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re: 150 years ago this day...
Posted on 7/13/15 at 8:43 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Posted on 7/13/15 at 8:43 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Friday, 14 July 1865
This morning the CSS Owl, under Commander John Newland Maffitt--nicknamed the "Prince of Privateers" due to his remarkable success as a blockade runner and commerce raider--steams up the River Mersey in Northwest England, and anchors in Liverpool Harbor. The vessel had come from Nassau, Bahamas, eluding Union Navy ships under orders to capture her. On the 15th Maffitt will order the boatswain to pipe all hands aft where he addresses the crew in an immaculate uniform. He will thank them for their service and loyalty, pay them off, and splice the mainbrace one last time in honor of the Confederacy. Maffitt personally strikes the colors to three cheers from the crew. Maffitt shall choose to remain in Liverpool, obtain a Master’s License, and serve as a captain in the British merchant marine. In 1868, Maffitt returns to the United States and purchases a farm near Wilmington, North Carolina. As was so often the case, he was never able to recover his real or personal property unconstitutionally confiscated by the Federal Government.
Second report: Blockade runner Owl, under Commander Maffitt, steamed up the Mersey River and came to anchor in Liverpool harbor. He had brought the ship from Nassau through a Union Navy that had been alerted by Secretary Welles to exert all efforts to capture him. The following day, Maffitt had his boatswain pipe all hands aft where he appeared in an immaculate uniform and addressed the crew. "This is the last time we meet as sailors of the Confederate States Navy...The Confederacy is dead. Our country is in the hands of the enemy, and we must accept the verdict...I am grateful to you for your loyalty to me and to the South." He then paid off the crew, spliced one last mainbrace for the Confederacy and then personally struck the colors to three resounding cheers from the crew. Maffitt turned the ship over to Fraser, Trenholm and Company and established residence in Liverpool. After qualifying for a Master's License, he was employed by a shipping company and commanded the merchant steamer Widgeon trading between Liverpool and South American ports.
Maffitt finally returned to the United States in 1868 and made an unsuccessful attempt to secure restitution of confiscated property valued at over $75,000 (worth over $1,250,000 in 2015). With the money he earned while serving in the British merchant marine, he purchased a 212 acre farm outside Wilmington, North Carolina, where he lived his remaining years. During these sunset years, Maffitt engaged in some very perceptive reflecting. On one occasion he summarized the important role played by sea power in the war: "The Northern navy," he wrote, "contributed materially to the successful issue of the war. The grand mistake of the South was neglecting her navy. All our army movements out West were baffled by the armed Federal steamers which swarmed on western waters, and which our government provided nothing to meet. Before the capture of New Orleans, the South ought to have had a navy strong enough to prevent the capture of that city, and hold firmly the Mississippi and its tributaries. This would have prevented many disastrous battles; it would have made Sherman's march through the country impossible and Lee would have still been master of his lines...the errors of our government were numerous but her neglect of the navy proved irremediable and fatal."
Maffitt also astutely commented on the lasting contributions made by the navy he represented. "The Confederate Navy," he wrote, "minute though it was, won a place for itself in history. To the Confederates the credit belongs of testing in battle the invulnerability of ironclads and of revolutionizing the navies of the world. The Merrimack did that. And though we had but a hand full of light cruisers, while the ocean swarmed with armed Federal vessels, we defied the Federal navy and swept Northern commerce from the sea." For this latter achievement, Maffitt personally merited a large share of the credit. As captain of the CSS Florida during her 1863 cruise he captured 24 American merchant ships and he commissioned the tender Clarence, commanded by Lieutenant Charles W. Read, whose subsequent exploits accounted for 23 additional merchantmen. The Confederacy also authored the first ever successful submarine attack, when the CSS Hunley sank the Warship USS Housatonic on February 17, 1864.
