening  and  into  furious  action  with  the  forts.  This  division  was 
led  by  Captain  Theodoras  Bailej  in  the  gunboat  Oayuga^  followed 
by  the  Pensacola^  Mississippi^  Oneida^  Ycmma^  KatahMn^  Eiiieo^ 
and  Wissahickon^  in  the  order  named,  and  was  under  orders  to  pro- 
ceed along  the  left,  or  east,  bank  of  the  river,  engaging  Fort  St. 
Phillip  with  the  starboard  batteries.  Captain  Bailey  belonged  to 
the  Colorado  and  had  hoisted  his  division  flag  on  the  Cayuga  through 
the  kindness  of  Lieutenant  Napoleon  B.  Harrison  commanding  that 
vessel,  the  commander  of  the  Oneida  having  previously  objected  to 
being  overshadowed  by  the  presence  of  a  divisional  officer  on  board 
his  vessel,  s^hich  objection  cost  him  the  honor  of  having  his  ship 
lead  the  first  column. 

Behind  Bailey's  division  came  Farragut  with  the  Hartford^ 
Brooklyn  and  Richmond^  forming  what  was  called  the  center  divi- 
sion, and  this  was  followed  by  Fleet  Captain  Bell,  leading  the  third 
division  of  six  vessels,  in  the  gunboat  Sdota.  The  second  and 
third  divisions  were  to  follow  up  the  western  bank  and  engage  Fort 
Jackson  with  the  port  batteries.^  The  steamers  attached  to  the 
mortar  flotilla  moved  up  near  the  forts  as  the  fleet  got  under  way 
and  in  conjunction  with  the  mortar  schooners  opened  a  terrific  can- 
nonading against  the  works,  greatly  augmented  by  the  firing  from 
the  passing  ships.  In  the  heavy  smoke  that  soon  settled  over  the 
river  it  became  impossible  for  signals  to  .be  read  and  much  con- 
fusion  resulted,  each  vessel  being  obliged  to  fight  out  its  own  des- 
tiny. With  the  air  filled  with  bursting  shells  and  obscured  by 
smoke,  the  roar  of  heavy  guns,  the  shouts  of  command,  the  screams 
of  mangled  men,  and  the  river  covered  with  fire  rafts  and  burning 
wreckage,  the  scene  was  most  awful  and  unearthly,  and  justified 
the  brief  comment  made  by  Farragut  in  his  official  report:  "  Such  a 
fire,  I  imagine,  the  world  has  rarely  seen." 

The  vessels  suffered  severely  from  damages  and  casualties,  but 
within  an  hour  and  a  quarter  after  the  Cayuga  had  passed  the  gap 
in  the  barrier  the  fleet  with  the  exception  of  three  gunboats  of  the  last 

1  The  order  of  battle  herein  described  is  derived  from  the  supplemental  report 
pablished  in  the  annual  report  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Nayy  for  1869,  which  was  in-, 
tended  as  an  official  correction  of  numerous  inaccuracies  that  had  appeared  in  several 
DATal  histories. 


828  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

diyision— the  K&n/nebeo^  Itasca  and  Win(ma--hBd  passed  above  the  forte 
and  appeared  in  the  Confederate  flotilla/ 'like  dogs  among  a  flock  of 
sheep,"  as  Captain  Mahan  expresses  it  in  his  account  of  the  battle 
in  '«The  Gulf  and  Inland  Waters."  The  three  last  gunboats  had 
to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  flre  from  the  forts  after  the  other  vessels 
had  passed  out  of  range  and  were  very  roughly  used;  the  Itasca  was 
wholly  disabled  by  a  shot  through  her  boiler,  two  firemen  being 
severely  scalded  as  a  result,  and  the  other  gunboats  suffered  so 
severely  that  the  attempt  to  run  the  batteries  appeared  not  only 
foolhardy  but  impossible.  They  rejoined  the  fleet  a  few  days 
later. 

The  first  vessels  to  break  into  the  enemy's  fleet  were  the 
Cayuga  and  Va/rvmxi^  both  of  which  fared  badly  until  more 
vessels  came  up.  The  Fartma  was  rammed  by  two  of  the  Confed- 
erate boats  and  so  damaged  that  her  commander  ran  her  ashore, 
where  she  sank,  the  crew  escaping  previous  to  the  disaster  with  the 
exception  of  three  men  killed  and  nine  wounded.  The  Cayuga  was 
badly  cut  up,  being  struck  forty-two  times,  but  she  remained  in 
action  and  individually  received  the  surrender  of  three  of  the 
enemy's  vessels.  The  ram  Manassas  struck  the  Richmond  on  the 
starboard  side  and  so  crushed  in  her  planking  that  she  must  have 
been  destroyed  had  the  blow  been  slightly  heavier;  as  it  was,  the 
chain  armor  saved  her.  The  Manassas  also  rammed  the  old  side- 
wheel  frigate  Mississippi  and  nearly  stove  in  her  side,  but  the  blow 
being  a  glancing  one  the  break  did  not  extend  entirely  through  the 
side.  These  acts  of  the  Manassas  were  committed  while  the  vessels 
were  in  action  with  the  forts.  When  the  Federal  fleet  had  passed 
up,  the  Mamiassas  was  seen  quietly  following,  and  Captain  Melanc- 
thon  Smith  of  the  Mississippi — a  good  fighter  and  a  good  Christian 
— asked  and  obtained  permission  by  signal  to  go  back  and  attack 
her.  The  ram  seemed  unwilling  to  try  conclusions  with  the  heavy 
old  ship  coming  straight  down  upon  her  with  the  swift  current,  and 
just  before  the  impending  collision  she  shied  high  up  into  the  river 
bank,  where  her  crew  made  hurried  preparations  for  her  destruction 
and  abandonment,  and  then  took  to  the  shore.  As  soon  as  possible 
a  boat  was  sent  from  the  Mississippi  to  see  what  could  be  done 
with  her  late  antagonist.  First  Assistant  Engineer  William  H.  Hunt 
being  in  the  boarding  party  to  take  charge  of  the  machinery.     The 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THB  UNITKD  STATES.  327 

boat  BOOH  returned,  reporting  that  it  was  impracticable  to  save  the 
MoMosMs^  which  had  been  set  on  fire  and  disabled,  and  Mr.  Hnnt 
on  hiB  part  reported  that  the  piping  through  the  hall  had  been  cnt, 
the  water  run  out  of  sight  in  the  boiler,  the  fires  kept  raging  in 
the  furnaces,  the  safety  valves  shored  down,  and  the  steam 
guage  showing  136  pounds  (a  frightful  pressure  in  those  days), 
— "with  a  tendency  hellward."  The  Mississippi  therefore  re- 
turned up  the  river  to  rejoin  the  fleet.  Later,  the  water  coming  in 
through  the  cut  pipes,  depressed  the  stern  of  the  Manassas^  floated 
her  bow  off  the  bank,  and  the  current  carried  her  down  to  Porter's 
mortar  fleet,  where  her  appearance  created  considerable  consterna- 
tion, but  she  soon  faintly  exploded  and  sank. 

According  to  Flag  Officer  Farragut's  report  eleven  of  the 
enemy's  steamers  were  destroyed  during  this  morning  fight,  which 
practically  annihilated  their  fleet.  The  Federal  fleet  remained  at 
anchor  one  day  to  rest  the  men  and  repair  damages  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  26th,  Captain  Bailey  in  the  Cayuga  still  leading, 
proceeded  up  the  river,  had  a  sharp  skirmish  with  the  Chalmette 
batteries,  and  at  noon  anchored  off  the  City  of  New  Orleans.  The 
city  was  taken  possession  of  and  held  by  the  naval  force  under 
very  strained  and  trying  circumstances  until  May  1,  when  General 
B-  F.  Butler  arrived  with  a  large  force  and  assumed  military  con- 
trol of  the  plabe,  the  fleet  soon  after  proceeding  on  its  mission  of 
conquest  up  the  river.  Commander  Porter  continued  the  bombard- 
ment of  the  lower  forts  with  his  flotilla  until  the  28th  of  April,  when 
they  surrendered  to  him.  The  casualties  in  the  fleet  during  the 
battle  of  the  24rth,  as  reported  by  the  fleet  surgeon,  amounted  to 
thirty-seven  killed  and  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  wounded,  a 
record  that  makes  this  one  of  the  bloodiest  naval  battles  of  the  re- 
bellion. Two  officers,  both  midshipmen,  were  killed  and  eleven 
were  wounded  ;  three  of  the  latter — Second  Assistant  Engineer  S. 
Wilkins  Cragg,  acting  chief  of  the  Eineo\  Third  Assistant  J.  C. 
Hartley  of  the  Pensacola^  and  Acting  Third  Assistant  Frank  B. 
Hain  of  the  Colorado^  serving  as  a  volunteer  on  the  Iroquois — were 
of  the  engineer  corps,  all  injured  by  gunshot  wounds. 

The  reports  of  many  of  the  commanding  officers  of  vessels  en- 
ga^d  in  this  battle  referred  in  terms  of  praise  to  the  zeal  and  abil  • 
ity  displayed  by  the  engineers  and  their  men  in  keeping  the  machin- 

19 


328  THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

erj  in  efficient  operation  under  trying  conditionB.  Oaptain  Bailey, 
in  describing  the  battle  afterward,  on  the  occasion  of  a  banqnet 
given  him  at  the  Astor  House  in  New  York,  is  credited  with  haying 
made  the  modest  statement  that,  ''the  engineers  ran  the  ships  and 
all  we  had  to  do  was  to  blaze  away  when  we  got  up  to  the  forts/^ 
Assistant  Engineer  Hartley  of  the  Pensaoola  was  most  highly  re- 
ferred to  in  the  official  reports  for  the  courage  he  exhibited;  he  was 
stationed  at  the  engine-room  bell  and  was  wounded  in  the  head  by 
a  piece  of  shell,  and,  although  urged  to  go  below  for  treatment, 
refused  to  leave  his  station,  remaining  there  all  through  the  action. 

On  the  28th  of  May  Chief  Engineer  James  B.  Kimball  of  the 
JBixrtfard^  while  ashore  in  Baton  Rouge  with  a  boat's  crew  on  duty 
was  suddenly  fired  upon  by  the  enemy  and  himself  and  two  of  the 
men  badly  wounded.  Mr.  Kimball  was  struck  in  the  head,  face 
and  neck  with  slugs  and  most  painfully  hurt,  although  he  re- 
covered. 

A  frightful  disaster  befell  a  squadron  of  the  Mississippi  flotilla 
in  June  of  this  year.  The  gunboats  Movmd  Gity^  St.  Louis^  Lem- 
ington^  and  Oonestoga^  under  Commander  Augustus  H.  Kilty  of  the 
Mov/nd  City^  were  sent  into  White  River  to  convoy  some  troop 
transports  and  assist  in  an  attack  upon  some  Confederate  bat- 
teries at  St.  Charles,  Arkansas.  The  attack  was  made  June  17  and 
resulted  in  the  capture  of  the  enemy's  fortifications,  but  during  its  pro- 
gress a  shot  penetrated  the  casemate  of  the  JK9un(/ ^'^^  just  above  a 
gun  port,  killed  three  men  in  its  flight,  and  exploded  her  steam  drum. 
The  immediate  result  was  horrible;  nearly  eighty  men  were  scalded 
to  death  by  the  steam  which  filled  the  casemate,  and  forty-three 
others  were  drowned  or  shot  by  the  enemy  after  leaping  over- 
board. Of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  officers  and  men  only 
twenty-five  escaped  uninjured,  the  number  killed  or  who  subse- 
quently died  being  one  hundred  and  thirty-five.  Commander  Kilty 
was  BO  scalded  that  his  left  hand  had  to  be  amputated.  Among 
the  killed  were  Chief  Engineer  John  Cox;  Second  Assistant  Engi- 
neer John  C.  McAfee,  and  Third  Assistant  G.  W.  Hollings. 
worth. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  June  28th,  Admiral  Farragut  with  the 
Ha/rtford^  Hichmondj  Iroqvma^  Ondda^  Wissahickon^  Sdota^ 
Winona^  and  JPinola  ran  the  batteries  at  Vicksburg,  assisted  by 


THE  STBAH  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATEa  829 

Commander  Porter  with  his  mortar  flotilla.  The  military  impor- 
tance of  this  mov^e  is  not  apparent,  as  the  batteries  were  not  de- 
stroyed, and  in  the  nature  of  things  could  not  be  materially  harmed 
by  ships,  located  as  they  were  on  blufiFs  high  above  the  water 
From  Farragut's  report  it  seems  that  the  move  was  largely  experi- 
mental, for  he  says: 

''In  obedience  to  the  orders  of  the  department  and  the  com- 
mand of  the  President,  I  proceeded  back  to  Yicksburg  with  the 
Brooklyn^  Jtichmond^  and  JBixrtfordj  with  the  determination  to 
carry  out  my  instructions  to  the  best  of  my  ability." 

And  again: 

"The  department  will  perceive  from  this  (my)  report  that  the 
forts  can  be  passed^  and  we  have  done  it^  and  can  do  it  again  as 
often  as  may  be  required  of  vs.  It  will  not,  however,  be  an  easy 
matter  for  us  to  do  more  than  silence  the  batteries  for  a  time,  as 
long  as  the  enemy  has  a  large  force  behind  the  hills  to  prevent  our 
landing  and  holding  the  place." 

One  of  Porter's  steamers,  the  Clifton^  was  disabled  in  this 
affair  by  a  shot  through  her  boiler  which  killed  six  men  by  scalding. 
The  total  casualties  of  the  morning  were  fifteen  men  killed  and 
thirty  wounded,  about  one-third  of  the  number  being  on  the  flag- 
ship. Farragut  himself  and  Captain  Broome  of  the  Marine  corps 
appear  on  the  surgeon's  report  of  casualties  as  having  suffered  from 
contusions  on  the  Ha/rtford,  The  report  of  Commander  S.  P.  Lee 
of  the  Oneida  says:  ''  One  6-inch  rifle  shell  came  through  the  star- 
board after  pivot  port,  killing  S.  H.  Bandall,  a  seaman,  at  the  after 
pivot  gun,  severely  wounding  Bichard  Hodgson,  third  assistant  en- 
gineer, at  the  engine  bell,  and,  passing  through  the  coamings  of 
the  engine-room  hatch,  picked  up  three  loaded  muskets,  (each  lying 
flat  on  the  deck,  on  the  port  side  of  that  hatch)  and  burst  into  the 
bulwarks,  over  the  first  cutter,  which  was  lowered  to  near  the 
water's  edge,  drove  the  muskets  through  the  open  port  there,  and 
severely  wounded  William  Cowell,  seaman,  who  was  in  the  boat 
sounding,  and  slightly  wounding  Henry  Clark,  chief  boatswain's 
mate A  second  8-inch  compound   solid  shot  carried 


330  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

away,  amidships,  the  keel  of  the  lauoeh,  (which  was  partly  lowered) 
and,  entering  on  the  starboard  side,  struck  the  steam  drum,  and, 
glancing,  fell  into  the  fire-room." 

On  the  5th  of  July  when  the  iron-clad  Lexington  was  pro- 
ceeding along  the  White  Biver,  Arkansas,  her  chief  engineer,  Mr. 
Joseph  Huber,  was  shot  dead  by  guerillas  lurking  along  the 
banks. 

On  the  Atlantic  coast  after  the  remarkable  fight  of  the  iron- 
clads in  Hampton  Roads  there  were  no  very  important  naval  en- 
gagements during  the  year.  The  nnromantic  and  wearying  work  of 
maintaining  the  blockade  along  that  coast  employed  the  greater 
number  of  the  sea-going  vessels  and  kept  them  extremely  active, 
while  in  the  rivers,  bays  and  sounds  the  smaller  steamers  were  en- 
gaged in  a  ceaseless  border  warfare  with  the  armed  vessels  and 
shore  batteries  of  the  enemy.  This  latter  employment  furnished  a 
fine  field  for  adventure  and,  although  on  a  small  scale,  gave  oppor- 
tunity for  the  development  of  a  class  of  intrepid  and  self-reliant 
young  officers,  of  which  class  Lieutenant- commander  0.  W.  Fiusser 
and  Lieutenant  Wm.  B.  Gushing  were  brilliant  examples.  Two  or 
three  incidents  will  suffice  to  indicate  the  dangerous  nature  of  this 
litteral  warfare. 

On  the  14th  of  August  Lieutenant  George  B.  Balch  in  the  Po- 
cahontas proceeded  up  Black  Biver,  South  Carolina,  some  twenty- 
five  miles  looking  for  a  Confederate  steamer  said  to  be  in  hiding 
there.  Meeting  with  more  resistance  than  expected  from  the  enemy 
along  the  banks  he  finally  turned  back  and  as  the  neighborhood  had 
become  aroused  the  Pocahontas  had  to  run  the  gauntlet  for  over 
twenty  miles  of  riflemen  concealed  in  the  thickets  on  both  banks, 
she  replying  all  the  distance  with  grape  and  cannister  and  smallarm 
fire.  By  keeping  the  men  behind  breastworks  of  hammocks  and 
lumber  she  escaped  with  only  one  casualty,  that  being  reported  by 
Lieutenant  Balch  as  follows:  ^^At  8:40  p.  m.,  whilst  under  a  very 
sharp  fire  of  the  enemy,  Acting  Third  Assistant  Engineer  John  A. 
Hill  was  wounded  by  a  Minie  ball,  and  I  regret  to  report  that  his 
wound  is  very  dangerous;  as  yet,  however,  I  am  rejoiced  to  state 
that  his  symptoms  are  all  favorable;  it  is  a  penetrating  wound  of  the 
abdomen,  the  ball  having  passed  entirely  through  his  body.  I 
need  not  say  that  he  is  receiving  the  most  assiduous  care  of  Dr. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  331 

Bhoades,  and  he  has  been  removed  to  the  open  deck  nnder  the 
poop,  that  he  may  have  the  benefit  of  the  cooler  atmosphere;  and  I 
am  satisfied  that  if  skill  and  attention  can  avail  his  life  will  be 
saved." 

Mr.  Hill  famished  an  example  of  remarkable  recovery,  for  he 
survived  his  wonnd,  served  faithfnlly  throughout  the  war  and,  as  a 
first  assistant  engineer,  was  honorably  mustered  out  in  December, 
1865. 

September  9th,  the  Shanjosheen  had  a  similar  experience,  she 
being  ambushed  off  Cross'  Landing  in  the  Chowan  Biver,  North 
Carolina,  and  escaped  with  one  casualty,  also  an  assistant  engineer; 
this  officer,  John  Wall  by  name,  was  shot  in  the  thigh  and  wrist  and 
dangerously  wounded,  but  ultimately  recovered. 

The  morning  of  October  3d,  Lieutenant  Commander  Flusser 
with  the  Gammodare  Perry ^  EJwaoUbaek^  and  Whitehead  went  up 
the  Blackwater  River  to  co-operate  with  Major  General  Dix  in  an 
attack  on  Franklin,  Virginia.  When  near  the  town  the  vessels 
were  suddenly  attacked  by  a  large  force  lying  in  ambush  in  the 
woods  and  on  high  bluffs,  and  suffered  severely,  not  being  able  to 
use  their  ordnance  to  advantage  in  reply.  After  fighting  for  three 
hours  under  these  conditions  and  getting  no  support  from  the  army, 
which  did  not  appear,  the  steamers  returned  down  the  river,  being 
obliged  to  force  their  way  with  a  heavy  head  of  steam  through  ob- 
structions made  by  the  enemy  felling  trees  into  the  narrow  stream. 
The  affair  cost  four  men  killed  and  fifteen  wounded,  twelve  of  the 
casualties  being  on  Flusser's  steamer,  the  OomTnodore  Perry.  One 
of  the  killed  was  an  officer — Master's  Mate  John  Lynch.  The 
following  instances  of  gallantry  are  mentioned  in  Flusser's  report: 

''I  desire  to  mention  as  worthy  of  praise  for  great  gallantry. 
Lieutenant  William  B.  Cushing,  who  ran  the  field-piece  out  amid 
a  storm  of  bullets,  took  a  sure  and  deliberate  aim  at  the  rebels,  and 
sent  a  charge  of  cannister  among  them,  that  completely  silenced 
their  fire  at  that  point.  Mr.  Lynch  assisted  Mr.  Cushing,  and  here 
met  his  death  like  a  brave  fellow,  as  he  was. 

^^Mr.  Bichards,  third  assistant  engineer,  who  had  charge  of 
the  powder  division,  also  assisted  with  the  howitzer,   and  showed 


332  tHE  STftAM  NATif  OF  THE  XTNTFED  STATES, 

great  courage.     Mr.  Anderson,  the  paymaster,  was  of  great  asaiflt- 
ance  in  bringing  in  the  wounded  from  under  the  fire." 

Upon  the  receipt  of  this  report  Acting  Bear  Admiral  Lee,  com- 
manding the  squadron,  directed  that  Acting  Third  Assistant  Engin- 
eer George  W.  Bichards  be  examined  for  promotion  on  account  of 
his  conduct  in  the  fight,  and  he  was  shortly  afterward  advanced  to 
the  grade  of  acting  second  assistant  engineer. 

The  fine  screw-sloop  Adirofulaok^  fresh  from  the  New  York  navy 
yard  where  she  was  built,  while  proceeding  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
struck  on  a  reef  near  Little  Abaco  Island  the  morning  of  August 
23rd,  and  became  a  total  wreck,  the  engineer  of  the  watch  stating 
that  when  she  struck  he  saw  the  jagged  points  of  the  reef  sticking 
up  through  her  bottom  into  the  fire-room.  At  daylight  the  com- 
manding officer.  Captain  Guert  Gansevoort,  ordered  all  hands  to  go 
to  the  island,  about  five  miles  distant,  and  said  that  he  would  re- 
main on  board.  The  boatswain,  Mr.  William  Green,  and  Second 
Assistant  Engineer  Henry  W.  Bobie  elected  to  stay  with  him  and 
soon  had  to  defend  the  ship  with  hatchets  and  revolvers  against  a 
boat  load  of  villainous-looking  black  wreckers  who  came  off  to 
board  her,  but  were  successfully  driven  off.  The  two  officers  named 
finally  prevailed  upon  the  almost  distracted  captain  to  abandon  the 
ship,  her  salvage  being  hopeless,  and  with  him  went  ashore  to  join 
the  rest  of  the  crew.  All  hands  lost  everything  they  owned  except 
the  clothing  they  had  on  at  the  time  of  stranding,  as  the  ship  filled 
with  water  immediately  and  settled  down  on  the  reef  until  her  spar 
deck  was  almost  awash.  The  shipwrecked  men  remained  on  Little 
Abaco  about  two  weeks,  when  they  were  taken  off  by  the  U.  S.  S. 
Oimomdcdgua.  The  members  of  the  corps  who  shared  in  this  mis- 
fortune were  Chief  Engineer  Alexander  Henderson,  First  Assistant 
Engineer  George  J.  Barry,  Second  Assistants  Louis  J.  Allen  and 
Henry  W.  Bobie,  and  Third  Assistants  T.  M.  Mitchell,  J.  G. 
Greene  and  Thomas  Crummey. 

Mr.  Bobie  was  a  brother  of  Chief  Engineer  E.  D.  Bobie,  a 
prominent  member  of  the  corps  until  his  recent  retirement,  and 
from  his  unfortunate  adventure  in  the  Adirondack  went  to  the  new 
monitor  Passaic^  where  a  more  dangerous  experience  was  in  store 
for  him.     The  Passaic  and  the  Monitor  left  Hampton    Boads  the 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  333 

afternoon  of  December  29th,  1862,  to  join  the  blockading  fleet  off 
Charleston,  the  former  being  towed  by  the  State  of  Georgia  and  the 
latter  by  the  BJiode  Island^  but  both  using  their  own  steam  as  well. 
Captain  Fercival  Drayton  commanded  the  Paeeadc  and  Commander 
J.  F.  Bankhead.  the  Monitor^  the  senior  engineers  of  the  vessels 
respectively  being  First  Assistant  Engineer  George  Bright  and  Sec- 
ond Assistant  Joseph  Watters.  The  evening  of  December  30  the 
sea  became  rongh,  and  the  Monitor  began  making  heavy  weather 
of  it,  taking  in  quantities  of  water  through  the  hawse  pipes  and 
under  the  turret,  and  generally  renewing  the  experience  of  her  first 
voyage  from  New  York.  The  water  gained  steadily  and  soon  im- 
paired the  fires  by  rising  into  the  ash  pits  and  swashing  against  the 
grate  bars,  until  the  falling  steam  pressure  showed  too  plainly  that 
the  engines  and  pumps  must  soon  stop.  At  10:30  f.  m.  signals  of 
distress  were  made  to  the  Rhode  lela/nd  and  that  vessel  undertook 
the  extremely  dangerous  and  difficult  task  of  remoYingthQMonitor^a 
people  in  the  heavy  sea  by  means  of  boats,  but  before  the  work  was 
completed  the  Monitor  sank.  This  happened  shortly  after  mid« 
night  of  the  morning  of  December  31,  about  twenty  miles  S.  S.-W. 
of  Gape  Hatteras.  With  her  perished  acting  ensigns  Norman 
Atwater  and  George  Frederickson;  third  assistant  engineers  B.  W. 
Hands  and  Samuel  A.  Lewis,  and  twelve  enlisted  men.  In  Com- 
mander Bankhead 's  report  of  the  disaster  he  asserted  his  convic- 
tion that  a  serious  leak  had  been  sprung  by  the  pounding  of  the 
sea  separating  the  iron  hull  from  the  wooden  upper  body,  and  this 
seems  very  probable. 

In  the  meantime  the  Paaeaic  was  having  a  similar  experience, 
water  gaining  in  her  bilges  steadily  on  account  of  lack  of  strainers 
on  the  suction  pipes  of  the  pumps  which  resulted  in  the  pump  valves 
soon  choking  with  dirt  and  ashes.  This  absence  of  a  very  essential 
fitting  was  caused  by  the  vessel  having  been  hurried  away  from  the 
contractors'  works  by  the  naval  authorities  before  the  engine-room 
details  were  completed.  About  midnight  the  last  pump  gave  out 
and  as  the  water  threatened  to  reach  the  fires  and  extinguish  them, 
the  fire-room  was  abandoned  and  the  crew  assembled  on  top  of  the 
tnrret.  The  chief  engineer  was  confined  to  his  room  by  illness 
before  the  vessel  left  Hampton  Roads,  leaving  Mr.  Bobie  in  charge, 
and  he  now  proved  himself  equal  to  the  emergency.   With  a  second 


394  THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THS  UNITED  STATB& 

class  fireman  named  Richards,  who  volatiteered  to  stay  below  witji 
him,  he  put  on  the  bilge  injection  and  for  two  or  three  hours  stood 
over  it,  almost  submerged  in  water,  keeping  the  mouth  of  the  pipe 
clear  and  opening  or  closing  the  valves  as  required,  while  the  fire- 
man attended  to  the  fires.  Captain  Drayton  waded  into  the  fire- 
room  during  this  time  and  gave  the  not  very  cheering  information 
that  the  Monitor  had  just  gone  down.  Eventually  the  pump  gained 
on  the  water  and  confidence  was  restored.  The  story  of  Mr.  Bobie'a 
heroism  is  more  fully  set  forth  in  the  following  alSdavit  made  by 
the  surgeon  of  the  vessel: 

*«  Newark,  N.  J.,  May  1st.,  18»0. 

'*  To  whom  in  the  interest  of  patriotism  and  justice  it  may  con- 
cern, be  it  known  that  I,  Edgar  Holden,  formerly  Surgeon  of  the 
monitor  Passaic^  actuated  by  a  desire  to  see  atonement  made  by  a 
great  government  for  the  unmerited  neglect  of  a  brave  fellow-officer, 
to  whose  heroism  and  fortitude  were  due  the  safety  of  the  monitor 
'PasaaiOy  and  through  this  the  consummation  of  the  plan  for  placing 
Jthe  monitor  ironclads  in  southern  waters  during  the  late  war,  do 
certify  to  the  following  facts;  said  facts  being  not  matters  of  memory 
but  drawn  from  notes  made  at  the  time  in  my  private  journal  and 
in  large  part  published  in  the  year  1863  in  Harpers  Monthly  Mi^- 
azine,  October,  1863. 

^' To- wit:  That  when  in  that  awful  night  in  which  the  original 
Monitor  was  lost,  officers  and  men  had  toiled  for  hours  at  the  seem- 
ingly hopeless  task  of  throwing  overboard  shot  and  shell  and  bailing 
the  sinking  ironclad  with  buckets  passed  from  hand  to  hand,  and 
when  from  exhaustion  and  despair  we  fell  at  times  to  rise  again 
to  the  futile  task,  and  when  from  the  engine-room  came 
the  report  that  one  after  another  the  pumps  had  given  out,  and  that 
the  water  was  knee  deep  in  the  fire-room,  swashing  against  the  fire 
bars  with  every  lurch  of  the  ship,  and  when  finally  the  report  came 
<the  last  pump  has  failed'  and  we  threw  down  our  buckets  to  die, 
that  Assistant  Engineer  H.W.Bobie  stood  alone  at  his  post  and  suc- 
ceeded in  starting  the  pumps  known  as  the  bilge  injections,  and 
frequently  submerged  to  the  neck  in  water,  worked  the  valves  with 
his  hands,  his  head  held  by  myself  or  his  fireman,  while  the  task 
seemed  puerile  to  the  despairing  men  on  deok.      That  he  stood  for 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITED  STATER  885 

lioiirs  tmd^r  the  plartform  around  the  engines  to  prevent  the  entrance 
of  chips  and  floating  debris  from  entering  and  clogging  the  valyes 
which  were  withont  the  nsnal  strainers.  That  these  pnmps  were  the 
only  ones  that  could  be  so  cleared,  the  others  having  suction  pipes 
passing  in  some  way  that  I  have  forgotten  through  an  iron  bulkhead 
and  making  it  impossible  to  free  them.  That  Mr.  Bobie  thus  stood 
at  his  post  after  all  but  one  fireman  had  left  the  engine  rooms.  That 
further  it  was  my  conviction,  as  well  as  that  of  all  who  knew  at  the 
time  of  his  heroism,  that  to  his  fidelity  alone  was  due  the  safety  of 
the  Pasmic. 

''And  I  would  further  certify  that  only  of  late  have  I  been 
made  aware  that  this  unsurpassed  devotion  to  duty  has  never  been 
acknowledged  by  the  Navy  Department  or  the  Government,  and 
that  the  facts  were  not  made  known  at  the  time,  probably  through  a 
patriotic  desire  to  conceal  the  bad  sea-going  qualities  of  the  monitors, 
and  were  certainly  omitted  from  my  published  journal  solely  on  this 
account. 

''  I  would  further  state  that  this  gallant  officer  is,  as  I  am  cred- 
ibly informed,  ill  and  in  straitened  circumstances,  and  that  any  ac- 
tion tending  to  show  a  just  appreciation  of  his  invaluable  services 
should  be  taken  promptly. 

(Signed,) 

"Edgae  Holdbn,  M.  D.,  Ph.  D. 
''Medical  Director  Mutaal  Benefit  Life  Insarance  Ck>.,  Fellow 
and  Vice  President  American  Laryngologlcal  Society, 
Member  American  Medical  Association,  etc.,  etc.;  for- 
merly Assistant  Surgeon  U.  S.  N." 

'<Fersonaliy  appeared  before  me  this  2d  day  of  May,  1890, 
Dr.  Edgar  Holden,  of  the  city  of  Newark  and  county  of  Essex, 
known  to  me  to  be  a  physician  and  surgeon  in  good  standing,  for 
merly  an  officer  of  the  United  States  Navy,  who  certifies  that  the 
above  statements  are  just  and  true. 

(Signed,) 
«'F.  K.  Howell,  Notary  Public,  N.  J." 

Heroism  and  devotion  to  duty  of  the  order  described  have  won 
promotion  and  reward  in  innumerable  instances  where  the  degree 
was  less  than  in  this  case,  but  there  is  no  record  of  Mr.  Robie  hav- 


886  THE  8TBAH  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

ing  received  either  for  his  signal  Bervices.  One  considerable  recog- 
nition which  he  did  receive,  and  which  he  said  well  repaid  him  for 
his  experience,  occurred  shortly  before  the  battle  in  Mobile  Bay, 
when  Captain  Drayton  introduced  him  to  Admiral  Farragnt  with 
the  remark,  '^Mr,  Bobie  saved  the  Pa99aic  the  night  the  Monitor 
was  lost." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

'*  When  the  temple  at  Jernsalem  was  completed.  King  Solomon  gave  a  feast  to 
the  artlfioen  employed  in  its  construction.  On  nnveiling  the  throne  it  was  found  that 
a  blacksmith  had  usurped  the  seat  of  honor  on  the  right  of  the  king's  place,  not  yet 
awarded.  Whereupon  the  people  clamored  and  the  guard  rushed  to  cut  him  down. 
*  Let  him  speak  I '  commanded  Solomon.  *Thou  hast,  O  King,  invited  all  craftsmen 
but  me,  yet  how  could  these  builders  have  raised  the  temple  without  the  tools  I  fash- 
ioned ? '  *  True,'  decreed  Solomon, '  the  seat  is  his  of  right.  All  honor  to  the  iron, 
worker.' "— Jeu?i«n  Legend, 

1882— The  Ciyil  War,  Oontinaed— Increase  of  the  Navy— Steamers  Purchased 
Mississippi  Flotilla  Transferred  to  the  Navy  Department-— Steam  Ves- 
sels of  War  Placed  Under  Construction— The  Passaic  Glass  of  Monitors 
— ^The  DiCFATOB  and  Pubftah— The  Miamtonomoh  Class — Other  Moni- 
tors—The KxoKUK — ^The  Dundbbbkbg — Legislation  Begarding  the  Navy 
— Betired^List  Established — Creation  of  the  Bureau  of  Steam  Engineer- 
ing—Pensions. 

DUBING  1862  the  naval  force  both  in  ships  and  men  was  largly 
increased.  About  fifty  steamers  from  the  merchant  service  were 
bought  daring  the  year  and  converted  into  armed  vessels,  and  a  sim- 
ilar number  of  vessels  was  added  to  the  naval  establishment  by  the 
transfer  of  the  Mississippi  flotilla  in  July  from  the  army  and  by  the 
transfer  of  some  revenue  cutters  from  the  Treasury  Department.  Sev- 
eral vessels  captured  from  the  enemy  in  action,  or  while  attempting 
to  run  the  blockade,  were  found  suitable  for  use  as  war  steamers, 
prominent  among  these  being  the  powerful  iron-clad  ram  Temiesaee 
captured  at  New  Orleans  while  still  unfinished,  and  the  steamer  EaM- 
port  taken  by  Lieutenant  Phelps  in  the  Tennessee  River. 

This  year  witnessed  a  remarkable  awakening  of  public  interest 
in  naval  ship  construction;  an  interest  that  took  the  form  of  practic- 
ally dictating  to  the  Navy  Department  the  types  of  war  ships  the 
country  needed,  and  was  so  powerful  that  it  entirely  overcame 
and  consigned  to  the  background  the  practices  and  prejudices  which 
had  long  been  fundamental  in  the  naval  service  relative  to  the  same 
subject.  As  a  result  all  the  old  theories  based  upon  the  supposed 
unreliability  of  steam,  the  alleged  necessity  for  sail-power  on  war- 


838  THE  STTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Ye88el8,and  the  doubted  utility  of  iron  as  a  material  for  ship  construc- 
tion, were  cast  aside,  and  with  the  prestige  resulting  from  the  per- 
formance of  the  McymJtm  and  the  failure  of  the  old  type  of  ships  in 
Hampton  Boads  the  engineer  was  allowed  free  scope  to  develop  his 
ideas  and  build  ships  embodying  them.  It  was,  in  fact,  one  of  those 
occasions  which  recur  from  time  to  time  when  society  is  forced  by 
unusual  circumstances  to  admit  its  dependence  upon  the  iron- worker, 
and  in  its  distress  to  fall  before  him  humbly  begging  for  succor. 
The  result  of  all  this  was  that  the  greater  part  of  the  constructiye 
activity  of  the  year  was  devoted  to  the  building  of  engineers'  war- 
ships,— ^mastless  vessels  dependent  entirely  upon  steam  and  mailed 
with  iron. 

If  public  opinion  sustained  and  demanded  this  revolution  in 
naval  architecture,  the  same  cannot  be  said  of  naval  opinion. 
With  the  exception  of  engineers,  who  saw  in  the  change  a  develop- 
ment of  their  own  specialty,  the  general  sentiment  of  the  navy,  as 
exhibited  by  a  multitude  of  letters,  reports  and  opinions,  all  items 
of  public  knowledge  through  the  medium  of  Navy  Department 
and  Congressional  publications,  appears  to  have  been  one  of  mis- 
trust, if  not  positive  opposition  to  the  new  development.  Thus  it 
was  that  the  engineer  corps,  with  a  few  prominent  exceptions  in 
other  branches  of  the  service,  had  to  bear  the  brunt  of  incessant 
attacks  upon  the  probable  utility  of  the  new  class  of  vessels;  a 
strife  that  was  well  maintained  against  great  odds  at  first  and 
finally  terminated  in  an  historical  controversy  between  a  prom- 
inent representative  of  each  naval  faction,  from  which  controversy 
the  engineer  and  the  principles  championed  by  him  emerged  sig* 
nally  victorious. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  introduce  any  of  the  opinions  of  the  old 
school  naval  o£Scers,  breathing  hostility  to  the  engineers'  ships, 
for  a  proper  respect  for  the  intelligence  and  patriotism  of  the 
officers  of  our  navy  as  a  class  is  sufficient  warrant  that  such  of 
those  opinions  as  have  been  preserved  are  not  indicative  of  the  be- 
lief of  the  whole  service.  That  belief,  however,  while  not  actually 
hostile,  was  far  from  being  favorable,  and  cannot  be  more  truthfully 
presented  than  by  quoting  from  an  opinion  respecting  iron-clads  sub- 
mitted to  the  Navy  Department  in  February,  1864,  by  Rear  Admiral  L. 
M.  Goldsborough,  an  officer  of  more  than  fifty  years  service,  of  great 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  338 

prominence  and  recognized  profesBional' ability,  and  as  progressive 
and  liberal-minded  a  representative  of  this  class  as  conid  well  be 
found. 

"  Their  absolute  worth,  however,  in  these  particulars,  (oflEensive 
and  defensive  properties),  I  cannot  regard  as  entitled  to  the  extrav- 
agant merit  claimed  for  it,  induced,  I  apprehend,  in  a  great  measure 
by  conclusions  drawn  from  the  encounters  of  the  first  Monitor  and 
Weehawken  with  the  Merrirnack  and  Atlanta^  without  a  sufficient 
knowledge  of  the  facts  attending  them,  and  without  any  (or  more 
than  an  unwilling)  reference  to  the  cases  of  opposite  results,  as,  for 
instance,  the  Ogeechee,and  the  repeated  displays  before  Charleston. 
That  the  charm  of  novelty  in  construction,  or  quaintness  in  appear- 
ance, had  anything  to  do  with  the  matter,  I  will  not  undertake  to 
assert,  although  I  may,  perhaps,  be  allowed  to  indulge  suspicion  as 
to  probable  effect.  Popular  opinion  is  not  always  right  on  such  sub- 
jects, nor  do  I  know  that  it  is  apt  to  be  when  it  runs  counter  to  pop- 
ular naval  opinion.  At  any  rate,  I  do  know  that  the  latter  is  not 
likely  to  be  very  wrong  in  relation  to  professional  matters  of  the 
kind." 

Before  the  original  Monitor  was  launched.  Secretary  Welles 
had  become  convinced  of  the  extraordinary  merits  of  that  type  of 
fighting  ship,  and  in  his  annual  report,  in  December,  1861,  he  rec- 
ommended the  immediate  construction  of  twenty  iron-clad  steamers. 
The  House  of  Eepresentatives  acted  quickly  on  this  recommendation 
and  passed  a  bill  authorizing  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  cause  to 
be  constructed  not  exceeding  twenty-one  iron-clad  steam  gunboats. 
The  Senate,  more  conservative,  delayed  action  on  the  bill  until  Feb- 
ruary, when  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  forseeing  that  the  country 
would  suffer  from  longer  inaction,  addressed  the  chairman  of  the 
Senate  naval  comn}ittee  on  the  subject,  with  the  result  that  the  bill 
was  soon  passed.  In  its  final  form  it  authorized  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment to  expend  $10,000,000  for  armored  vessels,  and  this  appro- 
priation was  greatly  augmented  by  subsequent  legislation. 

Under  date  of  March  31,  the  Department  entered  into  contract 
with  John  Ericsson  for  the  construction,  hull  and  machinery  com- 
plete, of  six  single- turre ted  monitors,  slightly  larger  than  his  first 
vessel  and  possessing  improvements  that  experience  had  shown  to 


840  THE  STKAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITBD  STATES. 

be  desirable.  Ohief  among  the  changes  was  the  locating  of  the 
pilot  honse  on  top  of  the  turret,  and  the  installation  of  a  permanent 
smoke-pipe.  Ohief  Engineer  Alban  0.  Stimers  was  detailed  as  gen- 
eral snperintendent  of  the  bnilding  of  these  vessels.  Encouraged  by 
his  happy  selection  of  the  name  of  the  Monitor^  Ericsson  proceeded 
to  name  these  six,  Impenetrablej  PenetratoVj  Paradox^  QavmJtld^  Palla- 
divmj  and  AgUatOTy  but  the  Department  very  properly  disapproved 
of  these  polysyllables  and  gave  the  vessels  good  American  names — 
Passaicy  Montauk,  Gatskillj  Patapsco^  Lehigh^  and  Sangamon^ — under 
which  they  did  the  state  good  service  and  with  which  four  of  them 
are  still  on  the  navy  list,  and  a  fifth,  the  Scmgamon  with  her  name 
changed  to  Jason^  also  remains  with  us.  The  Paiapsco  was 
lost  in  January,  1865.  Besides  these  six,  there  were  four  others  of 
the  Passaic  class,  built  by  other  contractors  from  Ericsson's  general 
designs,  these  being  the  Nariinicket^  built  by  the  Atlantic  Works,  Bos- 
ton; the  Nahantj  by  Harrison  Loring,  Boston;  the  Weehawken^hjZ. 
and  F.  Secor,  New  York,  and  the  Chmanche.  The  contract  for  this 
last  vessel  was  given  to  Donahue,  Ryan  &  Secor  of  San  Francisco, 
Oal.  and  the  actual  work  of  building  the  ship  was  done  at  the  ship 
yard  of  the  Secor  brothers  in  Jersey  City:  when  the  different  parts 
were  all  completed  a  sailing  ship,  the  ^gutZa,was  freighted  with  them 
and  proceeded  to  San  Francisco  by  way  of  Gape  Horn,  having  the 
misfortune  to  sink  at  the  dock  soon  after  arriving  at  her  destinatiou. 
After  these  delays,  the  Camanche  did  not  appear  as  a  completed 
monitor  until  1866.  There  is  perhaps  no  more  eloquent  tribute  to 
the  genius  of  John  Ericsson  than  the  fact  that  of  the  thirteen  single 
turreted  monitors  that  remain  in  our  navy  as  the  survivors  of  the 
many  vessels  of  that  type  built  during  the  war,  eight  are  members 
of  the  original  ten  of  the  Passaic  class. 

On  the  28th  of  July  a  contract  was  made  with  Ericsson  for  two  large 
and  high-powered  monitors,  which  he  named  Puritan  and  Protectory 
the  first  name  being  accepted  by  the  Department  and  the  second 
changed  to  Dictator.  The  following  table  exhibits  the  main  features 
of  the  Ericsson  monitors  of  1862  compared  with  the  original  Monitor j 
the  data  given  being  with  reference  to  the  vessels  as  actually  built 
and  not  according  to  their  dimensions  as  altered  by  subsequent  re- 
building or  repairs.  The  table  is  from  Church's  Life  of  John 
Ericsson. 


^  .  1 


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THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


S4S 


Contract  price,  each 

Extreme  length,  feet 

Extreme  breadth,  feet 

Depth  of  hold,  feet 

Draft  of  water,  feet 

Diam.  of  torret,  inside,  feet.... 

Thickness  of  armor,  inches 

Diameter  of  propellers,  feet...., 
Diam.  steam  cylinders,  inches 

Length  of  stroke,  inches 

'Side  armor,  inches 

Weight  of  guns,  pounds 

Coal  capacity,  tons 

Displacement,  tons 

Tonnage 

Midship  section,  square  feet... 


Monitor. 

Passaic  & 
class  6. 

$275,000 

$400,000 

172 

200 

41K 

46 

lli 

... 

lOK 

lOK 

20 

21 

8 

lOK 

9 

12 

36 

40 

24 

22 

4K 

6 

44,000 

84,000 

100 

150 

987 

1,335 

776 

844 

321 

392 

Dictator  and 
Puritan. 


$1,150,000 
312  and  340 
50 
21H 
20 
24 
15 
21K 
100 
48 
6 
84,000  and 
220,000 
300  and  1,000 
4,438  and 
4.912 
3,033  and 
3,265 
777 


The  story  of  the  troubles  and  delays  experienced  in  the  building 
of  the  two  large  monitors  is  too  long  to  go  into.  Ericsson  was 
much  hampered  and  annoyed  by  the  numerous  changes  in  his  de- 
signs forced  upon  him  by  the  Department  acting  on  the  advice  of 
naval  oflScers  with  and  without  experience  in  monitors.  One  con- 
siderable modification  in  the  Dictator  was  in  dispensing  with  the 
forward  overhang  of  the  upper  hull,  which  Ericsson  regarded  as  an 
essential  as  it  afforded  a  perfect  protection  to  the  anchors  when  under 
fire.  Officers  in  command  of  the  smaller  monitors  while  the  Dicta- 
tor  was  building  generally  condemned  that  feature  and  believed  it 
had  been  the  cause  of  the  loss  of  the  Monitor,  their  opinions  ultim- 
ately leading  to  the  modification  referred  to.  When  the  Dictator 
went  into  service  at  the  end  of  1864  her  commander,  Captain  John 
Kodgers,  complained  of  the  absence  of  the  forward  overhang,  which 
complaint  angered  Ericsson  on  account  of  the  source  of  the  influence 
that  had  forced  him  to  make  the  change.  Writing  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  regarding  the  criticisms  to  which  the  monitors  were 
subjected  by  the  commander  of  one  of  them,  he  said:  "I 
trust  that  neither  he  nor  the  officers  of  the  turret  vessels, 
all  of  whom  are  admitted  to  be  as  skilful  in  their  profession  as 
they  are  brave,  will  take  offense  at  my  remarks.  I  have  only  the 
single  object  in  view — the  triumph  of  the  service  which  their  skill 


344  THE  STBAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNrTBD  STATK& 

■    ■  ■■        1 1- 1  .1     . 1  III  ,  I.    .1  ■    ■   - 

and  valor  has  raised  so  high  in  the  public  estimation.  I  beg,  ear- 
nestly, however,  to  call  their  attention  to  the  fact  that  thej  have 
entered  on  a  new  era,  and  that  they  are  handling  not  ships,  bat 
floating  machines,  and  that,  however  eminent  their  seamanship, 
they  cannot  afford  to  disregard  the  advice  of  the  engineer." 

With  all  his  engineering  ability,  Ericsson  made  some  mistakes 
himself  right  in  the  line  of  his  own  profession,  and  as  he  was  so 
stubborn  by  nature  and  so  confident  of  his  own  powers  his  errors 
were  seldom  corrected  until  too  late,  for  he  would  take  advice  of  no 
man.  Chief  Engineer  E.  D.  Robie,  U.  S.  Navy,  was  the  naval 
superintendent  of  the  construction  of  the  Dictator^  and,  without 
claiming  to  be  a  genius  or  a  remarkable  inventor,  he  was  a  better 
marine  engineer  than  Ericsson,  for  he  had  the  invaluable  knowledge 
gained  by  long  experience  with  engines  at  sea  which  Ericsson 
lacked,  and  without  which  no  engineer,  no  matter  how  accom- 
plished, can  intelligently  design  marine  engines.  Several  faults  in 
design  were  pointed  out  by  Mr.  Robie,  who  knew  to  a  certainty 
that  they  would  result  in  trouble  at  sea,  but  Ericsson  would  listen 
to  nothing,  his  favorite  reply  to  these  suggestions,  which  was  both 
egotistical  and  incorrect,  being  that  he  had  built  successful  engines 
before  Bobie  was  born. 

One  fault  alone  which  Ericsson  scorned  to  recognize  resulted 
in  defeating  the  hopes  of  the  Department  regarding  the  first  opera- 
tions of  the  Dictator.  Her  main  shaft  was  nineteen  inches  in  dia- 
meter, an  enormous  size  even  for  this  day,  and  the  main  bearings 
as  designed  were  disproportionately  short  for  the  size  ot  the  shaft 
they  were  to  support.  This  was  strenuously  objected  to  by  Robie, 
but  without  avail,  and  the  result  was  that  when  the  Dictator  started 
to  join  the  fleet  for  the  first  assault  on  Fort  Fisher,  her  first  employ 
ment,  the  bearings  wore  down  three-eighths  of  an  inch  in  going 
twenty  miles  and  the  shaft  became  so  loose  as  to  endanger  the  ship. 
Upon  Chief  Engineer  Robie 's  report,  she  was  turned  back  to  port, 
and  for  many  weeks  she  had  to  lie  idle  under  Robie 's  charge  while 
he  had  longer  brasses  made  and  brackets  fitted  to  support  them. 
This  was  a  most  lamentable  failure  when  the  Department  was  ex- 
pecting so  much  of  the  ship,  and  Ericsson  afterward  admitted  in 
conversation  with  Mr.  Robie  that  for  once  he  had  made  a  mistake 
in  not  listening  to  the  opinions  of  another  engineer. 


00 


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c 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  347 

Against  Ericsson's  wishes  the  Puritan  was  provided  with  twin 
screws,  and  it  was  also  directed  that  she  be  fitted  with  two  torrets  ; 
to  this  latter  modification  of  his  plan  Ericsson  yehementij  objected, 
and  finally  arranged  a  compromise  of  one  huge  turret  to  mount  two 
twenty-inch  guns,  but  these  changes  and  counter  changes  amounted 
to  nothing,  for  the  end  of  the  war  found  the  JPuritan  still  unfinished. 
The  yirginiiis  excitement  in  1874  induced  the  Navy  Department 
to  take  steps  towards  her  completion,  but  she  cannot  be  said  to  be 
finished  yet,  for  now  (1896)  the  work  of  converting  her  into  a  coast 
defense  battle-ship  is  still  going  forward.  Very  little  of  Ericsson's 
ship  remains  in  the  new  Puritan.  The  Dictator  was  put  in  service 
and  sent  to  Key  West  at  the  time  of  the  Virginiua  affair  and  proved 
to  be  an  excellent  sea  boat,  but  very  expensive  to  operate.  In  1883 
she  was  sold  to  A.  Purves  &  Son  of  Philadelphia  for  $40,260,  the 
government  having  expended  up  to  that  time  about  $260,000  for 
her  preservation  and  repair,  in  addition  to  her  original  cost. 

