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re: 150 years ago this day...
Posted on 9/9/14 at 8:22 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Posted on 9/9/14 at 8:22 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Saturday, 10 September 1864
The Fawn was a relatively inoffensive little boat, engaged yesterday in the hauling of mail on the Albermarle and Chesapeake Canal. Today she did so no longer, because she had been seized and burned by a small force of Confederates. An extremely irate Lieutenant Commander Earl English, of the USS Wyalusing, landed in nearby Elizabeth City, North Carolina, determined to locate and punish whoever had committed this act. He went to far as to round up and detain 29 leading citizens of the town for interrogation and possible detention as hostages against repetition of such misdeeds. He was reluctantly persuaded to release them when they were able to convince him that the mail boat had in fact been burned by men from the CSS Albermarle and that no resident of the town had been involved or benefited by the act.
Second report: An expedition from USS Wyalusing, Lieutenant Commander Earl English, landed at Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River, North Carolina, and seized several of the leading citizens for interrogation regarding the burning of the mail steamer Fawn on the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal the night before. The naval landing party encountered little resistance at Elizabeth City, and succeeded in capturing 29 prisoners. English learned that the Fawn expedition had been led by members of CSS Albemarle's crew.
The USS Santiago de Cuba, Captain Oliver S. Glisson in charge, captured the blockade running steamer A. D. Vance at sea northeast of Wilmington with a cargo of cotton.
The USS Magnolia, under Acting Lieutenant William S. Cheesman, seized the steamer Matagorda at sea off Cape San Antonio, Cuba, with a cargo of cotton.
The Fawn was a relatively inoffensive little boat, engaged yesterday in the hauling of mail on the Albermarle and Chesapeake Canal. Today she did so no longer, because she had been seized and burned by a small force of Confederates. An extremely irate Lieutenant Commander Earl English, of the USS Wyalusing, landed in nearby Elizabeth City, North Carolina, determined to locate and punish whoever had committed this act. He went to far as to round up and detain 29 leading citizens of the town for interrogation and possible detention as hostages against repetition of such misdeeds. He was reluctantly persuaded to release them when they were able to convince him that the mail boat had in fact been burned by men from the CSS Albermarle and that no resident of the town had been involved or benefited by the act.
Second report: An expedition from USS Wyalusing, Lieutenant Commander Earl English, landed at Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River, North Carolina, and seized several of the leading citizens for interrogation regarding the burning of the mail steamer Fawn on the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal the night before. The naval landing party encountered little resistance at Elizabeth City, and succeeded in capturing 29 prisoners. English learned that the Fawn expedition had been led by members of CSS Albemarle's crew.
The USS Santiago de Cuba, Captain Oliver S. Glisson in charge, captured the blockade running steamer A. D. Vance at sea northeast of Wilmington with a cargo of cotton.
The USS Magnolia, under Acting Lieutenant William S. Cheesman, seized the steamer Matagorda at sea off Cape San Antonio, Cuba, with a cargo of cotton.
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Posted on 9/10/14 at 7:59 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Sunday, 11 September 1864
The wooden, side-wheel steamer USS Stockdale--Acting Lieutenant George Wiggen commanding--which had joined the West Gulf Blockading Squadron at New Orleans, 3 January 1864, set forth up the Fish River to Mobile Bay today, leading the tinclad USS Rodolph and the Army troop transport ship Planter, which was also towing a barge. Their destination: a sawmill up on the bay. The expedition arrived without incident, landed troops, and proceeded to confiscate Confederate equipment including 60,000 board feet of sawn lumber, the engine used to saw the logs, and some livestock. The problem came when the now heavily-loaded ships tried to get back down the river. Confederate troops lined the river as it began to grow dark. Shots were fired and trees were even felled into the water in an attempt to snag and stop the vessels. The military ships returned fire with the ship’s guns, the troops fired muskets, and the reinforced Rodolph smashed its way through the log blockades. All the boats returned safely.
Another report: Acting Lieutenant Wiggin led an expedition up Fish River at Mobile Bay to seize an engine used by Confederates in a sawmill and to assist Union soldiers in obtaining lumber. Tinclad USS Rodolph, Acting Lieutenant George D. Upham, and wooden side-wheeler USS Stockdale, Acting Master Spiro V. Bennis, with Wiggin embarked, convoyed Army transport Planter to Smith's mill, where they took the engine, 60,000 feet of lumber, and some livestock. Loading the lumber on board a barge in tow of Planter took almost until nightfall, and in the dusk of the return down-stream, Confederate riflemen took the ships under fire and felled trees ahead of them. The gun-boats returned the fire rapidly and Rodolph broke through the obstructions, enabling the remaining ships to pass downriver.
The USS Augusta Dinsmore, Acting Lieutenant Miner B. Crowell in charge, captured the schooner John off Velasco, Texas, with a cargo of cotton.
Union expeditions began at various points in Missouri. Another Federal undertaking began from Fort Rice in the Dakota Territory to relieve a settlers’ train.
The wooden, side-wheel steamer USS Stockdale--Acting Lieutenant George Wiggen commanding--which had joined the West Gulf Blockading Squadron at New Orleans, 3 January 1864, set forth up the Fish River to Mobile Bay today, leading the tinclad USS Rodolph and the Army troop transport ship Planter, which was also towing a barge. Their destination: a sawmill up on the bay. The expedition arrived without incident, landed troops, and proceeded to confiscate Confederate equipment including 60,000 board feet of sawn lumber, the engine used to saw the logs, and some livestock. The problem came when the now heavily-loaded ships tried to get back down the river. Confederate troops lined the river as it began to grow dark. Shots were fired and trees were even felled into the water in an attempt to snag and stop the vessels. The military ships returned fire with the ship’s guns, the troops fired muskets, and the reinforced Rodolph smashed its way through the log blockades. All the boats returned safely.
Another report: Acting Lieutenant Wiggin led an expedition up Fish River at Mobile Bay to seize an engine used by Confederates in a sawmill and to assist Union soldiers in obtaining lumber. Tinclad USS Rodolph, Acting Lieutenant George D. Upham, and wooden side-wheeler USS Stockdale, Acting Master Spiro V. Bennis, with Wiggin embarked, convoyed Army transport Planter to Smith's mill, where they took the engine, 60,000 feet of lumber, and some livestock. Loading the lumber on board a barge in tow of Planter took almost until nightfall, and in the dusk of the return down-stream, Confederate riflemen took the ships under fire and felled trees ahead of them. The gun-boats returned the fire rapidly and Rodolph broke through the obstructions, enabling the remaining ships to pass downriver.
The USS Augusta Dinsmore, Acting Lieutenant Miner B. Crowell in charge, captured the schooner John off Velasco, Texas, with a cargo of cotton.
Union expeditions began at various points in Missouri. Another Federal undertaking began from Fort Rice in the Dakota Territory to relieve a settlers’ train.
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