This morning the CSS Owl, under Commander John Newland Maffitt--nicknamed the "Prince of Privateers" due to his remarkable success as a blockade runner and commerce raider--steams up the River Mersey in Northwest England, and anchors in Liverpool Harbor. The vessel had come from Nassau, Bahamas, eluding Union Navy ships under orders to capture her. On the 15th Maffitt will order the boatswain to pipe all hands aft where he addresses the crew in an immaculate uniform. He will thank them for their service and loyalty, pay them off, and splice the mainbrace one last time in honor of the Confederacy. Maffitt personally strikes the colors to three cheers from the crew. Maffitt shall choose to remain in Liverpool, obtain a Master’s License, and serve as a captain in the British merchant marine. In 1868, Maffitt returns to the United States and purchases a farm near Wilmington, North Carolina. As was so often the case, he was never able to recover his real or personal property unconstitutionally confiscated by the Federal Government.
Second report: Blockade runner Owl, under Commander Maffitt, steamed up the Mersey River and came to anchor in Liverpool harbor. He had brought the ship from Nassau through a Union Navy that had been alerted by Secretary Welles to exert all efforts to capture him. The following day, Maffitt had his boatswain pipe all hands aft where he appeared in an immaculate uniform and addressed the crew. "This is the last time we meet as sailors of the Confederate States Navy...The Confederacy is dead. Our country is in the hands of the enemy, and we must accept the verdict...I am grateful to you for your loyalty to me and to the South." He then paid off the crew, spliced one last mainbrace for the Confederacy and then personally struck the colors to three resounding cheers from the crew. Maffitt turned the ship over to Fraser, Trenholm and Company and established residence in Liverpool. After qualifying for a Master's License, he was employed by a shipping company and commanded the merchant steamer Widgeon trading between Liverpool and South American ports.
Maffitt finally returned to the United States in 1868 and made an unsuccessful attempt to secure restitution of confiscated property valued at over $75,000 (worth over $1,250,000 in 2015). With the money he earned while serving in the British merchant marine, he purchased a 212 acre farm outside Wilmington, North Carolina, where he lived his remaining years. During these sunset years, Maffitt engaged in some very perceptive reflecting. On one occasion he summarized the important role played by sea power in the war: "The Northern navy," he wrote, "contributed materially to the successful issue of the war. The grand mistake of the South was neglecting her navy. All our army movements out West were baffled by the armed Federal steamers which swarmed on western waters, and which our government provided nothing to meet. Before the capture of New Orleans, the South ought to have had a navy strong enough to prevent the capture of that city, and hold firmly the Mississippi and its tributaries. This would have prevented many disastrous battles; it would have made Sherman's march through the country impossible and Lee would have still been master of his lines...the errors of our government were numerous but her neglect of the navy proved irremediable and fatal."
Maffitt also astutely commented on the lasting contributions made by the navy he represented. "The Confederate Navy," he wrote, "minute though it was, won a place for itself in history. To the Confederates the credit belongs of testing in battle the invulnerability of ironclads and of revolutionizing the navies of the world. The Merrimack did that. And though we had but a hand full of light cruisers, while the ocean swarmed with armed Federal vessels, we defied the Federal navy and swept Northern commerce from the sea." For this latter achievement, Maffitt personally merited a large share of the credit. As captain of the CSS Florida during her 1863 cruise he captured 24 American merchant ships and he commissioned the tender Clarence, commanded by Lieutenant Charles W. Read, whose subsequent exploits accounted for 23 additional merchantmen. The Confederacy also authored the first ever successful submarine attack, when the CSS Hunley sank the Warship USS Housatonic on February 17, 1864.
This post was edited on 7/14/15 at 6:03 am
2
Posted on 7/13/15 at 9:30 pm to BadLeroyDawg
1865 (Five)
R-U-N-N O-F-T ;-)
R-U-N-N O-F-T ;-)
This post was edited on 7/13/15 at 9:33 pm
Posted on 7/13/15 at 10:52 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Damn you still got this going... 