Besides  the  twelve  Ericsson  monitors  already  referred  to, 
twenty-eight  other  armored  vessels,  the  majority  of  which  were  of  the 
monitor  type,  were  placed  under  construction  during  the  year.  Four 
of  these  were  large  double-turreted  vessels  designed  to  carry  four 
JLV^inch  guns  each  and  were  undertaken  by  the  government  at  the 
navy  yards  as  follows:  MiantonorMh  at  New  York;  Tonawanda 
(afterward  AmphitrUe)  at  Philadelphia;  Monadnock  at  Boston,  and 
Agamenticus  (Terror)  at  Kittery,  Maine.  Maciiiuery  for  these  vessels 
was  contracted  for  with  various  builders  in  New  York  and  Philadel- 
phia, that  for  the  first  two  named  being  designed  by  Eugineer-in- 
Chief  Isherwood  and  that  for  the  other  two  by  John  Ericsson.  The 
turrets,  side  armor,  deck  plating,  stringers,  etc.  were  obtained  by 
contract  with  different  iron  manufacturers.  The  Onondaga j  also 
two-turreted,  was  contracted  for,  hull  and  machinery  complete,  with 
George  Quintard  of  New  York  and  was  built  for  him  by  T.  F.  Row- 
land at  the  Continental  Iron  Works,  Greenpoint.  Four  other  two- 
turreted  monitors  were  placed  under  construction  in  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  the  contracts  for  them,  dated  May  27th,  being  with  the 
following  builders:  Thomas  G.  Gaylord,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  for  the 
ChicJca8aw\  G.  B.  Allen  &  Co.,  St.  Louis,  for  the  Kickapoo\  James 
B.  Edes,  St.  Louis,' for  the  MilwauJcee  dsiA  Winnebago,  "^ These  west- 
em  craft  were  modifications  of  Ericsson's  monitor,  their  decks  ift- 


848  THX  niAM  NAVT  OF  THB  UKITBD  STATBa 

stMd  of  being  flftt  were  00  much  crowned  that  they  were  known  aa 
^<  turtle-backs/'  and  the  guns  were  mounted  in  tuiretB  built  from 
Edes'  designB  on  the  diaappearing  principle. 

In  September,  nine  single-tnrret  monitors,  somewhat  larger  than 
the  p€t8saio  class  were  contracted  for  as  follows:  With  Harrison 
Loring,  Boston,  for  the  Oa/nonicua;  Swift,  Evans  &  Co.,  Cincinnati, 
for  the  Catavjba  and  Oneota;  Z.  &  F.  Secor,  New  York,  for  the 
Mahopac^  ManJiattcm  and  Tecumaeh;  Albert  G.  Mann,  Pittsburgh, 
for  the  Mcmayunk;  Harlan  &  HoUingsworth,  Wilmington,  Delaware, 
for  the  SoMgua^  and  Miles  Greenwood,  Cincinnati,  for  the  Ti/ppecanoe. 
Two  yerj  small  single-turret  vessels, the  Marietta  and  SoAfidwiky^^^i^ 
contracted  for  May  16th  with  Hartupee  &  Co.,  Pittsburgh,  and 
during  the  same  month  contracts  were  signed  with  James  B.  Edes,. 
St.  Louis,  for  the  Neosho  and  Osage^  having  one  turret  and  recessed 
stern  wheels,  and  with  George  C.  Bestor,  Peoria,  111.,  for  a  similar 
vessel,  the  Oza/rJc.  Joseph  Brown  of  St.  Louis  by  contracts  signed 
May  30th,  built  three  small  iron-plated  casemate  vessels  named 
Chilicothe^  Tuacwmbia  and  Indianola.  These  vessels  had  side  wheels 
far  aft  working  independently  to  facilitate  turning  in  close  quarters, 

and  had  also  twin  screw  propellers. 

One  or  two  novel  plans  for  armored  war-vessels  were  accepted 
during  the  year  as  the  aftermath  of  the  crop  of  designs  submitted  to 
the  iron-clad  board  of  1861.  One  remarkable  vessel  originating  in 
this  manner  was  the  KeohJc^  built  according  to  the  terms  of  the  con- 
tract made  with  Charles  W.  Whitney  of  New  York  on  the  25th  of 
March.  This  contract  called  for  an  iron-plated,  shot-proof  steam 
battery,  169  feet  long,  36  feet  beam,  13  feet  6  inches  depth  of  hold, 
to  carry  two  Xl-inch  guos  mounted  in  towers.  Low-pressure  con- 
densing engines  capable  of  driving  the  vessel  ten  knots  per  hour  for 
twelve  consecutive  hours  were  specified.  The  contract  price  was 
$220,000.  The  peculiar  feature  of  the  Keokuk  was  in  the  disposi- 
tion of  armor,  the  sides  being  built  of  alternate  horizontal  strata  of 
wooden  timbers  and  iron  bars«  each  layer  beiufi:  about  five  inches 
wide.  Like  the  Galena^  this  conception  came  to  grief  when  sub- 
jected to  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  in  worse  degree,  for  she  sank 
from  the  effects  of  the  puncturing  she  received,  as  will  be  lelated  in 
a  subsequent  chapter  regarding  naval  operatipns  off  Charleston. 

Another  iron-clad  of  quite  different  type  was  the  Jhmderberg^ 


:=*r.;— r  -.  ->">/■ — xz"*=^- 


y3^\ 


J3 


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n 


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350  THE  STEAK  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

contracted  for  with  W.  H.  Webb  of  New  York  city,  July  3rd,  1862. 
This  vessel,  described  as  an  ^^  ocean-going  iron-clad  frigate  ram," 
was  a  remarkable  step  in  advance  of  the  war-ship  constraction  of  the 
time,  but  was  not  put  to  the  test  of  battle  as  her  great  size  and  huge 
pieces  of  iron  work  to  be  made  so  delayed  her  building  that  she  was 
not  launched  until  July  22,  1865.  The  tendency  in  armored  ship 
construction  after  the  affair  of  the  Monitor  and  Merrimac  was  to 
accept  Ericsson's  circular  turret  as  the  proper  protection  for  guns, 
and  this  plan,  modified  and  improved  by  changing  conditions  and 
better  appliances  for  perfecting  mechanical  work,  still  remains  and 
may  be  seen  in  one  form  or  another  in  almost  every  armored  vessel 
of  the  present  day.  The  Dunderherg^  however,  departed  most' 
radically  from  the  favorite  practice  of  her  year,  and  instead  of  the 
features  of  the  Monitor  her  construction  presented  an  almost  faithful 
reproduction,  in  a  greatly  improved  form,  of  the  general  character- 
istics of  the  Merrimac,  That  is,  she  consisted  essentially  of  a  low 
hull  surmounted  with  a  sloping-sided  armored  casemate  protecting  a 
very  heavy  battery.  Great  engine  power,  calculated  to  give  a  sea 
speed  of  fifteen  knots  an  hour,  and  an  enormous  ram  fifty  feet  long 
were  important  factors  in  ber  war-like  make  up.  The  hull,  of  un- 
usually heavy  timbers,  was  built  in  Mr.  Webb's  shipyard,  foot  of 
Sixth  Street,  East  Kiver,  and  the  machinery  was  built  by  John  Roach 
&  Son  at  the  Etna  Iron  Works  near  by.  Chief  Engineer  Wm.  W. 
W.  Wood,  U.  S.  Navy,  was  the  general  Superintendent  of  construc- 
tion and  Second  Assistant  Engineer  Wilson  K.  Purse  was  the  resident 
inspector  at  the  Etna  Iron  Works.  The  contract  price  for  the  vessel 
complete  was  $1,250,000. 

The  following  table  exhibits  the  general  dimensions  of  the  ship 
and  machinery,  and  shows  her  to  have  been  an  unusually  huge  craft 
for  her  day: 

Extreme  length 880  feet    4  iuches. 

Extreme  beam 72    *♦    10    *• 

Depth  of  in.tin  hold 22    **      7    ** 

lloight  of  casemate 7    <•      <)    " 

Length  of  ram 50    ** 

Draft  when  fully  equipped  for  sea 21    ** 

Displacement 7,000  tous. 

Tonnage 5^090    *' 

Weight  of  iron  armor i,000    ** 


:ijl\l.. 


c 
s: 
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ss 

X 
Q 


THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  363 

DlUBAt«r  of  steuii  eylUiden  (two) 100  inches. 

Stroke  of  pistons 46     ** 

Boilers— Six  main  tnd  two  auxiliary. 

Depth  of  boilers . ...«-. 13  feet. 

Height  of  boilers -«^.« 17  feet  6  inches. 

Front  width  of  boilers,  eaeh. 21   "   6      " 

Weight  of  boilers 460  tons. 

Tetal  heating  snrfaee 30,000  square  feet 

Orate  surface 1,200      ••       '* 

Cooling  surftuse  in  condensers 12,000      "       " 

Diameter  of  screw  propeller 21  feet 

Pitch  of  propeller 27  to  30  " 

Weight  of  propeller 34,680  pounds. 

Capacity  of  coal  bunkers 1,000  tons. 

Horse-power  of  main  engines — ^ 6,000 

This  ^^ThnnderiDg  Moantain"  of  the  nayj,  as  her  size  and 
armament  as  well  as  the  translation  of  her  name  caused  her  to  be 
called,  embraced  a  number  of  features  in  construction  now  regarded 
as  essential  but  which  in  1862-3  were  thought  unimportant  or  were 
almost  unheard  of.  Bhe  had  a  double  bottom,  collision 
bulkheads,  and  a  system  of  transverse  longitudinal  and 
water-tight  bulkheads  extending  up  to  the  spar  deck.  The 
engine  and  boiler  spaces  were  entirely  enclosed  with  water- 
tigki  bulkheads.  Her  air  and  circulatiug  pumps  were 
independent  of  the  main  engines  and  she  had  also  a  pair  of 
independent  wrecking  pumps.  The  smoke-pipe,  thirteen  feet  in 
diameter,  had  armor  gratings  fitted  inside  it,  as  is  now  universally 
practiced,  to  prevent  injury  to  the  boilers  by  grenades  or  heavy 
debris.  '  The  engines  were  horizontal  back- acting  in  arrangement, 
designed  to  run  at  an  ordinary  speed  of  sixty  revolutions  per  minute, 
with  intention  to  work  up  to  eighty  revolutions  for  full  power.  The 
main  shaft  was  118  feet  long  and  18  inches  in  diameter,  and  was  sup- 
ported by  bearings  40  inches  long  cored  for  water  circulation  The 
air  and  circulating  pumps  each  had  two  steam  cylinders  36^^x36^\ 
which  in  themselves  were  engines  nearly  as  large  as  the  propelling 
engines  of  the  Oanandaiffua  class  of  sloops  of  war. 

Not  being  completed  until  after  the  Civil  War  was  over,  the 
naval  authorities  had  no  desire  to  receive  this  splendid  specimen  of 
war-ship  into  the  service,  the  policy  then  being  to  get  rid  of  as 
many  vessels  as  possible  instead  of  adding  to  the  number.     At  Mr. 


364 


THB  STKAM  NAYT  OF  TJU  UNITXD  STATU. 


Webbr'fl  request  the  ressel  was  released  to  him  under  the  terms  of 
a  special  act  of  Oongress  approTod  March  2,  1867,  he  refunding  to 
the  goYernment  the  sum  of  $1,092,887.78,  which  had  been  paid  to 
him  on  account.  He  immediately  sold  her  to  the  French  gorem- 
ment,  and  under  the  name  of  JSooAambetm  she  was  for  many  years 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  formidable  vessels  in  the  nary  of  that 
country.  The  effect  of  the  presenee  in  the  French  nary  of  the  J}fin' 
d&rberf  is  still  risible  in  the  exaggerated  ram  bows  andhome^slopiDg 
top  sides  so  generally  designed  by  French  naval  architects.  Mr. 
Edward  Marsland,  who  had  been  a  first  assistant  engineer  in  the 
uavy  during  the  war,  went  across  the  Atlantic  in  the  Dunderberg  as 
her  chief  engineer  and  found  the  sea-behaviour  of  both  ship  and 
machinery  admirable.  The  same  day  that  Oongress  authorized  the 
release  of  the  Dunderherg  to  Mr.  Webb  another  private  act  was 
passed  releasing  the  Onondaga  to  Mr.  Quintard,  who  refunded  the 
money  he  had  been  paid  and  received  the  vessel ,  although  she  had 


r-LM-^mT^ 


A^r^wv^^^- 


Jftl»i-^!l±5ft5S?i 


>^5^'  ^^-  —if^^ytctsr^-  -~ 


Longltodinal  section  of  the  DunOtrber^^  showing  backing  of  ram,  arrangement 
of  machinery,  disposition  of  armor,  etc. 


been  completed  and  in  active  service  the  last  eighteen  months  of  the 
war.  She  also  was  sold  to  the  French  and  still  appears  on  the 
uavy  list  of  that  country  as  an  armored  coast-defense  turret 
ship. 

From  the  lesson  of  Hampton  Boads  the  Navy  Department  at- 
tempted one  modification  of  a  war  vessel  that  was  not  especially 
successful.  In  1862  work  was  begun  on  the  frigate  i2oanoibe of  cat- 
ting her  down  as  the  Merrimac  had  been,  and  on  the  low  deck  re- 
sulting three  Ericsson  turrets  were  fitted  by  the  Novelty  Iron  Works, 
New  York.  Although  employed  about  a  year  in  the  North  Atlantic 
squadron,  the  modified  Roaiioke  was  not  found  satisfactory.     The 


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THl  STBAM  NAYl  OF  THE  UNITED  STATB8.  357 

great  Weight  of  the  three  turrets  nukle  her  rcdlisf  dangeroiu  and  the 
hull  was  not  fonn^  to  be  strong  enough  to  properly  carry  them,  the 
thmst  of  the  turret  spindles  on  the  keel  when  the  tnrrets  were  being 
keyed  np  for  action  always  threatening  to  force  ont  the  bottom. 

The  twelve  donble-ended  gunboats  begun  in  1861  prored  so 
useful  that  in  the  autumn  of  1862  contracts  were  made  for  twenty- 
seven  others,  considerably  larger  than  the  first  lot  From  the  name 
of  one  of  these  that  became  especially  famous  they  came  to  be  known 
as  the  SassacuB  class,  their  names  being  as  follows:  Agawcmij  Ascvt- 
ney,  Chencmgo^  Ohiccpee,  Ealaw^  loscOj  Lmapee^  Mackmawj  Masm- 
saUy  MaUabesseUj  Mendota^  Metacomet^  Mmgoej  OsceolOj  OtssgOj  Pmo- 
tvaetj  Peoria^  Pontiac,  ParUoomc^  SassaouSj  SAamrocky  Taoony^ 
Talkbhoma^  Tallapoosa^  Wateree,  WmoosHj  and  Wyahmng.  All 
were  built  of  wood  with  the  exception  of  the  Waiereej  which  was  of 
iron.  They  were  all  rated  as  of  974  tons  burden.  One  other  wooden 
vessel  of  this  class — the  Algonqvm — was  delayed  on  account  of  con- 
troversy as  to  the  machinery  to  be  fitted  in  her  and  was  not  put 
under  construction  until  March,  1868.  A  few  of  the  hulls  were  built 
at  navy  yards,  but  the  majority  of  them  and  the  machinery  for  all 
were  buHt  by  contract,  the  engineer-in- chief  furnishing  the  machin- 
ery designs  except  for  the  Algonqvm.  The  Sassacua  was  built  at  the 
navy  yard,  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  by  Naval  Constructor 
Isaiah  Hanecom,  and  her  machinery  by  the  Atlantic  Works,  Boston. 
Near  the  close  of  the  year  a  class  of  small  screw  sloops,  about  100 
tons  larger  than  the  ninety-day  gunboats,  was  begun  at  navy  yards 
and  contracts  let  for  their  machinery.  These  were  the  Kansas^ 
Afaumee^  Mp»i^  Nyack^  Pequoty  Saco,  Shmomut,  and  YoffUic.  With 
the  exception  of  the  Ko/mos  all  were  under  construction  by  the  1st 
of  January,  1868. 

Important  changes  in  naval  organization  and  administration 
were  brought  about  by  Congressional  action  during  the  early  part  of 
of  the  Oivil  War.  During  the  special  session  of  the  37th  Congress 
in  the  sunmier  of  1861,  to  go  a  little  back  of  the  year  with  which 
this  chapter  is  dealing,  an  act,  approved  August  3,  1861,  created  a 
naval  retired  list  by  providing  that  any  officer  of  the  navy  who  had 
been  forty  years  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  might  be  retired 
upon  his  own  application;  the  same  act  provided  that  officers  of  the 
navy  found  incapacitated  for  active  service  by  reason  of  wounds  or 


'^ 


o 


^    ^ 

<    ? 
s   .^ 


be 

0^ 


a; 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  361 

other  disability  inonnrod  in  the  line  of  dnty  dbonld  be  placed  on  the 
retired  liet,  and  the  officer  next  in  rank  promoted  to  the  place  of  the 
retired  officer  according  to  the  established  mles  of  the  serrice. 
Early  in  the  first  regular  session  of  the  same  Congress,  an  act,  ap- 
proved December  21,  1861,  msde  the  retirement  of  naval  officers 
compnlsory  after  forty-five  years'  serrice,  or  upon  arriving  at  the 
age  of  sixty-two.  A  number  of  old  officers  of  the  line  and  medical 
corps  were  immediately  retired  in  accordance  with  this  legislation, 
and  it  was  due  only  to  the  presence  on  the  active  list  of  these 
superannuated  officers,  unable  to  perform  their  duties  in  time  of  war, 
and  at  the  same  time  deserving  of  all  consideration  for  past  services, 
that  the  navy  received  the  inestimablci  though  deserved,  gift  of  the 
retired  list. 

An  act  to  reorganize  the  Navy  Department  was  approved  July 
6th,  1862,  which  created  the  Bureau  of  Steam  Engineering  as  a  sep- 
arate executive  branch  of  the  department  and  provided  that  the  chief 
of  that  bureau  should  be  a  skillful  engineer  selected  from  the  list  of 
chief  engineers  of  the  navy.  The  same  act  created  the  present  bureaus 
of  Navigation,  Equipment,  and  Construction,  the  two  last  named 
and  the  bureau  of  steam  engineering  being  obtained  by  dividing  up 
the  old  bureau  of  Oonstmction,  Equipment  and  Bepair,  the  business 
of  which  under  the  demands  of  war  having  grown  to  the  extent  of 
making  its  division  a  business  necessity. 

The  present  schedule  of  pensions  for  disability  incurred  in  the 
naval  service  was  established  by  an  act  of  Congress  approved  July 
16th,  1862.  Other  acts  approved  the  same  day  directed  the  trans- 
fer of  the  western  gunboat  fleet  built  by  the  War  Department  to  the 
Navy  Department,  and  reorgnized  the  grades  of  line  officers  of  the 
navy;  the  last  act  referred  to  added  the  grades  of  commodore  and 
rear  admiral  to  the  line  establishment  and  created  within  it  the  ad- 
ditional grades  of  lieutenant-commander  and  ensign.  A  new  pay 
table  was  also  established. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

**  When  sorrows  oome,  they  eome  noi  single  sptosb 
Bat  in  battalions.'' 

—Hamlet;  Act  IV.  $0,  6, 

186&— The  OWil  War  Continaed— Disasters  at  GaWeston— Loss  of  the  OolumMa— 
Raid  of  Bebel  Rams  off  Charleston— Loss  of  the  iBoac  iSmltfi— The  Florida, 
and  Her  Pnrsnit  by  the  Sonoma— Investment  of  Washington,  Korth  Carolina 
—Assembling  ol  Ironclads  off  Charleston— Remarkable  Breakdown  and  Repairs 
to  the  ICaohinery  of  the  TTeetaatcton— Attack  on  Fort  McAUlstor— First  Attack 
on  Fort  Samtef— Destmetion  of  the  JTeolctifc— The  AiUmtarWedkcaacen  ]>a«l 
—Protracted  Investment  of  the  Charleston  Forts  by  the  Monltora— Sinking  of 
the  WtOuxwken, 

NAVAL  operations  daring  the  year  1868  were  condacted  on  a 
greater  scale  than  before  and  were  in  the  main  sucoessful, 
the  enemj's  coasts  being  more  rigorooslj  invested  and  the  lines  of 
the  blockade  made  more  and  more  impassable.  A  nmnber  of  mis- 
fortunes  to  vessels  engaged  in  more  or  less  important  undertak- 
ings which  occurred  with  considerable  regularity  from  month  to 
month  served,  however,  in  connection  with  the  first  unfortunate 
demonstration  of  the  ironclads  at  Charleston,  to  distract  public 
attention  from  the  real  service  being  done  by  the  navy  and  to 
give  the  general  impression  that  the  operations  of  that  arm  for 
the  year  were  largely  unsuccessful. 

The  series  of  disasters  to  the  navy  began  the  first  day  of  the 
new  year  with  an  extremely  humiliating  affair  at  Galveston,  Texas. 
That  place  was  in  partial  possession  of  the  Union  forces  and  was 
occupied  by  260  men  of  the  42d  regiment,  Massachusetts  volun- 
teer infantry,  camped  on  a  wharf,  a  blockade  of  the  approaches  to 
the  harbor  being  maintained  to  seaward  by  the  steamers  Wea^field^ 
CUftan^  Harriet  Zane^  Owasco,  and  Sachem^  and  the  schooner 
Oorypheua.  About  8  a.  m.  the  morning  of  January  first  a  large 
force  of  Confederates  appeared  in  the  town  and  made  an  attaek 
upon  the  soldiers  on  the  wharf,  the  latter  being  supported  by 
the  fire  from  some  of  the  vessels  lying  ueai'est  to  tbmi.  At  dawn 
two  large  river  steaaaera  orowded  with  troops  and  w>e)l  protMted  by 


TBM  gTXAM  NATT  OF  THX  UKITID  8TATIS.  868 

banioadei  of  cotton  bales  attacked  the  Mnri$i  Zansy  or  rather 
were  attacked  by  her,  she  being  under  waj  at  the  time  and  moving 
op  into  range  of  the  fight  going  on  ashore,  and  effected  her  capture 
by  boarding  in  overwhelming  nmnbera.  Her  captain,  Oommander 
J.  M.  Wainwrigbt,  and  Lieutenant  Commander  Edward  Lee,  were 
both  killed,  aa  were  also  three  enlisted  men,  and  fifteen  people  were 
wounded,  the  survivors  of  the  ship's  company,  amounting  to  about 
one  hundred,  being  made  prieoners  of  war.  The  officers  of  the  en- 
gineer corps  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  on  this  occasion 
were  M.  H.  Plunkett,  second  assistant  engineer;  C.  fl.  Stone,  sec- 
ond assistant  engineer;  and  John  E.  Cooper,  B.  N.  Ellis  and 
A.  T.  E.  Mullen,  third  assistant  engineers. 

An  interesting  incident  illustrative  of  considerate  forethought 
under  trying  conditions  is  related  of  Assistant  Engineer  Mullen  on 
this  occasion.  After  Commander  Wainwright  had  been  killed  and 
the  loss  of  the  ship  appeared  inevitable,  Mr.  Mullen  threw  away  his 
own  sword  and  put  on  that  of  the  captain  with  the  hope  of  preserving 
it  for  Wainwright's  relatives;  a  most  generous  undertaking  which  is 
said  to  have  been  successful,  as  it  was  a  custom  on  both  sides  to  re- 
turn side-arms  to  captured  ofiicers  after  their  surrender  was  com- 
plete. 

The  gunboat  Owaeeo  went  to  the  relief  of  the  Harriet  Zone 
but  was  driven  off  by  an  incessant  musketry  fire  to  which  she  could 
make  scarcely  any  reply,  the  narrowness  of  the  channel  preventing 
her  from  getting  into  a  position  to  use  her  guns.  She  had  fifteen 
men  killed  and  wounded.  Her  experience  deterred  the  Clifton  from 
making  the  same  attempt  and  that  vessel's  fire  was  accordingly 
directed  against  the  shore  batteries.  The  Westfieldy  lying  a  consider- 
able distance  out,  had  got  underway  and  gone  hard  and  fast  aground 
early  in  the  morning  when  the  first  movement  of  the  enemy's  steam- 
ers had  been  observed.  About  7:30  a.  m.  a  Confederate  officer 
bearing  a  fiag  of  truce  boarded  the  Clifton  and  informed  her  com- 
mander that  the  Massachusetts  troops  and  the  Hornet  Lane  had  sur- 
rendered and  that  the  steamers,  three  more  of  wliich  had  appeared, 
were  about  to  move  upon  and  overwhelm  the  Federal  vessels  in 
detail.  As  an  alternative  he  proposed  the  surrender  of  all  the  Federal 
vessels  but  one,  which  would  be  allowed  to  leave  the  harbor  with  the 
crews  of  all. 


364  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Lieutenant  Commander  Law.  of  the  CUfton  did  not  fayor  this 
proposal,  but  agreed  to  cany  it  to  Commander  Benshaw  of  the  We%U 
fidd^  the  senior  officer  present,  it  being  promised  that  the  flags  of 
truce  should  fly  for  three  hours  to  give  him  time  to  go  and  return. 
Commander  Benshaw  of  course  refused  to  accept  the  terms  and  or- 
dered Law  back  to  his  ship  with  instructions  to  get  the  vessels  under 
way  and  take  them  out  of  the  harbor  at  all  hazards,  saying  also 
that  as  the  Westfield  could  not  be  floated  he  would  blow  her  up  and 
escape  with  her  crew  in  the  army  transport  Saxon  lying  near  him. 
Finding  upon  his  return  to  the  Clifton j  that  the  enemy  had  made 
many  changes  to  their  advantage  in  tihe  position  of  their  steamers 
and  batteries,  Law  felt  under  no  obligation  to  observe  the  truce  and 
immediately  got  under  way  with  all  the  vessels  and  went  out  of  the 
harbor  under  a  heavy  fire,  abandoning  the  blockade  for  the  time 
being  by  going  to  Kew  Orleans.  Two  barks  laden  with  coal  for  the 
steamers  were  left  behind  and  fell  into  the  enemy's  possession  with 
the  JBarriet  Zone. 

Through  some  terrible  blunder  in  firing  the  Weatfidd  her  maga^ 
zine  blew  up  before  the  people  were  out  of  her  with  the  result  that 
fourteen  persons  were  killed  and  sixteen  wounded,  among  the  killed 
being  commander  William  B.  Benshaw;  Lieutenant  C.  W.  Zimmer- 
man, and  Acting  Second  Assistant  Engineer  William  B.  Greene,  the 
senior  engineer  of  the  ship.  Mr.  Greene  had  acquired  an  excellent 
reputation  for  professional  and  personal  worth  and  his  untimely 
taking  off  was  a  source  of  much  regret  in  the  corps.  In  July  of  the 
previous  year  when  the  Westfidd  was  employed  in  the  operations 
about  Yidcsburg,  Commander  Benshaw  had  reported  to  the  Depart- 
ment in  the  following  highly  favorable  terms  regarding  him:  ^The 
engineer  in  charge,  Mr.  William  B.  Greene,  with  his  aanstants, 
Messrs.  George  S.  Baker  and  Charles  Smith,  have  been  untiring  in 
their  exertions  to  keep  the  engine  in  repair,  and  have  exercised  so 
much  judgment  and  care  that  since  leaving  the  United  States  there 
has  never  been  a  day  that  the  machinery  has  not  been  in  perfect 
working  order." 

The  Confederates  recovered  the  large  main  shaft  of  the  West- 
fidd  from  the  wreck  and  manufactured  from  it  a  60-pounder  rifled 
gun.  This  in  due  course  of  time  found  its  way  to  the  Annapolia 
Naval  Academy  and  has  rested  in  the  grass  of  the  gun«park  there 
for  many  yeani  as  a  trophy  of  war. 


THB  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  367 


Immediatelj  after  the  arriTal  of  the  Clifian  at  New  Orleami 
with  the  news  of  the  disaster  at  Galveston,  Admiral  Farragut  sent 
Obmmodore  Bell  with  the  Brooklyn  and  six  ganboats  to  re-estab- 
lish the  blockade  off  that  port.  The  afternoon  of  January  11th  a 
strange  sail  was  seen  off  Galveston  and  the  iron  steamer  JBatteraSj 
Lientenant  Commander  H.  0.  Blake,  was  sent  in  pursuit.  After 
running  from  the  Hatteraa  until  dark,  the  stranger  ceased  steaming 
and  allowed  her  pursuer  to  approach  close  alongside,  replying  to 
the  hail  that  she  was  ^'  Her  Britannic  Majesty's  ship  Vixen.^^  The 
HaUeras  lowered  a  boat  to  board  her,  when  she  suddenly  fired  a 
broadside  at  point  blank  range,  accompanying  it  with  the  announce- 
ment that  she  was  the  Confederate  steamer  Alabama,  The  ffal- 
ieras  returned  the  fire  at  once  and  for  several  minutes  a  sharp  fi^ht 
ensued,  in  which  the  Federal  vessel  was  speedily  disabled.  She 
was  a  commercial  steamer  originally  named  St.  Mary^  purchased 
in  Philadelphia  in  1861  for  $110,000,  and  was  wholly  unfit  for  a 
contest  with  a  regularly  built  vessel  of  war.  Her  overhead  walking 
beam  was  shot  away  immediately  and  another  shot  struck  and  de- 
stroyed the  main  engine  cylinder,  either  of  which  blows  was  suffi- 
cient to  deprive  the  ship  of  her  motive  power  and  prevented  her 
commander  from  carrying  out  his  intention  of  closing  with  the  Ala- 
bama and  boarding  her.  Shells  striking  the  Satteras  near  the  water 
line  tore  off  whole  sheets  of  iron  and  caused  her  to  fill  as  rapidly  as 
a  perforated  tin  pan.  In  this  fatal  predicament  she  surrendered 
and  her  crew  was  taken  off  by  the  victors,  who  had  barely  time  to 
save  them  before  the  JETatteras  sank.  The  boat's  crew  that  had 
been  called  away  to  board  the  stranger  escaped  and  carried  the  news 
of  the  disaster  to  Galveston. 

In  this  engagement  the  JSdtteras  had  two  men,  both  firemen, 
killed  and  five  wounded.  The  prifioners  were  taken  to  Kingston 
Jamaica,  all  except  the  officers  being  kept  in  irons  on  the  voyage  of 
nine  days  to  that  place.  At  Kingston  they  were  put  on  the  beach 
in  a  most  pitiable  condition  without  money  or  adequate  clothing, 
having  lost  everything  they  owned  in  the  Ilatteras,  In  spite  of 
iheir  unfortunate  condition  the  treatment  accorded  them  by  the 
British  residents  of  Kingston  was  huch  as  to  cause  the  following 
comment  to  appear  in  the  report  of  Lieutenant  Commander  Blake: 
*' Landed  on  an  unfriendly  shore,  in  a  state  of  abject  destitutioBi 


888  THE  STKAM  MATT  Or  THB  UKITBD  STATES. 

that  should  hare  •ommanded  the  ajnipathy  of  arowed  enemiM,  we 
felt  keenly  the  unkind  critioisma  of  those  who  profess  to  hare  no 
dislike  for  our  goyenment  or  its  people."  The  engineers  of  the 
HaJttercLS  who  shared  in  the  resulting  hardships  were  Acting  First 
Assistant  A.  M.  Coyert,  and  acting  third  assistants  Jos.  0.  Gree, 
Jacob  Colp  and  Benjamin  0.  Bourne. 

On  the  eyening  of  the  14th  of  January,  the  steamer  Col/wmlna^ 
a  purchased  yessel  attached  to  the  North  Atlantic  Blockading 
Squadron,  while  on  duty  off  Marlboro  Inlet,  North  Oarolina,  got 
ashore  on  an  unknown  bar.  The  gunboat  Penobscot  went  to  her  aid 
the  following  day  and  succeeded  in  taking  off  about  thirty  of  her 
crew  by  means  of  a  surf -line,  but  night  coming  on  and  the  sea  in- 
creasing compelled  the  abandonment  of  the  effort  at  rescue.  The 
second  day  the  enemy  mounted  some  guns  on  the  shore  and  opened 
a  heavy  fire  on  the  distressed  yessel,  then  practically  a  wreck, 
which  forced  her  to  surrender;  the  commander.  Acting  Lieutenant 
J.  P.  Couthouy,  with  his  remaining  officers  and  men  going  on  shore 
and  deliyering  themselves  up  as  prisoners  of  war  after  haying 
spiked  and  thrown  overboard  the  battery.  The  wreck  was  burned 
by  the  captors.  The  officers  all  belonged  to  the  volunteer  service 
and  included  George  M.  Bennett,  first  assistant  engineer  ;  W.  W. 
Bhipman  and  Samuel  Lemon,  second  assistants,  and  J.  H.  Pelton 
and  W.  H.  Crawford,  third  assistants.  They  were  confined  first  at 
Salisbury,  North  Oarolina,  and  later  in  Libby  prison  until  May  5th, 
when  they  were  sent  north  for  exchange.  The  surgeon,  by  some 
curious  mental  operation  on  the  part  of  the  Oonfederates,  was  de- 
clared a  ''  non-combatant  "  and  was  released  on  parole,  but  it  did 
not  occur  to  anyone  that  the  paymaster  and  engineers  were  entitled 
to  like  consideration.  Perhaps  in  an  actual  state  of  war  there  was 
no  doubt  about  their  military  status. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  January  29th,  the  British  steamer 
Princess  Royal^  from  Halifax  by  way  of  Bermuda,  attempted  to  run 
the  blockade  off  Charleston  and  nearly  succeeded,  being  headed  off 
at  the  last  moment  by  the  gunboat  UnadiHa,  whose  shots  forced  the 
captain  of  the  blockade  runner  to  run  his  ship  ashore.  Acting 
Master  Yan  Sice  and  Third  assistant  Engineer  B.  H.  Thurston  with 
two  armed  boat-crews  took  possession  of  the  prize  and  labored  all 
day  of  the  29th  in  lightening  her  preparatory  to  hauling  her  off, 


THE  STEAM  N ATT  OE  THE  UNITED  OTATEft  Mf 

which  was  accompliBhed  about  dark  bj  the  combined  efforts  of  her 
owD  engines  and  those  of  the  light-draft  vessels  of  the  squadron. 
When  afloat,  the  prize  was  anchored  close  to  the  RousatamCj  acting 
as  flagship  in  the  absence  of  the  Powhatan  and  CimaTuiaigua  gone  to 
Fort  Bojal  for  coal,  and  preparations  were  carried  forward  for  send- 
ing her  north  with  a  prize  crew.  The  Prmeesa  Royal  had  a  yerj 
yalnable  cargo  of  rifled  gnns  and  marine  engines  for  some  Confed- 
erate rams  building  at  Oharleston;  a  great  quantity  of  shoes  for  the 
army,  small  arms,  armor  plates,  medicines,  canned  provisions,  hos- 
pital stores,  etc.,  all  worth  many  times  their  money  value  to  the 
Confederacy.  When  adjudicated  in  the  prize  court  at  Philadel- 
phia the  sum  of  $342,005.31  was  declared  available  for  distribution, 
shares  of  which  made  some  of  the  ofBcers  of  the  VnadUla  almost 
wealthy.  The  vessel  had  powerful  engines  with  two  cylinders  49 
inches  diameter  and  39  inches  stroke,  geared  to  the  screw  shaft  in 
the  ratio  of  five  to  two.  She  was  converted  into  a  gun  vessel  and 
performed  excellent  duty  on  the  blockade  during  the  remainder  of 
the  war. 

While  the  people  of  the  UhadiUa  and  the  fleet  were  exerting 
themselves  to  get  the  PrvnesM  Boyal  afloat,  the  Confederates  were 
making  equally  strenuous  efforts  to  prerent  it,  horses  and  men  in 
large  numbers  being  engaged  throughout  the  day  in  dragging  siege 
guns  from  Fort  Moultrie  through  the  sands  of  Sullivan's  Island  into 
a  position  to  fire  upon  the  stranded  steamer,  but  about  the  time  their 
battery  opened  fire  she  was  floated  and  taken  out  of  range.  Baffled 
in  this  attempt,  they  made  on  the  morning  of  the  81st,  the  Princess 
Royal  still  lying  by  the  Hou/BaJtonio^  a  most  desperate  effort  to  wrest 
her  from  her  captors.  At  4  a.  m.  two  rams — the  Chicara  and  Pal- 
metto  State — came  down  from  Charleston  and  about  daylight  assailed 
the  blockading  squadron,  superior  to  them  in  numbers  in  about  the 
proportion  of  four  to  one.  Without  any  desire  to  detract  from  the 
gallantry  of  this  attack,  it  should  be  stated  that  with  the  exception 
of  the  Soumtomc  and  Unadilla  the  blockaders  in  the  vicinity  were 
all  purchased  merchant  vessels  wholly  unfit  for  fighting  at  close 
quarters,  their  unsuitability  being  fully  demonstrated  by  the  event. 

The  Federal  vessels  were  lying  at  wide  intervalr  ^  apart,  a  cir- 
cumstance that  further  reduced  the  seeming  disparity  in  force,  and 
owing  to  the  morning  mist  that  lay  over  the  water  did  not  discover 


370  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  approach  of  the  enemy  until  he  waa  dose  aboard.  The  fintyee- 
sol  attacked  was  the  Mercedita^  a  purchased  screw-steamer  of  about 
800  tons  that  had  cost  1100,000  in  1861.  Bhe  was  struck  a  glanc- 
ing blow  on  the  starboard  quarter  bj  one  of  the  rams  and  at  the 
same  time  was  disabled  by  a  heavy  rifle  shell  which  passed  diagonally 
through  her,  penetrating  the  steam  drum  of  the  port  boiler  in  its 
passage  and  filling  the  ship  with  hot  steam.  The  ram  lay  so  low  in 
the  water  that  the  guns  of  the  MereedUa  could  not  be  depressed  to 
bear  upon  her  and  the  latter  yessel,  being  thus  both  helpless  and  de- 
fenseless, accepted  the  summons  to  surrender,  the  executive  officer 
going  on  board  the  ram  and  pledging  his  word  of  honor  for  the  pa- 
role of  the  crow.  Nothing  was  said  regarding  the  vessel  and  as  she 
was  not  taken  possession  of  by  the  enemy  she  was  retained  in  the 
squadron  after  the  fight  was  over.  Her  gunner,  who  was  in  his  room 
at  the  time,  was  killed  by  the  shell,  and  she  had  three  men  killed 
and  three  wounded  by  scalding;  with  the  exception  of  one  ordinary 
seaman  slightly  scalded  at  the  engine-room  hatch  these  unfortunate 
men  all  belonged  to  the  watch  on  duty  in  the  engine-room. 

Leaving  the  MercedUa  to  her  fate,  to  sink  or  not,  the  ram  next 
joined  her  consort  in  an  attack  upon  the  Keystone  State,  a  large  side- 
wheel  merchant  steamer  of  nearly  1,400  tons  that  had  cost  $125,000 
in  1861,  and  did  her  great  damage  with  shells,  one  of  which  set  her 
on  fire  in  the  fore- hold  and  another  exploded  the  steam  chimneys 
or  drums  of  both  boilers.  About  one>fourth  of  her  crew  was  in- 
stantly prostrated  by  the  escaping  steam,  among  them  Assistant 
Surgeon  Gotwold  who  was  scalded  to  death  while  in  the  act  of  render- 
ing aid  to  the  wounded;  several  men  had  been  killed  or  wounded  by 
the  shells  and  of  the  latter  a  number  met  death  from  the  steam. 
The  total  number  of  casualties  was  forty,  of  which  twenty-six  were 
due  to  scalding.  In  this  critical  condition  of  the  Keystone  State  her 
captain.  Commander  (afterward  Bear  Admiral)  William  £.  LeRoy, 
ordered  her  flag  hauled  down  in  response  to  a  summons  to  surrender, 
resistance  or  flight  being  apparently  impossible.  The  chief  engineer, 
Acting  First  Assistant  Archibald  K.  Eddowes,  did  not  stop  the 
engines  at  this  juncture  but  hastened  on  deck  and  informed  Com- 
mander LeBoy  that  th<^y  would  run  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  on 
their  vacuum  and  that  that  time  should  suffice  to  get  out  of  the 
enemy's  reach  or  obtain  assistance  from  other  vessels  already  be- 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  S71 

ginning  to  engage  the  rams.  Upon  this  representation  the  captain 
ordered  the  colors  hoisted  and  the  ship  moved  away  from  her  assail- 
ants, being  soon  taken  in  tow  by  the  Memphis  and  in  that  manner 
was  sayed  to  the  United  States  goyemment  through  the  fidelity  and 
knowledge  of  her  chief  engineer. 

Mr.  Eddowes  was  subsequently  promoted  to  be  an  acting  chief 
engineer  and  had  the  honor  of  serving  for  a  time  as  chief  engineer  of 
the  big  frigate  Minnesota.  Being  in  the  volunteer  service,  he  was 
honorably  discharged  at  the  close  of  the  war  and  disappeared  from 
naval  cognizance  for  many  years.  In  the  summer  of  1894  the  hard 
times  compelled  him  to  write  to  the  Navy  Department  asking  to  be 
admitted  to  the  Naval  Home  in  Philadelphia,  his  letter  stating  that 
he  was  old,  broken  in  health,  out  of  employment,  and  homeless. 
Although  not  eligible  for  admission  to  the  institution  mentioned 
under  a  strict  interpretation  of  the  law,  it  is  a  gratifying  fact  that  his 
case  was  considered  in  a  liberal  manner  and  his  prayer  was  granted. 
Although  now  cared  for  in  that  manner,  there  remains  in  the  story 
an  undercurrent  painfully  suggestive  of  the  concluding  lines  of  Mr. 
Kipling's  reproachful  verses  concerning  the  survivors  of  the  charge 
of  the  Light  Brigade: 

<*0  thirty  million  English  tbat  babble  of  England's  might. 
Behold,  there  are  twenty  heroes  who  lack  their  food  to-night; 
Our  children's  children  are  lisping  *  to  honor  the  chaige  they  made,' 
And  we  leave  to  the  streets  and  the  workhouse  the  charge  of  the  Light  Brigade." 

Besides  the  two  vessels  so  badly  used  by  the  raiDs,  the  QaaJ^er 
City  was  considerably  damaged  by  a  shell  exploding  in  her  engine- 
room,  which  fortunately  did  not  kill  anyone,  and  the  Av^usta  also 
received  a  shell  through  her  side  without  loss  of  life.  While  the 
fight  was  in  progress  Mr.  Thurston  on  the  Princess  Royal  by  almost 
floperhuman  exertions  got  up  steam  from  cold  water  and  the  vessel 
was  taken  out  seaward  for  safety.  About  7.80  a.  m.  the  HousaUmic 
and  other  vessels  having  reached  the  scene  and  attacked  the  rams, 
they  gave  up  the  fight  and  retreated  up  the  channel  to  the  vicinity 
of  Fort  Moultrie;  late  in  the  afternoon  they  got  under  way  and  re- 
turned to  Charleston. 

*<  It  was  this  incident  which  led  to  the  famous  dispute  in  which 
it  was  asserted  by  General  Beauregard  and  Commodore  Ingraham, 


372  THE  8TEAH  NAVT  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

on  the  one  Bide,  that  the  blockade  had  been  broken,  and  that,  under 
the  accepted  interpretation  of  international  law,  it  conld  not  be  re- 
eBtabliflhed  until  after  three  months'  notice,  that  time  at  least  being 
thus  permitted  to  free  trade,  by  foreign  nations,  with  the  Southern 
Confederacy;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  it  was  unanimously  certi- 
fied, by  the  officers  of  the  National  fleet,  that,  on  the  contrary,  the 
blockade  had  not  been  broken,  the  fleet  had  not  been  driven  off, 
and  that  it  had  only  been  the  more  closely  drawn  in  around  the 
harbor  of  Charleston  by  the  action  with  the  iron-clads.  This,  which 
was  the  finally  accepted  version  of  the  affair,  was  certainly  correct, 
as  those  of  us  who  were  in  the  action  well  know.  The  whole  affair 
was  over  before  breakfast,  and  at  9:30  a.  m.,  our  prize  was  on  her 
way  to  report  to  Admiral  DuPont,  at  Port  Royal,  convoyed  by  the 
injured  vessels,  which  were  sent  there  for  repair.  "^ 

On  January  30th  the  purchased  screw  steamer  laaa^  Smith  was 
sent  up  the  Stono  River,  South  Carolina,  to  make  a  reconnois- 
sance.  When  near  Legareville  she  was  suddenly  attacked  by  three 
batteries  of  heavy  guns  concealed  on  the  banks,  and  was  soon  com- 
pelled to  surrender,  having  been  entirely  disabled  by  getting  a  shot 
through  her  steam  drum.  Before  surrendering  she  h»d  nine  people 
killed  and  sixteen  wounded,  the  only  officer  killed  being  Acting 
Second  Assistant  Engineer  James  S.  Turner,  who  was  struck  in  the 
breast  and  thigh  by  pieces  of  shell.  Acting  Third  Assistant  En- 
gineer Erastus  Barry  was  wounded,  as  was  also  Acting  Lieuten- 
ant Conover,  who  was  in  command,  and  the  paymaster,  Mr. 
F.  C.  Hills,  the  latter  being  in  command  of  the  powder  divi- 
sion. The  survivors,  including  First  Assistant  Engineer  Jacob 
Tucker  and  Third  Assistant  William  Ross,  became  prisoners  of 
war. 

On  the  15th  of  January  the  commerce-destroyer  Florida  ran 
out  from  Mobile  through  the  blockading  fleet  and  entered  upon  a 
devastating  career  in  the  waters  of  the  West  Indies,  adding  to  the 
terror  already  inspired  by  the  known  presence  of  the  Alabama  in 
those  waters.  In  September  of  the  preceding  year  the  Florida  had 
run  into  the  port  of  Mobile  past  the  blockade  under  circumstances 
that  made  the  exploit  one  of  the  most  daring  of  any  performed 

>Dr.  R.  H.  Thurston,  in  Gomen  Ma^;aztne,  March,  1890. 


THE  STTEAH  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATE&  S73 

afloat  during  the  war.  Built  in  Liverpool  as  a  copj  of  a  class  of 
gan-yessels  in  the  British  navy  designed  for  swift  despatch  boats, 
this  vessel  had  proceded  out  to  the  West  Indies  late  in  the  spring 
of  1862  and  had  spent  the  summer  of  that  year  with  a  small  and 
disheartened  crew  wandering  about  from  place  to  place  trying  to 
r>rocnre  men  and  equipments  sufficient  to  allow  her  to  enter  upon 
her  intended  mission  of  destruction  against  American  commerce. 
Eventually  her  commander,  Maffitt,  with  ouly  about  twenty  men  on 
board  fit  for  duty  on  account  of  the  ravages  of  yellow  fever,  was 
driven  to  the  extremity  of  seeking  a  port  in  the  Confederacy  where 
he  could  procure  a  crew  and  also  acquire  nationality  for  his  vessel. 
The  JFlorida  being  exactly  like  some  of  the  British  gun-boats 
cruising  about  the  Gulf  coast,  Maffitt  resolved  to  put  on  a  bold 
front  and  take  the  chances  of  a  deliberate  rush  into  the  line  of  block- 
aders  in  broad  daylight,  which  desperate  resolve  was  carried  out  the 
afternoon  of  September  4th.  The  blockading  squadron  off  Mobile 
consisted  of  the  Susquehanna^  Oneida  and  about  half  a  dozen  gun- 
boats, but  it  happened  by  mere  chance  that  on  the  day  of  the 
FUfrida^a  appearance  all  the  steamers  but  the  Oneida  and  Winona 
were  away  from  the  inmiediate  vicinity,  having  gone  for  coal  or  on 
other  errands  in  the  neighborhood.  The  approach  of  the  Florida 
was  not  regarded  with  much  suspicion,  as  her  appearance  and  the 
white  English  ensign  she  displayed  made  it  reasonably  certain  that 
she  was  a  British  gun-vessel  that  would  stop  and  communicate  ac- 
cording to  custom  before  proceeding  through  the  lines.  As  she  came 
on  with  no  slacking  of  speed,  however,  the  Oneida  already  cleared 
for  action  as  required  by  regulation  under  the  circumstances  fired 
three  shots  across  her  bow  in  rapid  succession,  and  as  these  produced 
no  sign  of  her  stopping  a  broadside  was  fired  into  her,  followed  by 
a  general  cannonading  from  the  Oneida  and  from  the  Wiriona  and 
gun-schooner  Rachel  Seamen  some  distance  away.  But  the  ruse 
was  successful ;  the  Florida  had  advanced  so  far  and  was  running 
ut  such  speed  that  she  passed  on  and  was  soon  under  the  protectioQ 
of  the  guns  of  Fort  Morgan,  having  received  a  "  frightful  mauling, " 
to  use  Maffitt's  own  words,  and  lost  twelve  men  in  killed  and 
woimded.  When  thoroughly  repaired,  manned  and  equipped,  she 
came  out  in  January,  1863  ;  ran  the  blockade  successfully,  and 
began  her  career  as  before  mentioned. 


374  THE  STEAM  KAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

A  flying  squadron  commanded  by  Captain  Wilkes  of  San 
Jacinto  fame  was  kept  busy  scouring  the  West  Indies  in  search  of 
the  commerce-destroyers.  On  the  first  day  of  February  the  double- 
ender  Sonoma  of  this  squadron,  while  near  the  southern  end  of  that 
body  of  water  lying  between  Andros  Island  and  Nassau  known  to 
sailors  as  the  Tongue  of  the  Ocean,  discovered  a  strange  sail  about 
six  miles  to  the  northward  and  gave  chase,  the  stranger  being  identified 
when  examined  with  the  marine  glasses  as  the  much-sought-for 
Florida.  The  pursuit  was  kept  up  with  varying  prospects  of  success 
for  thirty-four  hours,  during  which  time  no  one  on  the  Sonoma  slept 
nor  ate  a  regular  meal ;  after  traversing  the  length  of  the  Tongue  of 
the  Ocean  and  the  Providence  Channel  the  pursued  vessel  stood  out 
on  a  northeast  course  into  the  open  sea,  where  her  superior  sea 
qualities  enabled  her  to  draw  away  from  the  Sonoma  and  escape. 
The  episode  is  not  especially  important  except  for  an  engineering 
question  involved,  which  is  the  reason  for  its  introduction. 

The  chief  engineer  of  the  Sonoma  was  Acting  First  Assistant 
Engineer  Henry  E.  Rhoades  who  demonstrated  his  capability  and 
zeal  as  an  engineer  by  remaining  on  duty  continuously  during  the 
chase  and  urging  the  boilers  to  their  utmost  capacity  under  forced 
draft,  even  going  to  the  extent  of  burning  hams  and  bacon  to  add 
to  the  fierceness  of  the  fires.  That  he  was  able  to  keep  a  vessel  like 
the  Sonoma  for  more  than  thirty  hours  close  astern  of  the  Florida^ 
built  with  special  reference  to  speed,  is  sufficient  proof  of  his  ability  as 
an  engineer,  although  in  doing  it  he  well  knew  that  he  was  infiicting 
fatal  injury  upon  his  own  machinery.  The  commanding  officer  of 
the  Sonoma^  Commander  T.  H.  Stevens,  published  in  the  Cosmopo- 
litan Magazine  for  December,  1890,  a  very  interesting  account  of 
this  chase,  from  which  narrative  the  following  extracts  are  made: 
<<  Orders  were  at  once  given  to  the  engineer  to  make  all  possible 
steam,  the  sails  were  cast  loose,  and  the  Sonoma  sprung  ahead  in 
pursuit."  .  .  .  "Kenewed  orders  were  given  to  the  engineer  to 
crowd  all  steam  and  use  every  possible  effort  to  increase  the  steam 
by  the  use  of  blowers  or  through  any  other  means."  ...  "  Two 
or  three  times  the  engineer  reported  that  the  extreme  pressure  upon 
the  boilers  if  kept  up  would  cause  an  explosion,  to  which  reply  was 
finally  made,  *  Your  duty  is  to  obey  orders,  mine  to  ciq)ture  or  de- 
stroy the  Florida  at  any  risk." 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITED  STATES.  375 

This  latter  Bentiment  is  an  eminently  proper  one  from  a  mili- 
tary standpoint,  for  more  than  one  commander  or  final  judge  of  ex- 
pedients in  a  camp  or  on  board  an  armed  vessel  can  only  result  in 
confusion  and  failure  through  crossing  of  authority,  but  the  principle 
should  in  all  cases  be  double-acting  to  the  extent  of  holding  the 
determining  authority  alone  responsible  for  the  results  of  his  judg- 
ment, both  in  success  and  failure.  The  last  reference  to  the  Sonoma 
in  the  magazine  article  from  which  quotations  have  been  made 
says  :  ^^  Shortly  afterward,  upon  receiving  orders  to  take  the  Sanorna 
to  New  York,  we  proceeded  thither  and  immediately  after  our  arrival 
there  the  vessel  was  put  out  of  commission.  The  long  chase  of  the 
Florida  made  extensive  repairs  essential."  The  vessel  arrived  at 
New  York  about  the  middle  of  June  and  a  survey  showed  that  her 
cylinder  had  been  damaged  by  overwork  and  that  her  boiler  tubes 
were  so  nearly  burned  out  that  they  would  have  to  be  entirely 
renewed.  The  story  is  concluded  by  the  following  letter  sent  to  Mr. 
Bhoades  under  date  of  July  25th  :  ^^  Sir  :  A  report  of  the  examina- 
tion of  the  machinery  of  the  gunboat  Sonoma  shows  that  it  has  been 
seriously  injured  in  consequence  of  your  neglect  of  duty.  You  are 
therefore  dismissed  the  service,  and  will,  from  this  date,  cease  to  be 
regarded  as  an  Acting  First  Assistant  Engineer  in  the  navy. 

Very  respectfully, 
Gideon  Welles,  Secretary  of  the  Navy." 

The  town  of  Washington  some  distance  up  the  Pamlico  Biver 
from  Pamlico  Sound  had  been  taken  and  occupied  by  the  Federal 
naval  force  in  the  North  Carolina  Sounds  since  early  in  1862.  Dur- 
ing the  first  two  weeks  of  April,  1863,  the  enemy  cut  off  water  com- 
munication  by  occupying  some  works  below  the  town  and  made  a 
determined  though  unsuccessful  attempt  to  recapture  it,  the  two  or 
three  naval  vessels  thus  cut  off  being  forced  to  severe  and  prolonged 
exertions  to  retain  possession  of  the  place  and  preserve  themselves. 
The  following  extracts  from  official  reports  regarding  the  investment 
refer  to  valuable  services  performed  by  members  of  the  engineer 
corps. 

From  the  report  of  Acting  Bear  Admiral  S.  P.  Lee  : 

**The  Louisiana^    Commodore  Hully  and  an   armed   transport 


376  THE  8T1CAM  NAVY  OF  TH£  UNITSD  STATES. 

called  the  Eagle,  under  charge  of  Second  Assistant  Engineer  Lay  and 
Paymaster  W.  W.  Williams,  of  the  LcnmianOy  as  volunteers,  were 
almost  constantly  engaged  with  the  enemy's  batteries  opposite  Wash- 
ington.*' 

^^  .  .  .  Acting  Second  Assistant  Engineer  H.  Rafferty,  Acting 
Third  Assistant  Engineer  John  £.  Harper,  ...  are  recommended 
to  especial  notice  for  their  good  conduct  and  bravery  in  battle." 

From  the  report  of  Commander  R.  T.  Benshaw  of  the  Louisiana: 

^^  Second  Assistant  Engineer  John  L.  Lay  and  Assistant  Pay- 
master  W.  W.  Williams  volunteering  to  take  charge  of  the  guns  on 
board  transport  Eagle,  I  directed  them  to  do  so;  they  have  done  good 
service,and  acted  to  my  entire  satisfaction." 

^  ^Acting  Third  Assistant  Engineer  Thomas  Mallahan,  of  the 
Ceres,  while  attempting  to  land  in  one  of  her  boats,  was  killed  by  a 
musket  ball." 

From  the  report  of  Acting  Lieutenant  Oraves  of  the  Lockwoodi 

<<  Late  in  the  afternoon  my  boiler  commenced  leaking  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  put  out  the  fires.  I  ordered  the  engineers  to  blow 
out  the  water  and  repair  it  temporarily  with  all  possible  despatch, 
and  my  thanks  are  due  to  Acting  Second  Assistant  Engineer  J.  T. 
Newton  and  and  Acting  Third  'Assistant  John  I.  Miller  for  the 
energy  and  promptness  they  displayed  in  complying  with  my  orders. 
At  9  p.  M.  had  steam  again." 

As  early  as  May,  1862,  the  Navy  Department  had  informed 
Flag  Officer  DuPont  confidentially  of  its  intention  to  attempt  the 
capture  of  Charleston,  and  in  January,  1868,  orders  were  sent  to 
him  to  carry  the  plan  into  execution,  the  iron-clads  as  fast  as  com- 
pleted being  ordered  to  report  to  him  for  the  undertaking.  One  of 
the  first  to  arrive,  the  MaiUauk,  Captain  John  L.  Worden,  distin- 
guished herself  the  28th  of  February  by  going  under  the  guns 
of  Fort    McAllister    in  the  Ogeechee  River  and  destroying  with  her 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa.  377 

shells  the  Confederate  steamer  Nashville  which  had  been  discovered 
aground  about  1,200  yards  up  the  river,  the  Montauk  receiving  a 
severe  fire  from  die  fort  without  material  damage  while  shelling  the 
JVasAviUe.  On  the  third  of  March,  DuPont,  to  test  the  mechanical 
appliances  of  the  monitors  and  give  the  men  practice  in  firing  the 
guns,  sent  the  Pasfmc,  Patapaeo  and  Nahant  to  attack  Fort  McAllister. 
The  monitors  stood  the  test  well  and  received  no  serious  damage 
beyond  dents  in  tlie  turrets  and  side  armor,  while  the  few  defects  in 
turret  turning  mechanism,  gun  mounts  and  machinery  that  existed 
were  discovered  and  remedied.  The  Weeha/wken  while  on  her  way 
to  join  the  fleet  broke  down  February  7th  off  Port  Koyal  and  was 
completely  disabled.  The  trunk  of  one  of  her  eni2:ines  broke  short 
off  at  the  piston,  canting  the  latter  to  the  extent  of  cracking  the 
cylinder  beyond  repair.  It  happened  that  the  cylinders  of  the 
Comanche  were  completed  in  Jersey  City  and  were  made  from  the 
same  patterns  and  in  the  same  shop  where  the  Weehawken  was  built 
so  by  use  of  the  telegraph  and  the  chartering  of  a  vessel  the  cylinders 
of  the  latter  with  all  their  attachments  were  hastened  to  Port  Boyal 
and  installed  in  the  disabled  vessel  in  a  remarkably  short  space  of 
time. 

On  the  7th  of  April  DuPont  made  an  unsuccessful  attack  upon 
Fort  Sumter  with  the  Netv  Ironsides^  Montauk^  Weehawken^  Cats- 
JdU^  Passaic^  JSaJhoaU^  Patcbpeoo^  NarUxicket  cmd  Keohiik,  The  iron- 
clads were  in   action  less  than  two  hours  and  were  then  withdrawn 

by  signal  from  the  flagship.  A  quartermaster  was  killed  in  the  pilot 
house  of  the  Nahant  by  a  flying  piece  of  bolt  from  the  armor  and 
Commander  Downes  and  five  others  were  injured  in  the  same  manner 
on  that  vessel.  The  Keohuk  with  her  curious  striped  armor  fared 
badly,  being  struck  ninety  times  in  thirty  minutes  and  pierced  through 
at  and  about  the  water-line  nineteen  times,  while  her  turret  was 
penetrated  and  the  ship  generally  riddled.  Fifteen  of  her  crew  were 
wounded,  some  of  them  seriously.  She  was  kept  afioat  during  the 
ensuing  night,  but  when  the  water  became  rough  in  the  morning  she 
sank,  her  people  being  taken  off  just  in  time  to  save  their  lives. 
Hear  Admiral  DuPont  made  a  discouraging  report  to  the  Navy 
Department  respecting  the  monitors,  and  Chief  Engineer  Stimers, 
who  had  been  sent  down  from  New  York  with  a  company  of 
machinists   and   ship-smiths   to   repair   injuries   to   the    iron-clad s. 


S78  THE  STEA>1  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  bTATE{& 

reported  verr  favorably  regarding  them,  the  two  reports  being  the 
beginning  of  a  famous  oontroversj  that  will  be  dealt  with  in  a 
separate  ehaptei . 

The  iron-dads  did  not  again  engage  the  Charleston  forts  while 
nnder  DnPont's  command,  but  in  Jane  an  event  took  place  that  did 
mnch  to  redeem  the  reputation  of  the  monitors.  In  jS^ovember, 
1861,  an  English  iron  steamer  named  Fin^al  ran  the  blockade  into 
Savannah  and  after  discharging  her  cargo  was  sold  to  the  Confederate 
government  and  converted  into  an  armored  vessel  of  war  by  altera- 
tions practically  the  same  as  diose  adopted  in  the  case  of  the 
Merrimac^  with  the  addition  of  a  heavy  armor  belt  of  timber  about 
the  water-line  and  a  torpedo  spar  fitted  on  the  bow.  She  was  armed 
with  two  6-^  inch  and  two  7  inch  Brooke  rifles,  the  latter  pivoted 
for  bow  and  stem  as  well  as  broadside  fire,  and  had  a  crow  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-five  ofiicers  and  men.  These  preparations  con- 
sumed much  time  and  it  was  not  until  1863  that  she  was  ready  for 
service,  the  blockaders  in  the  meanwhile  having  maintained  a  vigilant 
watch  over  all  channels  whereby  she  might  get  to  sea.  In  June  it 
became  definitely  known  that  the  Atlarda^  as  the  Fingal  had  been 
re-named,  had  crossed  over  into  Wassaw  Sound  south  of  Savannah 
and  might  be  expected  to  make  a  raid  on  the  blockaders  thereabouts. 
The  double-ender  Ommerone  being  the  only  vessel  jast  then  off 
Wassaw  Sound,  Admiral  DuPont  immediately  despatched  thither  the 
monitors  Weeluiwken  and  NaharU,  the  senior  officer  being  sturdy 
John  Bodgers  in  the  Weehuwken. 

Earlv  in  the  morning:  of  June  17th,  the  anniversarv  of  Bunker 
Hill,  the  Atlanta  came  down  to  give  battle  to  the  monitors,  being 

accompanied  by  two  steamers  said  to  have  been  filled  with  excursion- 
ists expecting  to  witness  an  easy  victory.  Owing  to  the  narrowness  of 
the  channel  the  NaharU^  having  no  pilot,  had  to  follow  the  Weehawten 
and  was  unable  to  fire  a  gun  in  the  action  which  ensued.  At  4.55  a. 
M.  the  Atlanta  opened  fire  without  effect,  which  was  not  returned 
until  twenty  minutes  later  when  Bodgers  with  deliberate  precision 
began  using  the  Weehawken^a  guns,  one  of  which  was  a  Xl-inch  like 
those  of  the  original  Monitor,  and  the  other  a  XY-inch.  In  fifteen 
minutes  the  Atlwnta,  then  aground  and  badly  damaged,  hauled  down 
her  colors  and  surrendered.  Four  of  the  five  shots  fired  from  the 
Weehawken  had  struck  her«  one  of  the  XY-inch,  the  first  fired,  having 


THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  379 

broken  through  the  armor  and  wood  backing,  strewed  the  gun-deck 
with  splinters  and  prostrated  forty  men  by  the  concussion,  one  of 
whom  died  ;  the  other  XV-inch  shot  knocked  off  the  top  of  the 
pilot  house  and  disabled  both  pilots  tod  the  man  at  the  wheel,  which 
accounts  for  the  vessel  going  aground.  One  of  the  Xl-inch  shots 
did  no  damage  beyond  breaking  a  plate  or  two  at  the  knuckle,  but 
the  other  one  carried  away  a  port-shutter  and  scattered  its  fragments 
about  the  gun-deck.  Lieutenant  Oommander  D.  B.  Harmony  of  the 
Nahant  was  put  in  charge  with  a  prize  crew,  Acting  First  Assistant 
Engineer  J.  G.  Young  of  the  Weehawken  taking  charge  of  the  en- 
gines. The  prize  was  found  fully  equipped  with  ammunition  and 
stores  for  a  cruise  and  was  appraised  as  follows  by  a  board  of  naval 
officers: 

Hull •250,000.00 

Machmery 80,000.00 

Ordnance,  ordnance  stores  &c 14.022.91 

Medical  storea 2000 

Provisions,  clothing  and  small  stores I,012.h5 

Equipments  and  stores  in  the  master's,  boatswain's,  sailmaker*s,  and  car- 
penter's departments 5f  773.50 

Total  valuation •350,829.26 

The  above  amount,  less  $789.30  costs  of  trial,  was  subsequently 
declared  by  the  prize  court  as  available  for  distribution. 

Three  hours  after  the  surrender  the  engine  of  the  AtUmta  was 
reversed  by  engineer  Toung  and  the  vessel  backed  off  into  deep 
water,  proceeding  later  under  her  own  steam  without  convoy  to  Port 
Royal  where  she  was  repaired  and  enrolled  in  the  naval  service  of 
the  United  States.  Captain  Bodgers'  report  of  the  engagement  con  • 
tains  the  following:  **  The  engine,  under  the  direction  of  First 
Assistant  Engineer  James  Q.  Toung,  always  in  beautiful  order,  was 
well  worked.  Mr.  Young  has,  I  hope,  by  his  participation  in  tliis 
action,  won  the  promotion  for  which,  on  account  of  his  skill  and 
valuable  services,  I  have  already  recommended  him."  On  the  5th 
of  July  Mr.  Toung  received  his  promotion  to  the  grade  of  acting 
chief  engineer. 

The  outline  sketches  of  the  AtloffUa  here  following  are  repro- 
duced from  drawings  made  at  the  time  of  her  capture   by  Second 


JttX) 


THE  8TEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 


ABsifltant  Engineer  P.  R.  Voorhees  of  the  Wabashy  and  were  for- 
warded as  part  of  the  official  report  of  the  capture.  In  a  general 
way  they  serve  to  illustrate  the  type  of  armored  vessels  which  lack  of 
iron  building  material  forced  the  constructors  and  engineers  of  the 
South  to  resort  to. 


V, 


as 


'3 


.¥r«.ii>-. 


t^J^^ 


CoNFBDERATK  Iroh-Olad  AUonto^  CAPTUBBD  BY  THB  Weehouken, 
Enlarged  section  on  A-B  showing  framing,  wooden  armor,  etc. 


Rear  Admiral  John  A.  Dahlgren  relieved  Rear  Admiral  Du- 
Pont  on  the  6th  of  July  and  immediately  began  a  determined  and 
prolonged  struggle,  in  conjunction  with  the  army,  for  the  possession 
of  Charleston  Harbor,  partial  success  being  achieved  by  the  capture 
of  Morris  Island  and  its  formidable  fort,  Wagner,  on  the  6th  of 
September.  Fort  Sumter  was  steadily  assailed  for  months  and  by 
the  end  of  the  year  was  little  more  than  a  heap  of  ruins,  though  the 
enemy  retained  possession  of  it.     A  noteworthy  casualty  of  the  siege 


THE  STSAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  381 

occurred  on  the  CceUhill  while  engaged  with  Fort  Wagner  on  the 
17th  of  August.  A  shot  from  the  fort  struck  the  top  of  the  pilot- 
house and  shattered  the  inner  lining  of  it,  pieces  of  which  killed 
Commander  George  W.  Bodgers  and  Assistant  Paymaster  J.  G. 
Woodbury,  and  wounded  a  pilot  and  a  master's  mate,  all  of  whom 
were  in  the  pilot-house.  It  is  claimed  bj  the  friends  of  the  monitor 
type  of  ships  that  these  two  unfortunate  officers  and  the  quarter- 
master killed  on  die  Nahc^t  were  the  only  persons  who  were  killed 
on  the  monitors  by  cannon  fire  during  the  whole  course  of  the  war. 
The  constant  employment  of  the  monitors  during  these  months  of 
siege  entailed  much  hard  work  and  suffering  upon  the  engine-room 
force,  the  reports  of  commanding  officers  containing  frequent 
reference  to  a  prostration  of  engineers  and  firemen  from  the 
intense  heat  of  their  stations. 

Immediately  after  the  evacuation  of  Morris  Island  by  the  enemy 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  was  made  to  take  Sumter  by  assault,  a  land- 
ing party  of  about  four  hundred  men  from  the  fleet  being  sent  on 
shore  the  night  of  September  8th  for  that  purpose.  While  landing 
from  the  boats  a  number  of  casualties  occured  from  the  enemy's  fire 
and  the  party  was  driven  off  after  a  sharp  fight  with  the  loss  of  about 
one  himdred  and  twenty  officers  and  men  made  prisoners,  Third 
Assistant  Engineer  J.  H.  Harmony  of  the  Hoymtonic  being  one  of 
the  latter.  The  night  of  October  5th  a  most  daring  attempt  to  blow  up 
the  New  Irtmsidea  was  made  by  Lieutenant  Glassell,  Assistant 
Engineer  Toombs,  and  a  pilot,  who  went  out  to  her  in  a  small  and 
almost  submerged  cigar-shaped  craft  and  exploded  a  torpedo  close 
alongside  the  big  iron-clad.  The  explosion  started  some  beams  and 
knees  in  the  side  of  the  iron-clad  but  did  no  serious  injury.  A  mass 
of  water  fell  upon  the  deck  and  also  extinguished  the  fires  of  her 
assailant.  Lieutenant  Glassell  took  to  the  water  and  was  captured; 
the  engineer  and  pilot  stuck  to  their  disabled  boat  and  afterward  got 
up  steam  and  returned  to  Charleston  the  same  night.  For  this  Mr. 
Toombs  was  made  a  chief  engineer. 

In  the  operations  of  this  protracted  seige  the  resisting  and 
aggressive  qualities  of  the  monitors  were  well  tested  and  demon- 
strated. An  idea  of  the  hard  knocks  they  gave  and  took  during  the 
summer  may  be  gained  from  the  following  tabular  statement  of  their 
services,  as  reported  to  the  department  by  Admiral  Dahlgren: 


382 


THE  STEAM  KATT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 


NUMBER  SHOTS 
FIBXD 

JULY  lO-fiKPT  7, 

1863. 

HITS. 

HIM,  APRIL  7; 

FUMT  ATTACK 

ON 

BUICTXR. 

HITS  AT 
FT.   XCALLimiB. 

XV  in. 

XI  in. 

Catekill 

138 
801 

41 
119 
170 
178 
264 

44 

425 

478 
28 
107 
276 
130 
633 
155 
4,439 

86 

154 

36 

90 

69 

96 

134 

53 

164 

20 
14 

"35' 

36 
47 
53 
51 

Montaak 

46 

Lgljigh,,,  „, , 

I'assaic 

9 

Nah&nt... •••••• 

"T 

Weehawken 

Nantucket. 

New  Ironaides 



Totals j  1,256 

6,771 

882 

256 

56 

The  limited  operations  of  the  Lehigh  were  dne  to  the  fact  that 
she  did  not  arrive  at  Oharleston  until  August  30,  and  consequently 
was  engaged  only  about  a  week  of  the  period  dealt  with. 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  December  6,  the 
Weehawken  sank  at  her  anchorage  off  Morris  Island.  The  cause  of 
this  disaster  as  determined  by  a  court  of  inquiry  appears  to  ha?e 
been  altering  her  trim  by  stowing  an  unusual  quantity  of  shot  and 
shell  in  the  bow  compartments  and  learing  the  forward  hatch  open 
when  water  was  breaking  on  board.  Ordinarily  all  water  ran  aft 
and  was  thrown  out  by  the  pumps  in  the  engine-room,  but  with  the 
changed  trim  this  did  not  occur  until  a  large  quantity  of  water  had 
accumulated  forward,  bringing  her  more  and  more  down  by  the 
head,  and  rapidly  increasing  through  new  leaks  started  by  the 
unusually  heavy  load  forward.  This  condition  was  not  discovered 
until  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  before  she  sank,  and  the  desperate 
attempts  then  made  to  relieve  her  were  unavailing;  her  limit  of 
buoyancy,  which  was  only  125  tons,  was  reached  before  the  pumps 
began  gaining  on  the  water,  and  she  went  down.  Four  officers  and 
twenty-six  men  perished  in  her,  the  entire  watch  on  duty  in  the 
engine  and  fire-rooms  being  lost.  The  four  officers  drowned  were 
all  third  assistant  engineers — Messrs.  Henry  W.  Merian;  Augnstns 
Mitchell;^  George  W.  McGowan,  and  Charles  Spangberg.  Two  of 
these  were  on  duty  and  the  other  two  heroically  went  to  the  engine- 
io(vm  to  try  to  render  assistance  instead  of  saving  themselves,  as 


THK  STXAM  NAT Y  OF  THE  UNITKD  STATES.  883 

they  nught  have  done.  The  engineer  in  ch«rge,  Mr.  J.  B.  A. 
Allen,  acting  second  assistant,  whose  duties  obl^;ed  him  to  go  on 
deck  at  intervals  to  report  to  the  execntive  officer,  was  saved* 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

"  For  Southern  prisons  will  sometimes  yawn, 
And  yield  their  dead  unto  life  again; 
And  the  day  that  comes  with  a  cloudy  dawn 
In  golden  glory  at  last  may  wane." 

Kate  Putnam  Oboood. 

1863--The  Civil  War,  Continued— The  War  on  the  Western  Waters— Passage 
of  Port  Hudson — ^Destruction  of  the  Frigate  Mibsimippi — Minor  Opera- 
tions in  the  West— New  Vessels  Placed  Under  Constniction— The  Light- 
Draft  Monitors — ^Iron  Double-Enders — Lai^ge  Wooden  Frigates  and  Sloops- 
of-War— The  First  Swift  Cruisers— The  Kalamazoo  Class  of  MonitonB— 
Assimilated  Rank  of  Staff  Officers  Raised— New  Regulations  Governing 
Promotion  in  the  Engineer  Corps  Issued. 

THE  naval  force  in  1863  on  the  western  rivers  was  engaged  in  a 
ceaseless  and  baffling  warfare  nnder  conditions  that  were  very 
difficult  and  often  disheartning.  Oreat  annoyance  was  experienced 
from  the  development  by  the  Confederates  of  the  torpedo,  and  another 
danger,  equally  unassailable,  existed  in  the  guerriHas  or  <<  bush- 
whackers "  who  infested  the  swamps  and  forests  along  the  river 
banks  in  such  unseen  numbers  that  no  man's  life  was  safe  on  a  pass- 
ing steamer.  David  D.  Porter,  still  a  commander,  but  holding  an 
acting  appointment  as  rear  admiral,  was  now  in  general  command  of 
the  Mississippi  fleet,  which  had  been  increased  by  a  number  of  regu- 
larly built  war  vessels  in  addition  to  the  mortar  boats  and  make-shifts 
previously  spoken  of.  On  the  4th  of  July  Porter  was  commissioned 
a  rear  admiral  in  recognition  of  his  services  before  Yicksbui^,  which 
place  succumbed  to  the  combined  army  and  naval  forces  on  that 
date.  Besides  Porter's  fleet,  vessels  of  Farragut's  West  Gulf  block- 
ading squadron  also  operated  in  the  river,  the  most  noteworthy  battle 
of  the  year  in  this  region  being  fought  by  a  division  of  that 
squadron. 

The  night  of  March  14-15  Farragut  attempted  to  run  past  the 
formidable  batteries  at  Port  Hudson,  Louisiana,  his  object  in  wish- 
ing to  get  above  them  being  to  cut  off  the  enemy's  supplies  from 
the  Bed  Biver  region  and  also  to  recover  if  possible  the  iron-dad 


THE  STKAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


casemated  gnnboat  Indianola^  which  had  been  captured  by  four 
Confederate  steamers  on  February  24th.  Farragnt's  fleet  consisted 
of  his  flagship  Hartford^  three  large  ships  and  three  gunboats.  To 
provide  for  keeping  the  large  vessels  going  ahead  in  case  of  injury 
to  their  machinery  they  were  each  ordered  to  lash  a  gnnboat  along- 
side on  their  port  sides,  that  being  away  from  Port  Hudson  which 
is  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  The  Missisaippi  had  no 
consort;  not  from  any  sentiment  that  the  old  sea-veteran  could 
fight  her  battles  better  alone,  but  because  there  was  no  gunboat  for 
her  and  her  overhanging  paddle-boxes  would  have  made  the  arrange- 
ment difficult  if  not  impossible  had  there  been  another  gunboat 
available.  The  iron-clad  Essex  and  some  mortar  boats  of  Porter's 
fleet  were  also  present  and  did  good  service  bombarding  the  forts, 
as  they  had  done  before  at  the  forts  below  New  Orleans. 

Shortly  before  midnight  the  squadron  moved  up  the  river  and 
received  a  terrible  fire  from  the  batteries  on  shore,  the  ships  being 
brought  into  bold  relief  by  the  light  of  burning  buildings  and  bon- 
fires  on  the  banks.  Farragut  in  the  Sartford^  with  the  Albatross 
lashed  alongside,  succeeded  in  running  the  batteries  and  gained  a 
position  in  the  river  above,  but  all  the  other  vessels  failed  in  the 
attempt  The  MonongaJida  grounded  on  a  spit  in  front  of  the 
principal  battery  and  for  half  an  hour  was  a  stationary  target  for  a 
most  severe  fire  which  killed  six  and  wounded  twenty -one  of  her 
crew,  Captain  McKinstry  being  among  the  wounded.  Her  escape 
from  this  almost  fatal  predicament  was  due  largely  to  the  exertions 
and  courage  of  her  chief  engineer,  Mr.  Oeorge  F.  Kutz,  and  his 
assistants,  the  senior  one  of  whom  was  Mr.  Joseph  Trilley,  now  a 
chief  engineer  in  the  navy.  To  work  the  engines  to  their  utmost 
in  the  endeavor  to  back  off,  these  officers  took  the  desperate  risk  of 
doubling  the  steam  pressure  in  the  boilers  and  with  the  added 
power  thus  obtained  and  the  assistance  of  the  consort  Emeo  the 
ship  was  finally  floated.  This  extraordinary  power  worked  through 
the  engines  resulted  in  heating  the  forward  crank  pin,  the  brasses 
of  which  were  slacked  off  during  a  momentary  stop,  and  the  engines 
thereafter  kept  running  at  full  speed  by  playing  a  stream  of  water 
from  the  fire  hose  on  the  hot  pin  until  the  ship  was  off  the  bottom. 
By  that  time  the  pin  was  so  burned  and  cut  that  the  engiftes  were 
disabled   and  the  Monangahda  and  Kineo  had  to  drop  down  the 


386  THE  8TBAM  NAVY  OF  THS  UKITSD  STATES. 

riTer  ont  of  action.  While  the  engineers  were  straggling  with  the 
crank-pin  adjustment  an  80-poander  rifle  shot  came  into  the  engine- 
room  and  broke  into  pieces  by  striking  the  end  of  the  reversing  shaft. 

The  reports  made  by  the  commanding  and  executive  officers 
ascribed  the  failure  of  the  Monongahela  to  get  past  the  batteries  to 
the  failure  of  the  engines,  but  Chief  Engineer  Kutz  ^as  able  to 
prove  to  the  satisfaction  of  Admiral  Farragut  that  the  casualty  to 
the  engines  occurred  while  unusual  exertions  were  being  made  to 
back  off  the  spit,  and  not  after  the  vessel  was  again  afloat,  as  had 
been  charged. 

The  Misdsgippi  following  astern  of  the  Mcmongahela  also  went 
aground  and  for  thirty-five  minutes  made  heroic  endeavors  to  gee 
off  and  escape  from  the  galling  cross  flre  of  three  batteries  concen- 
trated upon  her.  The  chief  engineer,  Mr.  Wm.  U.  Buiherford, 
increased  the  steam  pressure  from  thirteen  to  twenty-five  pounds 
and  backed  the  engines  with  all  their  power  without  avail.  The 
fire  of  the  enemy  finally  became  so  accurate  and  deadly  that  Gap- 
tain  Melancthon  Smith  deemed  it  ^^most  judicious  and  humane," 
as  he  expressed  it  in  his  report,  to  abandon  the  vessel,  and  then 
followed  a  task  that  must  have  been  most  repugnant  to  those  who 
loved  the  old  ship  and  respected  her  historical  associations.  Her 
battery  was  spiked;  the  small  arms  thrown  overboard;  the  engineers 
and  their  men  broke  and  destroyed  the  vital  parts  of  the  machinery; 
fires  were  kindled  in  several  places  between  decks,  and  after  the 
sick  and  wounded  were  brought  up  the  ship  was  left  to  her  fate. 
Sixty-four  of  her  crew  were  reported  killed  and  missing  and  two 
hundred  and  thirty-three  as  saved,  a  number  of  the  latter  being 
wounded  from  the  enemy's  fire,  among  them  Mr.  J.  E.  Fallon, 
third  assistant  engineer.  In  this  disaster  and  its  sequence  Third 
Assistant  Engineer  Jefferson  Brown  was  the  subject  of  one  of  those 
incidents  of  resurrection  from  supposed  death  which  occurred  a 
number  of  times  during  the  Civil  War  and  turned  mourning  iuto 
rejoicing  for  a  number  of  families  both  North  and  South.  Mr. 
Brown  was  reported  drowned  when  the  Mississippi  was  lost,  and  in 
collecting  material  for  this  book  the  writer  found  his  name  still  in- 
scribed in  the  list  of  the  dead  in  the  casualty-book  of  the  rebellion 
kept  by^he  bureau  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  Navy  Department 
Some  months  after  the  disaster,  when  an  exchange  of  prisoners  was 


THE  STKAM  NAVT  OP  THE  UNITED  STATE&  387 

effected,  Mr.  Brown  appeared  among  the  captives  given  up,  and  haa 
lived  to  be  at  present  a  chief  engineer  on  the  retired  list  of  the 
navy. 

The  following  spirited  description  of  the  final  scene  in  the 
career  of  the  Mississippi  is  taken  from  a  paper  read  before  the  Dis- 
trict of  Oolnmbia  Oommandery  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  by  Chief  Engineer  Harrie  Webster,  U.  8.  Navy,  who  as  an 
assistant  engineer  on  board  the  Genesee  witnessed  the  tragedy. 

^^As  the  smoke  slowly  drifted  to  leeward  we  caught  sight  of  the 
old  frigate  Mississippij  hard  and  fast  agronnd,  apparently  aban- 
doned, and  on  fire. 

^^When  we  first  discovered  her  the  fire  was  already  crawling  np 
the  rigging. 

^^From  every  hatch  the  fiames  were  surging  heavenward,  and 
it  seemed  but  a  question  of  minutes  when  the  good  old  ship  must 
blow  up. 

'^Every  mast,  spar,  and  rope  was  outlined  against  the  dark 
background  of  forest  and  sky,  and  it  was  a  sad,  and  at  the  same 
time,  a  beautiful  spectacle. 

<< While  all  hands  were  speculating  on  the  causes  of  the 
disaster  the  staunch  old  craft,  which  had  braved  the  gales  of  every 
clime,  slowly  floated  free  from  the  bank,  and,  turned  by  an  eddy  in 
the  current,  swept  out  into  the  river  and  headed  for  the  fleet  as 
though  under  helmsman's  control. 

<<As  the  burning  ship  neared  the  ships  at  anchor  in  her  path, 
her  guns,  heated  by  the  flunes,  opened  flre,  one  after  another  in 
orderly  sequence,  and  as  their  breechings  had  been  burned  away 
the  recoil  carried  them  amidships,  where,  crashing  through  the 
weakened  deck,  they  fell  into  the  flery  depths,  showers  of  sparks 
and  fresh  flames  following  the  plunge. 

^^Fortunately  for  us,  her  guns  had  been  trained  on  the  bluffs, 
so  her  shots  flew  wide  of  the  fleet  and  sped  crashing  into  the  forest 
below  the  batteries  of  Fort  Hudson. 

^^Majestically,  as  though  inspired  with  victory,  the  ship,  which 
by  this  time  was  a  mass  of  fire  from  stem  to  stern,  from  truck  to 
water-line,  floated  past  the  fleet,  down  past  Profit's  Island,  down 
into  the  darkness  of  the  night. 


390  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

in  parsuit,  eventually  overhauling  and  capturing  at  the  point  of  his 
revolver  a  Confederate  lieutenant  with  his  horse,  accoutrements,  and 
important  despatches.  The  exploit  was  one  of  remarkable  nerve 
and  daring,  performed  as  it  was  in  the  gloomy  fastnesses  of  the 
enemy's  country. 

On  the  22nd  of  March  while  Bear  Admiral  Porter  with  some 
mortar-boats  and  small  steamers  was  trying  to  work  through  the 
thickets  of  Steele's  Bayou  and  thus  get  into  the  Yazoo  Biver,  he 
was  attacked  by  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  concealed  in  the  woods; 
two  of  his  men  were  severely  wounded  and  Acting  Third  Assistant 
Engineer  Henry  Sullivan  of  the  Dahlia  was  struck  by  a  rifle  ball 
and  killed. 

On  March  28th  the  purchased  gun- vessel  Dicma^  Acting  Master 
T.  L.  Peterson  commanding,  was  sent  into  Grand  Lake  from  the 
Atchaf alaya  Biver  to  make  a  reconnoissance.  When  on  her  return 
she  was  attacked  near  Berwick  Bay  from  shore  by  field  pieces  and 
sharp-shooters,  and  was  forced  to  surrender  after  a  fiercely  fought 
contest  lasting  nearly  three  hours.  The  commanding  oflicer  and 
two  master's  mates  next  to  him  in  rank  were  killed  before  the  sur- 
render, and  Acting  Assistant  Engineer  James  McNally  was  also 
killed,  the  latter's  death  being  instantaneous  from  a  Minie  ball  in 
the  head. 

About  the  middle  of  July  while  a  detachment  of  vessels  of  the 
Mississippi  flotilla  was  up  the  Yazoo  Biver  destroying  Oonfederate 
steamers  that  had  taken  refuge  there,  the  armored  gunboat  Ba/ran 
da  Kalb  ran  upon  two  torpedoes  and  was  sunk  in  twenty  feet  of 
water.  Her  hull  was  so  damaged  that  no  effort  was  made  to  raise 
her,  but  her  guns,  stores,  and  parts  of  the  machinery  were  removed, 
and  her  armor  plates  were  taken  off  to  prevent  them  from  becoming 
of  use  to  the  enemy.  The  Baron  de  KaXb  was  originally  the  Bt, 
LouiSj  the  name  having  been  changed  about  the  time  she  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Navy  Department,  and  she  was  the  third  of  the  seven 
original  Edes  iron-clads  to  be  destroyed  by  the  enemy.  The  Oairo 
was  sunk  by  a  torpedo  in  the  Yazoo  Biver  in  December,  1863,  an"! 
the  Oinoinnati  was  sunk  by  the  Yicksburg  batteries,  May  37th, 
1863.  These  disasters  were  unattended  with  loss  of  life  except  in 
the  case  of  the  Oinoinnati^  which  had  nineteen  people  killed  or 
drowned  and  fourteen  wounded.  First  Engineer  Simon  Shultice 
beins:  one  of  the  latter. 


THB  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  391 

An  imf ortunate  and  unsuccessful  attack  was  made  September 
8th  by  a  combined  army  and  nayy  force  upon  a  fortified  position  at 
Sabine  Pass,  Texas.  The  force  consisted  of  1,200  troops  in  trans- 
ports, conyoyed  by  the  naval  steamers  OranUe  OUy^  Ariaoruij  SacJiemj 
and  Olifionj  all  purchased  vessels  of  inferior  resisting  powers.  In 
the  engagement  the  two  last  named  were  both  disabled  by  shots  ex- 
ploding dieir  boilers,  and  were  compelled  to  surrender.  The  Sachem 
had  two  engineers  and  seven  men  killed  and  a  considerable  number 
wounded,  the  two  unfortunate  engineers  being  John  Frazer,  acting 
second  assistant  engineer,  and  John  Munroe,  acting  third  assistant. 
The  executive  officer.  Acting  Master  Bhoades,  and  seven  men  of  the 
Cl^fam  were  killed  and  a  number,  mostly  soldiers,  wounded;  her  chief 
engineer,  Mr.  Bradley,  was  wounded  and  was  afterward  reported  by 
the  Confederate  captors  of  the  survivors  as  having  died  of  his  injuries. 

In  October  the  conunander  of  the  ironclad  Osagey  of  the  Missis- 
sippi squadron,having  received  information  that  a  Confederate  steamei 
was  tied  up  to  the  bank  in  the  Bed  River,  sent  out  an  expedition 
under  conmiand  of  Acting  Ohief  Engineer  Thomas  Doughty,  with 
Assistant  Engineer  Hobbs  as  his  lieutenant,  which  expedition  captured 
and  destroyed  the  steamer  and  another  one,  took  a  number  of  pris- 
oners, and  returned  without  loss  to  the  Osage.  Mr.  Doughly's  re- 
port of  the  affair,  dated  October  7,  1868,  follows: 

«  Snt:  In  obedience  to  your  order,  I,  with  a  party  of  twenty 
men,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Hobbs,  started  for  Bed  Biver  this 
morning.  Arriving  at  Bed  Biver,  I  could  see  no  signs  of  a  steam- 
boat. I  divided  the  party,  sending  eight  men  down  the  river  to  look 
into  the  bend  below,  and  with  twelve  started  up  the  river.  When 
we  had  traveled  about  half  a  mile  I  saw  the  chinmeys  of  a  steamer. 
The  woods  were  found  so  dense  that  we  could  not  penetrate  them, 
and  the  only  alternative  was  to  advance  in  sight.  The  steamer  was 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  I  feared  those  on  board  might 
see  us  in  time  to  escape  before  we  were  near  enough  to  use  our  rifles. 
No  one  saw  us,  and  I  chose  a  spit  opposite  her,  where  we  could  see 
any  one  who  attempted  to  escape.  I  hailed  her;  two  men  were  seen 
to  run  forward  and  disappear;  I  directed  three  files  on  the  right  to 
fire.  The  fire  brought  the  men  out,  and  at  my  command  they  brought 
to  my  side  of  the  river  two  skiffs  which  belonged  to  tha  boat.     I  was 


TTTE  fJTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITKD  STATES. 


about  to  embark  a  party  to  bum  her,  when  I  heard  a  steamboat  de- 
scending the  river.  I  ordered  the  men  out  of  sight  behind  a  Uirge 
log  and  some  bushes,  and  in  two  minutes  I  saw  a  steamer  round  the 
point  above.  I  waited  until  she  was  within  four  hundred  yards,  and 
showed  myself,  and  ordered  her  to  stop.  She  did  so,  and  I  found 
myself  in  possession  of  nine  prisoners  and  two  steamboats.  I  knew 
I  could  not  get  them  out  of  the  river,  and  I  ordered  the  destruction 
of  the  first  one  captured,  the  Argus^  and  embarked  on  board  the  sec- 
ond, the  Bobert  Fvlton^  and  steamed  down  to  the  landing  where  I 
first  struck  the  river,  where  I  ordered  her  to  be  set  on  fire,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  she  was  one  mass  of  flame.  She  was  the  better  vessel 
of  the  two,  and  was  valued  by  her  owner  at  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars.  Neither  of  them  had  any  cargo  on  board.  I  captured  all 
the  officers  of  the  boats,  one  first  lieutenant  in  the  Confederate  army, 
and  three  negroes." 

Admiral  Porter  in  reporting  this  affair  to  the  Department  said, 
<<  This  is  a  great  loss  to  the  rebels  at  this  moment,  as  it  cats  off  their 
means  of  operating  across  that  part  of  Atchafalaya  where  they  lately 
came  over  to  attack  Morganzia.  This  capture  will  deter  others  from 
coming  down  Bed  Siver.  The  affair  was  well  managed,  and  the  officers 
and  men  composing  the  expedition  deserve  great  credit  for  the  share 
they  took  in  it." 

During  1863  the  navy  was  increased  by  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  vessels  of  all  kinds  acquired  by  purchase  or  capture,  and  lost 
thirty-two  in  battle  or  by  accidental  destruction.  Fifty-ei^t 
vessels  of  war  were  placed  under  construction  during  the  same 
period.  The  first  of  these  were  twenty  light-draft  single-torreted 
monitors,  contracts  for  the  construction  of  which  were  distributed 
among  a  dozen  different  cities  from  Portland,  Maine,  to  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  during  the  spring  months  of  the  year.  The  general  plans 
for  these  monitors  were  furnished  by  John  Ericsson  and  the  entire 
control  and  supervision  of  their  building  was  entrusted  to  Ohief 
Engineer  A.  C,  Stimers.  They  were  designed  to  draw  six  feet  of 
water  and  were  intended  to  operate  in  shallow  rivers  and  other 
inland  waters  where  guerrillas  had  made  the  service  of  other  types 
of  light-draft  boats  extremely  perilous  and  of  doubtful  success.  For 
causes  that  will  be  referred  to  later,  these  monitors  failed  to  falfiU 


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THIS  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THS  UNITBD  STATES. 


their  miBBion  and  neyer  rendered  any  service  of  value  to  the  govem- 
ment  Their  names  were,  Ouoo,  OMmo,  Ooho€9^  Etlah^  Elamath^ 
EbiOj  ModoCj  Napa^  NmibuCy  Nwasett^  ShoMmes^  ShUo\  Squa/ndo- 
Sunoooh^  TwnmB^  Umpqua^  WassuOj  Wcuoaaw,  Yaaoo^  and  Yvma. 

In  June  and  July  contracts  were  made  with  various  ship- builders 
for  seven  iron  double-enders,  somewhat  larger  than  those  of  the 
two  classes  previously  built;  each  had  a  single  inclined  low-pressure 
engine  from  designs  furnished  by  the  engineer-in-chief.  They  were 
of  1,370  tons  displacement  and  were  named  Azhfudot^  Mohango^ 
Mimocacy^  Jhueootay  Shamoken^  Swwanee^  and  Winnipec. 

In  order  to  provide  for  a  fleet  that  would  be  useful  for  general 
cruising  purposes  when  peace  should  be  restored,  the  Department 
had  plans  prepared  by  the  Bureau  of  Oonstruction  during  the 
summer  for  a  number  of  large  wooden  frigates  and  sloops-of-war, 
and  began  the  construction  of  a  number  of  them  at  the  different 
navy  yards.  Unfortunately  the  supply  of  seasoned  timber  had  been 
so  drawn  upon  by  the  unusual  amount  of  ship-building  of  the  pre- 
ceding years  that  much  green  material  had  to  be  used  in  these 
vessels  and  as  a  consequence  those  that  were  eventually  finished 
were  very  short-lived.  Being  long  and  narrow,  they  were  strength- 
ened with  diagonal  iron  bracing  amounting  almost  to  an  enormous 
iron  basket  woven  over  the  hull,  and  this  held  them  together  long 
after  the  decay  of  the  timbers  and  would  have  caused  them  to  fall 
in  pieces. 

Eight  of  these  ships  were  gun-deck  frigates  of  4,000  tons  dis- 
placement and  full  ship-rigged.  They  were  about  310  feet  long 
between  perpendiculars  and  forty-six  feet  extreme  beam.  Their 
names  were,  Antietwni^  Ouerriere,  IHinaiBj  Java,  Kewwydm^ 
MSfmetanka^  OrUario^  and  PUcataqua.  Two  other  gun-deck  frig- 
ates, the  JBdmUo  and  Wautaga,  somewhat  larger  than  these  eight, 
were  projected  at  the  same  time,  but  their  hulls  were  never  built.  ' 
In  addition  to  the  frigates,  ten  large  sloops-of-war  of  what  was 
known  as  the  OoTUoocook  class  were  ordered.  They  were  of  about 
3,050  tons  displacement  and  were  named  Arapahoe^  CorUooeookj 
Keasauquc^  ManUouj  Mondamm^  JUosholu,  Pashmatahaj  TahgayvJta^ 
WoMiJoseUj  and  Willamette.  Of  these  only  four — the  Contoocook^ 
ManiUmj  Mosfiolu  and  PushmaiaJia — were  ever  built,  and  they, 
with  the  new  names  of  Albany^  Worcester^    Severn^  and  Oangreee 


896  THIS  STEAM  KAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATSa 

respectively,  fell  into  decay  after  not  many  years'  service.  All 
twenty  of  the  ships  above  named  were  to  have  two-cylinder  back- 
acting  engines  of  the  Isherwood  type,  the  cylinders  being  sixty 
inches  in  diameter  and  three  feet  stroke  of  piston;  boilers  for  each 
vessel  were  specified  to  have  not  less  than  546  sqnare  feet  of  grate 
service.  Late  in  the  fall  Hr.  Isherwood,  acting  for  the  Depart- 
ment, entered  into  contracts  with  eleven  different  machinery  firms 
for  the  engines  and  boilers  of  these  ships,  the  contract  price  for 
machinery  for  each  ship  being  f 400, 000,  except  the  Ontario  which 
contract  was  awarded  to  John  Boach  of  the  Etna  Iron  Works  for 
9886,000.  Owing  to  the  non-completion  of  the  hnlls  of  many  of 
the  ships,  the  matter  of  making  settlements  and  compromises  with 
the  machinery  contractors  became  a  vexed  problem  for  the  bureau 
of  steam  engineering  to  struggle  with  after  the  war. 

The  swift  cruiser  came  into  existence  this  ^ear  also  by  the  be- 
ginning of  work  on  seven  vessels  in  which  speed  was  to  be  the  most 
important  element.  The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in  explaining  the 
need  of  having  such  vessels  said  in  his  annual  report  for  that  year, 
^'  Besides  the  turreted  vessels  for  coast  defense  and  large  armored 
ships  for  naval  confiict  we  need  and  should  have  steamers  of  high 
speed  constructed  of  wood,  with  which  to  sweep  the  ocean,  and 
chase  and  hunt  down  the  vessels  of  an  enemy."  One  of  these 
cruisers,  the  Idaho^  was  the  child  of  Mr.  E.  N.  Dickerson,  who  had 
secured  sufficient  infiuence  to  obtain  this  opportunity  of  experiment- 
ing on  a  large  scale  with  his  theory  of  perfect  expansion  of  gases 
when  applied  to  the  steam  engine.  With  the  Idako  the  Bureau  of 
Steam  Engineering  had  nothing  to  do,  the  contract  for  hull  and 
machinery  complete  being  made  by  the  Bureau  of  Oonstruction  in 
May,  1868,  with  Paul  L.  Forbes  and  E.  N.  Dickerson,  the  contract 
price  being  (600,000.  The  hull  was  built  by  the  famous  ship- 
builder. Steers,  of  New  York,  and  the  machinery  by  the  Morgan 
Iron  Works  from  designs  prepared  by  Mr.  Dickerson;  there  were 
two  pairs  of  engines  driving  twin  screws,  the  cylinders  having  the 
very  remarkable  dimensions  for  marine  engines  of  eight  feet  stroke 
and  thirty  inches  diameter.  The  Idaho  was  298  feet  long,  44^  feet 
beam,  and  of  3,240  tons  displacement. 

John  Ericsson  also  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  try 
engineering  conclusions  with  Engineer-in-Ohief  Isherwood.    It 


^     2 

O 


TUB  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THS  UNITBD  8TATE&  8^ 

arraDged  that  two  ships  exactly  alike  should  be  built,  one  to  be 
fitted  with  Isherwood's  engines  and  the  other  with  Ericsson's.  The 
ships  were  the  MadawasJca  and  Wam^noag^  bnilt  side  by  side  in 
the  Brooklyn  navy  yard  by  that  master-bnilder,  Naval  Constructor 
B.  F.  Delano;  they  were  386  feet  long,  45.3  feet  beam,  4,200  tons 
displacement,  and  rated  at  8,281  tons  burden.  Their  boilers  and 
all  auxiliaries  were  the  same.  Isherwood's  engines  consisted  of  a 
pair  of  cylinders  100  inches  in  diameter  and  four  feet  stroke, 
arranged  by  means  of  huge  wood-toothed  gear  wheels  to  make  one 
double  stroke  of  the  piston  for  every  2.04  revolutions  of  the  pro- 
peller shaft.  Ericsson's  cylinders  were  the  same  in  number  and 
dimensions  as  Isherwood's,  but  their  arrangement  was  according  to 
his  patented  vibrating  lever  type,  connecting  directly  with  the  shaft. 
Ericsson's  engines  for  the  MadavHuika  were  built  at  the  Allaire  Iron 
Works,  Kew  York,  and  Isherwood's  for  the  Wwm^pimoag  at  the 
Novelty  Iron  Works  in  the  same  city,  the  contract  price  in  each 
ease  being  9700,000. 

Still  another  ship  entered  into  this  competition  for  speed  was  the 
ChatUmooga  by  the  Cramp  &  Sons  Ship  Building  Co.  of  Philadel- 
phia, which  firm  built  the  hull  at  their  own  yard  and  obtained  the 
machinery  by  sub-contract  from  Merrick  &  Sons.  The  Chattcmooga 
had  a  pair  of  back-acting  engijies,  84  inches  diameter  by  42  inch 
«troke,  and  980  square  feet  of  grate  surface;  her  length  was  816  feet; 
breadth  46  feet,  and  displacement  8,040  tons.  The  contract  price 
for  the  vessel  complete  was  9600,000.  The  three  other  cruisers  not 
jet  mentioned  were  the  Pomponaomic^  AmTnonoosvCj  and  Nesharnmy, 
all  of  which  had  Isherwood  engines  precisely  like  those  of  the  TFbm- 
pcmoagy  and  which  cost  9700,000  for  each  of  the  first  two  named  and 
$680,000  for  the  Neahammy.  The  machinery  for  the  Pomponoosuc 
was  built  by  the  Corliss  Steam  Engine  Co.  of  Providence,  Bhode  Is- 
land; that  for  the  AmmonoosuG  by  George  Quintard  at  ike  Morgan 
Iron  Works,  New  York,  and  that  for  the  Neahammy  by  John  Eoach, 
New  York.  The  Ammonoosuc  was  built  at  the  Boston  Navy  Yard 
and  the  Neshaminy  at  the  Philadelphia  navy  yard,  these  two  being 
sister  ships,  and  of  about  4,000  tons  displacement  each.  The  Pom- 
ponoonuc  was  somewhat  larger  than  the  other  two,  but  was  never 
completed:  under  the  name  of  Qmnedicvi  she  stood  in  frame  on  the 
stocks  at  the  Boston  navy  yard  for  many  years  and  was  finally  broken 


400  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

up.  The  completion  and  speed  trials  of  these  crnisers  did  not  occur 
until  some  time  after  the  close  of  the  war;  the  trials  of  some  of  them 
demonstrated  a  new  possibility  in  war-ship  building  and  were  the 
occasion  for  one  of  the  most  remarkable  professional  triumphs  erer 
achieved  by  an  engineer,  for  which  reasons  the  subject  will  be  taken 
up  in  detail  hereafter. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  year  it  was  decided  to  build  four  double- 
turreted  monitors  to  be  heavily  armed  and  armored  and  adapted  to 
ocean  cruising;  battle-ships,  in  fact.  These  were  big  vessels  (5,660 
tons  displacement)  with  big  names — Q^insigamiyndy  PasMconavjajy 
Kalamazoo,  and  Shackamaaon.  The  hulls  were  put  under  construc- 
tion at  four  different  navy  yards,  wood  being  used,  and  all  deck- 
plating,  side  armor,  turrets,  etc.,  obtained  by  contract  with  iron 
masters.  In  December  the  Bureau  of  Steam  Engineering  made  con- 
tracts for  theii  machinery,  the  contract  price  for  that  for  the  Qudnsi- 
gamond  and  Kalamazoo  being  9680,000  each,  and  $590,000  each  for 
the  other  two.  The  contracts  called  for  twin  screws,  each  screw  shaft 
to  be  actuated  by  a  pair  of  direct-acting  horizontal  engines  with  cyl- 
inders 46^  inches  in  diameter  and  50  inches  stroke;  horizontal  tubu- 
lar boilers  of  not  less  than  900  square  feet  of  grate  surface  for  each 
vessel  were  specified.  Designs  for  this  machinery  were  furnished 
the  contractors  by  Mr.  John  Baird,  engineer,  of  New  York  city. 
None  of  the  hulls  were  ever  completed,  but  under  changed  names 
they  stood  on  the  stocks  for  a  number  of  years  and  were  eventually 
broken  up.  The  following  table  shows  the  place  of  building  of  the 
ships  and  machinery: 


nT.n  AND  NEW  NAliK. 