Posted on 7/14/15 at 7:40 am to BugaPainTrain7
RantRumor has it some of these Southern folks won't ever quit.
Posted on 7/14/15 at 9:02 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Saturday, 15 July 1865
After crossing the hazardous Bering Sea, the CSS Shenandoah, commanded by Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell, made slow headway at first on the daring venture to attack San Francisco, California. Lieutenant Waddell wrote: "Prudence indicated communicating with a vessel recently from San Francisco before attempting the enterprise. The Shenandoah moved gently along with light winds or dashed before occasional gales until we reached the meridian of 129 W. when with the north wind that sweeps down the California coast her course was parallel with the land and we kept a sharp lookout, for we were then in waters frequented by the enemy's vessels."
After crossing the hazardous Bering Sea, the CSS Shenandoah, commanded by Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell, made slow headway at first on the daring venture to attack San Francisco, California. Lieutenant Waddell wrote: "Prudence indicated communicating with a vessel recently from San Francisco before attempting the enterprise. The Shenandoah moved gently along with light winds or dashed before occasional gales until we reached the meridian of 129 W. when with the north wind that sweeps down the California coast her course was parallel with the land and we kept a sharp lookout, for we were then in waters frequented by the enemy's vessels."
This post was edited on 7/15/15 at 5:15 am
Posted on 7/15/15 at 2:51 am to BadLeroyDawg
The South SHALL Rise Up Free.
Posted on 7/15/15 at 5:09 am to Sancho Panza
Keep the Faith, Sancho Panza. Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell sure practiced the "It ain't over 'til its over!" maxim, huh?
Posted on 7/15/15 at 6:44 am to BadLeroyDawg
When the united States Gov't falls, we will be waiting in the wings.
NOT advocating overthrow; but, all governments fall, in due time.
NOT advocating overthrow; but, all governments fall, in due time.
Posted on 7/15/15 at 6:27 pm to Sancho Panza
Hard to argue that all eventually fall. With Barry Soetoro in charge, the Constitution might already be toppled. If not for you and me, certainly for our children.
Posted on 7/15/15 at 8:35 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Sunday, 16 July 1865
The more he saw of Mexico, the more Matthew Fontaine Maury--nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas"--became convinced that emigration of Confederates would prove a blessing to the impoverished country. In all his many large undertakings through life, Maury worked with the welfare of mankind in general weighing heavily on his heart. Emigration, he thought, would benefit his fellow Confederates who here could lead useful, productive lives, instead of languishing in mouldy dungeons, like Stephen Mallory and Jefferson Davis. Emigration would also benefit Mexico.
The leadership that able, dedicated, educated men of energy and vision could provide might well work wonders. As he wrote: "I saw corn in all its stages, from the time of its scattering by the hand of the sower, till it was gathered in the arms of the reaper. But agriculture is in a rude state. I saw them ploughing with a stick, and sawing with an axe, hoeing their corn with a shovel, and grinding it with a pebble. A few of our clever farmers, bringing with them their agricultural apprentices, would give new life and energy to the country. By sprinkling the Empire with settlers of this sort, they and their improved implements of husbandry and methods of culture would serve as so many new centres of agricultural life, energy, and improvement."
The emperor liked the plan, considering no nation could ever have enough men like Maury. On this morning, Maury wrote to a friend that Emperor Maximilian I "...enters heartily into my ideas."
The more he saw of Mexico, the more Matthew Fontaine Maury--nicknamed "Pathfinder of the Seas"--became convinced that emigration of Confederates would prove a blessing to the impoverished country. In all his many large undertakings through life, Maury worked with the welfare of mankind in general weighing heavily on his heart. Emigration, he thought, would benefit his fellow Confederates who here could lead useful, productive lives, instead of languishing in mouldy dungeons, like Stephen Mallory and Jefferson Davis. Emigration would also benefit Mexico.