WHERE  BUILT. 

HULL. 

MACBINBBY. 

QuinsigamoDd,  (Oregon).. 

Passaconowav,  (Mass.) 

Kalamasoo,  (GoIosbub) 

Shackamaxon,  (Nebraska) 

Boston  Navy  Yard. 
Kittery  Navy  Yard. 
New  York  Navy  Yard. 
Philadelphia  Navy  Yard. 

Atlantic  Works.  Boetoa 
Delamater  Iron  Works,  N.Y 

(«                         ««                  «                   M 

Pusey,  Jones  A  Go.  Wil'n  Dal. 

In  November  of  this  year  Mr.  Isherwood  entered  into  a  con- 
tract with  the  Atlantic  Works  of  Boston  for  a  complete  outfit  of 
machinery  for  the  big  frigate  JP'raTiklin^  still  unfinished  at  the 
Eittery  navy  yard.     The  contract  called  for  a  pair  of  back-actiDg 


THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATE&  401 

engines  with  cylinders  68  inches  in  diameter  and  42  inches  stroke; 
four  vertical  water- tube  boilers;  two  superheating  boilers;  a  Se well's 
surface  condenser,  and  a  detachable  hoisting  screw.  The  contract 
price  was  (440,000. 

Under  the  old  naval  organization  the  ranks  of  line  officers  as 
established  by  law  were,  midshipman,  master,  lieutenant,  com- 
mander, and  captain.  Staff  officers  held  assimilated  rank  with  these 
up  to  the  rank  of  commander,  as  directed  by  Secretary  Toucey's 
order  of  January  13,  1859.  In  1862,  as  has  been  noted,  the  line 
ranks  were  increased  by  adding  commodore  and  rear  admiral  at  the 
top  and  inserting  the  intermediate  ranks  of  ensign  and  lieutenant- 
commander,  no  change  in  the  assimilated  rank  of  the  staff  being 
made  at  that  time.  To  remedy  the  practical  reduction  in  rank  of 
the  staff  thus  occasioned  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  issued  an  order, 
dated  March  13,  1863,  re-grading  the  relative  rank  of  the  staff 
corps,  that  part  of  the  order  especially  interesting  to  engineers  read- 
ing as  follows: 

^^ Third  Assistant  Engi/neers  to  rank  with  Midshipmen. 

^^ Second  Assistant  Engineers  to  rank  with  Ensigns. 

^^ First  Assistant  Engineers  to  rank  with  Masters.. 

^^  Chief  Engineers  to  rank  with  Lieutenant  Commanders  for  the 
first  five  years  after  promotion;  after  the  first  five  years,  with  Com- 
manders; and  after  fifteen  years  date  of  commission,  to  rank  with 
Captains. 

^^Fleet  Engineer  to  rank  with  the  Captain. 

''The  J^^^  Captain  to  hQ  called  the  'Chief  of  Staff,'  and  to 
take  precedence  of  the  Staff  Officers  of  every  grade. 

^^  Chiefs  of  Bv^eauxoi  the  S'taff  Corps  to  rank  with  Commo- 
dores, and  to  take  precedence  of  each  other  according  to  their  dates 
of  commission  as  Surgeons,  Paymasters,  Naval  Constructors,  and 
^Engineers,  and  not  according  to  the  date  of  appointment  as  Fleet 
Officer,  or  Chief  of  Bureau. 

^^Eleet  Stqff  Offlcers  to  take  precedence  of  Executive  Officers.  '* 

August  11th,  1863,  the  Navy  Department  issued  a  circular 
directing  that  thereafter  no  more  appointments  of  engineers  for  act- 
ing or  volunteer  service  should  be  made  until  the  applicant  had 
passed  satisfactory   examinations  before   the  chief  engineer  and 


402  THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 

Burgeon  of  the  navy  jard  where  application  for  appointment 
made. 

The  following  ia  an  extract  from  a  general  order  iaaned  by  the 
department  under  date  of  September  16,  186S: 

* 'Engineers  will  hereafter  understand  that  the  condition  of  the 
machinery  under  their  charge  on  the  arrival  of  the  yeasel  from  a 
cmiflie  will  be  considered  as  a  test  of  their  efficiency  and  fidelity  in 
the  discharge  of  their  dnties;  and  that  the  resnlt  of  the  examination 
then  made  will  determine  whether  they  have  discharged  their  duties 
in  such  manner  as  to  deserre  commendation,  or  have  been  so  groisly 
negligent  or  incompetent  as  to  render  their  expulsion  from  the 
service  an  act  of  justice  to  the  public." 

On  the  22nd  of  December  a  new  schedule  of  examinations  for 
promotion  of  engineers  in  the  regular  service  was  promulgated  by 
circular  order,  the  standard  being  raised  considerably  above  the 
requirements  of  the  regulation  on  the  subject  issued  in  1869.  This 
order  was  specified  to  apply  temporarily  only,  during  the  war,  and 
to  the  examination  of  engineers  in  the  squadrons. 


CHAPTEB  XXm. 

*^  Be  aware 
Of  entrance  to  a  quarrel ;  bat  being  in, 
Bear't  that  the  oppoaed  may  be  aware  of  thee." 

Hamlet;  Act  I,  8e.  8. 

1869^The  Ciill  War,  Gontinned— Oontroveny  as  to  the  EfBeiency  of  Iren-Olada— 
Bear  Admiral  DoPont  Beports  AdTersely  to  Them— Chief  Eniclneer  Btimert 
Beports  in  Their  Fayor— Bear  Admiral  ]>aPont  Prefers  Charges  Against  Chief 
Engineer  Stimers— The  Case  InTestigated  by  a  Court  of  Inqnby.—- Tlndieation 
of  Mr.  Stimers. 

THIS  history  of  the  steam  ships  aod  engineers  of  the  American 
navy  would  be  incomplete  without  some  reference  to  an 
internal  strife  in  the  service  in  the  year  1863,  growing  out  of  the 
introduction  of  mastless  war- vessels;  a  controversy  that  produced 
much  ill  feeling  at  the  time,  and  one  that  would  gladly  be  passed 
over  in  silence  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  it  was  a  matter  of 
national  interest  and  importance  while  it  lasted  and  reduced  itself  to 
a  clean-cut  issue  between  the  old  and  the  new.  It  was  in  fact  a 
struggle  for  existence  almost  on  the  part  of  the  engineers  and  their 
machinery,  opposed  by  the  older,  more  picturesque,  and  more  con. 
servative  sentiments  that  had  formed  the  traditions  and  institutions 
of  the  old  navy  and  sought  to  preserve  them  unchanged,  regardless 
of  the  progress  in  all  other  things  being  effected  through  the  agency 
of  the  steam  engine. 

The  attack  made  upon  Fort  Sumter  April  7th  by  Bear  Admiral 
DuFont  with  a  squadron  of  iron-clads  has  been  described  in  a 
former  chapter,  and  the  fact  that  the  Navy  Department  expected 
unqualified  success  from  these  vessels  has  been  mentioned.  Great, 
therefore,  was  the  disappointment  in  Washington  when  DuFont's 
report  of  the  engagement  arrived  with  his  announcement  that  he 
had  determined  not  to  renew  the  attack,  as  in  his  judgment  it  would 
convert  a  failure  into  a  disaster.  In  a  later  report  he  enlarged  upon 
what  he  considered  the  bad  qualities  of  the  monitors  and  said  they 
could  not  be  depended  upon  for  protection  against  the  armored 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATE3.  404 

yesBels  the  Confederates  were  known  to  be  fitting  out  at  Oharleston. 
It  is  possible  that  an  element  of  distrnst  entered  into  the  disappoint- 
ment felt  in  Washington,  for  immediately  after  the  receipt  of  the 
news  from  Charleston  President  Lincoln  telegraphed  DoPont  to  hold 
his  position  inside  the  bar  near  Charleston,  or  to  return  to  it  if  he 
had  left  it  and  hold  it  until  further  orders.  Beginning  in  this  way 
a  correspondence  was  opened  between  Bear  Admiral  DuFont  and  the 
Navy  Department,  gradually  increasing  in  acerbity,  and  terminat- 
ing in  the  admiral  being  relieved  of  his  command  and  deprived  of 
any  further  participation  in  the  war. 

The  whole  story  of  this  affair  was  given  to  the  public  more  than 
thirty  years  ago  by  the  publication  in  book  form,  by  virtue  of  a 
joint  resolution  of  Congress,  of  five  thousand  copies  of  the  docn- 
ments  in  the  case  together  with  other  interesting  letters  and  reports 
relating  to  armored  vessels.  In  the  present  chapter  the  author  will 
confine  himself  almost  entirely  to  the  records  as  preserved  in 
the  public  form  referred  to,  not  being  disposed  to  enter  upon 
any  expression  of  his  own  views  as  to  the  motives  and  interests 
involved. 

Chief  Engineer  Alban  C,  Stimers,  as  the  general  inspector  of 
all  iron-dad  vessels  of  the  Ericsson  type  built  or  building  for  the 
government,  made  frequent  visits  to  the  fleet  off  Charleston  for  pur- 
poses of  examination  and  to  direct  repairs  in  case  of  damage.  He 
was  present  at  the  first  attack  on  Fort  Sumter  and  made  a  visit  of 
inspection  to  each  of  the  monitors  immediately  after  they  came  oat 
of  action.  Beturning  to  his  office  in  New  York  a  few  days  later 
he  made,  on  the  14th  of  April,  a  detailed  and  critical  report  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  of  the  result  of  his  observations,  his  views 
as  to  the  offensive  and  defensive  properties  of  the  monitors  being 
very  favorable  to  them  and  quite  at  variance  with  the  opinions 
expressed  in  Eear  Admiral  DuFont's  despatches.  For  this  he  was 
thereafter  involved  in  the  growing  controversy  and  appeared  in  it  to 
excellent  advantage  as  the  defender  of  the  new  type  of  war  ship. 
Besides  exercising  an  oversight  upon  the  iron-clads,  he  had 
attempted  while  at  Charleston  on  this  occasion  to  induce  the  authori- 
ties to  use  an  '^obstruction  remover"  invented  by  Ericsson  and  with 
which  Stimers  had  made  some  satisfactory  experiments  in  the  still 
waters  of  New  York  harbor.     This  was  a  huge  raft,  called  by  the 


THX  8TKAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITED  STATUS.  406 

sailors  a  '^boot-jack"  on  the  account  of  its  form,  intended  to  be 
pofliied  by  a  monitor  and  carrying  an  enormous  elongated  shell  or 
torpedo  at  its  forward  edge  designed  to  destroy  by  explosion  any 
piling  or  other  obstacles  that  might  be  encountered.  Mr.  Stimers 
referred  with  much  regret  in  his  report  to  the  lack  of  success  he  had 
had  in  trying  to  convince  the  nayal  captains  of  the  utility  of  this 
invention.  It  received  a  fair  enough  trial  from  Captain  John 
Bodgersof  the  Weehawken  soon  afterward  and  was  found  so  unman- 
ageable in  the  rough  water  in  which  it  had  to  operate  that  it  may 
be  put  down  as  one  of  Ericsson's  inventions  that  was  more  success- 
ful on  a  sheet  of  drawing  paper  than  it  was  in  actual  practice  afloat. 
Chief  Engineer  E.  D.  Bobie,  one  of  the  most  ingenious  and  capable 
engineers  of  the  war  period,  was  diverted  from  his  regular  duty  as 
resident  inspector  of  the  building  of  the  Dictator  to  go  to  Charles- 
ton to  try  to  make  this  torpedo  raft  a  success,  and  his  failure  to  do 
so  is  good  proof  that  it  was  impracticable. 

On  the  22nd  of  April  Bear  Admiral  DuPont  sent  a  long  letter 
to  the  Navy  Department  complaining  most  bitterly  of  an  account 
of  the  battle  of  April  7th  which  had  been  published  in  a  Baltimore 
newspaper  and  in  which  it  was  stated  that  the  weapons  at  DuFont's 
disposal  were  not  used  to  advantage  through  disinclination  induced 
by  a  dislike  to  Ericsson  and  his  naval  innovations.  The  complaint 
closed  with  the  statement  that  the  newspaper  mentioned  ^'seems  to 
have  had  its  own  hostile  proclivities  heightened  by  an  association 
with  an  ofScer  of  the  service  whose  name  appears  frequently  and 
prominently  in  its  report  in  connexion  with  the  repairs  upon  the 
iron-clads  and  in  relation  to  the  torpedoes  and  the  rafts;  I  mean 
Hr.  A.  C.  Stimers,  a  chief  engineer  in  the  naval  service  of  the 
United  States."  The  reply  of  Secretary  Welles  to  this  letter  re- 
minded the  rear  admiral  that  the  press  of  the  country  had  been 
generally  lenient  and  indulgent  toward  him,  and  the  censures,  under 
a  great  disappointment,  had  been  comparatively  few.  It  told  him 
that  his  suspicions  regarding  Mr.  Stimers  did  that  officer  much  in- 
justice, and  concluded  with  the  comment : 

^'It  has  not  appeared  to  me  necessary  to  your  justification  that 
the  powers  of  assault  or  resistance  of  our  iron-clad  vessels  should  be 
deprecated,  and  I  regret  that  there  should  have  been  any  labored 
effort  for  that  purpose." 


406  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  ITNITED  STATES. 

Bear  Admiral  DuFont  replied  at  much  length  to  this  letter, 
making  an  especial  point  of  objecting  to  the  use  of  the  word  ^ len- 
ient" as  applicable  to  the  opinions  entertained  bj  the  pnblic  toward 
him;  and  so  the  matter  went  on;  every  letter  written  bj  each  of 
the  distinguished  gentlemen  tending  more  and  more  to  estrange 
them.  On  the  22n(l  of  May  the  Department  sent  the  rear  admiral 
an  item  cnt  from  a  Charleston  newspaper  in  which  it  was  stated  that 
the  guns  of  the  Keokuk  had  been  removed  by  the  Confederates  and 
taken  to  Charleston,  and  reqaested  information  regarding  it. 
DnPont  replied  curtly  that  he  knew  nothing  of  it  other  than  the 
statement  of  the  newspaper;  that  he  had  little  doubt  of  its  truth; 
that  the  work  must  have  been  done  in  the  night,  and  that  he  had 
offered  Chief  Engineer  Bobie  every  facility  to  blow  up  the  Keokuk^ 
with  Mr.  Ericsson's  raft,  but  that  officer  found  it  too  dangerous  to 
use.  This  called  forth  an  equally  curt  retort  from  Secretary  Welles, 
who  wrote,  **  The  duty  of  destroying  the  Keokuk^  and  preventing 
her  guns  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  devolved  upon 
the  commander-in-chief  rather  than  on  Engineer  Bobie.  I  do  not 
understand  that  the  ot>erations  were  necessarily  limited  to  Mr. 
Ericsson's  raft,  of  which  such  apprehensions  appear  to  have  been 
entertained.  The  wreck  and  its  important  armament  ought  not  to 
have  been  abandoned  to  the  rebels,  whose  sleepless  labors  appear  to 
have  secured  them  a  valuable  prize." 

In  the  latter  part  of  June  Bear  Admiral  Andrew  H.  Foote, 
who  had  achieved  such  success  while  commanding  the  Misaisaippi 
flotilla,  was  ordered  to  relieve  DuPont,  but  being  seized  with  a 
fatal  illness  the  orders  were  transferred  to  Bear  Admirkl  John  A. 
Dahlgren,  who  took  over  the  command  of  the  South  Atlantic  block- 
ading squadron  on  the  6th  of  July  from  DuPont,  who  was  placed 
on  waiting  orders.  The  protracted  siege  of  the  Charleston  forts  at 
once  inaugurated  by  Dahlgren  has  already  been  described. 

Previous  to  this,  on  the  12th  of  May,  Bear  Admiral  DuFont 
had  requested  the  Navy  Department  to  arrest  Chief  Engineer 
Stimers  and  send  him  to  Charleston  to  be  tried  on  the  following 
charges : 

Cha/rgea  and  Specifications  qf  Charffes  BreferreA  hy  Rea/t  Admiral 
Samuel  F.  DuPont^  Commanding  South  Atlantic  Blockading 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  407 

Squadron^  against  Chief  Engineer  Alban  C.  Stimera^  United 
States  Navy. 

Chabgb  First:  Falsehood. 

^<  Specijication. — In  this:  that  between  the  eleventh  and  fif- 
teenth days  of  April,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-three,  the  said 
Alban  C.  Stimers,  a  chief  engineer  in  the  United  States  navy,  being 
then  on  board  the  steamship  Arago^  by  the  authority  and  direction 
of  Bear  Admiral  Samuel  F.  DnPont,  commanding  the  Sooth  Atlan- 
tic blockading  squadron — the  said  Arago  being  on  her  passage  from 
Fort  Royal,  South  Carolina,  to  New  York  City,  via  Charleston  bar — 
did,  at  the  table  of  said  steamer,  in  the  presence  of  officers  of  said 
steamer  and  other  persons,  a  number  of  whom  were  correspondents 
of  the  public  press,  and  at  divers  other  times  during  the  passage  of 
said  steamer,  falsely  assert,  knowing  the  same  to  be  untrue,  that  he 
was  told  by  one  or  more  of  the  commanders  of  the  iron-clad  vessels 
engaged  in  the  attack  upon  the  forts  and  batteries  in  Charleston 
harbor,  on  the  seventh  day  of  April,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty- 
three,  that  the  attack  of  that  day  ought  to  have  been  renewed;  and 
that  they  did  further  state  to  him  that  the  said  iron-clad  vessels 
were  in  fit  condition  to  renew  it;  and  the  said  Alban  C.  Stimers  did 
further  falsely  assert,  knowing  the  same  to  be  untrue,  that  several 
of  the  commanders  of  the  said  iron-clad  vessels  had  said  to  him  in 
his  presence  and  hearing  that  they,  the  said  commanders,  were, 
after  the  attack  aforesaid,  '  hot  for  renewing  the  engagement,'  or 
words  to  that  effect. 

^^  Chabge  Sboohd:  Conduct  unbecoming  an  officer  of  the  navy. 

^^  Speeificatian. — In  this:  that  between  the  eleventh  and  fif- 
teenth days  of  April  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-three,  the  said 
Alban  C.  Stimers,  a  chief  engineer  in  the  United  States  navy,  being 
then  on  board  the  steamship  Arago^  by  the  authority  and  direction 
of  Bear  Admiral  S.  F.  DuPont,  commanding  South  Atlantic  block- 
ading squadron — ^the  said  Arago  being  on  her  passage  from  Port 
Boyal,  South  Carolina,  to  New  Tork  City  via  Charleston  bar — did, 
at  the  table  of  said  steamer,  in  the  presence  of  officers  of  the  said 
ateamer  and  other  persons,  a  number  of  whom  were  correspondents 


406  THE  8TBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

of  the  pablic  press,  and  at  diyers  other  times  daring  the  passage  of 
the  said  steamer,  with  the  intent  to  disparage  and  injure  the  pro- 
fessional reputation  of  his  superior  officer,  Bear  Admiral  8.  F. 
DuFont,  criticise  and  condemn,  in  terms  unbecoming  the  circum- 
stances and  his  position  as  an  officer  of  the  navy,  the  professional 
conduct  of  his  superior  officer.  Bear  Admiral  S.  F.  DuPont,  in  the 
attack  upon  the  forts  and  batteries  in  Charleston  harbor  on  the  sev- 
enth day  of  April,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-three,  and  did,  with 
the  like  intent,  knowingly  make  false  statements,  using,  among 
other  improper  and  unfounded  expressions,  words  in  substance  as 
follows:  *'  That  the  monitors  were  in  as  good  condition  on  Wednes- 
day, the  eighth  day  of  April,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-three, 
after  they  had  undergone  some  slight  repairs,  to  renew  the  at- 
tack, as  they  had  been  to  commence  it  the  day  before;  that  they 
could  go  into  Charleston  in  spite  of  guns,  torpedoes,  and  obstruc- 
tions, and  that  Bear  Admiral  DuPont  was  too  much  prejudiced 
against  the  monitors  to  give  them  a  fair  trial. ' 

Instead  of  sending  the  accused  officer  to  DuPont  for  trial  by 
court-martial  the  department  convened  a  court  of  inquiry  at  the 
Brooklyn  navy  yard  to  investigate  the  truth  of  the  charges  and  re- 
port regarding  them*  This  court  was  composed  of  Bear  Admiral 
Francis  H.  Gregory,  Bear  Admiral  Silas  H.  Stringham,  and  Com- 
modore William  C.  Nicholson,  all  old  and  distinguished  officers, 
but  by  training  and  professional  associations  more  apt  to  lean  to- 
wards DuPont's  side  of  the  issue  than  to  feel  any  sympathy  for 
Stimers  and  the  mechanical  innovations  represented  by  him.  Mr. 
Edwin  M.  Stoughton  was  named  as  judge  advocate,  but  that  gen- 
tleman refused  to  act,  and  appeared  in  the  case  as  counsel  for 
Stimers.  Judge  Edward  Pierrepont  of  New  York  was  next  ap- 
pointed judge  advocate,  and  he  too  refused  to  accept  the  office, 
which  was  then  conferred  upon  Mr.  Hiram  L.  Sleeper.  The 
list  of  witnesses  named  by  the  prosecution  included  the  officers  and 
a  number  of  passengers  of  the  Arago  and  the  commanders  and 
some  other  officers  of  the  rron-clads  off  Charleston. 

The  court  met  at  the  Marine  Barracks,  Brooklyn,  June  5th, 
and  continued  in  session  for  more  than  four  months,  with  some 
lengthy  adjournments  to  allow  of  the  taking  of  testimony  of  wit* 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  409 

nesses  on  dnty  with  the  fleet  at  Ohmrleston,  which  was  done  by 
means  of  written  interrogatories  and  cross4nterr<^atorie8  according 
to  the  terms  of  a  formal  stipulation  between  the  jndge  advocate  and 
the  connsel  for  the  accused  which  was  spread  on  the  pages  of  the 
record.  The  testimony  presented  by  the  prosecntion  was  generally 
favorable  to  Mr.  Stimers  and  failed  to  substantiate  the  charges  and 
specifications  made  against  him.  As  printed  in  the  pnblic  docnment 
before  referred  to  as  the  source  of  information  for  the  facts  pre- 
sented in  this  chapter  it  is  too  long  to  admit  of  an  analytical  review 
in  this  place,  which  reyiew  is  therefore  omitted  in  favor  of  the  care- 
ful one  made  by  Chief  Engineer  Btimers  in  his  written  defense  ;  a 
most  manly  and  straightforward  ai^nment  which  was  submitted  to 
the  court  on  the  19th  of  October  and  is  here  reproduced  in  full : 

"Jfoy  UpUase  this  hcmorabU  court:  .  ^^t-d^mj^^^  . ., 

'^  The  testimony  introduced  by*the  Judge  Advocate  to  sustain  the 
charges  made  against  me  by  Bear  Admiral  DuPout  is  now  closed. 
Acting  in  view  of  the  proof  thus  placed  before  the  court  I  deem  it 
wholly  unnecessary  to  offer  evidence  in  reply.  The  very  foundation 
on  which  these  charges  must  rest  is  wanting,  aud  hardly  an  attempt 
has  been  made  to  supply  it.  They  were  carelessly,  if  not  recklessly, 
made  by  a  high  officer  of  the  Government,  willing  to  give  them  the 
sanction  of  his  name,  apparently  without  inquiring  whether  they 
were  capable  of  proof,  or  founded  upon  worthless  rumor.  Much 
time  has  been  uselessly  spent  in  apparent  efforts  to  prove  them; 
but  anyone  attentively  ireading  the  evidence  discovers  that  the 
real  purpose  has  been  not  to  establish  the  charges  in  question,  but 
to  justify  their  author  in  failing  effectively  to  use  the  formidable 
means  for  destroying  the  defences  of  Charleston,  which  our  Govern- 
ment in  its  confidence  and  hope  had  lavished  upon  him.  That  I 
am  not  unjust  or  uncharitable  in  making  this  suggestion  will  be 
manifest  from  an  examination  of  the  charges  and  proof  which  I  will 
now  proceed  to  make." 

'^Ist.  The  first  specification  charges  me  with  having,  whilst  on 
board  the  steamer  Arago^  on  her  voyage  from  Charleston  to  New 
York,  at  table,  in  presence  of  her  officers  and  other  persons,    a 


410  THE  STKAH  NAY Y  OF  THB  UKITED  STATES. 

nnmber  of  whom  were  correspondents  of  the  public  press,  falsely 
asserted,  knowing  the  same  to  be  nntrne,  that  I  was  told  by  one  or 
or  more  of  the  commanders  of  the  iron-clads  engaged  in  the  attack 
on  Charleston  that  it  ought  to  have  been  renewed;  that  the  Tessels 
were  in  a  fit  condition  to  renew  it;  and  that  several  of  the  com- 
manders had  said  to  me  that  they  were  hot  for  renewing  the 
engagement. 

**A  person  observant  of  Ohristian  precepts,  considerate  of  his 
dnty  towards  a  fellow  man,  or  actoated  by  self  respect,  would, 
before  deliberately  framing  a  charge  calculated  to  consign  a  brother 
officer  to  disgrace  and  infamy,  have  inquired  carefully  into  its  truth, 
and  the  means  of  establishing  it.  Indeed,  he  would  hardly  have 
been  content  to  make  it  before  conversing  personally  with  those 
capable  of  proving  it;  and  then  a  just  man  would  have  withheld  the 
accusation,  so  painful  for  a  gentleman  to  bear,  until  satisfied  that 
his  wilinesses  were  entitled  to  full  credit.  The  course  which  my 
accuser  has  seen  fit  to  pursue  presents  a  wide  departure  from  the 
path  thus  indicated.  The  names  of  persons  who  were  on  board  the 
Arago  during  the  voyage  were  appended  as  witnesses  to  the  charges 
made,  and  most  of  them  have  been  examined.  It  appears  that  I 
sat  at  the  public  table  of  the  steamer  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
of  several  other  persons,  all  no  doubt  accessible  to  my  accuser,  or 
to  those  seeking  to  support  the  charges.  If,  therefore,  I,  during 
the  voyage,  used  the  language  imputed  to  me,  it  was  susceptible  to 
easy  proof.  Not  a  particle  of  testimony  to  that  effect  has,  however, 
been  furnished.  No  one  pretends  I  ever  said  that  any  commander 
of  the  iron-clads  had  stated  to  me  either  that  the  attack  on  Charles- 
ton ought  to  have  been  renewed,  or  that  the  iron-clads  were  in  a  fit 
condition  to  do  so,  or  that  their  commanders  were  hot  for  renewing 
the  engagement.  No  language  bearing  the  least  resemblance  to  that 
charged  is  proven  to  have  been  uttered  by  me  at  any  time;  and  I  am 
bound  to  assume  that  neither  of  the  witnesses  named  ever  stated 
otherwise  than  they  have  sworn  here.  If  not,  then  upon  what  in- 
formation could  the  charges  in  question  have  been  framed  t  Was  it 
believed  that  they  could  be  proven  t  And  if  not,  were  they  want- 
only made,  so  that  upon  pretense  of  sustaining  them,  the  naval 
inactivity,  painful  to  a  whole  nation,   might  be  iustified  by  proof 


TUB  STEAM  NAYY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATSa  411 

quite  irrelevant  to  the  charges  being  tried,  and  therefore  quite  likely 
to  pass  uncontradicted  by  me  ?  * 

'^  2d.  The  second  charge  made  against  me  is  for  conduct  unbe- 
coming an  officer  of  the  navy,  and  specifies,  in  substance,  that  at 
the  table  of  said  steamei,  and  elsewhere  on  board  of  her,  during  the 
passage,  I  criticised  and  condemned,  in  terms  unbecoming  the  cir- 
cumstances, the  professional  conduct  of  Sear  Admiral  DuPont,  by 
stating  that  the  monitors  were  in  as  good  condition  on  the  8th  day 
of  April,  1863,  after  they  had  undergone  some  slight  repairs,  to 
renew  the  attack,  as  they  had  been  to  commence  it  the  day  before. 
That  they  could  go  into  Charleston  in  spile  of  guns,  torpedoes 
and  obstructions;  but  that  Admiral  DuPont  was  too  much  pre- 
judiced against  the  monitors  to  give  them  a  fair  trial. 

''!Now  if,  under  the  circumstances,  I  had  stated  all  that  is 
charged,  it  would,  in  my  judgment,  have  been  no  more  than  I  was 
authorized  to  say.  I  had  been  charged  by  the  goyemment  with  the 
important  duty  of  inspecting  the  construction  and  armament  of  the 
vessels  whilst  they  were  being  made.  They  were  new  in  the  history 
of  the  world;  but  in  the  contest  between  the  Monitor  and  Merrimdo 
although  the  latter  on  the  day  previous  had  defied  a  fleet  of  our 
largest  frigates,  carrying  an  armament  fifty  times  greater  than  the 
Monitor^  destroying  some  and  threatening  all  with  the  same  fate, 
yet  the  Monitor^  working  her  two  eleven  inch  guns  behind  an  invul- 
nerable shield,  tested  her  powers,  offensive  and  defensive,  by  so 
terrible  an  ordeal  that  intelligent  and  unprejudiced  men  here  and  in 
Europe  from  that  hour  saw  that  naval  supremacy  must  be  main- 
tained, if  at  all,  by  abandoning  wooden  ships  and  adopting  those 
which  the  genius,  engineering  skill,  and  ripe,  practical  knowledge 
of  their  author  had  taught  the  world  how  to  construct.  My  know- 
ledge of  this  class  of  war  vessels  had  been  acquired  not  only  by 
watching  and  inspecting  their  construction  step  by  step,  but  under 
the  orders  of  the  government  I  had  enjoyed  the  good  fortune  of 
participating  in  the  contest  to  which  I  have  referred,  and  which  had 
developed  the  capacity  of  the  Momtor  system  to  sustain  unharmed 
the  fire  of  heavy  guns  at  short  range,  and  at  the  same  time  to  in- 
flict deadly  injuries  upon  an  adversary's  ship  of  great  power  heavily 


412  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

sheathed  in  iron.  With  an  experience  thns  gained  I  might,  as  I 
think,  have  jnstlj  claimed  the  right  to  express  an  opinion  as  to  the 
value  and  capacities  of  the  monitors,  even  had  this  differed  from  the 
views  entertained  by  Bear  Admiral  DnPont,  whose  knowledge  con- 
cerning them  was  probably  derived  from  casual  inspection  and  the 
reports  of  others.  Moreover,  I  was  charged  by  the  Government 
with  the  duty  of  proceeding  to  Charleston  to  watch  and  report  the 
performance  of  these  vessels  in  action,  to  assist  in  maintaining  them 
in  readiness  for  battle,  and  afford  to  the  officers  having  them  in 
charge  such  information  as  might  be  needful. 

^^In  addition  to  all  this  it  may  here  be  proper  to  say  that  at  a 
great  expense  shells  had  been  devised  by  Captain  Ericsson,  the 
author  of  the  Monitor  system,  which,  in  connexion  with  rafts  to  be 
attached  to  the  bows  of  vessels,  were  to  be  used  for  removing  by 
means  of  explosive  force,  obstructions  within  the  harbor,  and  by 
firing  torpedoes  supposed  to  be  sunk  by  the  enemy  in  the  track  of 
our  advancing  fleet.  The  effectiveness  of  these  shells  had  been  so 
tested  by  me,  before  they  were  sent  to  Admiral  DuPont,  as  to  make 
it  clear  to  my  mind  and  to  that  of  the  government  that  they  would 
be  practically  safe  and  capable  of  clearing  the  track  of  battle.  I 
strongly  urged  Admiral  DuPont  to  use  these  shellsi  and  requested 
permission  to  participate  in  the  action  of  the  7th,  on  board  a  moni- 
tor which  should  be  thus  armed.  The  privilege  was  denied  to  me, 
and  although  in  view  of  supposed  obstructions,  I  had  expressed  to 
Admiral  DuPont  and  to  his  officers  the  opinion  that  the  monitors 
could  successfully  pass  them,  my  confidence  in  expressing  it  was 
greatly  strengthened  by,  and  somewhat  founded  upon,  the  assump- 
tion that  these  shells  were  to  be  employed,  and  this  the  Admiral 
knew.  He  nevertheless  declined  to  order  their  employment  and 
thus  was  lost  to  the  government  and  nation  a  powerful  means  of 
penetrating  to  the  cradle  of  this  great  rebellion. 

^^IJnder  these  circumstances,  and  well  aware  that  the  govern- 
ment had  expected  much  from  the  attack  upon  Charleston  with  the 
abundant  means  furnished  to  the  rear  admiral  commanding,  I  was 
greatly  disappointed  that  the  important  instruments  I  have  mentioned 
were  not  used  by  him,  especially  as  I  believed  (an  as  an  earnest  of 
my  conviction  had  offered  to  hazard  my  life  and  limb)  that  with 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  413 

shells  attached  to  the  monitors  they  could  pass  all  obstructions  and 
hold  the  city  of  Charleston  at  their  mercy. 

^<  All  this  was  certainly  calculated  to  awaken  in  my  mind  criti- 
cism upon  the  conduct  of  Eear  Admiral  Dupont,  which,  as  the  evidence 
shows,  I  refrained  from  expressing,  maintaining  a  reserve,  not  merely 
respectful  to  him,  but  calculated  to  defend  him  from  the  censures 
freely  and  openly  cast  upon  him  for  failing  to  renew  the  attack  of 
the  7th  of  April. 

<'  I  will  now  briefly  examine  the  proof  introduced  to  maintain 
the  second  charge,  the  mere  reading  of  which  will  show  that  even  if 
I  had  said  all  that  is  charged  against  me,  it  was  but  the  statement 
of  views  which,  if  honest,  I  had  a  right  in  common  with  all  other 
persons  to  express.  Entertainiug  the  opinion,  and  officially  report- 
ing it  as  I  did  to  Bear  Admiral  DuPont,  that  the  monitors  were  on 
the  8th  substantially,  for  practical  purposes,  as  fit  to  renew  the  attack 
as  they  had  been  to  make  it  on  the  day  previous.  1  was  bound 
neither  by  courtesy  nor  by  any  rule  of  the  service  with  which  I  am 
acquainted,  to  withhold  or  conceal  it;  and  believiug,  as  I  certainly 
did,  that  the  monitors,  with  the  rafts  and  shells  attached,  could  have 
gone  into  Charleston  in  spite  of  guns,  torpedoes  and  obstructions,  I 
was  equally  entitled  to  state,  in  respectful  language,  that  opinion 
also;  and,  moreover,  I  think  the  disrespect,  if  there  be  any,  in  im- 
puting to  Bear  Admiral  DuPont  prejudice  against  the  monitors,  was 
so  slight  that  his  self-respect  can  hardly  have  been  increased  by 
noticing  it.  Indeed,  whilst  there  is  no  proof  in  the  case  that  I  ever 
charged  him  with  entertaining  this  prejudice,  and  whilst  by  assert- 
ing that  I  did,  he,  by  implication  at  least,  denies  the  existence  of 
the  prejudice  so  imputed,  the  evidence  introduced  on  his  behalf  very 
clearly  established  that  he  was  prepossessed  against  them,  for  Cap- 
tain Drayton  in  substance  declares  he  donH  think  Adrmral  IhiPont 
had  a  high  opinion  of  the  monitorsy  and  thai  he  could  not  have  had 
€fieT  reading  his  {Draytonh)  reporta  concerning  them,  made  before  the 
figJd. 

"  What  these  reports  were  does  not  appear,  but  that  the  witness 
believed  he  had  succeeded  in  instilling  into  the  admiral's  mind  his 
own  unfavorable  opinion  is  quite  clear. 

«*The  proof,  however,  fails  to  show  that  I  made  the  statement 
charged  against  me.     The  evidence  on  this  subject  consists  of  the 


«14  THE  BTEAJi  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

tefltimony  of  Oaptain  Gadsden,  of  the  Araga^  and  of  several  other 
persons  who  were  on  board  of  that  steamer  during  her  voyage  from 
Charleston  to  New  York.  He  says  in  substance  that  I  stated  that 
the  monitors  had  received  no  serious  injury;  that  they  could  be  re- 
paired in  a  few  hours;  that  the  trial  ought  not  to  condemn  them;  that 
they  had  not  had  a  fair  trial;  that  with  the  shells  attached  to  them 
they  could  go  in.  He  further  swore  that  I  said  the  officers  of  the 
navy  were  prejudiced  against  the  monitors,  but  that  I  mentioned  no 
one  in  particular,  and  did  not  reflect  upon  Admiral  DuPont. 

^^  The  purser  of  the  Arago  testified  that  I  said  the  officers  of  the 
navy  were  rather  prejudiced  against  them,  but  that  I  spoke  of  Ad- 
miral DuPont  personally  in  the  highest  terms.  Mr.  Colwell  swore 
that  those  on  board  the  Arago  were  much  excited  about  the  fight  at 
Oharleston,  and  condenmed  the  admiral  for  his  failure;  but  he  did  not 
intimate  that  I  took  part  in  such  conversation,  stating  only  that  I 
said  the  monitors  were  very  little  injured,  and  were  repaired  in  about 
five  hours;  that  I  was  respectful  in  my  remarks  concerning  Admiral 
DuPont;  and  although  this  witness  said  he  at  one  time  was  under 
the  impression  that  I  had  said  the  admiral  was  prejudiced  against 
the  monitors,  he  afterwards  stated  that  I  might  not  have  said  so,  but 
that  as  the  passengers  generally  united  in  condenming  him,  the  wit- 
ness may  have  confounded  their  statements  with  mine. 

^'Mr.  Fulton,  in  his  testimony,  states  that  my  conversations 
with  him  on  the  subject  of  the  attack  were  private,  and  in  an  under- 
tone,  and  that  I  said  I  had  sometimes  retired  to  my  stateroom  to 
avoid  being  questioned;  that  I  said  the  attack  was  not  an  earnest 
one,  and  expressed  disappointment  that  the  shells  were  not  employed, 
but  did  not  say  the  monitors  could  have  entered  the  harbor  without 
them,  nor  that  the  admiral  was  prejudiced  against  the  monitors,  but 
that  I  did  say  he  would  have  renewed  the  attack  but  for  the  influ- 
ence of  some  of  those  who  were. 

<<  Mr.  Mars,  a  passenger,  testified  that  I  appeared  not  to  wish 
to  speak  on  the  subject  of  the  attack,  and  that  although  he  sat  op- 
posite to  me  at  the  table,  he  did  not  hear  me  say  that  the  admiral 
was  prejudiced. 

'^SEaving  thus  failed  to  prove  that  I  had  uttered  any  of  the 

language  as  charged,  and  it  appearing  upon  the  evidence  that  I  had 

spoken  of  Bear  Admiral  DuPont  in  high  terms,  studiously  refraining 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OP  THE  UNITED  STATSa  415 

from  taUdng  upon  the  subject  of  the  attack,  it  appeared  to  me 
remarkable  that  the  prosecution,  instead  of  acknowledging  the  in- 
justice of  these  charges,  should  persist  in  calling  witnesses  to  prove 
that  the  monitors  were  seriously  injured  in  their  attack  upon  the 
forts,  and  could  not  have  renewed  it  without  probable  disaster. 

^'Whilbt  this  attempt  has  signally  failad,  it  has  uevertheless 
disclosed  the  real  purpose  of  this  prosecution  to  have  been,  not  an 
inquiry  into  any  language  or  conduct  of  mine,  but,  under  that  pre- 
text, an  effort  to  justify  the  failure  by  Bear  Admiral  DuPont,  which 
had  attracted  the  observation  of  the  world,  by  condemning  as  inade- 
quate the  instruments  which  a  liberal  government  had  placed  in  his 
hands. 

''  His  desire  to  justify  himself  was  natural,  but  that  he  should 
have  been  willing  to  achieve  even  his  own  vindication  by  making 
and  persisting  in  prosecuting  unfounded  charges  against  a  brother 
officer,  is  extraordinary.  How  utterly  he  has  failed  to  accomplish 
this  a  brief  examination  of  the  proofs  will  show. 

^^  It  appears  from  these  that  before  the  attack  was  made  it  was 
supposed  by  Admiral  DuPont  that  torpedoes  had  been  placed  in  the 
channel  along  which  his  fleet  must  pass.  That  network  had  been 
suspended  from  buoys  designed  to  entangle  the  propellers  and  thus 
prevent  their  action,  and  that  for  some  purpose  piles  had  been  placed 
across  the  middle  ground  to  obstruct  the  entrance  of  monitors  from 
that  direction.  It  moreover  appears,  especially  from  a  careful  read- 
ing of  the  deposition  of  Gonunander  G.  B.  P.  Bodgers,  the  admiral's 
fleet  captain,  that  no  additional  information  upon  either  of  these  sub- 
jects was  obtained  by  means  of  the  attack.  After  that  was  over,  the 
existence  of  torpedoes,  of  network  and  the  purpose  of  the  piles  were 
shrouded  in  the  same  mystery  as  before.  It  was  ascertained,  how- 
ever, that  if  torpedoes  lurked  In  the  channel,  they  were  probably 
harm!ess,  for  none  had  been  exploded;  and  that  they  were  incapable 
of  being  fired  is  shown  by  the  letter  referred  to  by  this  witness, 
written  by  a  rebel  officer  in  Fort  Sumter,  stating  that  the  effort  to 
explode  a  torpedo  whilst  directly  under  the  hull  of  the  Ironsides  bad 
failed. 

<^  We  must  therefore  accept  it  as  established,  that  as  no  infor- 
mation was  obtained  during  the  conffict  which  could  be  used  to 
strengthen  the  surmises  before  existing  as  to  the  character  of  these 


416  THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATE& 

obstrnctions,  their  suppoBed  existence  eonld  not  hare  afforded  groimd 
for  declining  to  renew  the  engagement  which  was  not  equally  good 
as  an  objection  against  haying  made  it  at  all;  and  this  being  so,  we 
mnst  look  for  some  other  reason  for  the  failnre  of  the  admiral  to  offer 
battle  on  the  8th,  in  pursuance  of  his  declared  intention,  when  he 
gave  the  signal  for  the  monitors  to  haul  off  on  the  previous  day. 

^^  It  is  tme  that  some  of  this  testimony  conveys  the  impression 
that  the  fear  of  encountering  these  supposed  obstructions  was  a  con- 
trolling element  in  the  admiral's  mind  in  forming  the  determination 
not  to  renew  the  attack;  but  in  this  there  is  evident  mistake,  for  a 
brave  and  intelligent  commander  would  hardly  be  so  fearful  of  ob- 
structions which  might  or  might  not  be  real,  as  to  abandon  a  great 
enterprise  without  practical  effort  to  learn  whether  obstacles  to  its 
achievement  existed  or  not.  Against  such  a  suspicion  I  feel  disposed 
to  defend  Admiral  DuPont,  and  hence  am  constrained  to  look  else- 
where for  some  reason  why  he  failed  to  renew  an  attack  which,  if 
persisted  in,  might  have  succeeded.  His  witnesses  on  this  subject 
next  point  to  the  injuries  sustained  by  the  monitors,  and  to  their 
alleged  inability  to  withstand  a  repetition  of  the  terrible  fire  to  which 
they  were  subjected  on  the  7th.  A  glance  at  the  testimony  will  show 
how  utterly  unfounded  is  this  effort  at  an  excuse,  whilst  it  will  also 
establish  to  the  satisfaction  of  intelligent  and  unprejudiced  men  that 
the  capacity  of  the  monitors  to  resist  unharmed  the  most  terrible  fire 
from  guns  and  rifles  of  the  heaviest  calibre,  has  never  been  overstated. 
It  appears  from  the  testimony  of  the  fleet  captain  that  the  fire  to 
which  they  were  exposed  was  by  far  more  terrific  than  that  which  he 
or  anyone  connected  with  the  fleet  had  ever  before  seen.  From  fifty 
to  one  hundred  rebel  guns,  of  heavier  calibre  than  were  ever  before 
employed  against  ships-of-war,  were  brought  to  bear  upon  the  moni- 
tors at  the  same  time,  and  probably  many  more.  The  PcUapico  waa 
struck  by  fifty-one  shots,  twenty-one  of  which  hit  the  turret,  and  fif- 
teen or  more  of  these — all  heavy  ball — struck  it  within  the  period  of 
five  minutes,  and  yet  at  8:30  o^ clock  on  the  evening  of  the  7th  she 
was  in  a  fit  condition  to  renew  the  engagement. 

The  Nwatv/iket  was  struck  fifty-three  times  ;  and  although  iiiA 
aoechanism  which  worked  her  XY-ineh  gun  was  disordered,  this  waa 
repaired  on  the  8th.  Oaptain  Drayton  states  that  the  top  of  tiie 
pilot  hooae  of  the  I^umAo  was  raised  up  by  a  shot,  but  it  is  quite  evi* 


>  THE  6TEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  417 

dent,  from  liis  account  of  it,  that  this  in  no  manner  disabled  the  ves- 
sel, whilst  it  hardly  increased  the  chances  of  danger  to  those  within. 
It  sufficiently  appears  that  the  'Weehomken,  was  fit  to  have  renewed 
the  engagement  on  the  following  day,  although  she  was  strack  sev- 
eral times  on  her  side  armor  in  nearly  the  same  place. 

<^  Without  following  this  subject  further  in  detail,  it  is  sufficient 
to  state,  what  appears  from  the  proof,  that  each  and  all  of  the  moni- 
tors were  in  fighting  condition  within  twenty-four  hours  after  they 
came  out  of  battle,  whilst  the  injuries  received  by  them  were  so  tri- 
fling, when  the  terrible  means  employed  for  infficting  them  were  con- 
sidered, that  they  may  be  pronounced  substantially  invulnerable  to 
the  strongest  artillery.  But  one  life  was  lost  on  board  of  them  dur- 
ing the  conflict ;  and  whilst  one  or  two  of  the  turrets  were  by  the  im- 
pact of  shot  partially  prevented  from  turning  until  repaired,  it  should 
be  remembered  that,  turning  by  their  rudders,  each  could  at  all  times 
present  her  guns  to  the  enemy  at  pleasure.  Indeed,  it  was  partly  by 
this  means  that  the  guns  of  the  Monitor  were  brought  to  bear  on  the 
Merrimac  in  that  first  engagement  of  ironclads  to  which  I  have  be- 
fore referred.  One  of  the  witnesses  has  suggested  that  if  other  shots 
had  struck  in  the  same  place  as  previous  ones,  the  armor  might  have 
been  endangered.  Entertaining,  as  I  do,  the  opposite  opinion,  I 
would  suggest  that  even  if  the  witness  was  correct,  he  anticipates  a 
hazard  too  remote  to  be  much  apprehended  :  for  it  is  well  known  that 
the  chances  that  one  shot  will  strike  exactly  where  a  previous  one 
had  hit,  are  very  slight. 

^^  The  Keohuk^  an  ironclad  vessel,  but  not  built  upon  the  plan 
of  the  monitors,  was  almost  immediately  disabled,  having  fired  but 
three  guns  at  the  enemy;  and  the  Irormdea^  a  much  stronger  and 
better  armed  ship,  although  she  escaped  serious  injury,  no  doubt 
owed  this  to  the  temporary  means  employed  to  strengthen  her  before 
going  into  action,  and  to  the  care  exercised  in  keeping  her  at  a  great 
distance  from  the  enemy's  guns. 

^'That  this  distance  was  maintained  is  apparent  from  the  testi- 
mony of  the  fleet  captain,  who  stated  in  substance,  that  when  the 
order  was  signalled  for  the  monitors  to  retire  from  the  conflict  they 
all  passed  the  Ironsides  va  moving  out.  This  shows  that  ^they  were 
inside  of  her  and  much  closer  to  the  enemy's  batteries ;  and  how 
much  nearer  may  be  inferred  from  his  cross-ezaminatfen,  in  which  he 


418  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

•tates  that  twenty  minutes  may  have  elapsed  before  the  last  of  tba 
monitors  passed  b  j.  They  engaged  the  batteries  within  six  hnndted 
yards,  and  it  need  hardly  be  suggested,  that  no  ship  not  constnicted 
Hipon  their  plan  conld  hare  lived  under  the  heavy  fire  to  which,  at 
that  distance,  they  were  subjected. 

I  here  close  what  I  have  thought  it  well  to  say  concerning  this 
attempt  by  Bear.Admiral  DuPont  to  justify  his  inaction  and  failure 
by  attacking  that  system  of  war  vessels  which  has  already,  in  my 
opinion,  given  us  a  more  effective  fleet  than  is  possessed  by  any 
other  nation.  A  judicious  use  of  these  vessels  might  have  transmit- 
ted his  name  with  honor  far  into  the  future.  An  assault  upon  the 
system  can  but  recoil  upon  the  assailant.  From  me  it  needs  no  de- 
fense. Time  and  battle  will  but  confirm  the  opinions  I  have  ex- 
pressed concerning  it,  whilst  its  adoption  by  the  nations  of  the  world 
will  bear  unfailing  testimony  to  the  great  skill  and  foresight  of  its 
contriver. 

^^  With  these  remarks  I  submit  my  case  to  the  just  consideratioiL 
of  this  honorable  Gcfurt. 

"  Very  respectfully, 

(Signed)  <<Albah  0.  SmcEBS; 

<<  Chief  Engineer,  United.  States  Navy. 
•'Naral  Lyeenm,  New  York,  October  19, 1863.'' 

The  next  day,  October  20,  the  court  met  for  its  last  session  and 
added  the  following  finding  to  its  record  : 

<<  The  court  having  diligently  and  fully  inquired  into  the  mat- 
ters embraced  in  the  specifications  of  charges  in  this  case,  hereby  re- 
port that,  in  their  opinion,  there  is  no  necessity  or  propriety  for  fur- 
ther proceedings  in  the  case." 

Bear  Admiral  DaPont  was  an  eminent  and  capable  naval  officer 
of  the  old  school,  but  of  too  long  service  and  of  too  fixed  ideas  to 
yield  before  a  development  that  entirely  upset  all  the  naval  methods 
of  his  lifetime,  and  by  standing  in  the  way  of  the  march  of  progress, 
instead  of  gracefully  stepping  aside  and  admitting  the  competence 
of  a  mechanical  generation,  he  was  run  over  and  humiliated  by  a 
power  more  potent  than  he  had  imagined.  In  a  time  of  peace  when 
the  public  is  indifferent  to  the  navy  and  its  advancement  the  con- 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  419 

iervatiye  opinions  of  its  veteran  officers  nsuall  j  prevail  and  prevent 
changes  in  methods  or  material  that  involve  any  great  departure 
from  what  has  existed  so  long  as  to  become  custom,  but  in  time  of 
war  sentiment  and  dogma  must  yield  to  practical  utility,  and  the 
irresistible  power  of  public  opinion  will  always  force  this  submission. 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Fox,  was  from  his  own  training 
probably  the  most  competent  official  connected  with  the  Navy  De- 
partment during  the  war  to  judge  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
officers  of  the  navy.  In  a  letter  written  by  him  to  John  Ericsson 
in  1864  he  summed  up  in  the  following  manner  the  actual  attitude 
of  Bear  Admiral  DnPont  towards  the  new  iron-clad  war-ve«3els  : 

*^He  is  of  a  wooden  age,  eminent  in  that,  but  in  an  engineer- 
ing age  behind  the  time.  You  were  always  opposed  to  attacking 
forts,  but  DuPont  despised  the  vessels  and  the  brain  that  conceived 
them." 

The  *<old  school  "  of  navalism  means  a  great  deal  unknown  to 
the  officers  of  the  present  generation  if  all  the  testimony  of  the  past 
may  be  depended  upon.  A  very  curious  condition  of  affairs  was 
allowed  to  grow  up  in  our  navy  during  that  long  period  of  compara- 
tive inactivity,  interrupted  only  by  the  Mexican  War,  which  inter- 
vened between  the  end  of  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain  and  the 
outbreak  of  the  rebellion.  *'  The  commodore  of  the  period  was  an 
august  personage  who  went  to  sea  in  a  great  flag- ship,  surrounded 
by  a  conventional  grandeur  which  was  calculated  to  inspire  a  becom- 
ing respect  and  awe.  As  the  years  of  peace  rolled  on,  this  figure 
became  more  and  more  august,  more  and  more  conventional.  The 
fatal  defects  of  the  system  were  not  noticed  until  1861,  when  the 
crisis  came,  and  the  service  was  unprepared  to  meet  it.  "^  Sur- 
rounded thus  with  much  of  the  pomp  and  dignity  of  a  court  and  in- 
vested with  what  some  of  the  admirers  of  that  old  reffime  have  been 
pleased  to  call  '^ kingly  power,"  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  average 
commodore  lost  sight  of  his  true  relation  to  the  civil  head  of  the 
navy  and,  unconsciously  perhaps,  came  to  regard  him  as  merely  a 
secretary,  in  fact  as  well  as  in  title,  interposed  somewhat  unneces- 

>  PiolMBor  J.  S.  Soley,  In  BatUes  sad  Leaders  of  the  Glyil  War:  ToL  I,  p.  62a. 


420  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

sarily  between  himself  and  the  chief  execntiye.  Instanoee  are  not 
lacking  of  commanders-in-chief  of  squadrons  abroad  ignoring  or 
mis-interpreting  orders  sent  them<from  the  department,  and  there  is 
at  least  one  case  on  record  of  a  commodore  issuing  an  order,  upon 
taking  command  of  a  squadron  in  a  remote  part  of  the  world,  abol- 
ishing all  regulations  of  the  Navy  Department  except  such  as  had 
been  approved  by  the  President. 

Under  these  influences  and  surroundings  Samuel  F.  DuPonthad 
acquired  step  by  step  his  naval  education  and  belie&  through  all  the 
monotonous  years  from  a  midshipman  in  1815  to  within  two  num- 
bers of  being  the  senior  rear  admiral  in  1863.  The  sentiments  ex- 
pressed by  him  in  his  correspondence  with  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
are  therefore  not  surprisiog,  although  they  would  be  actually  start- 
ling if  attempted  at  the  present  day.  When  the  court  of  inquiry  had 
finally  disposed  of  the  Stimers  case,  DuPont,  under  date  of  October 
22nd,  broke  the  silence  that  he  had  observed  since  being  detached 
from  his  command  and  sent  a  letter  to  the  department  that  is  one  of 
the  most  instructive  documents  ever  made  public,  its  expressions  pro- 
viding us  with  a  perfect  mirror  of  the  mind  of  the  old  navy.  A  few 
of  them  are  repeated  as  illustrative  examples. 

^^  It  is  with  profound  regret  that  I  perceive  in  your  despatch  of 
the  26th  of  June  a  reiteration  of  the  charges  and  reproaches  of  previous 
despatches  and  in  your  silence  since,  during  a  period  of  three  months, 
a  resolution  not  to  recall  them.  My  last  hope  of  justice  at  the  hands 
of  the  department  is  therefore  extinguished. 

^<  If  I  have  failed  in  my  duty  I  am  liable  to  trial,  but  insulting 
imputations  in  ofScial  despatches  are  grave  wrongs,  perpetrated  on 
the  public  records  to  my  permanent  injury. 

^^  The  remedy  which  the  law  would  afford  me  against  a  superior 
officer  indulging  in  the  language  of  your  despatches  does  not  exist 
against  the  civil  head  of  the  department. 

^^I  was  aware  of  the  visit  of  the  Assistant  Secretary  to 
Oharleston,  but  I  learn  with  surprise  from  your  despatch  that, 
without  a  commission  in  the  navy,  he  coTnmanded  the  expedition 
which  witnessed  the  bombardment  of  Sumter  without  relieving  it. 

<<  I  have  no  desire  to  question  the  power  of  the  department  to 
relieve  me  at  its  discretion,  but  its  order  of  the  3d  of  June  assigns 


THE  OTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  42J 

causes  which  do  not  exist,  and  ascribed  to  me  opinions  which  I  had 
neither  expressed  nor  entertained." 

Secretary  Welles,  after  a  delay  of  abont  two  weeks,  replied  to 
this  letter  without  resentment,  reviewing  the  whole  subject  at  great 
length  and  giving  reasons  in  justification  of  the  course  pursued  by 
the  department  that  were  considerate,  even  if  not  necessary.  The 
general  tone  of  the  communication  impresses  one  as  conveying 
fatherly  sorrow  rather  than  the  expression  of  offended  authority,  the 
only  passage  in  it  that  may  fairly  be  considered  harsh  being  the 
following  review  of  DuPont's  operations  at  Charleston  : 

*'  You  disapproved  of  the  occupancy  of  the  harbor,  yet  I  am 
not  aware  that  you  ever  caused  or  attempted  to  have  a  reconnois- 
aance  of  the  obstructions  or  any  examination  of  the  harbor  made 
before  the  attack,  nor  am  I  aware  that  you  have  ever  offered  an 
excuse  for  this  omission.  After  the  attack  was  made  you  were  dis- 
satisfied with  the  Ironsides — dissatisfied  with  the  monitors — 
dissatisfied  with  Chief  Engineer  Stimers,  against  whom  you  pre- 
pared charges  and  desired  that  he  might  be  arrested  and  sent  to  you 
for  trial,  he  having  expressed  his  surprise  that  you  should  abandon 
the  assault  on  so  brief  an  effort — dissatisfied  with  Surgeon  Eershner, 
whom  you  court-martialed  for  a  similar  offense — dissatisfied  with 
Mr.  Fulton,  the  special  agent  of  the  Post  Office  Department,  for 
his  criticisms  on  your  movements  and  acts — dissatisfied  with  the 
President  for  his  telegram,  and  dissatisfied  with  the  department  for 
not  more  promptly  and  formally  acknowledging  and  publishing 
your  reports. 

<^If  these  complaints  and  reports,  wherein  the  admiral  of  the 
squadron  devoted  so  large  a  portion  of  his  time  to  his  personal 
matters  and  so  little  towards  marshalling  his  force  for  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  harbor  of  Charleston  and  the  capture  of  the  city,  were 
not  received  with  the  patience  to  which  they  were  eu titled,  it  was  my 
misfortune.  I  do  not  deny  that  it  would  have  been  more  accept- 
able to^  the  department  to  have  witnessed  the  zeal  manifested  in 
hunting  down  newspaper  editors,  engineers,  and  surgeons,  directed 
against  rebel  enemies  and  to  the  destruction  of  their  works.'' 

This  correspondence  terminated  the  controversy  and  also  con- 


422  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

clnded  Bear  Admiral  DnPont's  active  participation  in  the  executive 
administration  of  the  operations  of  the  Navy  Department,  for  he 
remained  unemployed,  on  waiting  orders,  until  his  death,  which 
occared  in  June,  1865,  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war.  It  was  the 
fault  of  the  system  under  who^e  -influence  his  life  had  been  passed 
rather  than  from  any  personal  short-coming  of  his  own  that  the  last 
years  of  his  life  were  embittered.  ^^There  was  no  more  accom- 
plished oflScer  in  our  naval  service  than  Admiral  DoPont,  no  man 
of  nobler  personality,  but  he  was  the  very  incarnation  of  naval 
exdusiveness  and  prejudice  against  innovation,  and  the  introduction 
of  the  monitors  into  our  navy  gave  a  shock  to  his  sensibilities  from 
which  they  never  recovered.  It  may  be  that  he  was  expected  to 
accomplish  with  them  more  than  was  possible  in  his  attack  upon 
Charleston,  but  he  was  disposed  to  exaggerate  their  deficiencies  and 
to  criticise  them  in  a  spirit  of  unfriendliness  that  arrayed  against 
him  the  active  hostility  of  their  champions."^ 

^W.  C  Church,  Lite  of  John  Ericsson;  Vol.  IL,  p.  64«66. 


CHAPTER  XXIV, 

**  In  the  beauties  of  the  lilies  Christ  was  born  beyond  the  sea, 
With  a  glory  in  his  bosom  that  transfigures  you  and  me ; 
As  he  died  to  make  men  holy,  let  us  die  to  make  men  free  ; 
While  God  is  marching  on." 
Julia  Ward  Hows;  Battl&^ymn  of  the  Republic. 

1864 — The  Civil  War,  Continued— Confederate  Successes  in  the  Use  of  Torpedoes 
— ^Blowing  up  of  the  Sloop-of-War  Houbatonic — Minor  Naval  Operations — 
Boiler  Explosion  on  the  Chenango— The  Kxabsabgs-Alabama  Fight— The 
Great  Battle  in  Mobile  Bay— Loss  of  the  TBCUBUBBH-Capture  of  the  Privateer 
Flokida  by  the  Wachxjbett— The  Gunboat  Otsbgo  sunk  by  a  Torpedo- 
First  Attack  on  Fort  Fisher. 

NAYAL  operations  during  1864  were  marked  by  a  number  of 
minor  disasters  and  by  several  decisive  victories,  the  general 
results  of  the  year  being  most  favorable  to  the  reputation  of  the  ser- 
vice. The  first  mishap  of  the  year  occurred  to  the  small  side-wheel 
steamer  Underwriter^  prominently  identified  with  the  service  of 
holding  possession  of  the  North  Carolina  Sounds  during  the  two 
preceding  years.  About  2  a.  m.  February  2nd  this  vessel,  while 
lying  at  anchor  in  the  Neuse  Biver  near  Newburn,  was  boarded  in 
the  dark  by  a  force  of  over  one  hundred  men  in  boats  and  over- 
powered after  a  resistance  of  fifteen  minutes  in  which  her  com- 
mander, Acting  Master  Westervelt,  was  killed,  and  the  crew,  num- 
bering only  forty  people  all  told,  became  prisoners  of  war.  After 
taking  off  the  prisoners  and  plundering  the  vessel  she  was  set  on 
fire  and  destroyed.  Acting  Third  Assistant  Engineer  George  E. 
Allen  and  twenty-two  of  the  men  escaped  in  a  peculiar  manner  due 
to  the  haste  of  the  enemy  and  the  courage  and  presence  of  mind  of 
Mr.  Allen.  They  were  all  driven  into  one  boat,  the  last  to  shove 
off  from  the  Underwriter^  and  were  soon  surprised  to  hear  the 
guard  in  charge  of  it  hailing  the  boat  ahead  for  assistance,  it  appear- 
ing that  in  their  hurry  to  get  away  from  the  ship  the  Confederates 
had  all  embarked  in  the  first  boats,  leaving  only  two  to  go  in  the 
last  one,  in  which  were  over  twenty  prisoners.       Quickly  realizing 


24 


424  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  situation,  Mr.  Allen  snatched  the  cntlass  from  the  belt  of  the 
guard  near  him  and  thus  made  himself  master  of  the  boat,  the  other 
guard  jumping  overboard  and  swiming  for  another  boat  which  had 
turned  back.  By  hard  pulling  on  the  part  of  the  men,  Mr.  Allen 
safely  conducted  his  captured  boat  to  the  Federal  fortifications  at 
Newbern  and  at  daylight  reported  with  his  party  on  board  the  Loch- 
wood^  lying  at  that  place.  The  other  officers  and  the  remainder  of 
the  crew  became  prisoners  of  war. 

About  9  o'clock  the  evening  of  February  17th  a  Confederate 
'^  david,"  as  the  nearly  immersed  cigar-shaped  torpedo  boats  of  the 
enemy  came  to  be  called  from  the  name  of  one  of  the  first  of  them, 
just  as  monitor  became  a  generic  term,  approached  the  sloop-of-war 


..Ji^ic. 


Confederate  '*  david,"  or  torpedo  boat.      From  a  drawing  by  Second  Assistant 
Engineer  W.  S.  Smith  for  a  report  of  Bear  Admiral  Dahigren. 

Housatonic^  lying  on  the  outer  blockade  off  Charleston,  and  was  not 
discovered  until  so  close  as  to  explode  a  torpedo  under  the  H&tisar 
tonic^  sinking  her.  Ensign  Hazeltine,  Captain's  Clerk  Muzzy,  and 
.three  men  were  drowned,  all  others  of  the  ship's  company  saving 
themselves  by  taking  to  the  rigging,  which  remained  above  water, 
the  boats  of  the  Canandaigxia  rescuing  them  soon  afterward.  The 
torpedo  boat  itself  also  went  to  the  bottom.  This  disaster  was  dne 
to  the  excellence  in  the  use  of  torpedoes  which  had  been  arrived  at 
by  the  Confederates,  they,  in  the  absence  of  ships  to  carry  on  naval 
operations,  being  forced  to  wage  war  with  these  weapons  then  novel 
and  unusual.  The  use  of  torpedoes  was  by  no  means  a  new  thing, 
but  it  was  a  practice  rather  abhorrent  to  the  minds  of  trained  fight- 
ing men,  and  owed  its  development  by  the  naval  officers  of  the 
South  to  necessity  rather  than  desire. 


THE  STEAM  NAYY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  425 

One  of  the  first  snccessfnl  uses  of  the  torpedo  in  the  Ciyil  War 
was  the  blowing  up  of  the  iron-clad  gun- boat  Como  in  the  Missis- 
sippi Biver  in  1862,  by  a  Confederate  naval  officer  who  had  been 
taught  less  furtive  methods  of  warfare  in  the  old  navy,  and  who 
was  so  donbtfnl  of  the  propriety  of  the  mode  of  attack  directed  by 
him  that  he  described  his  feelings,  when  he  saw  that  the  Cairo  was 
actually  going  to  sink,  as  much  the  same  as  those  of  a  schoolboy  at 
seeing  serious  results  follow  from  something  begun  in  sport.  The 
sentiment  in  the  navy  regarding  torpedoes  at  that  time  is  well  shown 
by  some  comments  of  Bear  Admiral  Farragut,  who,  reporting  to 
the  department  in  May,  1864,  that  he  intended  to  make  use  of  them 
to  be  on  an  equality  with  his  enemy,  felt  it  necessary  to  excuse 
himself  by  explaining: 

^^  Torpedoes  are  not  so  agreeable  when  used  on  both  sides;  there- 
fore I  have  reluctantly  brought  myself  to  it. 

^^  I  have  always  deemed  it  unworthy  of  a  chivalrous  nation,  but 
it  does  not  do  to  give  your  enemy  such  a  decided  superiority  over 
you." 

In  the  hands  of  the  Confederates  torpedo  warfare  was  consider- 
ably advanced  and  torpedoes  became  the  most  formidable  weapon 
against  which  our  naval  vessels  had  to  contend,  as  well  as  the  cause  of 
the  greater  part  of  the  disasters  suflEered  by  the  Federal  navy  during  the 
rebellion.  The  present  high  development  of  torpedoes  as  a  weapon 
for  naval  warfare  may  be  directly  traced  to  the  impetus  gained  by  its 
successes  during  the  Civil  War,  which  not  only  illustrated  its  great 
possibilities  but  also  overcame  any  chivalric  objections  to  its  use 
which  may  have  been  formerly  entertained  by  naval  officers. 

The  evening  of  April  18th  another  "david"  passed  through  the 
iron-clad  blockade  line  off  Charleston  and  made  for  the  big  frigate 
Wabaih  lying  in  the  outer  line.  In  this  case,  however,  it  was  dis- 
covered in  time  for  the  Waha%h  to  get  under  way  and  man  the  bat- 
tery, her  fire  either  destroying  or  driving  off  the  small  but  much- 
feared  adversary.  On  the  sixth  of  May  the  ferry  gunboat  Corrvmo- 
dore  Jones  while  near  Four  Mile  Creek  in  the  James  River  ran  upon 
a  moored  torpedo  and  met  with  utter  destruction,  about  one-half  of 
her  crew  being  either  killed  or  wounded.    The  next  day  the  gunboat 


496  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATED 

Shawsheen  while  searching  for  torpedoes  near  Turkey  Bend  in  the 
same  locality  fell  a  victim  to  exposed  machinery  and  was  destroyed 
by  a  battery  suddenly  unmasked  in  the  woods,  the  first  shots  from 
which  disabled  her  by  exploding  the  steam  drum  and  breaking  the 
walking-beam  of  the  engine.  The  officers  and  crew  became  prisoners 
and  the  vessel  was  bnmed  by  her  captors. 

A  daring  expedition,  although  on  a  small  scale,  was  conducted 
in  March  by  Acting  Master  Champion  of  the  Pawnee^  who,  with  the 
tug  gunboat  Colvmbine  commanded  by  Acting  Ensign  Sanborn,  and 
a  party  of  volunteers  from  the  Pawneej  proceeded  up  the  St.  JohnB 
Biver  in  Florida,  captured  two  steamers,  a  large  quantity  of  cotton, 
provisions,  and  army  supplies,  and  returned  safely  to  the  ship  after 
having  been  for  two  weeks  in  the   enemy's   country  and  penetrated 
the  river  over   two  hundred  miles.     The  volunteer  party  from  the 
Pavmee  consisted  of   Second  Assistant  Engineer  Alfred  Adamson, 
Third  Assistant  Engineer  Arthur  Price,  an  acting  master's  mate,  and 
twelve  men,  all  embarked  at  first  in  a  launch  towed  by  the  OolumbiM^ 
but  transferred  the  second  day  to  a  steamer,  the  General  Srnnier^  they 
had  captured  in  Great  Lake  George.     Two  days  later  the  Sumier  en- 
countered and  captured  the  steamer  Hattie  in  Deep  Creek  and  con- 
verted her  into  a  transport  for  carrying  cotton,  machinery,  and  other 
contraband  of  war  seized  at  the  river  stations  visited.    When  taken, 
the  HaMie  was  found  disabled  by  the  Confederates,  who  in  abandon- 
ing her  had  carried  off  all  the  valves  of  the  feed  and   other  pumps 
about  the  engines  and  boilers,  but  the  ingenuity  of  Messrs.  Adamson 
and  Price  overcame  this  defect  and  soon  restored  the  steamer  to  a 
useful  condition.     Without  any  means  of  doing  better,  they  hastily 
made  valves  of  wood  which  were  found  to  answer  the  purpose  and 
enabled  the  vessel  to  do  service  until  time  permitted  more  permanent 
repairs. 

Two  months'  later  in  the  same  river  the  Colzmtbinejnet  the  fate 
that  had  overtaken  so  many  of  the  purchased  steamers  with  exposed 
machinery  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  She  was  attacked 
by  a  battery  hidden  in  the  underbrush  along  the  bank  and  almost  at 
the  first  fire  rendered  helpless  by  a  shot  cutting  the  main  steam  pipe, 
her  surrender  following  as  the  natural  result  of  her  inability  to  move 
into  a  position  to  use  her  guns  or  get  out  of  the  range  of  fire.  Her 
people  were  taken  prisoners  and  the  enemy  burned  their  prize  with- 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  427 

out  taking  time  to  remove  anythiBg  of  value.  The  senior  engineer 
of  the  Coltimbine  was  referred  to  in  the  following  complimentary 
manner  in  the  commanding  officer's  report  of  the  disaster:  ^<  I  take 
great  pleasure  in  recommending  to  your  favorable  notice  the  conduct 
of  Acting  Third  Assistant  Engineer  Henry  J.  Johnson,  who  coolly 
performed  his  duty  until  the  engine  became  disabled,  when  he  ren- 
dered me  the  most  valuable  assistance  on  deck."  Mr.  Johnson  and 
his  assistant,  Mr.  George  Whitney,  acting  third  assistant  engineer, 
had  a  most  miserable  time  for  several  months  after  capture,  being 
moved  about  to  various  prison  pens,  jails  and  workhouses,  and 
forced  to  mix  with  felons  imprisoned  for  all  sorts  of  crimes. 

A  frightful  disaster  occurred  on  board  the  new  double-ender 
Chenango  when  she  first  sailed  from  the  city  where  she  was  built. 
This  vessel,  on  the  15th  of  April,  left  New  York,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant  Commander  T.  S.  Fillebrown,  bound  for  Hamp- 
ton Koads;  while  passing  between  Forts  Hamilton  and  Lafayette  her 
port  boiler  suddenly  exploded  blowing  up  the  deck,  killing  twenty- 
five  of  the  crew  and  wounding  ten  others,  all  four  of  her  engineers 
being  among  the  killed.  A  court  of  inquiry  held  at  the  Brooklyn 
navy  yard  found  that  the  disaster  was  caused  by  a  defective  vein  in 
the  iron  in  the  boiler,  and  that  no  blame  or  want  of  vigilance  could 
be  ascribed  to  any  officer  of  the  vessel.  The  chief  engineer,  Mr. 
Joseph  N.  Gahill,  first  assistant  engineer,  U.  S.  Navy,  was  particu- 
larly exonerated,  he  being  known  as  one  of  the  most  careful  and 
cautious  officers  in  the  service.  The  Shencmgo  belonged  to  the  SaS" 
sacua  class  of  double-enders  and  was  built  by  J.  Simonson,  Green- 
point,  Long  Island,  the  engines  and  boilers  being  supplied  by  the 
Morgan  Iron  Works,  New  York.  The  boilers  were  of  the  Martin 
vertical  water-tube  type  and  may  have  been  defective  in  bracing  as 
well  as  material,  as  another  of  them  had  exploded  with  fatal  results 
on  the  Lenapee  of  the  same  class  when  steam  was  raised  in  it  at  the 
contractor's  works. 

Besides  the  naval  court  of  inquiry  as  to  the  accident,  it  was  also 
investigated  by  a  coroner's  jury  which  found  the  cause  to  be  defective 
material  and  fixed  the  blame  upon  the  person  or  persons  responsible 
for  the  construction  of  the  boilers.  The  responsibility  narrowed 
down  to  Second  Assistant  Engineer  S.  Wilkins  Oragg,  who  as  an 
assistant  to  a  general  engineer  superintendent  had  been  stationed  at 


480  THE  CTBAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  8TATB& 

ing  the  rebels,  they  surrendered  at  the  first  summons,  and  thereby 
lost  the  ship."  The  engineers  on  their  part  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  they  were  unarmed  and  claimed  that  the  appearance  of  the 
enemy  in  the  engine-room  led  them  to  believe  that  the  deck  had 
been  already  carried.  Just  how  an  unarmed  man,  engines  or  not, 
is  to  resist  an  order  given  by  an  armed  enemy  in  battle  is  not  at  all 
apparent.  Instead  of  charging  the  disaster  to  the  cowardice  of  the 
engineers  it  seems  that  a  more  liberal  and  logical  view  of  the  matter 
wonld  place  the  blame  npon  an  organization  that  compelled  them  to 
.  go  into  action  nnarmed,  when  the  nature  of  their  duties  were  sudi 
that  they  might  at  any  moment  be  called  upon  to  %ht  and  when 
their  inability  to  do  so  might  result  in  the  loss  of  the  ship,  as  the 
commanding  officer  reported  was  the  case  in  this  instance. 

Besides  the  misbehavior  charged  against  him  at  the  time  of  the 
capture,  the  senior  engineer  of  the  Water  WUeh^  Samuel  Genther, 
acting  first  assistant  engineer,  was  reported  by  his  commanding  off. 
cer  for  ** disgraceful  conduct"  while  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war,  in 
that  he  asked  to  be  released  from  confinement  on  the  ground  that 
he  did  not  fight  and  as  a  non-combatant  should  not  be  made  to  suffer 
the  consequences  of  war.  Mr.  Genther  was  a  volunteer  officer  of 
less  than  two  years' service,  the  greater  part  of  which  had  been 
passed  on  the  Water  WUchj  and  it  may  be  that  he  had  been  led  to 
believe  that  he,  as  a  staff  officer,  was  simply  a  civil  employe  and  a 
non-combatant,  and  he  may  have  been  sincere  in  asserting  his  claim 
to  release  from  captivity.  It  was  unfortunate  for  him,  however, 
that  be  coald  not  have  had  a  time  of  peace  in  which  to  prononnce 
himself  a  non-combatant,  for  it  availed  him  nothing  under  the  living 
conditions  of  war  :  the  enemy  refused  to  liberate  him,  and  the  Navy 
Department,  as  soon  as  he  was  exchanged,  summarily  dismissed 
him  from  the  service  for  his  part  in  the  surrender  of  the  WtUer  WUch 
and  for  '*  un-officer-like  conduct "  while  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war. 
The  duel  between  the  U.  S.  sloop-of-war  Kea/tawrge  and  the 
Confederate  war-steamer  Alahama  on  Sunday  the  19th  of  June, 
1864,  was  one  of  the  most  gratifying  events  of  the  Civil  War,  not 
alone  from  the  fact  that  it  resulted  in  removing  from  the  surface  of 
the  ocean  the  scourge  and  terror  of  American  commerce,  bat 
because  circumstances  made  it  practically  a  competitive  test  to 
destruction  of  the  systems  of  ship,  engine  and  gun  building  and 


THE  STTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  481 

management  in  the  American  and  British  navies.  The  two  ships 
were  as  evenly  matched  in  size,  armament  and  crew  as  could  pos- 
sibly be  expected  of  vessels  built  and  armed  in  different  countries, 
their  relative  proportions  being  as  follows: 

ALABAICA.  KBAR8ABOB. 

Length  over  aU 220  feet  214  feet  3  Inches. 

Length  on  water-line 210   '*  198  ''     6      " 

Beam. 32  "  33    '•   10      ** 

Depth  of  hold 17    "  16   " 

Tonnage 1,150  1,031 

The  Alabama  was  full  bark-rigged  with  very  lofty  spars,  her 
main  especially  being  so  tall  that  it  had  come  to  be  recognized  as  a 
sign  of  danger  to  American  skippers  in  all  seas,  and  this  gave  her 
the  appearance  of  being  a  much  larger  vessel  than  the  Kewrwurge^ 
which  at  that  time  was  fitted  with  disproportionately  low  and  small 
masts  and  carried  no  spars  above  the  topsail  yards.  The  armament 
of  the  Alabama  consisted  of  one  Yll-inch  Blakely  rifle;  one  YIII. 
inch  shell-gun,  and  six  long  32-pounder8;  all  British  guns.  That 
of  the  Kewrsa/rge  was  two  XI- inch  smooth-bore  guns;  one  80- 
pounder  rifle,  and  four  short  32-pounders;  all  American  guns.  The 
Alahama  went  into  action  with  149  officers  and  men  in  her  crew,  a 
majority  of  her  men  being  British  subjects,  and  the  Kearea/rge  had 
163  all  told.  With  the  exception  of  eleven  persons  of  inferior 
ratings  this  ship's  company  was  composed  of  native-born  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  the  most  of  them  being  seamen  and  mechanics 
from  the  coast  and  workshops  of  New  England. 

The  magnificent  discipline  and  courage  displayed  by  the 
Kea/rsarge^s  men;  the  question  of  the  chain  armor;  the  conduct  of 
the  British  yacht  Deerhownd;  the  wild  firing  of  the  Alahamui  and 
the  deadly  precision  of  that  of  the  Keao'sa/rge^  with  other  familiar  and 
often- told  incidents  of  the  fight  need  not  be  gone  over  here,  but 
instead  a  few  comments  will  be  made  upon  some  other  features  of 
the  combat  not  usually  brought  into  prominence  in  the  historical 
accounts.  One  of  these  points  is  the  assumed  superiority  of  the 
gunners  of  the  Alabama^  her  commander,  Semmes,  being  quoted  in 
the  London  Times  a  few  days  after  the  fight  as  saying  that  he  ex- 
pected his  trained  British  gun- captains  to  make  short  work  of  the 
volunteers  of  the  Kewrswrge.     It  is  true  that  the  gun's-crews  of  the 


4S2  THE  STKAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Federal  ship,  diyiBional  officers  as  well  as  men,  were  volunteers^ 
bnt  they  were  anything  but  recrnits  as  the  term  osnally  signifies. 
The  Kea^sa/rge  had  been  in  commission  for  more  than  two  years 
under  a  well  organized  and  liberally  administered  system  of  naval 
discipline,  that  length  of  time  being  more  than  sofficient  to  convert 
almost  any  class  of  recruits  into  thorough  men-of-war's-men.  The 
material  in  this  case  happened  to  be  of  intelligence  to  stsrt 
with,  and  after  thirty  months  of  constant  training  aboard  ship  had 
arrived  at  a  state  of  competence  and  familiarity  with  their  duties 
that  left  absolutely  nothing  to  dread  from  the  products  of  British  or 
any  other  system  of  naval  training.  Just  such  volunteers  as  these 
manned  our  ships  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  will  man  them  in  the 
next  naval  war. 

The  circling  tactics  observed  by  the  two  ships  during  the  fight 
were  forced  by  Captain  Winslow  of  the  Kea/rsa^ge  to  prevent  his 
antagonist  from  approaching  the  neutral  three-mile  limit  off  shore. 
His  ability  to  thus  determine  the  order  of  battle  was  due  to  the 
superiority  of  his  engineer's  department,  and  to  that  alone,  for  had 
the  Alabama  possessed  the  greater  speed  she  could  have  compelled 
the  fight  to  be  maintained  on  parallel  courses  leading  shoreward,  as 
pointed  out  in  Winslow's  report  of  the  battle.  The  Alabama  was 
built  with  special  reference  to  speed  both  as  a  steamer  and  as  a 
sailer  and  was  supposed  to  be  much  the  superior  of  the  Kewna/tgt 
in  both  capacities,  Captain  Semmes,  again,  being  authority  for  the 
statement  that  he  expected  to  have  a  decided  advantage  in  the 
matter  of  speed  when  he  went  into  action.  With  the  weaker  motive 
power,  the  Kea/rsaa^ge  owed  her  superior  performance  to  her  engine- 
room  force  which  was  made  up  of  intelligent  and  capable  young 
American  mechanics,  who  had  been  trusted  to  carry  out  the  details 
of  their  duties  without  captious  interference,  and  who  consequently 
had  arrived  at  a  point  so  near  perfection  that  when  the  hour  of  battle 
came  the  performance  of  the  machinery  exceeded  all  previous 
records  and  made  the  Kea/tswrge  the  better  ship. 

The  Kearswrge^s  machinery  was  built  by  the  well-known  firm  of 
Woodruff  &  Beach,  Hartford,  Connecticut,  the  contract  price  for  it 
being  (104,000.  The  ship  itself  was  buUt  at  the  navy  yard,  Kit- 
tery,  Maine.  The  machinery  was  well  made  and  excellent  for  its 
kind,  although  not  designed  with  any   special  reference  to  speed, 


THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITED  STATEa  488 

and  its  fine  condition  after  thirty  months  of  serrice  is  the  best  pos- 
sible proof  of  the  zeal  and  capability  of  the  engineers  who  had 
charge  of  it.  An  Englishman,  Mr.  Frederick  Milnes  Edge,  who 
published  a  pamphlet  accoant  pf  the  battle  soon  after  it  occurred, 
was  so  impressed  with  the  evident  care  exhibited  by  the  condition 
of  the  machinery  of  the  Kea/rsa/rge  that  he  wrote: 

^<  I  have  not  seen  engines  more  compact  in  form,  nor  appar- 
ently in  finer  condition — looking  in  every  part  as  though  they  were 
fresh  from  the  workshop,  instead  of  being,  as  they  are,  half  through 
the  third  year  of  the  cruise." 

Mr.  Oushman,  the  chief  engineer  of  the  ship,  was  a  veteran  of 
the  old  navy  well  qualified  to  train  the  new  hands  which  the  war 
had  brought  into  the  service;  the  four  assistant  engineers  belonged  to 
the  regular  service  but  had  entered  on  account  of  the  existence  of 
war  and  consequently  had  no  more  naval  experience  than  the  volun- 
teer deck  officers  of  their  ship,  but  that,  as  the  event  showed,  was 
quite  sufficent  for  both  classes.  The  Kea/rsa/rge  went  into  action 
with  her  fires  raked  perfectly  clean  and  bright,  the  furnace  draft 
forced  by  artificial  means,  and  the  safety  valves  lashed  down,  under 
which  conditions  she  fought  at  her  utmost  speed  throughout  the  en- 
gagement, her  decks  trembling  under  the  feet  of  the  crew  from  the 
vibration  of  the  engines  and  the  roar  of  the  fires.  The  senior 
assistant  engineer,  Mr.  Badlam,  was  stationed  in  charge  of  the 
engines;  Mr.  Miller,  the  next  engineer  in  rank,  had  charge  of  the 
boilers;  Third  Assistant  Engineer  Sidney  L.  Smith  was  on  the  spar 
deck  with  the  fire-hose  company,  and  the  junior,  Mr.  McConnell, 
was  stationed  at  the  engine-room  signal -bell.  In  the  report  of  the 
chief  engineer  the  conduct  of  these  four  officers  and  of  the  men  of  the 
engine-room  force  was  especially  referred  to  as  being  cool,  self- 
possessed  and  efficient.  The  same  was  true  of  the  whole  ship's 
company,  for  the  action  was  fought  with  the  same  deliberation  and 
lack  of  excitement  that  had  characterized  the  daily  drills. 

The  detailed  report  of  the  conduct  of  officers  and  men  contains 
the  following  relative  to  the  engineer's  department : 

<  ^  The  engineer's  division  was  admirably  and  efficiently  con 


4S4  THE  fiTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UKmED  STATES 

ducted,  under  the  command  of  Chief  Engineer  W.  H.  CoBhman. 
Sidney  L.  Smith  and  Henry  McOonnell,  third  assistant  engineers) 
were  stationed  on  deck,  and  their  conduct  came  immediately  under 
my  observation.  It  was  distinguished  by  coolness  and  vigilance. 
The  other  assistants,  Mr.  W.  H.  Badlam  and  Mr.  F.  L.  Miller, 
were  on  duty  in  the  engine  and  fire-rooms,  and,  judging  from  ihe 
prompt  manner  in  which  the  orders  from  the  deck  were  executed,  I 
know  that  their  duties  were  creditably  performed." 

The  Alabama  fired  about  three  hundred  and  seventy  times  bat 
only  twenty-eight  of  her  shots  struck  the  Kecnrwrge,  and  they  did 
her  no  serious  harm  ;  only  three  of  her  men  were  wounded,  one  of 
whom,  William  Gowin,  subsequently  died.  The  Kecu^curge  fired  one 
hundred  and  seventy-three  times,  the  most  of  her  projectiles  finding 
the  mark :  about  forty  men  were  killed  and  wounded  on  the  Ala- 
bama^y  and  the'  ship  was  dreadfully  cut  to  pieces  before  she  sank. 
Her  engines  were  disabled  by  a  shell  which  exploded  in  a  coal 
bunker,  completely  blocking  the  engine-room  with  coal  and  wreck- 
age and  wounding  two  assistant  engineers.  Another  shell  alone  was 
reported  by  prisoners  to  have  killed  and  wounded  eighteen  men  and 
disabled  a  gun.  Ten  of  the  shots  fired  from  the  Kea/rsarge  were  from 
a  12-pounder  howitzer  and  performed  no  part  in  the  sinking  of  the 
Alahama. 

^'Two  quartermasters  were  put  in  charge  of  this  gun  with 
instructions  to  fire  when  they  were  ordered  ;  but  the  old  salts,  little 
relishing  having  nothing  to  do  when  their  shipmates  were  all  so  busy 
commenced  peppering  away  with  their  pea-shooter  of  a  piece,  alter- 
nating its  discharges  with  vituperation  of  each  other.  This  low- 
comedy  by-play  amused  the  ship's  company,  and  the  officer  of  the 
division  good-humoredly  allowed  the  farce  to  continue  until  the 
single  box  of  ammunition  was  exhausted."^ 

One  other  incident  of  the  fight  cannot  be  told  too  often  to  cor- 
rect a  popular  error  regarding  the  supposed  narrow  escape  the  Kear- 


1  From  a  popular  account  of  the  battle  by  Mr.  Henry  McGonnell,  cashier  of  the 
Kensington  National  Bank  of  Philadelphia ;  Mr.  McCk»nnell  was  the  assistant  en- 
gineer of  the  Kwfnargt  stationed  at  the  engine-room  signal  belL 


THE  STEAM  NATT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  4S5 

satrge  had  from  destraction.  A  lOO-ponnder  shell  was  found  lodged 
in  her  stem-post  after  the  battle  and  has  been  exhibited  at  one  of 
the  navy  yards  ever  since  with  a  section  of  the  stem-post,  where  it 
has  been  regarded  with  awe  by  a  whole  generation  of  visitors.  At 
the  World's  Colambian  Exposition  this  same  piece  of  the  stem-post 
with  the  shell  still  lodged  in  it  was  one  of  the  most  attractive  ex- 
hibits on  the  model  battle-ship  and  was  seen  by  upwards  of  three 
million  people.  It  is  currently  believed  that  if  this  shell  had  ex- 
ploded, the  Kearmrge  and  not  the  Alabama  would  have  gone  to  the 
bottom  of  the  English  Channel,  and  people,  according  to  their  de- 
gree of  piety,  ascribe  the  miraculous  escape  to  luck,  Providence,  or 
the  direct  intervention  of  the  Ahnighty.  The  truth  is,  however, 
that  this  shell  struck  the  counter  of  the  Kearsarge  at  least  twenty  feet 
from  the  stem-post  and  would  have  exploded  then,  where  the  dam- 
age would  have  been  slight,  had  it  possessed  any  explosive  power, 
for  it  was  a  percussion  shell.  After  striking,  it  glanced,  scoring  the 
planking  for  about  ten  feet,  then  passed  through  the  air  some  ten 
feet  more  and  finally  embedded  itself  in  the  stem-post,  its  final 
impact  doing  some  damage  by  starting  the  transom  frame  and 
binding  the  rudder  so  that  four  men  were  required  thereafter  to 
work  the  wheel. 

The  most  sanguinary  and  important  naval  battle  of  the  Civil 
War  was  the  battle  in  Mobile  Bay  the  morning  of  August  5,  1864. 
The  fleet  under  command  of  Rear  Admiral  Farragut  stripped  for 
action  much  the  same  as  was  done  more  than  two  years  before  pre- 
paratory to  passing  the  forts  below  New  Orleans.  Superfluous 
boats,  spars,  etc.,  were  taken  out  of  the  ships  and  anchored  off 
shore  or  left  at  Pensacola,  some  of  the  ships  thus  disposing  even  of 
their  lower  yards  and  topmasts.  The  plan  of  lashing  a  small  vessel 
to  the  unexposed  side  of  a  larger  one  to  carry  her  past  the  fort  in 
case  of  serious  damage  was  again  adopted,  and  at  daylight  the  morn- 
ing of  the  5th  the  vessels  designated  for  the  attack  moved  up  the 
bay  to  their  work,  the  pairing  and  order  of  advance,  together  with 
the  names  of  commanding  ofScers  and  chief  engineers  being  as 
follows : 

( Brooklyn^    Captain   James   Alden ;      Chief   Engineer   Mortimer 
J  Kellogg. 

I  Octorora^  Lieutenant  Commander  C.  H.  Greene  ;     Acting  First 
(^         Assistant  Engineer  W.  W.  Shipman. 


486  THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UEITED  STATSa 

Emiford  (fli^))  Oaptain  Perciyal  Drayton ;  Ohief  Engineer 
Thomas  Williamson. 

Metacomet^  Lieutenant  Commander  Jas.  E.  Jonett ;  First  Assist- 
ant Engineer  James  Atkins. 

'  Richmondy    Captain    Thornton   A.    Jenkins ;      Chief    Engineer 

Jackson  McElmell. 
Port  Boyal^  Lieutenant  Commander  B.  Oherardi ;    First  Assist- 
ant Engineer  Fletcher  A.  Wilson. 

'  Lackrwcmnay  Captain  J.  B.  Marchand  ;    First  Assistant  Engineer 

Jas.  W.  Whittaker. 
Seminole^  Commander  Edward  Donaldson  ;    Acting  First  Assist- 
ant Engineer  Clande  Babcock. 

'  Monongahela,  Commander  J.  H.  Strong  ;    Chief  Engineer  George 

F.  Katz. 
KennebeCy  Lieutenant   Commander  Wm.  P.  McCann  ;     Second 
Assistant  Engineer  L.  W.  Bobinson. 

^  Oadpeej  Commander  Wm.  E.   LeBoj  ;     Acting  Chief  Engineer 

James  M.  Adams. 
Itaskay  Lieutenant  Commander  George  Brown  ;    Second  Assistant 
Engineer  John  L.  D.  Borthwick. 

''  Oneida^  Commander  J.  R.  M.  Mullanj  ;   Chief  Engineer  William 
H.  Hunt. 
Oalena^  Lieutenant  Commander  Clark  H.  Wells  ;    First  Assistant 
Engineer  William  G.  Buehler. 

Four  monitors,  two  of  the  Ericsson  type  and  two  of  the  Edes 
Mississippi  "turtle-back''  type,  were  already  inside  the  bar  and 
near  Fort  Morgan  with  orders  to  move  along  with  the  head  of  the 
column  between  the  leading  ships  and  the  fort,  in  the  following 
order : 

Tecumseh^  Commander  T.  A.  M.  Craven ;  Chief  Engineer  John 
Faron. 

Manhattan^  Commander  J.  W.  A.  Nicholson  ;  Acting  Chief  Engi- 
neer C.  L.  Carty. 

Wimwbdgo^  Commander  T.  H.  Stevens  ;  Acting  Chief  Engineer 
Simon  Shultice. 

Chickasaw^  Lieutenant  Commander  Geo.  H.  Perkins  ;  Acting  Chief 
Engineer  Wm.  Bodgers. 


THB  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATSa  437 

Six  small  gnnboats,  the  Pembma^  Pmola^  Sebago^  Termeasee^ 
BienviJZ^^  and  Oenesee^  were  adyaDced  into  the  shoal  water  off 
Mobile  Point  somewhat  to  the  rear  of  Fort  Morgan  for  the  purpose 
of  disconcerting  by  their  fire  the  batteries  of  that  fortification,  but 
owing  to  some  confusion  of  orders  or  misunderstanding  they  an- 
chored so  far  away  that  their  fire  was  ineffective  and  they  are  not 
usually  credited  with  having  participated  in  the  battle. 

About  6.30  A.  M.  the  line  was  well  up  towards  the  fort,  the 
four  monitors  being  close  into  the  shore,  and  the  formation  for 
battle  was  being  perfected,  the  first  shots  at  the  fort  being  fired  at 
that  time  by  the  Tecvmaeh.  A  few  minutes  past  seven  the  fort 
opened  on  the  leading  ship,  the  BrooJdynj  and  immediately  there- 
after the  action  became  general  between  the  fort,  the  leading  ships 
and  the  monitors.  In  this  firing  the  Teonmseh  did  not  take  part,  for 
after  having  fired  the  first  two  shots  to  scale  her  guns  she  had 
loaded  with  steel  bolts  and  the  heaviest  charges  of  powder  allowed, 
to  be  in  readiness  to  engage  the  iron- clad  ram  lennesaee  then  emerg- 
ing from  behind  Fort  Morgan.  At  7.30  a.  m.  the  Teowmseh  was  the 
foremost  vessel  in  the  line,  being  off  the  starboard  bow  of  the 
BrooJcl/yn^  and  was  steadily  advancing,  intent  only  upon  getting 
into  action  with  the  Temiessee^  when  her  destruction  came  with 
awful  suddenness  by  the  explosion  of  a  torpedo  underneath  her, 
from  the  effects  of  which  she  went  to  the  bottom  with  her  ^gallant 
commander  and  the  greater  part  of  her  crew  within  less  than  half  a 
minute.  The  swiftness  of  her  destruction  may  be  comprehended 
from  the  following  extract  from  a  lecture  by  an  eye-witness,  Chief 
Engineer  Harrie  Webster,  U.  S.  Navy  who  as  an  assistant  engineer 
was  in  the  turret  of  the  Manhatta/n  in  charge  of  its  turning  gear, 
only  two  hundred  yards  distant  from  the  Tecumseh. 

'*A  tiny  white  comber  of  froth  curled  around  her  bow,  a  tre- 
mendous shock  ran  through  our  ship  as  though  we  had  struck  a 
rock,  and  as  rapidly  as  these  words  fiow  from  my  lips  the  Tecum- 
seh  reeled  a  little  to  starboard,  her  bows  settled  beneath  the  surface, 
and  while  we  looked,  her  stern  lifted  high  in  the  air  with  the  pro- 
peller still  revolving,  and  the  ship  pitched  out  of  sight,  like  an 
arrow  twanged  from  her  bow." 

The  Teemnseh  went  into  action  with  seven  line  oflScers,  includ- 


488  THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  8TATE& 

ing  the  commander,  six  engineers,  one  snrgeon,  one  paymaster,  a 
pilot,  and  ninety -eight  enlisted  men.  Of  these,  three  line  officers, 
the  pilot,  and  seyenteen  men  were  saved,  all  others  losing  their 
lives  by  drowning  or  concussion.  With  the  exception  of  one  coal- 
heaver  the  entire  engine-room  force  of  six  officers  and  thirty-seven 
men  was  annihilated,  the  majority  probably  by  shock,  as  the  sur- 
vivors reported  that  the  torpedo  exploded  nnder  the  middle  of  the 
ship  and  blew  the  bottom  about  the  machinery  spaces  to  pieces. 
The  chief  engineer,  Mr.  John  Faron,  had  left  a  sick  bed  in  the  hos- 
pital at  Pensacola  at  his  own  urgent  request  to  go  on  board  his 
vessel  to  take  part  in  the  battle.  He  had  been  in  the  regular  navy 
since  1848  and  was  a  popular  and  capable  officer  whose  death,  re- 
suiting  from  his  own  devotion  to  duty,  was  greatly  deplored.  The 
engineers  who  perished  with  him  were  F.  S.  Barlow,  Elisha  Harsen, 
and  H.  S.  Leonard,  all  second  assistants  in  the  regular  service,  and 
Thomas  Ustiok  and  Henry  Bitter,  acting  third  assistants. 

The  tragedy  of  the  Tecmnseh  occasioned  some  confusion  in  the 
fleet,  during  which  the  Brooklyn  faltered  and  Farragut  went  ahead 
of  her  with  the  Hartford  and  led  the  fleet  successfully  past  the  fort, 
but  not  without  great  loss,  the  fire  from  the  fort  and  from  the  Oon- 
federate  gunboats  lying  above  doing  great  injury  to  several  of  the 
ships.  The  broadside  fire  of  the  larger  vessels  was  so  terrific  that  it 
eventually  practically  silenced  the  fort  and  the  column  was  able  to  pass 
almost  unmolested  after  the  first  vessels  had  gone  by.  Last  in  the  line 
came  the  evil-starred  Oneida^  and  by  the  time  she  arrived  abreast 
of  Morgan  the  gunners  had  returned  to  their  batteries  and  opened 
upon  her  with  great  fury.  Able  naval  critics  say  it  was  a  mis- 
take to  put  a  small  vessel  last  in  line,  for  had  one  of  the  large 
broadside  ships  like  the  Richmond  or  Brooklyn  brought  up  the 
rear  she  could  have  successfully  protected  herself  by  her  own  fire 
and  forced  the  enemy  to  again  abandon  his  guns.  As  it  was,  the 
Oneida  was  roughly  handled. 

"A  rifled  shell  passed  through  her  chain  armor,  and  entering 
the  starboard  boiler  exploded  in  it,  causing  sad  havoc  among  the 
firemen  and  coal-heavers  of  the  watch  below,  all  of  whom  were 
either  killed  outright  or  fearfully  scalded  by  the  escaping  steam. 
Another  shell,  exploding  in  the  cabin,  cut  both  wheel-ropes,  while 


THE  8IBAM  KAYT  OF  THX  UNITBD  ffTATEB.  490 

a  third  set  flre  to  the  deck  above  the  forward  magazine ;  jet,  en- 
couraged by  the  chiyalric  bearing  of  their  commander,  and  the  fine 
example  set  them  bj  the  ezecntiye  officer  and  the  chief  engineer  of 
the  ship,  the  crew  of  the  Onmda  behaved  splendidly.  The  relieving 
tackles  were  instantly  manned,  the  fire  pnt  oat,  and  connection  be- 
tween the  starboard  and  port  boiler  cnt  off;  and  the  Oneida,  assisted 
by  the  Oalena^  went  on  as  if  nothing  nnnsnal  had  happened  on 
board  of  her,  her  gons  never  for  a  moment  ceasing  to  respond  to  the 
really  terrific  fire  of  the  enemy.  "^ 

The  chief  engineer  of  the  Oneida^  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Hunt,  was 
badly  scalded  in  both  arms  bnt  remained  at  his  post  and  succeeded 
in  restoring  order  from  the  frightful  scene  following  the  explosion 
of  the  shell  in  the  boiler,  his  gallantry  being  so  conspicuous  that  it 
was  made  a  subject  of  special  reference  in  the  report  of  the  com- 
manding officer.  Mr.  Fitch,  the  senior  assistant  engineer  of  the 
ship,  was  severely  scalded  and  likewise  distinguished  himself  by  his 
gallant  behavior,  the  chief  engineer  reporting  of  him  in  the  follow- 
ing terms:  ^^  Too  much  praise  cannot  be  accorded  to  First  Assistant 
Engineer  B.  A.  Fitch,  who,  at  the  time  of  the  injury  to  the  boiler, 
displayed  the  utmost  courage  and  coolness,  remaining  at  his  station 
in  the  execution  of  his  duties  until  he  was  so  badly  scalded  by  the 
escaping  steam  as  to  be  rendered  almost  helpless.''  Acting  Third 
Assistant  Engineer  Nicholas  Dillon  was  also  commended  in  the 
official  reports  for  extraordinary  services,  he  having  undertaken  the 
duties  of  Mr.  Fitch  when  that  officer  succumbed  to  his  injuries. 