The leadership that able, dedicated, educated men of energy and vision could provide might well work wonders. As he wrote: "I saw corn in all its stages, from the time of its scattering by the hand of the sower, till it was gathered in the arms of the reaper. But agriculture is in a rude state. I saw them ploughing with a stick, and sawing with an axe, hoeing their corn with a shovel, and grinding it with a pebble. A few of our clever farmers, bringing with them their agricultural apprentices, would give new life and energy to the country. By sprinkling the Empire with settlers of this sort, they and their improved implements of husbandry and methods of culture would serve as so many new centres of agricultural life, energy, and improvement."
The emperor liked the plan, considering no nation could ever have enough men like Maury. On this morning, Maury wrote to a friend that Emperor Maximilian I "...enters heartily into my ideas."
Posted on 7/19/15 at 8:58 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Thursday, 20 July 1865
Lieutenant Commander William C. West, commanding the naval station at Beaufort, North Carolina, took charge of a large scale rescue operation off the entrance to the harbor. The Army transport Quinnebaug, loaded with troops, struck a reef and sank off Shackleford Banks while putting out of Beaufort. Participating in the rescue were the U.S.S. Anemone, commanded by Acting Ensign A. O. Kruge, U.S.S. Corwin, commanded by Acting Master Robert Platt, and the boats from Benjamin Adams under the charge of the ship's second officer, Charles Freckrall. West singled out these officers for "...rendering invaluable service in saving life..." at the scene of the disaster. He reported the loss of 25 lives which he attributed to "...the panic at the time of the steamer first striking."
The whaler Milo arrived in San Francisco Bay from the Bering Sea with 200 passengers who had formerly manned ten whalers captured and burned by the C.S.S. Shenandoah. The Milo had been seized on 22 June and bonded by Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell for $30,000. Having departed promptly she was over a fortnight ahead of the Shenandoah, which was beating down the North Pacific toward the Northwestern United States. Captain David McDougal, Commandant of the Mare Island Navy Yard, telegraphed this arrival to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles and reported: "Great apprehension felt by mercantile community of San Francisco in consequence of depredations of Shenandoah."
Lieutenant Commander William C. West, commanding the naval station at Beaufort, North Carolina, took charge of a large scale rescue operation off the entrance to the harbor. The Army transport Quinnebaug, loaded with troops, struck a reef and sank off Shackleford Banks while putting out of Beaufort. Participating in the rescue were the U.S.S. Anemone, commanded by Acting Ensign A. O. Kruge, U.S.S. Corwin, commanded by Acting Master Robert Platt, and the boats from Benjamin Adams under the charge of the ship's second officer, Charles Freckrall. West singled out these officers for "...rendering invaluable service in saving life..." at the scene of the disaster. He reported the loss of 25 lives which he attributed to "...the panic at the time of the steamer first striking."
The whaler Milo arrived in San Francisco Bay from the Bering Sea with 200 passengers who had formerly manned ten whalers captured and burned by the C.S.S. Shenandoah. The Milo had been seized on 22 June and bonded by Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell for $30,000. Having departed promptly she was over a fortnight ahead of the Shenandoah, which was beating down the North Pacific toward the Northwestern United States. Captain David McDougal, Commandant of the Mare Island Navy Yard, telegraphed this arrival to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles and reported: "Great apprehension felt by mercantile community of San Francisco in consequence of depredations of Shenandoah."
Posted on 7/19/15 at 9:05 pm to BadLeroyDawg
The crippling of the Whale Fleet by the CS Navy will drive a liberal mad.
Posted on 7/20/15 at 12:35 am to BadLeroyDawg
Posted on 7/21/15 at 8:35 pm to BugaPainTrain7
Saturday, 22 July 1865
James Hughes Stokes, USA, is appointed Brigadier General.