After  getting  past  the  fort  with  the  assistance  of  the  Galena, 
the  OaeAd/i  came  up  to  the  scene  of  a  fierce  combat  between  the 
Monongahela  and  some  of  the  other  Union  vessels  and  the  Tennessee 
just  in  time  to  be  assailed  by  the  latter,  which,  by  chance  rather 
than  design,  got  under  the  Oneida^s  stern  and  raked  her  fore  and  aft 
with  a  broadside,  destroying  boats  and  rigging,  dismounting  a  gun, 
crippling  the  mainmast,  and  injuring  some  of  her  people,  among 
them  Commander  MuUany,  who  lost  an  arm.     At  this  stage  of  the 


1  Commodore  Foxhall  A.  Parker,  U.  S.  Kayy— The  Battle  of  Mobile  Bay; 
paga31« 


440  THE  8TBAM  NAVY  OF  TBI  UNITBD  STATES. 

fight  the  Oonf  ederate  gunboats  had  become  bo  annoying  that  Farra* 
gnt  signaled  his  own  small  vessels  to  cast  loose  from  their  consorts 
and  attack  them;  to  which  order  the  Metacomet^  Port  Boyal,  Kefme- 
bee  and  Itaska  at  once  responded.  The  first  named,  under  Lieuten- 
ant Commander  (now  Bear  Admiral)  James  A.  Jouett,  got  off  first 
and  captured  the  8e1ma  which  she  singled  out  and  pursued.  One  of 
the  enemy's  gunboats,  the  Morgan^  escaped  to  Mobile;  the  other, 
the  Qame»^  was  run  on  shore  in  a  sinking  condition  near  the  fort, 
set  on  fire  by  her  own  people  and  abandoned.  The  Tennemee  with* 
drew  from  the  fight  and  anchored  under  the  guns  of  the  fort,  still 
practically  uninjured  and  without  a  man  in  her  crew  disabled.  The 
Federal  vessels  proceeded  about  four  miles  up  the  bay  and  anchored, 
piping  to  breakfast  after  hastily  clearing  away  the  wreckage  and 
other  more  dreadful  evidences  of  the  conflict. 

Scarcely  had  the  men  gathered  about  their  mess-cloths  when  the 
lefifmessee  was  observed  to  be  under  way,  standing  up  the  bay  for 
another  fight.  The  struggle  that  ensued  between  her  and  the  whole 
Federal  fleet  was  a  desperate  one  and  lasted  more  than  an  hour  before 
the  lennessee  was  literally  worried  into  a  surrender.  She  was  pelted 
with  the  broadsides  of  the  large  ships,  which,  however,  did  her  little 
damage,  and  was  rammed  in  succession  by  i  the  Monongaheloj  Lacha- 
wanna  and  Hartford.  The  three  monitors,  especially  the  ChickoBaw, 
hung  close  aboard  her  and  with  their  heavy  projectiles  succeeded  in 
crushing  her  casemate  armor,  jamming  her  port-shutters,  and  finally 
reduced  her  to  the  necessity  of  surrendering.  Her  admiral,  Frank- 
lin Buchanan,lost  a  leg;  two  of  her  men  were  killed;  two  assistant  engi- 
neers, the  pilot,  and  five  men  were  wounded.  The  Selma  in  her  fight 
with  the  MdUiccmet  had  eight  men  killed  and  seven  wounded  before 
she  surrendered.  The  Confederate  loss  in  Fort  Morgan  was  not 
known. 

The  last  shot  fired  by  the  Termessee  entered  the  berth  deck  of  the 
Ha/rtford^  exploded  and  killed  five  men  and  wounded  eight,  one  of  the 
latter  being  Third  Assistant  Engineer  William  G.  McEwan,  stationed 
there  in  charge  of  the  fire-hose  company,  who  lost  his  right  arm. 
The  sword  which  he  wore  was  torn  from  him  and  hurled  across  the 
deck,  the  sword-belt  being  driven  under  a  mess-chest  where  it  was 
found  several  days  later.  Mr.  McEwan  was  a  volunteer  officer,  and 
as  he  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  engagement. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  441 

Admiral  Farragnt  made  a  special  report  of  his  case,  recommending 
that  he  be  rewarded  by  transfer  to  the  regular  service,  which  was 
done  and  a  comfortable  pension  assured  him  for  life  by  his  being 
placed  on  the  retired  list. 

The  Tennessee  was  the  largest  and  most  formidable  war  vessel 
built  within  the  limits  of  the  Confederacy  during  the  war,  her 
length  being  209  feet ;  extreme  beam  48  feet,  and  average  draft  of 
water  14  feet :  her  general  design  was  like  the  Atlantay  of  which  a 
sketch  has  appeared  in  a  former  chapter,  except  that  her  hull  was 
built  wholly  of  wood.  The  casemate  was  of  the  same  form  but 
heavier,  the  wooden  backing  of  yellow  pine  and  oak  being  22^ 
inches  thick,  sheathed  with  5  inches  of  iron  plating  on  the  sides  and 
after  end  and  6  inches  forward.  This  iron  plating,  it  is  worthy  of 
remark,  was  made  from  the  ore  at  the  iron  furnaces  in  Atlanta,  the 
Southerners  having  begun  when  too  late  to  pay  attention  to  the 
mechanic  arts  so  necessary  for  prosperity  in  peace  and  absolutely 
vital  in  war.  The  Tennessee  was  built  at  Selma,  Alabama,  from 
timber  that  was  standing  at  the  time  the  work  was  begun  in  1863, 
and  was  gotten  down  the  Alabama  river  and  into  Mobile  bay  only 
by  overcoming  many  difficulties.  Her  battery  of  six  Brooke  rifles 
was  also  of  southern  manufacture.  Her  weak  point  was  the  ma- 
chinery, which  was  not  built  for  her  and  was  wholly  unfit  for  a  war 
vessel :  it  was  taken  out  of  a  river  steamer  named  Ahnzo  Child^  and 
consisted  of  two  high-pressure  engines  with  cylinders  24  inches  in 
diameter  by  7  feet  stroke  placed  fore  and  aft  in  the  vessel  and  driving 
an  idler  shaft  by  means  of  spur  gearing  ;  this  shaft  in  turn  driving 
the  screw-shaft  through  the  medium  of  cast  iron  bevel-gears. 
Steam  was  supplied  by  four  horizontal  return-flue  boilers  24  feet 
long,  placed  side  by  side  with  one  furnace  under  the  whole  of  them. 
The  vessel  was  found  by  a  board  of  survey  immediately  after  cap- 
ture to  be  fit  for  service,  and  was  taken  into  the  navy  at  the  ap- 
praised value  of  f  595, 000.  Admiral  Farragut's  original  report  of 
his  prize  was  accompanied  with  some  excellent  drawings  and 
sketches  of  her,  made  by  second  assistant  engineers  Isaac  DeGraff 
of  the  Hartford  and  Kobert  Weir  of  the  Richmond^  from  whose 
sketches  and  the  accompanying  description  the  data  of  this  para- 
graph have  been  obtained. 

Fort  Morgan  surrendered  to  the  combined  army  and  naval 


442  THE  8IEAM  NATY  OF  THE  VFETED  8TATBB. 

forces  about  two  weeks  after  the  battle,  the  other  fortifieatioiis  in 
Mobile  Bay  having  Borrendered  or  been  abandoned  vrithin  a  day  or 
two  after  the  Federal  fleet  forced  its  way  in. 

The  casualties  in  the  fleet  during  the  morning  battle  were  as 
follows: 

KTFifiKD.  WOUNDKD. 

Hartford 25  28 

BrooUyn. 11  48 

liSekawsDna 4  35 

Oneidft 8  SO 

MonongfthelA 0  6 

Metaeomet, 1  2 

Oaslpee 1  7 

BlohmoQd 0  2 

Galena 0  1 

Octorora. 1  10 

Kennebee 1  6 

Teoumseh 92  0 

Total 1*4  170 

The  above  list  of  casualties  does  not  include  two  men  killed 
and  two  wounded  immediately  after  the  battle  on  the  small  armed 
steamer  PhUlippi  which  rashly  attempted  to  follow  the  fleet  in  and 
was  destroyed  by  the  guns  of  the  fort. 

The  loss  in  the  British  fleet  at  the  battle  of  Copenhagen,  some- 
what similar  in  character  to  that  of  Mobile,  was  253  killed  and  688 
wounded. 

£arly  in  October  the  U.  8.  sloop-of-war  Wachtue^t,  Com- 
mander Napoleon  Collins,  was  in  the  harbor  of  Bahia,  Brazil,  in 
company  with  the  Confederate  privateer  Florida^  which  vessel  the 
WOfOhu^ett  was  seeking.  Determined  to  seize  or  destroy  her,  even 
if  the  neutrality  of  the  port  had  to  be  violated,  Collins  assembled 
some  of  his  officers  and  announced  he  was  going  to  get  under  way 
with  the  apparent  intention  of  going  to  sea  and  when  near  the 
Florida  to  suddenly  change  the  course,  run  into  and  sink  her,  or 
carry  her  by  boarding.  To  this  plan  the  chief  engineer  objected  on 
the  ground  that  the  shock  of  the  collision  might  start  the  boilers 
from  their  seatings  and  create  ruin  by  rupturing  the  steam  pipes  and 
boiler  connections;  an  objection  that  appeared  so  reasonable  in  the 
absence  of  anyone  with  experience  in  ramming  that  the  intention 


THB  8TBAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITED  STATSa  443 

would  probably  have  been  abandoned  had  not  one  of  the  asiistant 
engineers  announced  that  he  would  voluntarily  take  charge  of  the 
machinery,  allow  everyone  elae  to  leave  the  engine  and  fire-rooms 
just  before  the  collision  and  remain  there  alone  himself  to  take  the 
consequences  of  an  accident  and  to  reverse  the  engines  if  required 
after  the  shock.  The  Florida  was  run  down  according  to  the  plan 
of  the  commander  but  owing  to  some  error  in  handling  the  Waclm' 
%ttt  the  blow  struck  was  a  glancing  one  and  did  no  great  damage  to 
the  privateer  beyond  carrying  away  her  mizzen  mast  and  main 
yard;  a  few  volleys  of  small  arms  were  exchanged,  and  upon  the 
discharge  of  two  of  the  Wochmetf^u  broadside  guns  the  Florida 
surrendered  and  was  towed  out  of  the  harbor  by  her  captor,  the 
Brazilian  forts  firing  upon  the  Waohu9ett  as  she  went  out.  A  seri- 
ous complication  grew  out  of  the  affair,  ending  in  an  apology  made 
by  our  government  to  Brazil  and  an  agreement  to  return  the  Florida 
to  the  port  where  she  had  been  captured.  While  preparing  at 
Hampton  Boads  for  the  voyage  to  Brazil  the  Florida  sank,  appa- 
rently by  accident,  and  the  return  was  never  made. 

The  assistant  engineer  who  courageously  volunteered  to  risk 
his  life  in  the  engine-room  of  the  Waohu^ett  when  ramming  was 
first  proposed  was  George  Wallace  Melville,  who  was  destined  to 
make  his  name  famous  at  a  later  period  by  the  exhibition  of  heroism 
and  fortitude  of  such  superior  quality  as  to  extend  far  beyond  his 
own  individuality  and  reflect  world-wide  honor  upon  the  naval  ser- 
vice and  the  nation  to  which  he  belonged.  Previous  to  the  capture 
of  the  Florida^  Mr.  Melville,  knowing  that  his  commander  was 
desirous  of  gaining  information  as  to  the  battery  of  the  enemy's 
ship,  attempted  to  get  on  board  of  her  in  civilian's  clothing  in  the 
guise  of  a  visitor,  but  was  suspected  and  driven  off  when  he  went 
alongside;  this  act  in  itself  was  far  from  commonplace,  for  the  pen- 
alty for  being  in  the  enemy's  country  or  on  board  an  enemy's  ship 
in  plain  clothes  in  time  of  war  was  well  known  by  him. 

The  evening  of  December  9th  the  double-ender  Otsego^  of  the 
SoMoeus  class,  ran  upon  two  torpedoes  near  Jamesville  in  the  Boan- 
oke  river  and  was  sunk,  no  lives  being  lost,  she  being  at  the  time  a 
member  of  a  flotilla  sent  up  the  river  to  attack  a  battery  at  Bainbow 
Bluff.  Lieutenant  Commander  H.  N.  T.  Arnold,  the  commanding 
officer,  in  his  report  of  the  disaster  expressed  his  indebtedness  to 


444  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

the  senior  engineer,  Mr.  Samuel  C.  Midlam,  who  had  advised  and 
rigged  a  torpedo  net  oyer  the  bow  which  had  saved  the  OUego  on 
two  occasions  by  picking  np  torpedoes,  but  was  nnayailing  against 
those  that  finally  destroyed  the  vessel,  they  being  struck  when  she 
had  rounded  to  preparatory  to  anchoring  and  were  not  under  the 
bow. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year  a  great  fleet  was  assembled  under 
commander  Bear  Admiral  Porter  to  co-operate  with  General  B.  F. 
Butler  in  an  attack  upon  the  immense  fortification  known  as  Fort 
Fisher  on  Federal  Point  at  the  mouth  of  Gape  Fear  Biver,  North 
Garolina.  An  unusual  method  of  making  war  was  attempted  on 
this  occasion,  the  result  of  which  exposed  both  Porter  and  Butler  to 
considerable  ridicule,  although  General  Butler  is  said  to  have  been 
the  instigator  of  the  plan.  An  accidental  explosion  of  a  powder 
magasdne  in  England  not  long  before  had  done  so  much  damage 
to  tibe  neighborhood  that  the  idea  was  conceived  of  adopting  the  same 
means  to  ^<  paralyze  "  the  enemy  or  destroy  his  works  by  concus- 
sion. Accordingly  the  purchased  screw  gun-vessel  LovMiana^ 
which  had  cost  only  f  36, 000  in  1861  and  which  was  pretty  well 
worn  out  by  constant  service  in  the  North  Garolina  Sounds,  was 
converted  into  a  torpedo  on  a  huge  scale  by  being  loaded  with  an 
enormous  quantity  of  powder  arranged  in  cells  to  facilitate  its  sim- 
ultaneous explosion.  The  crew  of  this  dangerous  floating  mine 
consisted  of  Gommander  A.  G.  Bhind,  Lieutenant  S.  W.  Preston, 
Second  Assistant  Engineer  Anthony  T.  E.  Mullen,  Master's  Mate 
Paul  Boyton,  and  eleven  enlisted  men,  all  volunteers  from  Bhind's 
vessel — ^the  Agwmwm,.  Admiral  Porter  referred  to  the  mission  in 
his  report  of  the  attack  as  ^^  the  most  perilous  adventure  that  was, 
perhaps,  ever  undertaken,"  and  reconmiended  that  the  ofScers  be 
promoted,  adding  that  no  one  in  the  squadron  expected  them  to 
survive  their  expedition. 

The  night  of  December  28rd  the  powder  vessel  was  towed  by 
the  Wilderness  to  a  position  close  to  Fort  Fisher  where  she  was 
cast  off,  and,  though  literally  a  powder-magazine  from  stem  to 
stern,  proceeded  under  her  own  steam  to  within  three  hundred  yards 
of  the  beach  under  the  walls  of  the  fort,  trusting  to  her  disguise  as 
a  blockade  runner  to  escape  being  fired  into.  Having  anchored  un- 
molested, the  fuzes  and  fires  for  causing  the  explosion  were  lighted. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  446 

these  haying  been  arranged,  as  stated  in  Oonxmander  Rhind's 
report,  by  Engineer  Mullen.  The  crew  then  left  her  by  boat  and 
boarded  the  WUdemeMy  that  vessel  going  at  fall  speed  to  join  the 
fleet  lying  twelve  miles  off  shore  to  be  beyond  reach  of  the  catas- 
trophe that  was  supposed  would  occur.  The  explosion  took  place 
about  1.80  A.  H.  and  resulted  in  nothing;  ithe  men  in  Fort  Fisher 
were  disturbed  in  their  sleep,  but  no  one  was  paralyzed  and  no 
earthworks  were  jarred  down,  while  the  sound  was  scarcely  heard 
by  the  people  in  the  fleet  intently  listening  for  it.  The  reward 
extended  to  Mr.  Mullen  for  his  share  in  this  perilous  enterprise  was 
very  considerable,  he  receiving  a  week  later  the  following  letter 
from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy: 

<^  Sib:  As  a  recognition  of  your  gallant  conduct  while  attached 
to  the  LawUicma  you  have  permission  to  present  yourself  to  Ohief 
Engineer  Newell,  at  the  navy  yard,  Philadelphia,  for  examination 
for  promotion.'' 

Mr.  Mullen  at  the  time  was  number  ninety-two  on  the  list  of 
second  assistant  engineers  and  his  advancement  to  the  foot  of  the 
list  of  first  assistants,  which  occurred  immediately  after  his  examin- 
tion,  is  belived  to  be  the  most  substantial  reward  for  distinguished 
service  conferred  upon  any  staff  oflScer  during  the  war. 

On  the  24th  of  December  Admiral  Porter  gave  the  fort  a  ter- 
rific battering  and  silenced  its  fire  for  the  time  being,  but  no  im- 
portant results  followed,  as  Oeneral  Butler  with  the  troop-ships  was 
not  present  to  follow  up  the  advantage.  Porter's  attacking  force 
consisted  of  thirty-seven  war- vessels,  ranging  in  size  from  the  New 
Ironsidea^  Wabash^  Colorado  and  Powhatan  down  to  the  double- 
enders  Sassacua  and  Maohmaw  and  the  ninety-day  gunboats  Unor 
diUa  and  Chippewa^  lyii^g  in  semi-circular  formati6n  about  one  mile 
distant  from  the  fort.  The  monitors  Monadnoch^  Mahopac^  Sa/agua 
and  Canonicua  were  in  this  line  of  battle  and  did  great  execution 
with  their  heavy  guns,  they  and  the  New  Ironsides  lying  a  consid- 
erable  distance  inside  the  one-mile  circle.  Besides  the  fighting 
line,  a  reserve  division  of  nineteen  vessels,  all  purchased  merchant 
steamers,  laid  further  out  and  did  not  take  part  in  the  attack. 

The  army  transports  came  the  next  day  (Ghristmas)  and  the 


446  TUB  8TEAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITID  8TATIB. 

uttwAi  waa  renewed.  General  Butler  landing  some  of  hie  tiaoip§ 
nnder  oover  and  with  the  assistance  of  abont  twenty  of  the  gnn* 
vessels.  He,  however,  gave  up  the  plan  of  attack  and  began  re- 
embarking  his  men  after  a  few  thousands  had  landed,  an  act  that 
was  the  beginning  of  a  bitter  oontrorersy  between  him  and  Admiral 
Porter,  prosecuted  by  both  as  long  as  they  lived.  Daring  the  two 
days  the  vessels  suffered  slightly  from  the  fire  of  the  fort,  their 
chief  losses  resulting  from  the  bursting  of  their  own  guns,  about 
forty-five  officers  and  men  being  killed  or  wounded  by  tiie  bursting 
of  100-pounder  Parrott  rifles.  On  the  Jumaia  Lieutenant  Wemple 
and  four  men  were  killed  and  Paymaster  Caspar  Sohenck  and  seven 
men  wounded  in  this  manner;  the  Tioanderoga  had  eight  killed  and 
eleven  wounded  in  the  same  way,  and  similar  casualties,  but  with 
less  loss  of  life,  occurred  to  the  Jliaebinmo^  Tantic  and  QxAaktr 
Oity.  An  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  bombardment  may  be 
gained  from  the  fact  that  the  Oohrado  alone  fired  1,569  heavy  shot 
and  shell  the  first  day,  and  1,226  the  second  day. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

'*And  In  this  foith  all  went  to  their  poets,  preptaed  to  obey  the  regulations  and 
*ilg^  eoiUBgeoasly' ;  f<Mr  In  a  fleet  where  a  single  shell,  exploding  in  the  boiler  of  a 
vessel,  might  subject  the  engineers  and  firemen  to  the  fate  of  Marsyas,  or  a  tor- 
pedo or  infernal,  exploding  under  her  bottom,  send  all  hands  journeying  ad  cwtra,  no 
one  eould  properly  be  considered  a  non-combatant. 

"Commodore  ForouLLL  A.  Parkbb— Bottle  of  Mobile  Bay.^* 

1884.  The  Civil  War,  Continued— Naval  Operations  in  the  North  Carolina  Soaads— 
The  Bam  Albbkabls— Sinking  of  the  Southvibld  and  defeat  of  the  MiAia*- 
The  Naval  Battle  of  May  Fifth— Disaster  to  the  Sassacus  and  Heroism  of  Her 
Chief  Engineer— Daring  Attempt  of  Enlisted  Men  to  Destroy  the  Ram— Her 
DestmoMoD  by  Lieutenant  Wm.  B.  Gushing— Battle  and  Capture  of  Plymouth 
—Prize  Money  Distributed  on  Aeeonnt  of  the  Albbkajrlx. 

MENTION  has  been  made  in  former  chapters  of  the  capture  of 
the  fortified  posts  of  the  enemy  on  the  large  sounds  lying 
along  the  coast  of  North  Carolina,  and  of  the  constant  warfare  waged 
thereafter  by  the  national  war-yessels  to  keep  possession  of  what 
had  been  gained.  This  region,  remote  as  it  was  from  the  batUe- 
gronnds  of  the  war,  was  not  of  direct  importance  to  the  Federals  as 
its  occnpation  could  have  little  influence  upon  the  strategical  com- 
binations being  attempted  by  the  armies  in  distant  fields,  but  from 
the  Confederate  point  of  view  the  situation  was  very  different :  to 
them  possession  of  these  waters  and  ports  meant  a  source  of  supply 
from  Europe,  through  the  medium  of  blockade-runners,  of  clothing, 
medicines,  arms,  and  other  war  supplies,  and  an  almost  perfect  facil- 
ity for  the  distribution  of  such  articles  by  the  many  rivers  and 
water-ways  flowing  into  the  sounds.  Thus  it  was  that  Federal  pol- 
icy required  the  seizure  and  retention  of  the  entire  region,  while 
Confederate  necessity  dictated  a  ceaseless  struggle  for  the  recovery 
of  what  had  been  lost  early  in  the  war. 

The  theatre  of  operations  for  the  naval  force  assigned  to  this 
region  was  geographically  small  compared  with  the  vast  extent  of 
coasts  and  rivers  on  which  the  navy  had  to  operate,  but  it  was  large 
enough  to  afford  very  active  employment,  and  to  require  the  most 


448  THB  STBAH  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITKD  8TATB8. 

untiring  vigilance  on  the  part  of  the  Bmall  force  there  charged  with 
the  task  of  maintaining  Federal  anpremacy.  The  yesBels  sent  into 
these  waters  were  called  gnnboats  by  courtesy,  bnt  as  a  rule  they 
were  a  sorry  lot,  being  generally  pnrchased  steamers,  tngs,  or  ferry- 
boats, armed  and  protected  as  well  as  the  natnre  of  their  construc- 
tion would  allow  ;  owing  to  the  shallowness  of  the  waters  in  which 
they  had  to  operate  they  were  necessarily  small,  until  the  naval 
authorities  had  had  time  to  build  light-draft  gunboats,  when  some 
side-wheel  vessels  of  considerable  size,  built  expressly  for  war  pur- 
poses, found  their  way  into  the  Bounds.  The  officers  and  men 
aboard  these  vessels  were  a  fair  average  of  the  naval  personnel  of  the 
period  ;  mostly  volunteers,  with  a  sufficient  sprinkling  of  the  '^old 
navy"  both  before  and  abaft  the  mast  to  keep  alive  the  traditions 
and  maintain  the  rigid  rules  of  the  service.  Volunteer  officers 
commanded  some  of  the  smaller  vessels,  and  the  subordinate  officers, 
almost  without  exception,  were  of  this  class  ;  the  larger  vessels  were 
generally  conmianded  by  regular  officers,  usually  lieutenants  and 
lieutenant-commanders.  Chief  among  these  O.  W.  Flusser  and 
W.  B.  Gushing,  whose  exploits  read  like  romance  as  well  as  his- 
tory. They  were  young :  Flusser,  who  at  times  was  the  ranking 
officer  in  the  Sounds,  was  about  thirty,  while  Gushing  was  barely  of 
age,  yet  these  young  men  accepted  responsibilities  and  dealt  with 
questions  of  policy,  the  gravity  of  which  in  these  days  would  be  re- 
garded great  enough  to  wturant  consideration  by  a  board  of 
admirals. 

The  conditions  of  service  were  vastly  different  from  the  ideal 
naval  life  of  the  period;  the  lofty  frigate  shortening  sail  and  clearing 
for  action  under  the  blue  sky  far  out  in  the  open  sea  was  then  the 
symbol  of  naval  glory,  but  no  such  spectacle  cheered  the  eyes  and 
exalted  the  patriotism  of  the  seamen  in  the  Carolina  Sounds.  The 
vessels  were  small  and  smoky,  redolent  of  engine  oil  and  innocent 
of  snowy  canvass  and  glistening  spars;  instead  of  the  bright  blue  sea 
of  nautical  romance,  one  saw  the  muddy,  shallow  flood  of  the  far- 
reaching  inland  waters,  stained  and  poisoned  by  the  ooze  «id  vege- 
table decay  swept  down  by  numberless  rivers  and  creeks  from  the 
surrounding  swamps.  The  great  peninsula  between  Pamlico  and 
Albemarle  Sounds  was  a  vast  miasmatic  swamp;  stretching  north- 
ward from  Albemarle  Sound  lay  the  deadly  and  forbidding  morass 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UKITED  STATES.  440 

known  as  the  Dismal  Swamp,  the  character  of  which  was  the  type  of 
all  the  region  lying  adjacent  to  the  Sounds.  Thomas  Moore,  who 
visited  this  country  early  in  the  present  century,  described  the  physi- 
cal characteristics  of  more  than  one  locality  in  verse  that  will  live  as 
long  as  our  language  lasts,  and  in  his  beautiful  ballad  called  ^^  The 
Lake  of  the  Dismal  Swamp,"  narrating  the  legend  of  the  youth  who 
sought  the  firefly  lamp  and  white  canoe  of  his  dead  sweetheart  in  the 
depths  of  the  Dismal  Swamp,  occurs  the  two  following  verses 
that  describe  the  nature  of  the  region  far  better  than  can  any  prose 
description: 

*'  Away  to  the  IMsmal  Swamp  he  speeds,— 

His  path  was  rugged  and  sore; 
Through  tangled  juniper,  beds  of  reeds, 
Through  many  a  fen  where  the  serpent  feeds, 

And  man  never  trod  before! 

*'  And  when  on  earth  he  sank  to  sleep, 

If  slumber  his  eyelids  knew, 
He  lay  where  the  deadly  vine  doth  weep 
Its  venomous  tear,  and  nightly  steep 

The  flesh  with  blistering  dew! " 

Such,  then,  were  the  surroundings  of  the  Federal  naval  force 
and  the  material  with  which  it  had  to  operate;  both  doubtless  very 
different  from  what  the  officers  would  have  wished.  But  the  country 
was  at  war,  and  whatever  came  to  each  man's  hand  that  was  he  ex- 
pected to  do  with  all  his  might;  so  these  gentlemen  abandoned  the 
dreams  of  romantic  adventures  at  sea  acquked  by  reading  Oooper 
and  the  "Naval  Monument,"  took  off  their  white  gloves,  folded 
away  their  finely  starched  linen,  and  went  to  work. 

Frequent  attempts  by  the  Confederate  land  forces  to  recapture 
the  sea-ports  of  the  Sounds  came  to  naught,  principally  on  account 
of  the  persistent  presence  of  the  little  gunboats  and  their  wicked 
habit  of  throwing  large  quantities  of  shells  into  the  woods  where  the 
attacking  forces  were  making  their  approaches;  while  boat  attacks 
and  guerilla  warfare  from  the  shore  directed  at  the  gunboats  simply 
served  to  provoke  Flusser  and  the  other  commanders  to  more  vigor- 
ous hostility,  and  to  teach  the  enemy  that  the  gunboats  would  have 
to  be  assailed  with  some  more  powerful  weapon  than  had  yet  been 


4i0  THE  BTEAU  VAYT  OF  THE  WXTTESD  STATES. 

usad  againBt  them  if  they  were  to  be  defeated.  The  frnit  of  this  lee- 
son  was  the  Albemofrle.  She  was  built  in  the  woods  at  £dward's 
Ferrj  on  the  Roanoke  BWer,  some  forty  miles  above  Plymouth,  by 
Mr.  Gilbert  Elliot,  from  designs  prepared  by  John  L.  Porter,  who 
was  the  chief  constructer  of  the  Confederate  navy,  and  who  had  been 
a  naval  constructer  in  the  United  States  navy  before  the  war.  The 
hull  was  shallow,  or  <^  flat,"  built  of  eight-inch  by  ten-inch  frame 
timbers  sheathed  with  four-inch  planking;  near  the  water-line  the 
sides  were  protected  by  a  belt  of  several  courses  of  squared  logs 
bolted  on  longitudinally,  and  corresponding  in  some  degree  to  the 
armor  belt  worn  by  modem  battle-ships;  the  bow  was  developed  for- 
ward into  a  solid  oaken  beak  plated  with  two-inch  iron  and  tapered 
to  an  edge.  On  the  water-line  the  craft  was  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  feet  long  (which  is  sixteen  feet  less  than  the  length  of  our  mod- 
em torpedo  boat  Oaahing)^  and  the  breadth  of  beam  was  forty-five 
feet.  On  the  central  part  of  the  deck  the  full  width  of  the  boat  and 
sixty  feet  in  length  fore  and  aft  stood  the  superstracture  or  case- 
mate; this  was  of  heavy  squared  timbers  inclined  at  an  angle  of  almost 
sixty  degrees  to  the  vertical,  sheathed  with  heavy  planking  and  two 
layers  of  two-inch  iron  plates;  the  timbers  at  the  forward  part  of  the 
casemate  were  carried  up  above  the  flat  top  high  enough  to  form  the 
framing  of  a  conning-tower  of  truncated  pyramidal  form.  The  comers 
of  the  main  central  structure  were  cut  ofl!,  making  its  deck  plan  an 
oblong  octagon.  Inside  the  casemate  at  each  end  was  mounted  a 
100-pounder  rifled  gun,  one  a  Brooke,  the  other  a  Whitworth;  each 
gun  was  pivoted  to  fire  out  of  its  end  port  and  out  of  a  port 
on  each  broadside*  The  vessel  had  twin-screws,  each  screw  driven 
by  an  engine  of  only  two  hundred  horse-power.  The  draft  of  water 
when  ready  for  service  was  eight  feet.  From  this  description  the 
Albevruprle  will  be  recognized  as  a  typical  Confederate  war-vessel, 
differing  from  the  Memmacy  AtUmda  or  Thnneseee  in  no  important 
particular  except  that  of  size. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  the  Albemarle  wag  ready  for  service,  and 
on  April  18  she  dropped  down  the  Boanoke  Biver  to  within  about 
three  miles  of  Plymouth  ;  her  engine-power  was  so  feeble  and  her 
steering  qualities  so  bad  that  it  was  found  impossible  to  keep  her  in 
the  channel  when  going  ahead  with  the  current,  so  she  came  down 
the  river  backward  dragging  chains  from  her  bows.     The  command- 


THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNTTXI)  STATEa  451 

ing  ofBcer  was  Oaptain  J.  W.  Oooke,  of  the  Gonf ederate  navy,  whose 
name  stood  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  lieutenants  of  the  old  navy 
when  the  war  broke  ont  in  1861.  After  anchoring,  a  lieutenant  was 
sent  out  to  explore  the  river  in  the  vicinity  of  Plymouth,  he  return- 
ing in  about  two  hours  with  the  report  that  the  river  was  so  ob- 
structed with  piles,  sunken  vessels,  and  torpedoes  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  pass  down.  Fires  were  then  banked  and  port 
watches  set.  Mr.  Elliott,  the  builder  of  the  vessel,  was  on  board 
as  a  volunteer  aide  to  the  captain,  and  he  seems  to  have  been  more 
anxious  to  see  his  fabric  get  into  a  fight  than  was  anyone  else  con- 
nected with  her  ;  he  took  the  pilot,  two  seamen,  and  a  small  boat 
and  proceeded  to  examine  the  obstructions  with  a  long  pole,  finding 
to  his  great  delight  that  there  was  a  place  near  the  middle  of  the 
river,  wide  enough  for  the  ram  to  pass  through,  where  there  was 
ten  feet  of  water  ;  this  was  due  to  a  remarkable  freshet,  the  water 
being  higher  in  the  river  that  night  than  it  had  been  known  to  be 
for  many  years.  He  returned  to  the  Albemarle  about  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning  and  reported  his  discovery  to  the  captain,  who  imme- 
diately resolved  to  go  out.  All  hands  were  quietly  called,  fires 
spread,  and  when  all  was  ready  she  proceeded  slowly  down  the 
river,  being  fired  on  in  the  darkness  by  the  Union  batteries  about 
Plymouth  as  she  passed. 

Meantime,  Flusser,  in  command  of  the  Miami^  with  the  South- 
fieldj  OereSj  and  Whitehead  in  company,  had  been  in  action  all  day 
of  April  18,  aiding  the  garrison  of  Plymouth  in  resisting  the  attack 
of  a  large  body  of  Confederates.  The  Miami  was  a  paddle-wheel 
gunboat  of  about  seven  hundred  and  thirty  tons,  carrying  six  IX- 
inch  guns,  one  100-pounder  Parrott  rifle,  and  one  24:-pouDder  how- 
itzer; the  Southfield  was  a  ferry-boat,  but  had  a  very  respectable 
battery  (five  IX-inch  guns,  one  100- pounder  rifle,  and  one  12- 
pounder  howitzer);  the  Cferes  And  Whitehead  were  merely  armed  tug- 
boats of  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  each.  The  Miami 
and  Southfield  anchored  for  the  night  below  Plymouth,  the  two 
smaller  vessels  lying  higher  up  to  watch  for  the  ram,  which  was 
known  to  be  abroad.  In  reporting  the  result  of  the  day's  fight- 
ing, Flusser  Mrrote  that  night  that  he  expected  the  ram  down  at 
any  moment,  and  that  he  thought  he  could  whip  her.  This  was  his 
last  letter :  he  had  already  come  within  the  range  of  vision  of  the 


492  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

Fates,  and  she  of  the  open  shears  was  about  to  close  them  and  sever 
the  thread  of  his  life. 

With  the  dawn  came  the  Albemarle.  During  the  night  the 
Miami  and  Scmthfield  had  been  lashed  together,  and  with  the  first 
warning  of  the  coming  of  the  foe,  which  was  given  by  the  Ceres  at 
3:45  A.  M.,  they  got  under  way  and  steamed  up  the  river  at  full 
speed  with  the  intention  of  ramming.  The  advantage  of  this  com- 
bination is  not  manifest,  although  the  majority  of  naval  writers  who 
have  described  this  affair  pass  over  it  without  comment,  apparently 
accepting  it  as  a  proper  arrangement.  Admiral  Ammen,  in  his 
book  regarding  the  naval  operations  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  says  that 
he  is  at  a  loss  to  understand  the  rationale  of  lashing  two  vessels 
together  and  using  them  as  a  ram.  The  Albemarle  avoided  the  at- 
tack by  running  close  in  to  the  southern  shore,  and  then,  turning 
towards  mid-stream,  taking  advantage  of  the  swift  current,  and 
using  all  the  steam  power  she  had,  she  rushed  at  her  antagonists, 
striking  the  Miami  a  glancing  blow  on  the  port  bow  and  crushing 
into  the  starboard  side  of  the  Southfield  so  far  that  her  beak  ap- 
peared in  the  fire-room.  The  Southfield  immediately  sank,  drag- 
ging the  bow  of  the  Albemarle  which  was  tangled  in  her  side,  down 
so  far  that  the  forward  deck  of  the  ram  was  deeply  submerged,  and 
water  poured  in  torrents  through  the  port-holes  in  the  forward  part 
of  the  casement.  When  the  Southfield  touched  bottom  she  rolled 
over  away  from  the  ram,  and  this  disentangled  the  vessels  and  al- 
lowed the  latter  to  resume  an  even  keel.  While  this  was  taking 
place  the  Albema/rU^  being  partially  between  the  two  Union  vessels, 
was  fiercely  assailed  by  the  great  gun  and  small-arm  fire  of  both, 
but  she  did  no  firing  herself  except  with  small  arms.  The  projec- 
tiles fired  at  point-blank  range  strack  fire  on  the  sloping  sides  of  tlie 
Albemarle^  and  flew  harmlessly  off  high  up  into  the  air,  or  were 
broken  in  pieces  to  fly  back  on  the  decks  of  the  vessels  whence  they 
came.  From  the  engagement  of  the  previous  day  the  guns  of  the 
Miami  were  loaded  with  shell,  and  this  circumstance  proved  fatal 
to  her  commanding  ofScer.  With  his  usual  zeal  and  courage  this 
officer  had  personally  taken  charge  of  his  battery  and  fired  the  guns 
himself,  being  instantly  killed  and  badly  mangled  by  pieces  of  the 
third  shell  he  fired,  it  having  rebounded  from  the  enemy's  side  and 
exploded. 


THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


The  presBure  of  the  ram  between  the  two  Federal  vessels  had 
parted  the  forward  lashings,  and  as  the  Sovihfield  was  sinking  the 
after  lashings  were  cut  or  cast  adrift,  leaving  the  Miami  unencum- 
bered. After  getting  clear  of  the  wreck  of  the  Sovthfield  the  Albe- 
ma/rk  backed  off  preparatory  to  striking  the  Miami^  which  vessel, 
at  the  same  time,  having  swung  around  to  starboard,  began  back- 
ing her  engines  to  straighten  herself  in  the  current  and  keep  off  the 
bank. 

Acting  Volunteer  Lieutenant  0.  A.  French,  who  had  been  in 
command  of  the  Southfidd^  and  who  with  six  oflScers  and  about 
thirty  men  had  come  aboard  the  Miami  over  the  stern  as  his  own 
vessel  sank,  had  now  assumed  command  of  the  Miamd^  and  know- 
ing that  it  would  be  folly  to  further  resist  the  ram  when  the  fire  of 
his  guns  had  no  effect  upon  her  armor,  and  where  there  was  not 
room  to  avoid  her  terrible  beak,  he  withdrew  to  the  open  water  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  the  Albema/rle  doggedly  following  for  some 
distance  and  receiving  the  fire  of  the  Miami  with  unconcern. 

Besides  the  people  of  the  l^mthfield  who  got  on  board  the 
MUmd^  a  few  others  escaped  by  boat  and  were  picked  up  by  the 
Ceres  and  Whitehead;  the  remainder  got  ashore,  where  some  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  some  ultimately  escaped  by 
hiding  in  the  swamps.  Fiusser  was  the  only  person  killed  on  the 
MUmd;  but  that  vessel  had  one  ensign,  two  assistant  engineers,  and 
nine  enlisted  men  wounded,  mostly  by  pieces  of  her  own  shells.  In 
the  engagements  of  the  two  previous  days  the  Ceres  had  one  fireman 
killed  and  three  assistant  engineers,  one  master's  mate,  and  four 
men  wounded. 

The  Albemarle  having  thus  obtained  command  of  the  river, 
preparations  were  at  once  made  by  General  Hoke  for  assaulting  the 
Federal  fortifications  about  Plymouth,  which  assault  was  {Success- 
fully made  the  next  day  (April  20),  but  not  without  severe  loss, 
Ransom's  brigade  alone  leaving  five  hundred  killed  and  wounded 
men  on  the  field  in  front  of  the  breastworks  east  of  the  town.  All 
day  long  the  Albemarle  held  the  river  front  and  poured  shell  into 
the  Federal  intrenchments.  Thus  far  the  Albemarle  was  a  success. 
She  had  accomplished  the  first  act  of  her  mission  to  wrest  the  waters 
of  North  Garolina  from  the  invader,  and  within  the  limits  of  her  in- 
tended field  of  operations  she  was  the  symbol  of  what  men  call  the 


4M  TSB  STEAM  KATT  OF  THS  UMTTBD  STATm 

dominion  of  the  sets.  Of  the  pieces  remeining  liable  to  her  attack, 
Newbem  was  by  far  die  most  important,^  as  the  XTnion  forces  had 
recently  been  making  it  an  impOrttot  depot  and  supply  station^. and 
even  as  early  as  the  time  with  which  we  are  dealing  stores  were  be- 
ing assembled  there  in  anticipation  of  the  last  stages  of  the  ghmd 
moyement  of  Sherman's  army  throi^h  Georgia,  and  then  northward 
throngh  the  Garolinas.  80  the  ciaptnre  of  Newborn  was  a  move  of 
vast  importance  to  the  Confederacy,  and  one  to  be  prevented  by  the 
Federals  at  toy  cost. 

News  of  the  disaster  at  Plymouth  traveled  quickly,  and  the 
Navy  Department  made  all  haste  to  get  a  sufficient  force  into  the 
Sounds  to  resist  the  progress  of  the  Albemarle  towards  Newbern. 
One  of  the  vessels  hurriedly  ordered  to  the  scene  of  hostilities  was 
the  Sa8m4msj  whose  movements  we  will  now  follow.  '  Lieutenant- 
Commander  (now  Bear  Admiral)  F.  A.  Roe  was  in  command.  The 
SasMuma  left  Hampton  Boads  just  before  midnight  of  Friday,  April 
22,  and  anchored  at  Hatteras  Inlet  at  6  the  following  evening  ;  on 
Monday,  the  25th,  she  crossed  Hatteras  bar,  and  soon  after  went 
aground  on  a  iland-bar  a  mile  inside  known  as  the  ^^  Bulkjiead," 
where  she  was  delayed  about  twelve  hours^  and  was  disabled  for  s 
time  by  the  condenser  being  filled  with  sand.'  Once  inside « the 
Sounds,  she  first  visited  Newbern,  then  the  post  on  Boanoke  Island, 
and  finally,  on  May  3,  went  with  other  vessels  up  to  the  vicinity  of 
Plymouth  in  the  western  end  of  Albemarle  Sound. 

Captain  Melancthon  Smith  had  been  selected  by  the  Navy  De- 
partment to  assume  command  of  the  naval  forces  in  the  Sounds^  with 
special  orders  to  devote  bis  energies  to  the  destruction  of  the  Albe^^ 
marie.  The  force  he  now  had  with  him  in  Albemarle  Sound  con- 
sisted of  the  double-enders  MaMabeasett,  Commander  Febiger;  Sassa- 
CU8,  Lieutenant-Commander.  Boe ;  Wy<du»ingj  Lieutenant-^iCom- 
mander  Queen,  and  Miami^  Acting  Yolunteer  Lieutenant.  French ; 
the  armed  ferry-boat  Gommodore  Hull,  Acting  Master  Joss^lyn,  and 
the  little  gunboats  Geres  and  Whitehead^  commanded  by  Acting  Mas- 
ter Foster  and  Acting  Ensign  Barrett  respectively.  The  MaUabesseii 
was  the  flag-ship.  In  Captain  Smith's  order  of  battle,  issned  on 
May  2,  the  MattabesseUj  Sassacua^  Wyahmngy  and  Whitehead^  in  the 
order  named,  were  constituted  the  first  or  right  line  of  steamers,  the 
'Miavd  being  the  Jeader  of  tiie  second  coluBm.  .  A  coundl  had.bem 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  466 

held  on  board  the  flag-ship  when  the  vessels  were  in  the  vicinity  of 
Boanoke  Island  and  the  methods  of  attacking  the  ram  discussed  ; 
the  Department  and  Rear- Admiral  S.  P.  Lee,  who  was  in  command 
of  the  North  Atlantic  blockading  squadron,  seem  to  have  favored 
ramming,  but  Captain  Smith  was  doubtful  of  this  mode  of  attack, 
chiefly  because  of  the  peculiar  construction  of  the  *'  double-enders, " 
they  having  an  enclosed  rudder  in  the  bow  as  well  as  one  at  the 
stem.  Captain  Smith  was  hopeful  of  disabling  the  ram  by  paying 
out  seines  about  her,  to  be  caught  and  wound  up  in  her  propellers. 
In  the  order  of  battle  it  was  directed  that  the  vessels  should  pass 
alongside  the  ram  as  close  as  possible  and  pound  her  with  their 
broadsides,  then  round  to  for  a  second  discharge.  The  Miami, 
which  had  a  torpedo  fitted  to  her  bow,  was  to  seek  every  oppor- 
tunity to  use  it.  All  vessels  were  to  be  ready  to  throw  powder  and 
shell  down  the  ram's  smoke -pipe,  and  also  to  have  the  fire-hose 
ready  for  throwing  water  into  the  smoke-pipe  should  it  be  found  so 
capped  as  to  prevent  the  introduction  of  powder  and.  shell.  Bam- 
ming was  doubtfully  referred  to,  and  was  left  to  the  discretion  of  the 
commanding  officers.  Bear- Admiral  Boe  told  the  writer  recently 
that  he  took  the  Sassacus  into  the  action  that  ensued  with  the  firm 
intention  of  ramming,  saying  that  under  the  circumstances  he  be- 
lieved it  would  be  a  good  trade  if  he  could  disable  the  enemy  by 
<<  expending  his  vessel,  his  crew,  and  himself." 

At  ^<  turn  to  "  after  the  men's  dinner  hour  on  May  5  the  Miami, 
Commodore  Hull,  Ceres,  and  army  transport  Tirwmpeter  got  under  way 
from  their  station  in  Edenton  Bay,  and  steamed  across  the  end  of  the 
Sound  with  the  intention  of  planting  torpedoes  in  the  mouth  of 
Boanoke  Biver.  When  within  a  short  distance  of  the  buoy  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  the  Albefmarle  was  discovered  coming  down,  ac- 
companied by  the  steamer  CoUon  Plant  laden  with  troops,  and  the 
captured  army  gunboat  Bombshell  with  coal  and  stores.  The  Trum- 
peter was  dispatched  as  a  herald  in  haste  to  give  warning  to  the 
squadron. lying  about  ten  miles  down  the  Sound,  and  the  Miami  and 
consorts,  in  accordance  with  previous  instructions,  slowly  retired  be- 
fore the  foe  to  take  their  places  in  the  plan  of  battle  as  the  second 
line  as  before  described. 

It  was  a  beautiful  day,  clear  and  still,  and  as  the  Albemarle 
emerged  from  the  river  and  moved  slowly  down  the  bay  she  pre- 


26 


456  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  8TATE& 

sented  a  spectacle  of  concentrated,  deliberate  power  tiiat  was  viewed 
by  the  anziouB  watchers  in  the  fleet  with  anxietj  and  and  misgiving, 
bnt  not  with  fear.  Her  iron  plates  had  been  covered  with  grease, 
and  shone  and  glistened  in  the  snn  like  the  scales  of  a  dragon.  For- 
midable as  the  Albemarle  seemed,  it  appears  that  the  Boombshell  was 
at  first  regarded  with  even  more  apprehension.  She  was  a  steam 
canal-boat,  long  and  flat,  formerly  in  use  on  the  Dismal  Swamp 
Ganal,  bnt  had  been  converted  into  a  river  gunboat  by  the  army 
authorities,  and  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Confederates  at  the 
time  they  captured  Plymouth.  Her  sides  were  notched  or  indented 
for  the  reception  of  a  large  number  of  small  field  pieces,  and  in  the 
refraction  caused  by  the  slanting  rays  of  the  hot  afternoon  sun  on  the 
shimmering  water  this  novel  craft  appeared  magnified,  distorted,  and 
unreal  to  the  Union  naval  officers,  few  of  whom  had  ever  jseen  her 
before. 

As  soon  as  the  ram  appeared  in  the  Sound  the  vessels  of  the 
squadron  began  getting  under  way  to  form  order  of  battle  to  meet 
her,  and  in  this  a  delay  of  about  half  an  hour  occurred  on  account 
of  the  unreadiness  of  the  flagship.  The  chief  engineers  of  all  ves- 
sels in  the  squadron  had  received  orders  to  keep  their  fires  in  readi- 
ness for  steaming  at  a  moment's  notice,  which  order  had  been  sup- 
plemented later  by  another  enjoining  economy  in  the  use  of  coal, 
schooners  with  a  supply  of  the  latter  having  failed  to  appear  when 
due.  The  two  orders  were  successfully  reconciled  by  all  the  chief 
engineers,  upon  whom  their  execution  devolved,  except  in  the  case 
of  the  Mattabessstt^  on  which  vessel  an  allowance  of  coal  had  been 
fixed  by  authority  superior  to  the  engineer  and,  as  it  proved,  so 
small  as  to  prevent  the  maintenance  of  the  fires  in  a  condition  for 
use.  The  result  was  that  when  the  enemy  did  appear,  the  JMatta- 
heBsett  was  found  wanting,  and  was  indebted  only  to  the  slow  speed 
of  the  enemy  for  being  able  to  get  into  her  position  at  the  head  of 
the  first  column  before  the  ram  was  upon  them.  After  the  engage- 
ment the  chief  engineer  of  the  Mattabessett^  Mr.  John  T.  Hawkins, 
was  suspended  from  duty  for  the  delay  that  had  occurred,  but  as  he 
had  written  a  letter  to  his  commanding  officer  informing  him  of  the 
insufficiency  of  the  coal  allowance,  he  had  reason  to  believe  him- 
self unjustly  treated,  and  his  view  was  supported  by  a  court  of 
inquiry  which  acquitted  him  of  all  blame  in  the  matter. 


THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  467 

At  4.40  p.  M.  the  AHhema/rle  opened  the  battle  by  firing  a 
Brooke  shell,  which  tore  the  launch  of  the  Mattabessett  into  splinters 
and  wounded  several  men,  following  it  quickly  by  a  second,  which 
did  considerable  damage  to  the  rigging.  The  Albemarle  being 
headed  directly  for  the  Mattabeasett  with  the  intention  of  ramming, 
that  vessel  starboarded  her  helm  and  circled  around  the  ram  to  port, 
giving  her  a  broadside  at  very  close  range  as  she  passed,  afterward 
putting  her  helm  to  port  to  come  on  around  the  enemy^s  stern.  As 
she  crossed  the  wake  of  the  Albemarle  she  came  close  up  to  the 
JBombsheU,  fired  into  that  vessel  and  received  her  surrender,  accord- 
ing to  the  ofScial  reports.  Failing  to  strike  HieMaMabessettj  the  ram 
turned  on  the  Saastwua^  and  that  vessel  narrowly  escaped  being 
rammed  as  she  followed  the  lead  of  the  fiag-ship,  she  pouring  in  her 
fire  against  the  iron  sides  of  the  enemy  as  she  passed ;  then,  with  a 
port  helm,  she  rounded  the  stern  of  the  Albemarle,  and  fired  a  broad- 
side into  the  Bombshell  still  lying  there,  which  vessel  in  answer  to  a 
hail  said  she  surrendered,  at  the  same  time  hauling  down  the  Oon- 
federate  flag.  The  WyahtHng  coming  on  next  in  line  made  a  move 
to  ram  the  Bomhakell,  learning  only  just  in  time  to  avoid  striking 
that  luckless  craft  that  she  had  surrendered. 

There  was  a  controversy  afterward  as  to  whether  the  BomhsheU 
had  surrendered  to  the  Mattdbesaett  or  the  Sassa^cus,  but  the  weight 
of  evidence  from  the  official  reports,  viewed  at  this  distance  by  one 
who  has  no  interest  in  the  dispute  beyond  a  desire  to  get  at  the  facts, 
points  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Sassacus  was  the  captor.  When 
the  battle  was  over,  the  crew  of  the  BomhsheU  was  on  board  the 
jSa^aoxis.  The  engine-room  log-book  of  the  Sassacus  records  the 
fact  that  in  the  eight  to  twelve  watch  that  evening  an  assisant 
engineer  and  some  engine-room  men  went  on  board  the  prize  to  take 
charge  of  the  machinery.  Lieutenant  Hudgins,  who  had  commanded 
the  Bomhshdl,  when  asked  about  the  matter  and  not  knowing  that 
there  was  any  dispute  about  it,  replied  readily  that  he  had  surren- 
dered to  the  second  in  line,  which  was  the  Sassacus. 

As  the  first  column  of  vessels  passed  around  the  starboard  side 
of  the  Albemarle  that  vessel  kept  turning  towards  them  with  her 
helm  aport  until  by  the  time  the  MattabesseU  and  Sassacus  had  gotten 
well  across  her  wake  she  had  turned  almost  around  and  was  headed 
in  the  opposite  direction,  that  is,  towards  the  mouth  of  the  river 


458  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  GrrATE& 

whence  she  came.  This  tnrn  brought  the  Mattaibesmitt^  which  vesBel 
had  continued  on  in  her  circling  coarse,  constantly  firing,  almost 
astern,  while  the  Sasaacus^  thrown  considerably  out  of  line  by  her 
affair  with  the  BambsKellj  was  almost  abeam  of  the  ram,  and  at  a 
distance  given  at  from  three  hundred  to  five  hundred  yards  in  the 
various  reports.  Roe  saw  the  chance  for  which  he  hoped,  and 
shouted  to  his  navigator,  *  *  Can  you  strike  her  ! "  *  *  Yes, ' '  answered 
Boutelle.  '*Then  go  for  her!"  As  before  stated,  Conmiander 
Boe  intended  to  ram  if  he  got  a  chance,  and  this  intention  he  had 
communicated  to  his  officers.  Mr.  Boutelle,  as  the  navigator  or 
sailing-master,  had  entered  into  an  understanding  with  Mr.  Hobby, 
the  chief  engineer,  to  inform  him  should  the  attempt  be  made. 
Accordingly,  after  ringing  the  signal  for  full  speed  and  laying  the 
course  for  the  enemy,  he  went  to  the  engine-room  skylight  and 
shouted  down  to  Hobby  that  the  time  had  come. 

There  was  then  a  pressure  of  thirty  pounds  in  the  boilers,  which 
was  ten  pounds,  or  about  fifty  per  cent.,  more  than  usually  carried  ; 
the  steam  valves  were  set  to  cut  off  at  about  half  stroke.  In  order 
to  utilize  the  full  force  of  the  steam,  the  chief  engineer  resorted  to 
an  expedient  known  as  ^^  gagging  "  the  engine,  the  hand  working- 
gear  being  called  into  play  to  hold  the  steam  valves  open  after  their 
automatic  closing  had  been  effected  by  the  toes  on  the  rock-shaft. 
This  was  a  task  requiring  a  quick  eye,  good  judgment  and  a  high 
order  of  courage  and  self-reliance,  for  an  error  in  working  the  valves 
of  a  fraction  of  a  second  at  either  end  of  the  stroke  would  have  de- 
feated the  object  and  destroyed  the  power  of  the  engine  by  opposing 
pressure  on  both  sides  of  the  piston,  while  the  danger  of  disaster  in 
thus  driving  a  heavy  engine  at  an  abnormal  pressure  was  great. 
Mr.  Hobby,  however,  had  sufficient  self-confidence  and  nerve  to 
assume  all  risks  involved,  and  imposed  upon  himself  this  dangerous 
post  in  order  to  get  the  greatest  power  from  his  machine  and  conse- 
quently the  greatest  speed  from  the  ship.  He  thus  became  the 
active  agent  in  driving  the  ship  onward,  just  as  an  oarsman  urges 
forward  a  racing  boat,  except  that  in  his  case  the  power  of  eight 
hundred  horses  followed  up  each  motion  of  the  lever  that  he  con- 
trolled, and  instead  of  moving  a  small  boat  he  was  giving  momentum 
to  a  projectile  weighing  nearly  twelve  hundred  tons  with  which  to 
strike  the  enemy. 


< 

P3 


I     5 


il 


THB  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITBD  STATES.  461 

The  SoBsaons  struck  the  Albemarle  Bqnarely  abaft  her  starboard 
beam,  and  in  line  with  the  after  end  of  the  casemate,  with  a  speed 
of  nine  or  ten  knots,  the  engines  making  twenty-two  revolutions 
with  thirty  pounds  of  steam.  The  force  of  the  blow  drove  the 
bronze  stem  of  the  Sasaacus  several  feet  into  the  timber  belt  of  her 
antagonist  and  in  all  probability  started  her  to  leaking.  The  ram 
heeled  considerably  over  towards  the  side  on  which  she  had  been 
struck,  BO  much  so  in  fact  that  a  quantity  of  large  stones  lying  on 
her  after-deck,  probably  to  weigh  her  down  to  bring  her  knuckle 
into  the  water,  fell  overboard,  making  a  great  racket  as  they  tumbled 
and  slid  across  the  deck.  Hoping  to  ride  her  enemy  down,  the 
SiMsacue  kept  her  engines  running  ahead  at  full  speed  while  in  con- 
tact (about  thirteen  minutes),  a  furious  fire  of  small-arms  being 
maintained  during  that  period.  The  constant  pressure  against  the 
ram  considerably  abaft  her  centre  of  gravity  tended  to  swing  her 
around,  which  tendency  was  overcome  to  some  extent  by  her  own 
motion  in  going  ahead,  but  eventually  the  resultant  of  these  two 
forces  so  changed  the  angle  between  the  ships  that  the  starboard 
battery  of  each  could  be  used,  which  advantage  was  quickly  availed 
of  by  both;  as  soon  as  the  Sasmcue  came  under  the  range  of  the 
Albemarle^ s  guns  the  after  one  was  fired,  its  shot  passing  diagonally 
through  the  berth-deck,  but  doing  no  material  damage;  this  shot 
was  immediately  followed  by  a  similar  one  from  the  forward  gun, 
which  shot,  entering  the  Saeeacue  abreast  of  the  foremast  four  feet 
above  the  water  on  the  starboard  side,  crushed  obliquely  through 
the  side,  cutting  throught  the  back  of  a  hanging-knee  and  leaving 
the  inside  of  the  ceiling  about  seven  and  one-half  feet  abaft  where 
it  first  struck  on  the  outside.  From  thence  it  passed  through  the 
throat  of  the  next  hanging-knee,  through  the  dispensary  and  bulk- 
head, starboard  coal- bunker,  passing  on  through  the  starboard 
boiler,  and,  keeping  on  through  the  engine-room,  cut  in  two  a 
three-inch  stanchion,  thence  through  steerage  and  wardroom  bulk- 
heads, smashing  doors  and  sideboard,  catting  through  magazine- 
screen,  when,  striking  an  oak  stanchion, — ^which  it  splintered, — ^it 
glanced  at  right  angles  and  lodged  in  one  of  the  starboard  state- 
rooms. 

The  havoc  wrought  in  the  engine-room  by  this  shot  is  best 
told  by  the  engine-room  log  for  the  first  dog-watch  of  that  eventful 
day: 


462  THE  STEAM  NAYT  OP  THE  UNITED  STATSa 

^^About  6  p.  M.  Bhe  succeeded  in  getting  clear  of  ns  and  fired  a 
solid  shot,  which  passed  through  the  berth-deck  and  forward  coal- 
bunker,  then  entering  forward  end  of  starboard  boiler  seven  feet 
from  froDt  and  fourteen  inches  from  top,  passing  out  the  after  end 
three  feet  from  front  and  fourteen  inches  from  top,  cutting  away  in 
its  passage  stays,  T-irons,  and  dry-pipe  and  steam  and  exhaust-pipes 
for  Woodward  pump;  then  passed  the  length  of  engine-room  between 
cylinder  and  condenser,  cutting  away  a  three-inch  stanchion  and  dis- 
charge-water thermometer,  and  badly  bending  exhaust  unhooking 
gear;  thence  through  after  bulkhead.  The  rush  of  steam  was  in- 
stantaneous, driving  all  hands  out  of  the  engine  and  fire-room,  kill- 
ing Thomas  Johnson,  coal-heaver,  instantly  and  severely  scalding 
First  Assistant  Engineer  J.  M.  Hobby  and  > the  « following  men." 
Then  follow  the  names  of  fourteen  firemen  and  coal-heavers,  and 
some  other  information,  including  the  statement  that  the  engines 
continued  to  run  on  a  vacuum  until  6.35  v.  m. 

Pandemonium  then  reigned.  The  howl  of  the  escaping  steam 
from  the  overcharged  boilers  completely  drowned  all  other  sounds, 
even  the  discharge  of  the  guns,  while  the  steam  gathered  in  a  dense 
cloud  over  the  ship,  shutting  off  her  vision  so  completely  that  the 
enemy  close  alongside  could  not  be  seen.  The  men  on  deck  were 
bewildered  by  the  sudden  calamity  and  demoralized  at  the  horrible 
spectacle  of  their  scalded  comrades  rushing  up  from  below  frantic 
and  screaming  in  agony.  Order  was  finally  restored  by  the  oflScers 
leading  the  men  to  repel  boarders  on  the  starboard  bow,  although 
there  is  no  record  that  any  attempt  was  made  by  the  enemy  to  board. 
The  men  being  thus  reorganized  were  returned  to  their  guns,  and 
began  firing  again  as  soon  as  the  ram  could  be  seen,  the  first  proof 
to  the  on-lookers  in  the  surrounding  ships  that  the  Saasacus  was  not 
destroyed  being  the  bright  flash  of  her  guns  bursting  out  of  the  cloud 
that  hung  over  her.  The  annals  of  naval  warfare  contain  few  in- 
stances of  persistence  and  dauntless  courage  in  adversity  that  can 
match  this  exhibition  made  by  the  Saaaacua,  The  interval  during 
which  the  engines  continued  to  run  was  availed  of  to  get  the  ship 
clear  of  the  enemy  and  out  of  the  way  of  the  other  gunboats  so  they 
would  be  free  to  attack:  in  getting  clear  the  starboard  paddle-wheel 
rode  over  the  stern  guard  of  the  Albemarle  and  was   <<  tangled  up 


APPSAXANCB  OF  BOW  OF   "  tASBACUB "   AFTER  TBI  BATTLK. 


TAcSkoi 


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SXIT  OF  SHOT  FROM  BOILBR.  ENTRANCE  OF  SHOT  IN  BOILER. 


464  THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 

like  a  cobweb,"  as  Admiral  Boe  expressed  it  to  the  writer.  The 
false  stem  of  the  Somocub  was  so  bent  ont  of  line  that  she  steered 
▼ery  badly,  and  on  her  subsequent  voyage  to  Hampton  Boads  she 
was  obliged  to  steam  backward  in  consequence. 

In  the  midst  of  all  the  horrors  before  described,  the  ehief  en- 
gineer, although  badly  scalded,  stood  with  heroism  at  his  post ;  nor 
did  he  leave  it  until  after  the  action  was  over,  when  he  was  brought 
up  helpless  to  the  deck.  For  some  reason,  which  is  not  clearly 
stated  in  any  of  the  reports,  it  was  impossible  to  cut  off  the  connec- 
tion between  the  two  boilers,  so  that  steam  from  the  port  boiler, 
rapidly  generated  by  the  fierce  fires  in  its  furnaces,  continued  to 
pour  out  of  the  holes  in  the  other  boiler,  thus  maintaining  the  cloud 
that  hung  over  the  ship  and  embarrassing  her  movements  ;  in  this 
emergency  Mr.  Hobby  saw  that  the  fires  must  be  hauled,  not  only 
to  stop  the  out-rush  of  steam,  but  also  to  prevent  the  complete  dis- 
abling of  the  ship  by  burning  the  sound  boiler,  not  to  mention  the 
danger  from  its  possible  explosion.  By  his  voice  and  example,  in- 
jured as  he  was,  he  rallied  some  of  his  men  and  led  them  into  the 
fire-room,  where  the  necessary  work  was  done,  he  doing  a  good 
part  of  it  personally  with  his  scalded  hands.  So  modest  was  this 
brave  man  that  in  his  official  report  of  the  engagement  he  dismisses 
this  incident  with  the  following  words :  < '  The  steam  so  filled  the 
engine  and  fire-rooms  that  it  was  with  the  greatest  exertions  on  the 
part  of  the  engineers  that  the  fires  were  hauled."  In  those  days  of 
war,  when  all  on  board  a  ship  were  equally  exposed  to  danger,  and 
when  all  contributed  to  the  fighting  qualities  of  the  ship  as  a  unit,  it 
was  customary  to  accord  credit  for  duty  well  done  to  all  deserving 
it,  irrespective  of  corps  :  accordingly  we  find  in  the  reports  of  the 
commander  of  the  Sasaacus  that  praise  for  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Hobby 
which  is  always  accorded  by  one  brave  man  to  another  who  has 
shared  the  danger  and  assisted  to  his  utmost  in  an  endeavor  common 
to  both.  In  the  hurried  report  made  at  midnight  after  the  battle 
occurs  the  following:  "The  chief  engineer,  Mr.  Hobby,  is  badly 
scalded,  but  most  nobly  and  heroically  remained  at  his  post,  and 
saved  us  from  a  worse  disaster,  of  explosion  to  the  other  boiler 
and  of  being  helpless." 

In  the  fuller  and  more  complete  report  made  by  Lieutenant- 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  465 

Commander  Boe  the  following  day,  he  speaks  highly  of  all  his  offi- 
cers, and  of  the  chief  engineer  in  the  following  terms  : 

<^To  the  heroism  and  devotion  of  First  Assistant  Engineer 
J.  M.  Hobby  the  government  is  probably  indebted  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Sassacus  from  a  worse  disaster.  While  every  one  who 
conld  was  forced  to  seek  safety  by  flight  from  the  scalding  clonds  of 
steam,  Mr.  Hobby  stood  at  his  post  by  the  machinery,  and  thongh 
fearfully  scalded  himself,  he  cared  for  his  machinery  until  the 
engine  finally  stopped.  If  it  were  possible  to  promote  this  officer, 
.  I  earnestly  and  devoutly  beg  it  may  be  done,  for  I  consider  that  it 
has  been  amply  and  professionally  won." 

The  medical  journal  of  the  Sassacus  shows  that  Mr.  Hobby  was 
on  the  sick  list  for  his  injuries  about  three  weeks,  and  that  four  of 
the  scalded  firemen  subsequently  died.  The  surgeon  attributes  the 
comparatively  quick  recovery  of  Mr.  Hobby  from  injuries  that  were 
almost  as  serious  as  those  of  any  of  the  men  to  the  rare  presence  of 
mtnd  shown  by  him  in  covering  his  burns  with  oil  the  moment  he 
received  them.  A  very  simple  remedy,  and  one  that  is  well  worth 
remembering. 

As  soon  as  the  Sa^acus  was  well  clear  of  her  antagonist  the  en- 
gagement again  became  general,  and  the  ram  was  furiously  assailed, 
especially  after  the  order  of  battle  had  been  restored  and  the  vessels 
thus  enabled  to  operate  without  danger  of  injuring  each  other.  Shot 
and  shell  were  poured  upon  the  slooping  sides  of  the  enemy;  seines 
were  paid  out  almost  encompassing  him,  but  without  success,  and 
the  Miami  tried  in  vain  to  use  her  torpedo,  being  thwarted  in  this 
endeavor  by  her  own  slow  speed  and  bad  steering  qualities.  Finally, 
as  twilight  approached,  the  Albemarle  headed  up  the  Sound  and  pro- 
ceeded slowly  to  the  mouth  of  the  Boanoke  Biver,  which  she  entered 
never  again  to  emerge  from.  The  extent  of  her  damages  has  never 
been  satisfactorily  known,  but  it  is  certain  that  she  was  so  much  in- 
jured as  to  be  glad  to  withdraw  from  the  fight,  and  unwilling  to 
renew  it  on  another  day.  That  the  blow  from  the  Sassacus  did  her 
considerable  damage  cannot  be  doubted;  the  muzzle  of  one  of  her 
guns  was  knocked  off,  although  she  pluckily  continued  to  use  it; 
several  shot  and  shell  were  believed  to  have  entered  her  ports,  and 


4M        THE  GTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

her  plaiting  was  observed  to  be  much  injured.  An  idea  of  the  ter- 
rible pounding  she  received  can  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  over 
four  hundred  and  sixty  shot  and  shell  were  hurled  against  her  at 
close  range,  this  number  not  including  the  expenditures  of  the 
Sa88acu8y  which  are  not  given  in  the  official  reports. 

The  casualties  on  the  Albemarley  if  any,  have  never  been  known. 
Those  of  the  Federals  were  confined  to  the  three  largest  double- 
enders,  and  were:  MattabeaseUy  two  killed,  six  wounded;  Saasacua, 
one  killed,  nineteen  wounded;  Wyahmngj  one  killed.  Included  in 
the  number  of  wounded  here  given  are  the  four  firemen  of  the  Sas- 
sacus  and  one  man  of  the  JUaUabesaeU  who  subsequently  died  of  their 
injuries. 

The  Alberrwrle  returned  unmolested  to  her  fastness  in  the  river 
at  Plymouth,  and,  although  she  was  not  conquered,  the  result  of 
the  engagement  may  be  regarded  as  a  Federal  victory,  inasmuch  as 
the  object  of  the  Albemarle  was  defeated:  she  had  failed  to  win  the 
supremacy  of  the  Sounds,  and  Newbern  remained  safe  from  her 
attack.  That  all  of  the  vessels  in  Captain  Smith's  command  that 
were  in  the  engagement  performed  their  share  in  effecting  this  re- 
sult is  evident  from  the  official  reports;  but  as  the  details  of  this 
struggle  become  dim  with  the  lapse  of  years  since  the  roar  of  hostile 
cannon  has  been  heard  in  Albemarle  Sound,  there  is  one  point  that 
rises  above  all  others  and  becomes  more  and  more  prominent,  and 
that  is  that  the  Sassacua  was  the  ship  that  issued  boldly  forth  from 
the  line  of  battle  and  threw  down  the  gage  of  single  combat  to  her 
powerful  antagonist.  If  praise  is  due  to  one  ship  more  than  to 
another  we  cannot  help  awarding  it  to  the  brave  little  Saaaaous. 

As  soon  as  possible  after  the  Saaacuma  bad  dropped  out  of  the 
fight  her  engineers  set  to  work  to  repair  damages  as  far  as  circum- 
stances would  permit.  Her  engine-room  log-book  shows  that  the 
necessary  alterations  in  the  steam  connections  were  completed, 
water  run  up  in  the  port  boiler,  and  fires  started  again  in  that  boiler 
at  10.45  the  same  evening,  and  that  at  3.80  the  next  morning,  only 
about  nine  hours  after  the  shot  had  passed  through  her  boiler,  the 
engines  were  reported  ready  for  service.  With  the  repairs  effected 
by  her  engineers'  force  the  ship  remained  in  the  Sounds  on  active 
service  for  more  than  a  month,  always  steaming  with  one  boiler,  and 
finally  steamed  north  and  went  on  duty  in  James  Biver  without 
any  more  extensive  repairs. 


i 


THE  STEAM  NAYY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  467 

When  the  reports  of  this  engagement  had  been  received  and 
considered  in  Washington,  many  of  the  officers  of  the  SasBoous  were 
commended  by  the  Navy  Department  and  promoted  for  gallantry 
in  battle.  Acting  Masters  Mnldanr  and  Boutelle  were  appointed  act- 
ing lieutenants;  Acting  Ensign  Mayer,  who  had  personally  fought 
the  forward  pivot  rifle,  and  whose  shot  wa*  supposed  to  have  been 
the  one  that  knocked  the  muzzle  off  one  of  the  enemy's  guns,  was 
made  an  acting  master,  and  Acting  Assistant  Paymaster  Barton,  who 
had  served  as  signal-officer  and  aid  to  the  commander  during  the 
engagement,  was  appointed  an  assistant  paymaster  in  the  regular 
service.  Lieutenant-Commander  Boe  was  advanced  five  numbers  in 
his  grade.  After  reading  of  the  advancement  of  a  number  of  offi- 
cers of  a  whole  grade,  one  naturally  wonders  that  their  commanding 
officer  who  had  led  them  in  the  fight,  and  whose  bravery  had  made 
their  promotion  possible,  received  no  greater  reward  than  this;  but 
on  this  matter  the  records  contain  nothing  beyond  the  mere  state- 
ment of  fact. 

The  chief  engineer,  who  had  been  freely  voted  the  hero  of  the 
occasion  by  his  associates,  was  overlooked  in  ^he  distribution  of 
awards  and  it  was  not  until  a  year  and  a  half  after  the  battle,  the 
war  then  being  many  months  ended,  that  he  received  the  recogni- 
tion that  was  his  due  and  was  advanced  in  his  grade  in  accordance 
with  the  following  notification  sent  him  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy: 

'^  Sm  :  By  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate  you 
are  hereby  advanced  thirty  numbers  in  your  grade,  to  take  rank 
next  after  First  Assistant  Engineer  Finney,  for  distinguished  con- 
duct in  battle,  and  extraordinary  heroism  as  mentioned  in  the  report 
of  Lieutenant  Commander  Francis  A.  Boe,  commanding  the  U.  8. 
steamer  Sctsmcus  in  her  action  with  the  rebel  ram  Albemarle  on  the 
5th  of  May,  1864.  I  have  the  pleasure  to  transmit  herewith  your 
warrant,  the  receipt  of  which  you  will  acknowledge  to  the  depart- 
ment. 

« '  Very  respectfully, 

"  Gideon  Wbllbs, 

^^Secretary  of  the  JWowy." 

The  Albemarle  remained  at  Plymouth,  inactive  but  a  constant 


468  THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

menace  to  the  Federals  and  making  necessary  the  maintenance  of  a 
large  naval  force  in  Albemarle  Sound  in  anticipation  of  her  again 
attempting  to  dispute  the  supremacy  of  those  waters.  A  daring 
attempt  to  destroy  her  was  made  the  night  of  May  25th  by 
some  of  the  enlisted  men  of  the  Wyalusmg^  who  conceived  an 
excellent  plan  of  attacking  her  with  torpedoes,  and  were  allowed 
to  try  the  experiment  without  any  official  oversight  or  direction. 
The  plan,  briefly  stated,  was  to  get  in  the  river  above  the  ram  and 
float  down  upon  her  two  large  torpedoes  joined  by  a  line  or 
bridle,  these  after  getting  across  her  bows — one  on  either  side — 
to  be  exploded  by  means  of  a  hauling  line  in  tiie  hands  of  a 
man  hidden  on  shore.  The  torpedoes,  containing  100  pounds  of 
powder  each,  were  carried  by  the  men  on  a  stretcher  through  the 
swamps  until  a  proper  position  was  reached,  when  they  were  con- 
nected and  one  of  the  men,  Oharles  Baldwin,  coal-heaver,  as- 
sumed the  really  heroic  task  of  swinmiing  down  the  river  with  them 
to  guide  them  upon  the  Albemarle*  The  progranune  was  accident- 
ally interrupted  by  fouling  a  schooner,  and  when  Baldwin  finally  got 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  ram  he  was  discovered  and  fired  upon,  this 
thwarting  the  attempt  and  obliging  the  men  to  hide  in  the  depths  of 
the  neighboring  swamps  to  avoid  capture.  Three  of  them  got  off  to 
their  ships  the  second  day  and  tiie  other  two,«two  days  later,  all  hav- 
ing suffered  much  from  exposure  and  hunger.  The  names  of  these 
gallant  men  were  John  W.  Lloyd,  coxswain  ;  Allen  Orawford  and 
John  Laverty,  firemen,  and  Charles  Baldwin  and  Benjamin  Lloyd, 
coal-heavers.  All  received  tiie  medal  of  honor  prescribed  by  Con- 
gress for  bravery. 

Late  in  October  Lieutenant  William  B.  Cushing  arrived  in 
Albemarle  Sound  with  a  large  steam  launch  fitted  with  a  spar  tor- 
pedo, he  having  some  time  before  been  selected  on  account  of  his 
reputation  for  intrepidity  for  the  perilous  undertaking  of  assailing  the 
ram  with  this  instrument  of  destruction.  The  launch  with  the  tor- 
pedo and  all  attached  gear  had  been  carefully  fitted  out  at  the  New 
York  navy  yard  by  Chief  Engineer  William  W.  W.  Wood  and  First 
Assistant  Engineer  John  L.  Lay,  the  torpedo  being  known  in  the 
service  by  the  name  of  the  latter,  although  it  is  well  known  that  the 
perfection  of  its  details  was  the  work  of  Mr.  Wood.  The  crew  of  the 
picket    launch,    besides   Lieutenant  Cushing,   consisted   of   W.  L. 


THE  STEAM  NAYT  OfS*  THE  UNITED  STATES.  409 

Howarth,  acting  master's  mate;.  William  Stotesbmy,  acting  third 
assistant  engineer;  Samuel  Higgins,  first  class  fireman,  and  Lorenzo 
Dening,  Henry  Wilkes  and  Bobert  H.  King,  landsmen.  When 
ready  for  the  attack  this  crew  was  increased  by  volunteers  from  the 
ships  of  the  squadron  as  follows:  Francis  H.  Swan,  acting  assistant 
paymaster;  Charles  L.  Steever,  acting  third  assistant  engineer,  and 
Thomas  S.  Gay,  acting  master's  mate,  from  the  Otsego;  William 
Smith,  Bernard  Hartley  and  E.  J.  Houghton,  ordinary  seamen,  from 
the  Chdcopee;  Eichard  Hamilton,  coal-heaver,  fromtiie  Shamrock;  and 
John  Woodman,  acting  master's  mate,  from  the  Commodore  Hull 
With  these  additions  the  crew  numbered  fifteen  all  told. 

The  night  of  October  27th  Cushing  set  out  on  his  mission, 
having  the  second  cutter  of  the  Shamrock  with  a  crew  of  eleven  men 
and  two  o£Scers  in  tow,  this  boat  being  taken  along  with  the  am- 
bitious design  of  capturing  the  ram  by  boarding  and  bringing  her 
out  of  the  river  uninjured.  When  neac  the  ram  this  part  of  the  pro- 
gramme was  frustrated  by  discovery  and  the  cutter  was  cast  off  and 
sent  back,  her  crew  boarding  the  wreck  of  the  Sonthfield  on  the  way 
down  the  river  and  taking  as  prisoners  therefrom  four  Confederate 
pickets  whose  neglect  of  duty  had  permitted  the  boats  to  pass  up 
close  by  them  without  discovery.  Without  answering  the  repeated 
hails  from  the  Albemarle  and  ignoring  the  fire  of  musketry  opened 
upon  him  and  by  which  Paymaster  Swan  was  wounded,  Cushing 
steamed  up  the  river  past  the  ram,  swept  around  in  a  circle,  and 
rushed  at  her  bows  on,  the  impact  being  sufficient  to  breast  in  a 
boom  of  logs  about  the  vessel  and  reach  near  enough  to  use  the 
torpedo,  which  was  trained  into  position  and  the  firing  line  pulled 
by  Cushing,  standing  on  the  bow  of  his  boat,  just  as  one  of  the 
AlbemcvrWs  guns  directly  overhead  was  depressed  and  fired.  A 
large  hole  was  blown  in  the  side  of  the  ram  and  she  sank  at  her 
moorings  in  a  short  time. 

Refusing  the  summons  to  surrender,  Cushing  told  his  men  to 
look  out  for  themselves  and  with  them  took  to  the  water  as  their 
lauiich  swamped  from  the  effects  of  the  explosion.  Acting  Master's 
Mate  Woodman  and  Fireman  Higgins  were  drowned;  Cushing  and 
Houghton,  after  much  suffering  and  hardship,  regained  the  squad- 
ron, and  the  others  were  made  prisoners.  In  Lieutenant  Cushing's 
report  he  made  special  reference  to  the  coolness  and  gallantry  of 


470  THE  STUAM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITED  STATES. 

MaBter's  Mate  Howarth  and  Engineer  Stotesbury.  This  daring 
achievement  led  to  the  capture  of  Plymouth  a  few  days  later, 
removed  all  apprehension  as  to  the  safety  of  government  supplies  at 
Newbern,  and  released  for  service  elsewhere  the  large  squadron  of 
vessels  that  had  been  kept  so  long  in  Albemarle  Sound  to  guard 
against  another  raid  of  the  ram.  Cushing  himself  received  the 
thanks  of  Oongress  and  was  promoted  to  be  a  lieutenant  commander, 
he  being  at  that  time  only  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  all  the 
officers  who  shared  the  expedition  with  him  were  advanced  one 
grade  for  conspicuous  gallantry;  the  enlisted  men  were  advanced 
in  ratings  and  all  received  the  medal  of  honor  for  distinguished 
service  and  bravery. 

Immediately  after  Oushing's  return  with  the  tidings  of  the  sink- 
ing of  the  AlAhnarlej  Oommander  Macomb,  in  command  of  the 
squadron  known  as  the  Naval  Division  of  the  Sounds  of  North  Car- 
olina, moved  against  Plymouth,  but  because  of  sunken  vessels  in  the 
Boanoke  Biver  could  not  approach  close  enough  to  deliver  the  attack 
saccessfuUy.  He  then  took  his  vessels  by  way  of  a  branch  outlet 
into  the  river  above  Plymouth  and  on  the  31st  of  October  descended 
upon  that  place  and  captured  the  enemy's  batteries  after  a  severe 
and  well-fought  engagement.  Besides  Macomb's  vessel,  the  ShcMn- 
rookj  the  attacking  force  consisted  of  the  Otsego^  Lieutenant  Oom- 
mander Arnold;  Wydlimng^  Lieutenant  Oommander  Earl  English; 
Tacony^  Lieutenant  Oommander  W.  T.  Truxton,  all  double-enders, 
and  the  armed  ferry-boat  Gom/modore  HvU^  Acting  Master  Josselyn. 
The  tugs  Whitehead^  Basley^  and  JBdle  were  lashed  to  the  unen- 
gaged sides  of  the  three  first  named  double-enders  in  accordance 
with  the  tactics  established  by  Farragut  at  Port  Hudson  and  Mobile. 
To  guard  against  the  distressing  casualties  and  disablement  of  ships 
that  had  occurred  in  other  engagements  from  boilers  being  struck 
by  shot,  steam  was  blown  off  the  boilers  on  the  engaged  sides  of  the 
double-enders  and  fires  in  those  boilers  kept  low  banked  to  keep  the 
water  warm  so  that  steam  could  be  quickly  raised  when  wanted. 
All  these  vessels,  and  others  generally  throughout  the  navy,  were 
fitted  by  their  engineers  with  appliances  for  closing  the  boiler  stop- 
valvos  from  deck,  the  affair  of  the  Sassacus  having  demonstrated  the 
necessity  for  such  precaution. 

The  battle  at  Plymouth  took  place  early  in   the  morning  of 


THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  471 

October  31st,  and,  as  before  stated,  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the 
enemy's  batteries,  the  town  of  Plymouth,  and  the  partly  submerged 
ram  AJhema/rle.  The  latter  was  eventually  raised  and  taken  to 
Norfolk,  where  the  material  of  which  the  vessel  was  built  was  sold 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Navy  Department.  In  this  battle  Commander 
Macomb's  squadron  suffered  a  loss  of  six  men  killed  and  nine 
wounded,  the  senior  engineer  of  the  Sham/rock^  Mr.  W.  H. 
Harrison,  being  one  of  the  latter.  The  control  of  the  ships  while 
under  way  and  in  action  in  the  narrow  and  intricate  river  put  a 
difficult  and  responsible  duty  upon  the  engineers,  which  was  per- 
formed with  credit,  as  shown  by  the  following  complimentary 
references  in  the  reports  of  commanding  officers: 

Sh/myroch:  '*  The  engineers'  department,  under  Second  As- 
sistant Engineer  W.  H.  Harrison,  was  very  efficient." 

Otsego:  ''  The  precaution  taken  by  Acting  First  Assistant  En- 
gineer Samuel  G.  Midlam  (in  charge  of  this  vessel's  engines)  to 
meet  any  mishap  that  might  have  occurred  to  her  boilers  or  engine 
merits  my  approbation,  and  the  prompt  manner  in  which  the  whole 
engine  corps  performed  its  duty  during  the  engagement  was  most 
satisfactory  and  creditable  to  it." 

WyahJLsimg:  ''  In  conclusion,  I  cannot  refrain  from  mentioning 
the  handsome  manner  in  which  the  engine  was  worked,  under  the 
supervision  of  Chief  Engineer  H.  H.  Stewart,  through  the  whole 
engagement,  and  likewise  on  the  day  previous,  while  passing  the 
narrow  bends  in  Middle  river." 

Ttic^fny:  "  The  engineer's  department,  under  its  very  efficient 
chief.  First  Assistant  Engineer  Thomas  M.  Dukehart,  performed 
its  duties  in  the  most  satisfactory  manner." 

The  reward  received  by  Cushing  and  his  crew  in  the  form  of 
prize  money  was  very  considerable,  as  the  prize  law  directed  that 
when  the  captured  vessel  was  of  superior  force  to  the  one  making 
the  capture,  as  was  the  case  in  this  instance,  the  whole  of  the  prize 
money  should  be  distributed  among  the  captors.    In  1865  the  Navy 


472  THE  CTEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATESL 

Department  fixed  the  value  of  the  Albemarle  at  a  little  less  than 
$80,000,  probably  very  near  her  true  valne,  which  amonnt  was  dis- 
tributed to  the  crew  of  the  picket  boat  or  their  heirs,  bat  it  after- 
ward transpiring  that  property,  acquired  as  a  resnlt  of  Cnshing's 
exploit,  of  the  net  value  of  (282,856.80  had  been  applied  to  public 
use,  the  case  was  re-opened  by  direction  of  a  special  act  of  Con- 
gress and  by  virtue  of  the  reappraisal  Congress  appropriated 
$202,912.80,  the  difference  between  the  former  award  and  the  new 
appraisal,  which  was  distributed  in  1873. 

The  case  became  very  much  involved,  Cushing  being  paid  on 
the  basis  of  his  salary  instead  of  being  awarded  one-tenth  of  the 
whole  as  commander  of  the  capturing  vessel,  and  he  and  some  of  the 
other  officers  had  their  shares  computed  upon  the  rates  of  pay  of  the 
higher  grades  into  which  they  were  promoted  after  the  event,  while 
others  received  only  the  share  to  which  their  rate  of '  pay  entitled 
them,  this  latter  being  the  proper  apportionment  as  provided  by  law. 
As  a  result  of  the  illegal  method  followed,  some  of  the  beneficiaries 
were  very  much  overpaid,  while  others  suffered  in  consequence  and 
received  less  than  their  true  shares.  The  matter  finally  got  before 
Congress  in  the  form  of  a  bill  which  was  favorably  reported  by  the 
Naval  committee,  but  never  became  a  law,  and  as  the  original 
appropriation  had  been  distributed  those  who  were  wronged  got  no 
redress.  An  interesting  item  connected  with  the  last  Congressional 
investigation  of  the  matter  was  the  testimony  of  Admiral  Porter 
before  the  naval  committee,  he  stating  that  the  Alb&marle  had  cost 
the  Confederates  $1,500,000,  and  could  not  have  been  built  and 
equipped  as  she  was,  in  Northern  shipyards,  for  less  than  $800,000, 
which  opinion  shows  that  a  man  may  become  eminent  in  a  profes- 
sion without  being  familiar  with  the  practical  business  details  upon 
which  it  is  founded.  The  following  table,  taken  from  the  report  of 
the  naval  committee  (Report  No.  97;  4:5th  Congress,  2d  Session) 
exhibits  the  actual  distribution  of  this  prize  money,  with  the  amount 
received  by  each  officer  and  man,  or  their  heirs,  and  the  amount 
that  each  was  over  or  underpaid. 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


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27 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

''  An  examination  of  facts  is  the  foundation  of  science*" 

Chas.  H«  Haswkll. 

18M.  The  Ciyil  War,  Continued— New  Ships  and  Machinery  Begun— The  Sbrapis 
Class— The  Rssaca  Class— Ck>mpetitive  Machinery  of  the  Qnnrar bbauo  and 
SwATARA— The  Stbomboli,  or  Spuytkn  DuYviir— The  LightrDraft  Monitors 
—Petition  of  the  Engineer  Corps  Addressed  to  Congress  and  its  Results. 

THE  work  of  building  a  great  steam  navy,  so  vigorously  prose- 
cuted during  the  three  preceding  years,  went  forward  in  1864,  but 
with  a  less  number  of  new  vessels  projected,  and  of  these  still  fewer 
ever  reached  completion.  One  more  of  the  large  swift  cruisers  of 
the  Wa/mpanodg  class  was  ordered  and  the  machinery  at  once  begun 
at  the  Washington  navy  yard,  the  keel  of  this  vessel,  which  was 
given  the  name  of  Bon  Homme  Richard^  was  never  laid,  and  the 
ship,  therefore,  never  existed  except  on  paper  ;  but  the  engines,  of 
the  100-inch  geared  type,  like  those  of  the  Wampanoo/g^  were  car- 
ried to  completion  in  the  course  of  about  four  years,  and  remained 
in  store  at  the  Washington  yard  for  many  years,  being  finally  broken 
up  and  the  material  used  for  various  purposes. 

Eight  screw-sloops  of  2,400  tons  displacement,  slightly  larger 
than  the  Sherumdoah  class,  were  projected  in  1864,  and  named 
Algorrutj  Confiance^  Detroit^  Meredosiay  Peacock j  Serapis^  Thghkanic^ 
and  Talledaga.  Of  these  only  one,  the  Algoma^  built  at  the  Kittery 
navy  yard,  was  ever  constructed,  she  being  launched  in  1868,  and 
continued  in  the  service,  the  name  being  changed  in  1869  to  Bemda, 
until  1884,  when  she  was  sold  at  Mare  Island  for  $17,000.  The 
Bureau  of  Steam  Engineering,  carrying  out  its  instructions,  under- 
took the  work  of  building  engines  for  these  ships  at  the  navy  yards, 
several  of  the  yards  being  by  this  time  supplied  with  suitable  tools, 
and  four  sets  of  the  engines  required  were  conmienced  at  each  of  the 
yards  at  Boston  and  New  York.  They  were  of  the  usual  Isherwood 
back-acting  type,  the  cylinders  being  60  inches  diameter  by  42 
inches  stroke.  One  pair  of  these  was  erected  in  the  Beniciaj  and 
three  pairs  went  into   some   vessels  built  in   1868 — ^the   Alaska^ 


THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  477 

Omaha  and  Plymouth  (originally  named  Kenosha);  the  other  four 
sets  were  converted  into  compound  engines  for  vessels  built  or  re- 
engined  in  1872-1880. 

Six  smaller  screw-sloops,  of  what  was  known  as  the  Resa^ca 
class,  were  also  projected  this  year,  and  four  of  them  were  lamiched 
eventually  at  navy  yards  as  follows:  The  Swatara  at  Philadelphia, 
May,  1865;  the  ^^aca  at  Battery,  November,  1865;  the  Quifme- 
laug  at  New  York,  March,  1866;  and  the  Nantashet  at  Boston, 
August,  1867.  The  other  two,  named  Alert  and  Epervier^  were  never 
built.  The  four  completed  were  each  216  feet  long  and  about  12 
feet  mean  draft,  the  Ncmtasket  and  Hesaca  being  81  feet  beam  and 
1,129  tons  displacement,  and  the  other  two  30  feet  beam  and  1,113 
tons  displacement.  The  engines  of  the  8wata/ra^  Hesaca  and  iTan- 
task^  were  of  the  Isherwood  design,  with  cylinders  36^^x36^\  and 
were  built  at  navy  yards,  the  two  former  at  Washington  and  the 
latter  at  Kittery.  By  direction  of  Assistant  Secretary  Fox  the 
engines  for  the  Quinnehaug  were  contracted  for  in  England,  with 
Jackson  &  Watkins,  of  London,  the  object  of  this  unusual  proceeding 
being  to  subject  the  machinery  designed  by  the  Bureau  of  Steam  En- 
gineering to  a  competitive  test  with  that  produced  by  the  best  English 
practice.  The  Qui/nneba/ug'^ a  model  was  altered  for  the  reception  of 
twin  screws  to  suit  the  English  machinery,  which  consisted  of  two 
pairs  of  two-cylinder  engines  with  cylinders  38  inches  in  diameter 
by  21  inches  stroke  of  piston.  The  grate  surface  of  the  boilers  was 
114  square  feet,  while  that  of  the  other  sloops  of  the  class  was  210 
each.  The  English  engines  were  designed  on  the  high  expansion 
principle,  the  valves  cutting  off  at  one-fourth  stroke,  while  Isher- 
wood's  engines  cut  off  at  six- tenths  of  the  stroke. 

The  machinery  for  the  &watara^  the  sister- ship  of  the  Qainnebaug^ 
was  nearly  completed  when  the  contract  for  the  machinery  of  the 
latter  was  made,  and  the  contractors  were  informed  of  the  exact 
dimensions  and  arrangement  of  the  machinery  against  which  they 
were  to  compete.  They  believed,  however,  that  with  twin  screws 
and  the  high  rate  of  expansion  adopted,  their  area  of  grate  surface 
would  give  better  results  in  speed  and  economy  than  the  Bureau's 
design.  The  result  was  greatly  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  English 
engines.  The  Swatara  on  her  steam  trial  near  Hampton  Roads 
made  twelve  geographical  miles  per  hour,  while  the  Qumneba/ug^c 


478  THE  STEAM  NAYY  OF  THE  UNITBD  STATSSw 

best  effort  in  New  Tork  harbor  was  seven  geographical  miles,  both 
vessels  burning  the  same  kind  of  coal  and  having  the  same  condi- 
tions of  trial  as  nearly  as  possible.  The  QwMf^jndxx/tAg  made  one 
cruise  of  about  three  years^  duration  on  the  Brazil  station  and  was 
then  laid  up;  she  subsequently  was  rebuilt  and  received  a  pair  of  the 
50''x42^^  Isherwood  engines,  converted  into  compound  engines. 

The  Alert  and  Epervier  were  never  built,  but  the  Bureau  of 
Steam  Engineering  carried  out  the  Department's  order  and  con- 
structed machinery  for  them,  that  for  the  Alert^  built  at  Battery, 
being  exactly  like  the  machinery  of  Bureau  design  put  into  the  othw 
ships  of  the  class.  The  Epervier^ 8  engines  were  of  the  same  back- 
acting  type  but  the  proportional  dimensions  of  the  cylinders  were 
changed,  they  being  36  inches  in  diameter  and  48  inches  stroke; 
they  were  built  at  the  Washington  navy  yard  and  were  of  remarkably 
excellent  workmanship  and  quality,  the  forged  parts  of  them  being 
of  steel,  which  was  the  first  use  of  that  material  for  such  purpose  in 
our  navy  or  in  the  engine  practice  of  the  country.  In  1870  these 
engines  were  prepared  for  erection  in  the  Quirmebaug  in  place  of  the 
defective  English  engines,  but  before  the  work  of  altering  the  vessel 
to  receive  them  was  completed  it  was  determined  to  fit  her  with  com- 
pound engines,  and  the  Epervier^s  engines  were  soon  after  shipped 
to  the  Norfolk  navy  yard  for  stowage.  In  1876  they  were  exhibited 
at  the  Centennial  Exposition  in  Philadelphia  as  an  example  of  ex- 
cellence in  navy  yard  work,  and  were  thereafter  stowed  at  the  Nor- 
folk yard  until  as  late  as  1894,  when  an  order  was  reluctantly  given 
by  the  engineer-in-chief  to  break  them  up  and  make  use  of  the  mate- 
rial, the  changes  in  marine  engine  practice  having  precluded  the 
possibility  of  their  ever  being  made  use  of. 

At  the  time  Mr.  Fox  ordered  a  contract  made  for  the  engines  of 
the  Qmnnebaug  in  England,  a  pair  of  36^^  x  36''  Isherwood  engines 
for  that  vessel  were  practically  completed  at  the  Washington  navy 
yard;  there  being  thus  no  ship  for  this  pair  of  engines  they  were 
sent  to  the  Naval  Academy  in  1866  and  erected  in  the  new  depart- 
ment of  steam  engineering  at  that  institution,  where  they  have  re- 
mained ever  since,  a  valuable  object  lesson  originally  to  the  cadet 
engineers  of  much  that  was  excellent  in  marine  engineering,  bat 
eventually  transformed  by  the  changing  years  into  relics  of  what  has 
been  and  is  no  more. 


THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  481 

Oontracts  were  made  this  same  year  for  the  PirUa  class  of  large 
iron  sea-going  tngs,  designed  to  carry  two  gnns  and  to  be  of  general 
uaefalnesB  in  the  operations  of  war.  The  class  embraced  nine  ves- 
sels in  all,  six  being  bnilt  by  James  Tetlow,  Boston;  two  by  Reany 
&  Archbold,  Chester,  Pa. ,  and  one,  the  Tricma^  by  Wm,  Ferrine, 
New  Tork.  Their  cost  complete  varied  from  184,610  to  $128,000 
each.  The  principal  dimensions  were,  length,  137  feet;  beam,  26 
feet;  displacement,  420  tons,  and  registered  tonnage  350.  Three  of 
these  steamers — the  Fortrnie,  Mayflower ^  snd^Stcmdish — in  after  years 
became  familiar  and  not  especially  beloved  objects  to  the  youth  of 
the  engineer  corps  as  practice  vessels  for  summer  cruising  from  the 
Naval  Academy.  Two  smaller  tugs,  the  Pilgrim  and  Jtforia,  of 
170  tons  each,  were  also  built  in  1864  by  contract,  and  several  other 
smaller  ones  were  undertaken  at  navy  yards,  the  events  of  the  war 
having  shown  the  value  of  such  vessels  in  carrying  on  warlike 
operations. 

Continued  Confederate  successes  with  torpedoes  finally  forced 
the  Navy  Department  to  give  attention  to  that  weapon,  on  the  prin- 
cipal of  fighting  the  devil  with  fire,  and  proposals  were  issued 
inviting  inventors  to  submit  plans  for  boats  and  torpedoes  to  use 
with  them.  Many  designs  were  submitted,  from  which  those  of 
Chief  Engineer  W.  W.  W.  Wood  and  First  Assistant  John  L.  Lay 
were  accepted  and  the  work  of  constructing  the  boats  and  torpedoes 
begun  under  the  direction  of  these  engineers  in  the  spring  of  1864. 
Wood  and  Lay's  plans  embraced  two  projects;  one  of  fitting  large 
steam  launches  with  a  torpedo  on  a  spar,  and  the  other  of  building 
a  regular  armored  torpedo  boat  like  a  small  monitor  and  equipping 
it  with  a  torpedo  on  the  end  of  a  long  bar  operated  by  steam,  both 
of  which  plans  were  accepted.  A  number  of  steam  launches  were 
fitted  out  and  supplied  with  torpedoes  by  Wood  and  Lay  during  the 
the  summer  of  1864  and  one  of  these  was  the  boat  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  Lieutenant  Cushing  and  with  which  he  sank  the 
Albenuirle. 

The  spar  was  carried  in  suitable  supports  or  crutches  alongside 
the  boat  and  could  be  run  forward  and  the  end  submerged  to  the 
desired  depth  by  attached  ropes.  The  torpedo  consisted  of  a 
cylindrical  copper  case  held  in  a  scoop  at  the  end  of  the  spar  and  so 
overlooped  by  a  line  that  it  conld  be  thrown  out  of  the  scoop  when 


482  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 

desired.  It  was  only  partly  filled  with  powder,  the  remainder  of  the 
case  being  an  air  chamber  separated  from  the  powder  by  a  partition, 
the  two  parts  being  so  proportioned  that  the  specific  gravity  of  the 
whole  was  slightly  less  than  that  of  water.  Bnnning  down  from 
the  air-chamber  end  was  a  tube  with  a  fulminate  cap  in  its  lower 
end  near  the  bottom  of  the  powder  space  and  provided  with  a  grape- 
shot  held  in  the  upper  end  by  a  pin  working  through  a  stuflSng  box, 
and  to  which  a  hauling  line  was  attached.  When  used,  the  spar 
and  torpedo  were  lowered  under  or  near  the  object  to  be  attacked 
and  the  torpedo  thrown  forward  from  the  scoop  by  means  of  the 
first  line.  Its  construction  then  caused  it  to  float  with  the  air  end 
uppermost  and  with  a  tendency  to  rise  to  the  surface  or  against  the 
bottom  of  the  attacked  vessel.  By  pulling  the  second  line  the  pin 
could  then  be  withdrawn,  causing  the  grapeshot  to  fall  upon  the  cap 
and  explode  the  charge  of  powder.  Besides  the  torpedo  these 
picket  boats  were  armed  with  one  12-pounder  boat  howitzer  mounted 
on  the  bow. 

The  other  plan  resulted  in  the  building  of  a  torpedo  boat  by 
contract  with  Samuel  H.  Pook  of  New  Haven,  Ck>nn.,  which  was 
first  named  Stromboli  but  soon  afterward  changed  to  Spuyten  Duyvil. 
To  this  vessel  Lieutenant  Commander  Barnes,  writing  a  treatise  on 
submarine  warfare,  in  1868,  referred  to  as  ^ '  the  most  formidable 
engine  of  destruction  for  naval  warfare  now  afloat  of  which  the 
public  have  any  knowledge."  The  contract  for  this  boat,  dated 
June  1,  1864,  required  that  ''for  the  consideration  hereinafter  men- 
tioned, he  will  construct  upon  the  plan  of  Mr.  Wm.  W.  W.  Wood, 
Chief  Engineer,  D.  8.  Navy,  a  torpedo  vessel  in  accordance  with 
specifications  herewith  attached,  of  the  following  dimensions,  viz: 
length  of  keel,  75  feet ;  breadth  of  hull,  19^  feet ;  depth  of  hold 
9  feet  more  or  less."  As  actually  built  the  boat  was  84  feet  2 
inches  long ;  20  feet  8  inches  extra  beam ;  7  feet  5  inches  draft^ 
and  of  207  tons  displacement.     The  total  cost  was  f46,036.29. 

When  going  into  action  the  draft  was  increased  to  about  nine 
feet  by  admitting  water  into  sinking  tanks,  thereby  lessening  the 
exposure  above  water.  The  deck  was  covered  with  three  inches  of 
iron  ;  the  sides  with  five  inches,  and  the  pilot-house  with  five  inches. 
The  torpedo  was  the  same  in  principle  as  the  one  fitted  to  the  picket 
boats,  but  was  so  much  larger  that  it  was  worked  by  machinery 


THE  STEAM  NAVT  OF  THE  UIOTED  STATEa  488 

which  ran  the  torpedo-bar  oat  through  a  water-tight  box  and  gate- 
valve  in  the  bow,  the  detachment  and  firing  of  the  torpedo  being 
automatic  when  the  extreme  reach  of  the  bar  was  attained,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  return  motion  of  the  bar  was  begun.  When  the 
bar  had  returned  to  its  inboard  position  the  gate-valve  was  closed,  the 
water-box  pumped  out,  which  could  be  done  in  a  few  seconds,  and 
everything  was  then  ready  for  attaching  another  torpedo.  The 
weight  of  the  torpedo  handling  machinery  was  ten  tons  while  that  of 
the  motive  engine  was  only  two  and  one-half  tons. 