Rear Admiral Marin H. Jansen of the Royal Netherlands Navy, a lifelong friend of the great hydrographer Commander (in both the Confederate and United States Navy) Matthew Fontaine Maury, known worldwide as the "Pathfinder of the Seas", wrote to him from Delft, Netherlands, this morning as follows:
Your family, I hear, intend to join you either at Halifax or in England. From this I conclude that they do not expect any result from your Mexican scheme-neither do I; and I hope by this time you are in the steamer on your way back to England. The people of Virginia have shown themselves to be as brave as any people ever have been; but courage is coupled, in patriotism, with perseverance in suffering until better times come for Virginia. All who love her for what she has been and what she has done, ought to love her enough to suffer with her and for her sake. If the best people, who have made Virginia what she is, desert her at this critical moment, it would be like children leaving their mother in distress. There is no virtue without sacrifice, and, if the Virginians possess the virtue of patriotism, they ought to bring her now the sacrifice of pride. Don't emigrate! Stand by your country with stern courage; learn the patience to bear without shame and with all the dignity of self-command.
...I don't think that you can return now to Virginia; but, in three or four years, great changes will take place in opinions, and you, nor your family, won't find a country which would be able to give you anything like her sympathy, or to take Virginia out of your hearts and souls. You ought to go back to your dear State as soon as you can do so safely; and if you had followed my advice you would never have left England, but would have asked Madame Maury to join you there.
After a long journey and great inconveniences, perhaps suffering in your health and mind, you'll come back without gaining anything but a sad experience.
Even if the Emperor Maximilian would listen to you and encourage you in your scheme, I should say don't do it, my friend. We have been able to raise money enough for the "testimonial" to buy you an estate in Virginia. "Brave" can be, under Nannie's husband's guidance, your farmer. He is young and intelligent, and has not suffered during the war like Dick, and consequently he has not so great a hatred in his blood. You and Madame Maury, with your little darlings and Dick, can stay here till the time comes that you can go back in safety, enjoying no public, but a farmer's life, in ease and comfort, giving the world the benefit of your genius. A man of sixty years of age does not commence a new life, and can do no good in a new sphere of action. God grant my prayer that you may soon be back in good health among your friends in Europe!
Maury would eventually return to Lexington, Virginia, in 1868 to accept the position of professor of meterology at Virginia Military Institute. In the fall of 1872, Maury became ill during one of his lecturing tours. He would die several months later on February 1, 1873 and was initially buried in the Gilham family vault in Lexington's cemetery, across from Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson. Maury's body was later moved to Richmond where it remains today; reburied between presidents James Monroe and John Tyler in Hollywood Cemetery.
James Hughes Stokes, USA, is appointed Brigadier General.
Rear Admiral Marin H. Jansen of the Royal Netherlands Navy, a lifelong friend of the great hydrographer Commander (in both the Confederate and United States Navy) Matthew Fontaine Maury, known worldwide as the "Pathfinder of the Seas", wrote to him from Delft, Netherlands, this morning as follows:
Your family, I hear, intend to join you either at Halifax or in England. From this I conclude that they do not expect any result from your Mexican scheme-neither do I; and I hope by this time you are in the steamer on your way back to England. The people of Virginia have shown themselves to be as brave as any people ever have been; but courage is coupled, in patriotism, with perseverance in suffering until better times come for Virginia. All who love her for what she has been and what she has done, ought to love her enough to suffer with her and for her sake. If the best people, who have made Virginia what she is, desert her at this critical moment, it would be like children leaving their mother in distress. There is no virtue without sacrifice, and, if the Virginians possess the virtue of patriotism, they ought to bring her now the sacrifice of pride. Don't emigrate! Stand by your country with stern courage; learn the patience to bear without shame and with all the dignity of self-command.
...I don't think that you can return now to Virginia; but, in three or four years, great changes will take place in opinions, and you, nor your family, won't find a country which would be able to give you anything like her sympathy, or to take Virginia out of your hearts and souls. You ought to go back to your dear State as soon as you can do so safely; and if you had followed my advice you would never have left England, but would have asked Madame Maury to join you there.