The  Spuytm  Dwyvil  was  in  service  in  the  James  Biver  dur- 
ing the  last  months  of  the  war  and  had  the  honor  of  taking  President 
Lincoln  to  Richmond  when  he  visited  that  city  after  its  abandonment 
by  the  enemy.  She  subsequently  made  extensive  use  of  her  torpe- 
does by  blowing  up  the  obstructions  that  had  been  placed  in  the 
river  by  both  Union  and  Oonfederate  combatants.  After  the  war 
she  remained  for  many  years  at  the  New  York  navy  yard  and  was 
subjected  to  many  improvements  by  her  inventors,  as  well  as  serving 
for  a  series  of  experiments  in  torpedo  warfare  upon  which  much  of 
our  modern  torpedo  practice  and  knowledge  is  founded. 

The  twenty  light-draft  monitors  undertaken  in  1868  began 
arriving  at  completion  in  1864  and  immediately  revealed  defects  so 
serious  as  to  destroy  their  usefulness.  The  history  of  these  vessels 
is  as  unfortunate  a  chapter  of  errors  as  the  annals  of  our  navy  during 
the  war  afford,  involving  as  it  does  an  account  of  much  public  money 
expended  for  which  the  nation  received  no  benefit.  So  little  atten- 
tion had  been  given  to  the  displacement  of  the  vessels  that  it  was 
found  they  would  fioat  with  only  three  inches  of  freeboard  instead 
of  fifteen,  as  intended,  a  difference  that  practically  ruined  their  e£S. 
ciency.  Various  causes  contributed  to  this  result  and  none  of  the 
officials  connected  with  their  construction  w^s  entirely  blameless,  but 
the  principal  responsibility  fell  upon  Chief  Engineer  A.  0.  Stimers, 
the  general  inspector  of  iron-clads,  who  had  been  given  free  scope 
by  the  Department  to  have  the  monitors  built  according  to  his  own 
ideas. 

The  matter  was  so  serious  that  it  became  the  subject  of  an  in- 
vestigation by  a  committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives  and  also 
by  the  joint  Congressional  Commission  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War: 
the  latter  investigation  occupies  124  pages  in  volume  III  of  the  1865 


484  TUB  STBaM  NAVY  OF  THB  UNITED  STATB& 

series  of  that  committee's  report,  and  is  a  nsefnl  document  to  the 
historian  and  biographer,  because  by  judiciously  selecting  extracts 
from  it,  as  some  writers  have  already  done,  it  is  easy  to  prove  credit 
or  culpability  indifferently  in  the  case  of  any  individnal  concerned. 
As  the  object  of  this  book  is  to  call  spades  by  their  right  names 
within  the  bounds  of  propriety  and  to  tell  the  truth  so  far  as  it  can 
be  ascertained,  the  following  outline  of  this  unhappy  story  is  given 
as  the  most  probable  version  deducible  from  the  mass  of  conflicting 
and  in  some  cases  decidedly  spiteful  testimony.  In  arriving  at  con- 
clusions the  author  has  given  especial  weight  to  the  testimony  of 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy  Gustavus  Y.  Fox,  who  was  an  official 
superior  to  the  contractors  and  officers  connected  with  the  building  of 
the  vessels,  was  less  apt  to  have  any  personal  grudges  or  rivalries 
to  ventilate. 

The  need  for  light-draft  armored  vessels,  especially  for  service 
on  the  Mississippi  Biver  and  its  tributaries,  impressed  itself  upon  the 
Navy  Department  during  the  summer  of  1862.  Mr.  John  Ericsson 
was  appealed  to  for  designs  and  he  decided  that  the  proposed  draft 
of  water  (four  feet)  was  incompatible  with  impregnability.  He  af ter** 
ward  furnished  the  Department  with  general  plans  for  monitors  of 
the  required  type,  but  of  six  feet  draft,  which  he  pronounced  the 
least  possible  for  vessels  of  the  desired  size,  armor  and  battery. 
Ericsson  being  engrossed  with  the  Pwritan  and  Didaiar  and  the  Pea- 
saic  class,  as  well  as  with  the  Ganonicus  class  then  being  built  from 
his  designs,  had  little  time  for  new  work  and  his  plans  were 
turned  over  to  Chief  Engineer  Stimers  to  be  developed.  Mr.  Stimers 
was  directed  to  establish  an  office  in  New  York  adjacent  to  that  of 
Ericsson  for  convenience  in  consultation,  and  was  given  practically 
unlimited  power  in  the  matter  of  designs,  inspection,  authority  to 
make  changes,  etc. ,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  ordering  him  verbally 
not  to  trouble  the  Department  with  letters  on  technical  matters  but 
to  judge  and  act  for  himself. 

Mr.  Stimers  proceeded  on  the  line  of  his  instructions  so  liter- 
ally as  to  lose  the  benefit  of  advice  from  the  head»  of  the  two 
mechanical  bureaus  of  the  Department — construction  and  steam 
engineering — neither  of  whom  he  consulted  except  informally  when 
visiting  Washington  at  intervals,  and  both  of  whom  naturally  felt 
aggrieved  that  a  subordinate  officer  should  be  permitted  to  direct 


THE  STBAH  NAYY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  465 

eztenaiye  work  pertaming  to  them  withont  being  in  any  way  nnder 
their  control.  Stimers  in  fact  ruled  a  combined  constmction  and 
engineering  bureau  of  his  own  with  a  staff  of  assistants,  draftsmen 
and  clerks  that  was,  as  testified  before  the  Congressional  committee, 
almost  as  numerous  as  the  total  office  force  of  all  the  bureaus  of  the 
Navy  Department,  and  he  was  subject  to  no  authority  less  than  that 
of  the  Department.  Rear  Admiral  F.  H.  Gregory,  who  was  on  the 
retired  list,  was  on  duty  in  New  York  as  general  superintendent  of 
all  ship  and  engine  work  being  done  by  contract  along  the  Atlantic 
coast  for  the  navy  and  all  correspondence  had  to  be  forwarded 
through  his  office,  but  as  his  naval  service  dated  from  1809  it  is  not 
probable  that  he  exercised  any  technical  direction  over  steam  vessels 
or  steam  engines.  In  fact,  when  the  contracts  for  the  light-draft 
monitors  were  made  Admiral  Gregory  received  an  order  from  the 
Department  informing  him  <<  very  laconically,"  to  quote  from  his 
testimony,  that  Mr.  Stimers  would  have  entire  charge  of  all  vessels 
building  on  the  Ericsson  plan.  The  admiral  succeeded  after  a  num- 
ber of  months  in  getting  this  order  so  modified  that  Stimers  had  to 
forward  all  communications  through  him  and  obtain  his  approval, 
but,  to  depend  upon  the  admiral's  testimony  again,  Stimers  went 
right  on  ordering  changes  and  writing  letters  over  his  head.  Mr. 
Stimers  probably  thought  that  in  busy  times  action  was  more  im- 
portant than  red  tape,  and  there  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  he  had  the 
tacit  consent  of  the  Department  to  hasten  matters  along  by  com- 
municating directly  with  the  contractors  in  all  technical  matters. 

To  add  to  the  difficulty  arising  from  Stimers'  relations  with  the 
construction  and  engineering  bureaus  he  fell  out  with  his  friend 
Ericsson  about  this  time  and  this  so  nearly  concluded  their  inter- 
course that  Ericsson's  opinions  were  thereafter  seldom  sought  and 
never  volunteered.  The  occasion  of  the  estrangement  was  the  un- 
sympathetic manner  in  which  Stimers  had  tested  Ericsson's  friction 
gear  on  the  Camxmicua;  a  trifling  matter  for  middle-aged  men  to 
quarrel  about,  but  sufficient  to  cause  Ericsson,  proud,  stubborn,  and 
imperious  as  he  was,  to  avoid  his  former  friend  and  prot6g6  and 
leave  him  to  his  own  resources. 

Many  changes  were  made  in  Ericsson's  origiaal  plans  and  many 
of  these  changes  were  of  a  nature  to  increase  the  weight  and  draft 
of  the  vessels.     Instead  of  the  boilers  proposed  by  Ericsson  a  dif- 


486  THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 

ferent  type  with  differential  tubes,  designed  by  Stimers  himself,^ 
were  adopted,  and  these,  in  the  opinion  of  Ericsson,  were  twice  as 
large  and  heavy  as  the  size  of  the  engines  required,  although  Stimers 
claimed  that  they  were  designed  to  furnish  steam  for  all  the  main 
and  auxiliary  machinery  in  the  ship  should  the  unlikely  occasion  of 
using  it  all  at  the  same  time  arise.  The  engines  were  considerably 
reduced  in  size,  being  finally  made  with  cylinders  22  inches  in 
diameter  and  30  inches  stroke  of  piston,  one  engine  being  placed  on 
each  side  of  the  ship,  inclined  upwards,  and  driving  a  screw-shaft 
on  the  opposite  side,  the  vessels  all  having  twin-screws.  After  the 
first  fight  of  the  iron-clads  with  Fort  Sumter  it  was  decided  to  fit  all 
the  monitors  then  building  with  heavy  base  rings  around  the  turrets, 
and  this,  in  the  case  of  the  light-drafts,  increased  their  weight  about 
eighteen  tons  each,  and  also  added  much  to  the  cost,  the  most  of 
them  being  under  contract  before  the  change  was  ordered.  The 
pilot-houses  were  also  made  thicker  and  heavier  as  a  result  of  the 
experience  gained  in  the  Fort  Sumter  fight. 

The  most  important  change  was  in  fitting  large  tanks  along  the 
sides  inside  the  vessels  for  carrying  water  to  increase  the  draft  pur- 
posely; this  was  ordered  by  the  Department  on  the  urgent  recom- 
mendation of  Bear  Admiral  Joseph  Smith,  chief  of  the  Bureau  of 
Yards  and  Docks,  the  idea  being  that  when  the  vessel  grounded  in 
shallow  and  little-known  rivers,  as  would  necessarily  occur  some- 
times, she  could  be  quickly  fioated  by  pumping  out  these  tanks. 
The  intention  was  excellent,  but  the  application  of  the  idea  to  vessels 
of  only  16  inches  freeboard  was  of  doubtful  propriety  as  it  involved 
much  extra  weight  for  the  tanks,  piping,  valves,  and  pumping 
engines,  not  to  mention  the  weight  of  water  to  be  carried. 

A  serious  mistake  involving  additional  weight  was  made  in 
Stimers'  office  in  calculating  the  weight  of  the  oak  deck  and  side 
timbers,  of  which  latter  especially  there  was  an  enormous  mass.  It 
appears  from  the  testimony  that  the  weight  of  seasoned  white  oak 
timber  formed  the  basis  for  the  estimates,  no  allowance  being  made 


1  These  boilers  bad  tbe  same  differential  sizing  of  tubes  as  those  of  the  Ca/natL, 
icus  class  illustrated  in  a  fonner  chapter,  but  the  structural  design  was  different.  To 
make  the  boilers  low  enough  to  go  into  the  shaUow  hulls,  the  tube  boxes  were  placed 
belnoeen  the  fumaoes,  two  of  the  latter  being  at  each  end  of  the  boUer. 


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THE  STBAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 


for  the  fact,  then  well  enough  known,  that  green  timber  would  haye 
to  be  used  on  account  of  the  supply  of  seasoned  oak  ship  timbers  at 
the  North  being  completely  exhausted.  The  result  of  all  the 
changes  and  errors  was  that  when  the  first  of  the  light -draft  monitors 
— the  Chvmo — ^was  launched  she  was  found  to  draw  about  a  foot 
more  water  than  was  intended,  leaving  her  deck  almost  awash.  The 
certainty  that  others  of  the  class  would  possess  the  same  fatal  defect 
was  a  startling  discovery  to  the  Department  and  a  cause  of  chagrin 
to  Mr.  Fox  who  had  selected  Ohief  Engineer  Stimers  for  their  super- 
intendence and  who  was  chiefly  responsible  for  the  conferring  upon 
him  of  power  superior  to  the  bureaus  under  whose  cognizance  their 
building  properly  belonged.  The  crying  need  for  light-draft 
armored  vessels  in  the  Western  rivers  and  the  great  things  that  had 
been  promised  from  these  monitors  were  well  known  to  the  public, 
and  this  made  the  failure  more  notorious  and  disappointing. 

Mr.  Fox  went  immediately  to  New  York  and  held  a  consulta- 
tion with  Mr.  Ericsson  and  Chief  Engineers  King  and  Wood  as  to 
what  should  be  done,  his  desire  being  to  remedy  the  defects  if  pos- 
sible and  get  monitors  with  which  to  make  war,  rather  than  to  waste 
time  in  speculating  as  how  the  mistake  had  been  made  or  who  was 
to  blame  for  it.  It  was  decided  that  the  only  remedy  was  to  build 
the  vessels  up  about  twenty-two  inches,  thereby  still  further  increas- 
ing their  draft  with  the  added  weight  and  lessening  their  usefulness 
for  service  in  shallow  waters,  but  which  would  give  the  country 
monitors  that  could  be  made  of  some  use.  This  was  done  with 
fifteen  of  them  at  an  additional  cost  of  from  (55,000  to  9115,000 
each,  varying  with  the  degree  of  completion  when  the  change  was 
ordered.  The  water-tanks  with  their  pipes  and  pumps  were  taken 
out  of  nearly  all  of  them.  This  work  of  raising  the  sides  of  the 
vessels  so  delayed  their  completion  that  they  were  not  finished  in 
time  to  be  of  any  service  before  the  war  came  to  an  end,  and  their 
cost  was  therefore  practically  thrown  away. 

The  officer  in  command  of  the  North  Atlantic  blockading  squad- 
ron having  asked  for  light-draft  armored  vessels  to  be  used  as  tor- 
pedo boats  in  the  North  Carolina  Sounds  and  James  Kiver,  it  was 
decided  to  equip  five  of  these  monitors  for  that  purpose  without  their 
turrets  and  without  building  their  decks  up,  which  was  done  with 
those  nearest  completion  when  the  fault  in  displacement  was  dis- 


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s 

2 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa  491 

covered,  they  being  fitted  with  spar-torpedo  gear  of  the  Wood-Lay 
inyeotion.  They  had  a  gun  monnted  on  deck  forward  without  any 
protection  for  the  men  who  would  work  it,  a  eerious  objection  for 
service  in  narrow  rivers  within  easy  gunshot  of  the  banks,  and  their 
speed  was  barely  five  miles  an  hour,  which  made  their  use  as  tor- 
pedo boats  almost  ludicrous.  These  five  were  in  active  service  for 
several  months  before  the  end  of  the  war,  but  their  employment  was 
of  little  use  to  the  government.  The  others  after  being  built  up 
became  reasonably  good  monitors  for  coast  service  and  were  sea- 
worthy, as  appears  from  a  report  made  by  Acting  Lieutenant  Com- 
mander H.  A.  Gorringe,  an  excellent  sea-officer,  relative  to  a 
voyage  of  the  Waamw  from  Hampton  Roads  to  Philadelphia  in 
January,  1866,  although  it  was  asserted  by  the  opponents  of  Mr. 
Stimers  that  they  would  be  worthless  even  after  modification. 

Mr.  Oorringe  says:  ^^  We  experienced  during  the  whole  passage 
fresh  northerly  winds,  and  a  heavy  swell  from  the  southeast,  which 
gave  us  an  opportunity  of  testing  the  sea- worthiness  of  this  class  of 
monitor.  I  beg  leave  to  add  that  the  behavior  of  this  vessel  during 
the  passage  has  increased  the  confidence  I  already  had  in  the 
ability  of  this  class  of  monitor  to  ride  out  safely  a  gale  of  wind." 

The  responsibility  tfor  this  deplorable  failure  and  waste  of 
public  money  rests  largely  upon  Chief  Engineer  Stimers,  though 
not  by  any  means  so  completely  as  *  the  enemies  of  that  officer 
charged.  The  added  weights  due  to  the  heavy  base-rings  around 
the  turrets,  the  water-ballast  equipment,  and  increased  armor  on  the 
pilot-houses,  were  not  by  his  direction.  The  testimony  before  the 
joint  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War  developed  the  fact  that 
the  error  in  computing  the  weight  of  timber  was  committed  by  a 
draftsman  in  Stimers'  office  and  that  Stimers  had  not  personally 
verified  the  calculations.  In  this  he  was  of  course  to  blame  as  the 
responsible  official,  in  precisely  the  same  manner  that  the  commander 
of  a  ship  is  responsible  for  disasters  due  to  the  mistakes  of  the  navi- 
gator or  other  subordinate  officer.  Although  officially  culpable, 
there  is  no  evidence  to  show  that  the  blunder  resulted  from  personal 
incompetence  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Stimers,  and  there  is  much  to 
prove  that  physical  impossibility  and  not  negligence  was  the  cause 
of  his  failure  to  critically  examine  the  work  of  his  subordinates. 


THE  STKAM  NAYY  OF  THE  UNTTSD  STATES. 


Besides  the  twenty  light-draft  monitors,  Mr.  Stimers  had  under 
his  general  direction  the  building  of  a  number  of  other  iron  vessels, 
the  (kmonicus  class  especially,  and  he  was  required  to  be  absent 
from  his  office  in  New  York  mnch  of  the  time  visiting  ship  and 
engine  works  in  many  cities  where  these  vessels  were  nnder  con- 
struction. In  the  spring  of  1863,  just  at  the  time  when  the  plans 
for  the  light-drafts  were  being  completed  and  the  contracts  being 
awarded,  he  was  sent  as  superintending  engineer  to  the  iron-clad 
fleet  off  Gharleston  and  was  absent  on  that  duty  for  two  months. 
For  four  months  during  the  summer  of  1863  when  his  whole  time 
should  have  been  given  to  the  new  monitors  his  attention  was  largely 
occupied  with  the  court  of  inquiry  investigating  the  charges  pre- 
ferred against  him  by  Bear  Admiral  DuFont,  which  in  itself  was 
sufficient  to  distract  his  mind  from  his  legitimate  duties,  as  his 
reputation  and  commission  in  the  navy  were  at  stake.  The  report 
made  by  Senator  Wade,  the  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  the 
Conduct  of  the  War,  states  the  difficulties  under  which  Mr.  Stimers 
labored,  and  that  report  does  not  specifically  fix  the  responsibility 
for  the  failure  upon  him. 

The  Department  detached  Mr.  Stimers  from  his  duty  as  gen- 
eral inspector  and  put  the  work  of  completing  the  monitors  in  other 
hands;  but  beyond  this  nothing  was  done  to  punish  him  for  his  part 
in  the  affair.  Assistant  Secretary  Fox  wrote:  "I  cannot  be  too 
hard  upon  Stimers,  who  helped  us  in  the  first  Monitor  with  so  much 
zeal  and  courage."  The  shortcomings  of  Mr.  Stimers  in  connec- 
tion with  these  vessels  may  properly  be  charged  to  an  excess  of  am- 
bition. His  connection  with  the  Monitor  had  made  his  name  well 
known  throughout  the  country,  and  his  subsequent  responsible  con- 
nection with  the  building  of  armored  vessels  had  still  further  ex- 
tended his  fame  and  associated  his  name  with  that  of  Ericsson  as  an 
exponent  and  champion  of  the  new  order  of  war  ships.  When, 
therefore,  he  was  trusted  by  the  Department  with  almost  absolute 
power  in  the  construction  of  the  light-drafts,  from  which  so  much 
was  expected  that  the  whole  country  knew  of  them,  he  sought  to 
achieve  all  the  honor  for  their  success  by  refusing  advice  from  older 
and  wiser  men  than  himself,  and  in  attempting  too  much  came  to 
disaster.  His  professional  reputation  was  so  well  established,  how- 
ever, that  it  was  not  overthrown  by  this  failure,  and  at  the  close  of 


THE  STEAM  NAVY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATEa 


the  war  he  received  such  inducements  as  to  resign  his  commission 
and  enter  upon  practice  as  a  consalting  engineer  in  New  York  under 
the  most  fayorable  and  prosperous  circumstances.  Not  long  there- 
after he  fell  a  victim  to  an  epidemic  of  small-pox  and  lost  his  life. 

As  John  Ericsson  stood  before  the  country  as  the  inventor  and 
sponsor  of  the  monitor  type  of  war-ship,  and  as  his  name  was 
linked  with  the  light-drafts  and  all  other  monitors,  he  received 
much  public  censure  for  their  failure;  a  censure  that  was  almost 
entirely  undeserved.  When  asked  by  the  joint  committee  in 
what  relation  he  stood  to  the  twenty  light-draft  monitors,  he  re- 
plied: ^<  I  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  those  twenty  monitors, 
directly  or  indirectly. "  He  did,  however,  furnish  the  original  plans 
and  some  of  his  details  were  carried  out;  in  his  own  testimony 
further  on  he  said  that  the  turrets  were  arranged  very  nearly  accord- 
ing to  his  principle  and  instructions,  and  from  his  testimony  and 
that  of  others  it  is  proved  that  although  he  ceased  intercourse  with 
Stimers  the  draftsmen  from  the  latter's  office  frequently  con- 
sulted him  as  to  different  details.  It  is  true  that  he  disapproved  of 
almost  everything  shown  him,  but  the  fact  admitted  by  himself  that 
he  was  consulted  is  proof  enough  that  he  had  some  connection  with 
the  work,  for  no  one  who  has  any  conception  of  his  devotion  to 
work  and  intolerance  of  interruption  can  believe  that  he  would  have 
given  a  moment  of  his  time  to  anything  that  did  not  concern  him. 
There  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  he  knew  that  Stimers  was  sup- 
posed to  be  working  under  his  direction,  and  the  fact  that  a  quarrel 
between  them  should  have  prevented  the  one  from  seeking  advice 
and  the  other  from  insisting  upon  giving  it,  is  not  at  all  creditable  to 
either. 

Although  busily  employed  with  the  duties  compelled  by  war, 
the  naval  engineers  found  time  at  the  beginning  of  1864  to  prepare 
and  submit  to  Congress  a  memorial  asking  for  legislation  in  their 
interests  in  certain  directions.  This  document  was  neatly  gotten  up 
in  pamphlet  form  with  a  decorative  cover  embellished  with  engrav- 
ings of  the  Monitor  and  Wampcmoag  and  a  wreath  made  up  of 
weapons  of  war  and  engineer's  instruments — the  arms  and  the  tools 
symbolical  of  the  naval  and  military  engineer's  calling.  The  me- 
morial asked  for  an  increase  of  pay  commensurate  with  that  re- 
ceived by  other  officers  of  the  navy  and  dwelt  at  length  upon  the 


194  THE  STEAM  NAYT  OF  THE  UNITED  ETTATEa 

desirability  of  establishing  some  regular  system  of  education  and 
training  for  the  fntnre  engineers  of  the  navy.  Both  objects  were 
attained.  Congress  passed  a  bill,  which  reoeiyed  Presidential  ap- 
proval Jaly  4,  1864,  establishing  the  course  of  instruction  for  cadet 
engineers  at  the  Naval  Academy  and  fixing  a  new  rate  of  pay  for 
engineer  officers,  amounting  to  an  increase  for  all  grades  of  about 
twenty-two  per  cent.,  the  new  rate  being  shown  by  the  following 
extract  from  the  act: 

'<  Sec.  6.  And  be  it  farther  enacted^  That  the  number  of  chief 
engineers  shall  not  exceed  one  for  each  first  and  second  rate  vessel 
in  the  navy,  with  such  first,  second,  and  third  assistant  engineers,  or 
those  acting  as  such,  as  the  wants  of  the  service  actually  require. 
And  that  from  and  after  the  passage  of  this  act  the  annual  pay  of 
the  engineer  officers  of  the  navy,  on  the  active  list,  shall  be  as  fol- 
lows: Every  chief  engineer  on  duty,  for  the  first  five  years  after 
the  date  of  his  commission,  two  thousand  two  hundred  dollars.  For 
the  second  five  years  after  the  date  of  his  commission,  two  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars.  For  the  third  five  years  after  the  date  of  his 
conmiission,  two  thousand  eight  hundred  dollars.  After  fifteen 
years  after  the  date  of  his  commission,  three  thousand  dollars. 
Every  chief  engineer  on  leave  or  waiting  orders,  for  the  first  five 
years  after  the  date  of  his  commission,  one  thousand  five  hundred 
dollars.  For  the  second  five  years  after  the  date  of  his  commission, 
one  thousand  six  hundred  dollars.  For  the  third  five  years  after  the 
date  of  his  commission,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars. 
After  fifteen  years  after  the  date  of  his  commission,  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  dollars.  Every  first  assistant  engineer  on  duty, 
one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  While  on  leave  or  wait- 
ing  orders,  one  thousand  one  hundred  dollars.  Every  second 
assistant  engineer  on  duty,  one  thousand  two  hundred  dollars. 
While  on  leave  or  waiting  orders,  nine  hundred  dollars.  Every 
third  assistant  engineer  on  duty,  one  thousand  dollars.  While  on 
leave  or  waiting  orders,  eight  hundred  dollars." 


INDBX. 


ADAMSON,  A.,  426 

*«    ^dirondoefc*  218.  wrecked*  33S 

^0om«7i£iaM,  347 

^gawam,  357, 444 

Alabama,  367;  Bank,  480  et  leq 

AUuha,  474 

AUHMny,  sloop-of-war,  02.  06 

Albany,  386 

AQ>emarU,  ram,  466  et  seq.,  sunk,  460 

Alden.  Jamee,  2S8, 310, 8»«  388,  436 

Altrt,  Ist.  477 

Alomna  class,  namiia  of,  474 

Algonquin^  357 

AUegheny,  68  et  se? 

'*Alvarado  Hunter,"  07 

America,  yaoht.  151 

Amman.  Daniel.  247,  462 

^mmoYUNMiie,  300 

AmphUriU.  1st,  347 

Anttetam  class,  names  of,  806 

Arohboid.  8am*l,  engi^ln-chlef,  104, 154 166;  162, 

176,^02 
^retfe,153 

**Arm8  and  the  Man,'*  1 
ArooBU)ok,  221,  314 
jlnhiMlot,  396 

AUainta,  Confed.  stmr.,  captured,  878 
Atlantic  cable,  laid  by  Niaoara^  152 
Atiantic  Works,  200, 840,  357.  400 
Aumufta,  217. 250, 371 
Aullok.  J.  H.,  104, 127.  128 

BAILBT,  THEOBORUS,  825,  327 
Baker,  O.  H.,  316 
Balch,  Gtoorge  B.,  830 
Bancroft,  G«o.,  secy,  navy,  77 
Baron  de  KcUb,  sunk,  800 
Barton,  pavm*r*  467 
Batten,  J.  M..  surgeon,  214 
BelLH.H.  810, 82^367 
Bsnieta,  474 
BenUm,  285.  318 
BtenviZto,  247,  260,  437 

Blockade  runners,  captured  or  destroyed,  106 

**Blood  is  thicker  than  water,'*  43 

Boiler,  drop-flue,  28;  asoendlnff  flue,  106;  Mar- 
tin's, 222;  Barters  223;  of  McnUor,  281; 
Btimer'B,  848 

BtmhOiea,  466;  captured,  457 

Bonnt  Homme  Richard,  474 

BouteUe.  0.  A.,  468, 467 

Brook,  John  M.,  200 

Bnoiayn,  1st,  157;  319  et  seq. ;  307,  436  et  seq 

Brown,  Jefferson.  886 

Buchanan,  Franklin,  127, 204, 301 

Buehler,  Wm.  G.,  162,  486 

Bareau  of  Steam  Enjrloeerine,  created,  361 

Bushnell,  C.  B.,  270,  2n.  277, 2M1 

BttUer,  Gen'l  B  F.,  242, 8»r.  444.  446 

fSAHILli,  JOS.  N..  killed.  427 

^    Gaim,  288;  sunk,  30a  426 

ComaTicTie,  840 

Ooinandtaffua,  218.  882,  880, 424 

Canonletw.  848  445,484 

Caroruktet,282,818 

CasuaJties  at  Fort  Jackson,  827:  at  Mobile,  442 

Cataioba,348 

gotKWaTko,  377,  381 

^yvQa,  221,  310  et  seq 

,£f  «.  288. 461  et  seq 

Ohain  armor,  by  wbom  deTised,  322, 824. 


Chottanoooa,  800 

Chemango,  367;  explosion  on,  427 

CMOsaMim,  347. 436  et  seq 

C7iicope«,357,469 

Cliaieot;ie.  848 

Chimo,  886,  480 

OTiilipeioa,  221, 446 

Ohurch,  W.  C  — **LifiB  of   John    Ericsson." 

quoted,  71,  72. 206, 810.  318,  340,  422 
Ofrnmorvne.  221,  876 
Ginoinnati,  1st.  282,  sunk.  300 
a</ton,  820.  329  362.  391 
Colorado,  14&  244, 310.  325.  446 
CoHmiMa,  wrecked,  366 
Columbine,  captured,  426 
Commodore  HvU,  876, 464,  456, 470 
Gomfiiodore  Jotiee,  blown  up,  426 
Commodore  Perry,,  288, 831 
Coneetooa,  318, 828 
Congrees,  306 
Oonnor,  Oom.,  01  et  seq 
Ocmtoeoofc,  306 

CorUoeook  class,  names  of,  306 
Ck>peland.  Charles  W..  21, 86. 66. 108. 104,  137 
Oraffg,  8.  W  ,  310,«827, 427.  428 
Cramp  Shipbuilding  Co.,  278, 300 
GraTen,T.  A.M..436 
Crosby,  Pierce,  Sao 

Ctunberiand,  sioop-of-war,  02, 231, 243. 402.  et  seq 
Gushing,  William  B.,  288. 830, 331,  446, 468  et  seq 
Cushman,  W.  H.,  488, 434 


QACOTAH.  160 


Dahlgren,  rear  ad.,  100. 880.  406 
Danbv,  Robt.,  132, 133. 100. 281  et  seq 
«Dai4d."  424 
Delano,  B.  F.,  142, 176, 880 
DemoloQoe,  0  et  seq 
Deepateh,  Ists  154 
Detroit,  1st,  474 
Diana,  captured,  880 
Dlckenon,  E.  N..  161  et  seq.;  396 
Dickerson,  M..  sec  navy.  16.  18 
Dfeeotor,  840, 844.  347 
Dobbin,  sec.  nayr,  66, 188 
*Double-enders,'^  names  of  221.  357,  386 
Doughty,  Th.,  chief  engineer.  391 
Drayton,  FerolTal.  240.  338,  336, 486 
Dukehart,  T.  M.,  810, 471 
Dunderbsra,  848  etseq 
Dungan,  W.  W.,  260 
DuPont,  8.  F.,  148, 546  et  seq.,  376  et  seq.,  463  et 

seq.,  418  et  seq 

EDDOWB8,  A.  K..  870,  871 
Bdes.  James  B.,  Offi,  847, 348 

Edith,  W 

Ellis,  WilUam.  54.  187 

Engine,  side  iCTer,  48;  half -cylinder,  66;  in- 
clined. 860 

Engineer,  82 

Engineei^in-Chief,  office  created,  40 

Engineer  Corps,  u.  8.  Navy,  established,  40; 
Increased  in  1861, 205 

Engineers,  naval,  first  in  service,  how  ap- 
pointed, 24;  how  berthed  and  messed,  :.8; 
declared  to  be  officers.  40;  names  of,  26. 
78,  80;  arranged  in  order  of  merit,  78  et 
seq. ;  receive  commission,  75 

Engineers,  naval  in  Mexican  War, 00;  in  Japan 
expedition,  132;  at  Port  Bpy»l  battle,  on 
Monitor,  at  Fort  Jackson,  810;  at  Mobile, 
436;  lost  in  Mottnd  City,  828;  in  Weehaw- 
hen,  382;  in  Teeumaeh,  488;  volunteer 
qualifications  of,  206  et  seq 


INDEX. 


■ngineen  for  BeFenue  cutters,  appointed,  76 

Epervier,  i77 

Ericflflon,  John,  61  et  leq  ;  his  jrun.  70.  71,  90, 

262,  268;  builds  Monitor,  274  et  seq.;  8U9, 

839,  889,896. 890.  419,  484  etseq 
Eisex,  1st.  285. 818.  886 
Everett,  WlUiam  H.,  161«  168 

FAIRFAX.  D.  M.,  256  et  seq 
Faron.  John,  Jr.,  25. 86,  ^  76,  78,  87, 108 
Faron.  John,  162;  killed,  488 
Farranit.  D.  O.,  818  et  seq.;  wounded,  829,  386. 

ffiS,  426, 436  et  neq. ;  his  statue  made  from 

screw  of  Harford,  157 
FiUebrown,  T.  8.,  109,  427 
Firemen  classified  in  1847,  86 
Florida,  confed.  cr..  872  et  seq. ;  captured  442 
FluBser,  O.  W.,  830.  448,  451 ;  Idlied,  462 
FoUanabee,  Joshua,  72. 162 
Foete,  A.  H.,  285,  818,  406 
Fort  Donelson,  captured,  818 
Fort  Fisher,  first  attack,  444 
Fort  Jackson,  battle  at,  821  et  seq 
Fox.  O.  v..  asst.  secy,  nary,  278,  810,  419,  477, 

478.484,489,492 
Franklin,  141 400 
FuUon,  1st,  see  Demologos 


FuUtfn,  2d,  19  et  seq 
FuUon,  8d.  29. 80. 174 


GALENA,  1st,  272,  277, 816,  436 
Oi^Jt  Je8«^,  ^n.  1«s»,167, 189 

CeJiTi  "k^  fi^'  r-  I . ,  -  ■ .     •  :i  I  ioarded,  64 

0*nrMHft^  ^1,  ^i\  .|^y.  4it7 

Gerrn,  4K  60 

Oetmanii^frn.  aloqp-or-war,  281,  242, 290 

GUmof,  T.  W  ,  Bfo,  unvy,  killed,  70 

Qotwold*siirffeon,  killed  370 

GoUlnb^rtmK  L.  M..  '^,814,839 

Grant,  D.  S.,i*S.  3li!i 

Greooe.  3,  Ditlia,  t.'WS,  803,  318 

Greooe.  Wm,  tt  .  lcni^d,364 

Griper,  J.  A.  S&4,  Mi 

GftfKorv*  F.  H.,  408.  1*5, 

Grlc*.  Fraiiolfl.  KXi,  lt)5 

Grims.  W.  B„  iW,  H 

OritfitiiBj  J    W,.  173 

GrlBWOld.  Jabo  A.i  281t  810 

OuatierH,  orlgrtaally  non-combatants.  2. 

HALL.  GEO.  W.,  266. 260,  261 
Hands.  K.  W..  296.  383 
Hanscom,  Isaiah.  857 
Harriet  Lane,  174.  820. 862,  captured.  888 
Hartford,  157. 818  et  seq..  886  et  seq.,  488  et  seq 
Hartt.  8aml.,  44, 108,  UO 
Hasseltlno.  D.  C,  213  et  seq 
Haswell.  Chas.  B.,  first  enin*.  in  navy,eDfrr.-ln- 

chtef.  etc.,  19,  21,  36.  41,  42,  76.  86.  93.  106. 

110, 120  et  seq.,  287, 288 
Hfitt^mt,  sunk*  :«7 
lUwklnft,  J.  T.,  450 
Hebaid.  A-.  3tJ.  47.  mS2 

Hobby,  J.  M ..  ^i-iO,  im,  4rt^,  4M,  m 
HoJdeti.  Dr.  Edpap,  3fH,  :m 
lIwtjtntsiFiie,  2l»^  2iiiK  sunk  i2* 

Hort,  Ebon,  3^.  :m 

liuWr.  J<»«.,  chief  eogr.,  killed,  380 

Hunt,  Henry,  5*J,  73,  UR.  1») 

n  unl,  ^  m.  H*  33fl,  a;J7.  43rt.  m 

II  uDt.  L!cut  W.  W.,  hb  whueU  48  et  seq 

IDAHO,  165,  396 
IruKanola.  348.  884 
Inman,  Wm..  47.  262 
/ris,  94 

Iron-cladc.  first,  262.  river  type,  282 
Iroquois,  109.  819  et  seq 
Isaac  SmitK,  246, 247,  captured,  872 


Isherwood,  B.  F.,  en^r.-ln-chief,  66,  87,  80,  82, 
99.  U7,  m,  166,  176.  182.  200.  202.  il7.  221, 
^et  seq.,  896, 399, 400 

noBka,  22t  819,  et  seq..  436,440 

JAPAN,  expedition  to,  126  et  seq 
Japanese  bell  at  Nayal  Academy,  136 
JeflTers,  Wm.  N.,  289,  814 
John  Hancock  1st.  187;  2d,  137 
Jones.  Catesby,  301,  et  seq.,  807 
Jouett,  Jas.  B .  436, 440 
Judah.  schooner,  244 
Jimioto,  218.  446 

KALAMAZOO,  class,  names  of,  400 
Kane.  E.  K.,  arctic  explorer,  168 
iiLansaif,  857 
Katahdiln,  1st,  221,  819 
Kearmiroe,  218;  fights  Alabama,  430  et  aeq 
Kellogg.  Mortimer,  181, 136, 168,  436 
£emiS)ee.  221,  819,  436,  440 
Kennon,  Beverly,  63,  killed,  70 
Keohulc,  848.  sunk,  877 
Keystone  State,  370 
Kicfcopoo.  847 
Kimball,  J.  B..  819,  828 
Kineo,  22L  319,  et  seq..  386 
King,  J.  W..  enffr.-in.ohief.  147, 182,260,  487 
King,  Wm.  H.,  132 
KipUng,  Budyard,  quoted,  811 
Kuts,  Geo.  F.,  162.  aS6. 386.  486 

LACKAWANNA.  218. 436  et  seq 
Lafiea«eer.  158 
Lawton.  Elbridge,  138, 819 
Lay,  J.  L.,  289,  376, 468, 481 
Lee,  S.  P.,  819,  329,  832. 876, 456 
X^ia^,  840, 882 
Lenape,  357,  427 

LenthaLJohn.  64,  66. 103. 142. 176 
Le  BoyTWm.  B.,  370.  436 
Lexington,  318. 328. 330 
Lighirdraft  monitors,  names  ot  306;  fiailareof. 

483  et  seq 
Lincoln.  Abraham.  162. 208.  287.  278.  404.  483 
Loefcuwod.  289. 424 
Long,  R.  U.,  147, 173 
Iioring  O.  H..  engineer-in-chief.  147 
Loring,  Harrison,  188. 156*  84a  848 
LouiHana,  287. 289.  376;  used  as  powder  maga- 
zine, 444 
Loutsiono.  Confed..  321 

MoOAULEF.  Captain  Charles  8.,  231  et  seq 
McClellan,  George  B.,  60, 96.  297 

McElmeU.J.,162,4a6 

MoBwan.  William  G.,  440 

McKay,  Donald.  270 

Mlaekinaw,  867. 445 

Ifodatixis^  399 

Mahopae,  348. 446 

Mallahan,  Thos.,  killed,  376 

Manaucuh  Confed.  ram.  821  et  seq 

Manhattan,  848,  436 

AforMehsod,  1st.  221 

Marietta.  848 

Masrden.  Captain  J.,  293.  296, 299 

MarUn,  D.  B.,  engineer-in-dilef,  66,  99.  m  138. 
148, 164, 1627169 

MatsaehuaeUs,  1st.  96;  2d,  400 

MaUabeteeU,  367, 454, 466,  466 

Maumee,  867 

Maxey,  Hon.  Virgil,  killed  on  PrinceCrm.  90 

Melville  Geo.  W.,  englneer-in-chlef,  448 

Miereeditq.  surrender  of.  870 

Merrick  &  Towne.  36,  62, 110 

Merrick  4k  Sons,  147, 160,  270, 272, 399 

Msrrfnuic.  141, 145. 146,  230,  et  seq.;  290;  raid  of, 
291  et  seq. ;  flghu  Monitor,  301  et  seq^  de- 
stroyed, 314 

Messlmer,H^248,250 

Af0taootii4.  ^,  436, 440 

Mexican  War,  88  et  seq 

Miami,  221.  82Q.  461  et  seq 


INDEX. 


Miantonomoli^  let,  347 

Michigan,  H 

MUwauJcee,  347 

Minnetiota,  146. 148,  243.  292.  318 

Mi$98i8ippi,  82  et  Beq  ;  36,  42,  91  et  seq.;  J28  et 

seq.;  180. 810  et  seq.;  destroyed,  886et  seq 
Mi89owl  35, 86;  burned,  48 
Mobile  Bar,  battle,  486  et  seq 
Mohawh,  176 

Mohican,  1st.  160;  247  et  seq 
Mohongo,  396 
Monadnock,  1st,  847,  445 
Monitor,  274  et  secM  ^^  et  seq. ;  301  etseq. ;  814; 

foundered.  W3 
Monongahela,  218, 886,  436  et  seq 
Montauk,  340,  376,  388 
Monterey,  876.  882 
MonHccOo^m 

Moore,  J.  W.,  319;  822  et  seq. ;  888.388 
Mo^^  Iron  Works,  170,  SM,  427 

Moss,  Obas.,  case  of,  76  et  seq 
Mound  Oily,  288,  828 
Muldaur,  A.  W.,467 
MuUen,  A.  T.  B.,  363,  444,  445 
HuMSOOta,  395 

MAHANT,  840.  377,  378.  382 

■•    NaniasketyATl 

Naniueket,  340,  377. 888 

NarroMMeett,  170 

NashvilU,  Confed.  Steamer,  863 

Naugatuck,  60.  315 

Naval  Const  motors,  142 

Neehaminy,  890 

Newell.  H..  154.  445 

New  Irowides,  272  et  seq.;  877.  382,  445 

Newton,  Isaac.  6a  296,  305.  807 

Niagcura,  141. 151, 162 

Nicholson.  J.  W.  A.  436 

^'Ninety-day*'  gunboats,  names  of,  221 

Nipsie.  1st,  &7 

Norfolk  navy  yard,  loss  of.  230  et  seq 

Novelty  Iron  Works,  221, 280,  399 

iVt/acfc,357 

OOTORORA,  221,  435 
Omaha,  477 
Oneida,  218, 272,  819  et  seq. ;  373.  436  et  seq 
(Meoea,848 
Onondago,  847. 854 
Oregon,  Ist,  400 
Oaage,  348. 891 
Oseipee,  218.  436  et  seq 
Oteaioa.  221,  247, 250 
Ostego,  357;  sunk,  443, 469  et  seq 
Owawo,  221, 3JW,  382 
Ozark,  9i8 

PALOS.481 

■^  Paraguay  expedition,  174;  steamers  char- 
tered for,  175 

Pauiac,  333  et  seq.;  340,  377,  382 

PatapBCO,  34a  377,  382 

Paulding.  Captain  Hiram,  148,  241, 264 

Pawnee,  173,  243, 247  et  seq.;  426 

Pay  of  naval  engineers  In  1837,  22;  in  1842.  40; 
in  1849,  87;  In  1860, 184 ;  in  1864,  494 

Pembina,  221, 247  et  seq. ;  437 

Pen6t)sci)t,  221,  366 

Pcnsacola,  161  et  seq.;  319  et  seq 

Pensions  extended  to  engineer  ooiDS,  86 

Pequot,  357 

Perry,  Captain  M.  C..  22,  26,  3a  91  et  seq,;  123, 
127  et  seq 

PhiJadelphia,  Ist.  287 

PlTwla,  m,  319  et  seq. ;  437 

PCnto  class,  names  of.  481 

Pirsson's  condenser,  65 

PCtfcatagiio,  395 

PtUshurgh,2S& 

Plymouth.  N.  C,  battle,  471 

PlymotOh,  sloop-of-war,  129.  131,  231:  sunk,  242, 


Plymouth,  477 

Pocahontan,  154. 249,  330 

PWrwett,  U 

PoOc,  94 

Pomponoonic,  899 

Pook,  8.  H.,  272,  482 

Port  Hudson,  battle,  884  et  seq 

Fort  Royal,  battle.  245  et  seq 

Pwt  Royal,  221. 814, 436,  440 

Porter.  OaptTDavld,  11. 16 

Porter,  Adm'l.  D.  D.,  213.  827,  829.  884,  380,  892, 

444,  44C.  4T2;  his  opinion  of  engineers,  198; 

of  at'tJiJ?  luMstfirM.  "JOO 
PoT-tf^r.  J.  L,.  Z^K  314,  +.70 
Prmhiiltan,  106,  109,  130,  136,  445 
I^uc€^  Hayal,  Stia  et  srq 
l¥iPif?cf'm,  iBt,  6S&t  !*flq.i  gun  explosion  on,  7a 

Frop^ller,  Lnper's,  51;  of  Allegheny,  56;  Brios- 
_       fiOQ  's.  fia ;  0  r  Sq  n  Jat  into,  118 
Piintaji,  1st,  340 

QUAKBR  CITY,  371, 446 
V    Quinnebaug,  1st,  477 
Quin»igamond,  400 
Quintard  Iron  Works,  890 

DANK  conferred  upon  naval  engineers  In 
■■    IfigJ.  185;  reaiBrmed  in  1861.  186;  raised  in 
_       1863,401 
RaUler,  H.  M.  S.,  68, 186 

^""""■T,  i77 

KhoadfiK.  H.  E.p  ;^74.  S75 

Rich  fiioTifi.  IM ;  '.UH  ct  Eeq, ;  388;  436  et  seq 

Koaeh .  J  0  h  n  aTjO.  3!X5. 399 

Rfiantikc,  115.  i;92  et  gi?o,;  301,  354 

HoHTjf}ke  iBlnnd,  batrfc,  286  et  seq 

Kobltj.  Ell.  m.  1^.  1^^  844,  4057406 

Hoble,  B.  W.,  ai2  et  Bfq 

Hoblnaon.  L.  W„  4.3ft 

Kodirors,  U,  R,  p..  S4,^i(^t  seq 

Korffjyrfl.  Geo.  W,.  killed,  m 

Hodge ns.  John,  I3S;  Z47  et  seq.;  285,  314,  343,  378, 

Roe.  F.  A.,  819, 454,  458.  464,  467 

SAOHBM,  296, 882;  captured,  391 
Saeo,  357 
Saetnmento,  218 
Saginaw,  166 

San  Jaeintn  lia  114;  251  er  seq 
Saranac,  109;  wrecked,  110 
SaseacM,  867.  445, 454, 461,  466 
Saugtu,  848, 445 
Sdota,  221.  819 
Scott.  WlDfleld,  94,  98 
SeaGyU,l$ 
Seminole  war,  44 
Seminole.  170,  247.  250,  436 
Senecct,  221.  247 

Sewell,  Geo..  97. 109, 138. 16a  250 
Sewell,  Wm.,  76. 105, 118 
ShamrntK,  l\M.  40^ 
.Shfiwmut,  337 
Show^hixn,  2m,d3\;  captured.  426 

Shock,  W.  H  ,  i^ngr.-ln-chlef.  74.  80.  82.  96,  146 

?L!oat.  J.  R.  89  et  Req 

HiuithH  Joa..  364,  578,  a^t  486 

^uihh.  Melikncttii.Q.  819.  326.  38a  464,  455 

So  lay,  J    K..  quottfd,  282,  419 

Sftrifimit,  221^  !J!4 

SoufhMld.  SH7,  4.M:  sunk,  452 

SpiwUn  £)utn>U,  4-^2  et  seq 
SL  L'juU.  28i.  3 IS.  828 
StJimni,  W.  S,,  l^j,  152 
Steiim  Iftuncb,  Ut,124 
t^teers,  Geo..  15 1. 
St  even  ill  Hfttt^ry,  57  et  seq;  288 
Stewart,  H.H.,  170,471 


INDEX. 


Btimen,  A.  O.,  147,  282,280.  281.  2gs.  298.  SWet 
aeq..  81S,  84a  3^7377. 892, 4iM,et8eq.:  40B. 
484et8eq 

Stockton.  Oapt  R.  P.  81  et  seq  .  70,  74.  9U  07 

Stodder.  L.  N..  298.  802. 313 

Stotesbury.  Wm..  480.  470.  478 

Btringham,  8.  H.,  178.  242.  262, 408 

Stuart,  Cbaa.  B.,  enirtneor-ln-oiilef ,  29, 6ft,  74, 
117. 119, 182 

8u$quehanna,  104, 128. 186, 152, 248, 250, 314,  373 

8uwa/HM^  886 

Swatara,  lit,  477 

TAOONY.  867.  4T0,  471 
TottotxMMa.  3S7 
Tatnall.  Josiah.  43.  96. 248. 314 
Taylor.  Bayard,  master't  mate  in  nary,  131 
TecumMh,  848;  sunk.  437 
Tenneaaee,  confed.  stmr.,  837 
Tennetaec,  oonfed.  ram,  437  et  8eq 
Tbompflon.  G.  L.,  engr.-in-cbief,  39, 4U  42 
TburstOD.  R.  H.,  388  et  seq.;  372 
Ticonderoga,  218,  446 
Tonawanda,  847 
Torpedo,  uncbivalrous,  426;  Lay,  described. 

481 
Touoey.  secy.  navr.  188. 186, 180 
Trent,  affair  of,  261  et  seq 
TuMorora,  218 
Tu0CttmMa,848 

Tyler,  John,  PresUlent,  89, 70, 77 
Tyltr^  318 

UN ADILLA.  221^7.  868,  369.  445 
Underuniier^  289  captured,  423 
Union,  49  et  seq 
Union  Iron  Works,  168 
UnUed  Statu,  frigate,  281 ;  burned.  242 
Upshur,  A.  P.,  seoy.  navy.  53;  killed.  70 

VAN  BRUNT.  Oapt..  902.  808 
Varuna,  319:  destroyed,  326 
Vera  Orui,  bombarded,  94,  95 
Vixen,  9Si  96 
Voorhees.  P.  R.,  880 


r  ABASH.  141, 145, 147. 245  et  seq.;  226, 215 
Waehnudt,  218.  816. 443 
' ^j|,399 


TToter  Tr«eefc.  Ist,  Si;  2d,  58;  8d,  53, 1T4, 418 
Waxaam,  895,  481 
Webber,  O.  N.,  296,  805 

vVfiJuiK^i^.it,  .iiO.  it77,  SfTfti  foundered,  882 

Weir.  RotH  .  16ft.  3fi»,  44i 

WtiUea.  Guk^OQ,  eeoy*  navy,  218, 274, 2T7, 2S9. 281, 

WelU,  Win   1?.,  fZi,  37* 

WtMM^d,  3:30,  3^»:  sunk:  3ftl 

W€?at  Point  Foundtj.  17.  JflO,  » 

Wblt<*.  G™.  H.,M4 

WiiUfhad.  287.  2S4;  destiXJFi?d.  285 

Wliitthfi^vi.  itiJ.  A^U  ^^  47fl 

Wtaittejuoi^,  J.  W  .  klUed-  3|5 

Wllkea.  Ch»A.,  2ol  et  *eq*:  TA 

'9t  imams^>ti,  ThoniW,  ^h  *  « 

WUltamsoa.  Wtii.  P.  SO.  54.  18,  104.  118  203. 290^ 

202 
Wimuibaao,  347, 436  et  seq 
Winona,  221.  319,  378 
TTifiootM,  857 
Winslow.  Oapt.  J.  H.,  432 
WiMohiOion,  221, 319 
Wood,  Wm.  MaxwelL  90 
Wood,  Wm.  W.  W..  engr.-ln-ohieC,  78»78,  UO.  148. 

168, 113. 198,  850,  468,  48L  480 
Woodbury.  J.  G..  paymr.,  killed,  881 
Woodruff  k  Beaoh,  09,  432 
frore««fer.896 

Worden,  J.  L..  295. 296. 802  et  seq. ;  810, 313.  378 
WwAxuino.  357,  454.  457,  468,  468,470,  ATI 
Wyoming,  \9i 


Wyom\ 

Y ANTIC,  357,  446 
Young,  Jas.  Q.,  879 

ZBLLER.  Thoa.  80.  81, 100 
Zinc  first  used  in  bolters,  124 


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