After a long journey and great inconveniences, perhaps suffering in your health and mind, you'll come back without gaining anything but a sad experience.
Even if the Emperor Maximilian would listen to you and encourage you in your scheme, I should say don't do it, my friend. We have been able to raise money enough for the "testimonial" to buy you an estate in Virginia. "Brave" can be, under Nannie's husband's guidance, your farmer. He is young and intelligent, and has not suffered during the war like Dick, and consequently he has not so great a hatred in his blood. You and Madame Maury, with your little darlings and Dick, can stay here till the time comes that you can go back in safety, enjoying no public, but a farmer's life, in ease and comfort, giving the world the benefit of your genius. A man of sixty years of age does not commence a new life, and can do no good in a new sphere of action. God grant my prayer that you may soon be back in good health among your friends in Europe!
Maury would eventually return to Lexington, Virginia, in 1868 to accept the position of professor of meterology at Virginia Military Institute. In the fall of 1872, Maury became ill during one of his lecturing tours. He would die several months later on February 1, 1873 and was initially buried in the Gilham family vault in Lexington's cemetery, across from Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson. Maury's body was later moved to Richmond where it remains today; reburied between presidents James Monroe and John Tyler in Hollywood Cemetery.
Posted on 7/23/15 at 9:20 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Monday, 24 July 1865
In Washington, DC, early July of 1865, Ford’s Theatre owner John T. Ford was ready to resume performances at his venue, but emotions ran high against a reopening; the theatrical operations did not resume. At the same time, Washington’s YMCA announced in the newspapers its intention to purchase the building and to open Ford’s Theatre in its décor of April 14, 1865. It would be renamed “The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Temple”. Within a few weeks this plan faded away due to lack of financial support.
The United States government managed to negotiate a deal with Ford to rent the building with an option to buy. In the fall of 1865, a Brooklyn firm would remove the entire interior of the building and convert it into a federal office building for $28,000. No alterations were made to the façade but three floors of the office space were created inside. The option to buy was eventually exercised in 1867 and the government purchased the structure from Ford for $100,000. An order was issued forever prohibiting its use as a place of public amusement. The theatre was taken over by the U.S. military and served as a facility for the War Department with records kept on the first floor, the Library of the Surgeon General's Office on the second floor, and the Army Medical Museum on the third. In 1887, the building exclusively became a clerk's office for the War Department, when the medical departments moved out.
The building operated as an office until June 9, 1893 when the interior of the historic building collapsed. Twenty-two clerks died in the tragedy and sixty-eight others were seriously injured. This led some people to believe that the former church turned theatre and storeroom was cursed. Within a year, the damage was repaired, the former theatre was again remodeled and used as a government warehouse until 1911.
In Washington, DC, early July of 1865, Ford’s Theatre owner John T. Ford was ready to resume performances at his venue, but emotions ran high against a reopening; the theatrical operations did not resume. At the same time, Washington’s YMCA announced in the newspapers its intention to purchase the building and to open Ford’s Theatre in its décor of April 14, 1865. It would be renamed “The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Temple”. Within a few weeks this plan faded away due to lack of financial support.
The United States government managed to negotiate a deal with Ford to rent the building with an option to buy. In the fall of 1865, a Brooklyn firm would remove the entire interior of the building and convert it into a federal office building for $28,000. No alterations were made to the façade but three floors of the office space were created inside. The option to buy was eventually exercised in 1867 and the government purchased the structure from Ford for $100,000. An order was issued forever prohibiting its use as a place of public amusement. The theatre was taken over by the U.S. military and served as a facility for the War Department with records kept on the first floor, the Library of the Surgeon General's Office on the second floor, and the Army Medical Museum on the third. In 1887, the building exclusively became a clerk's office for the War Department, when the medical departments moved out.
The building operated as an office until June 9, 1893 when the interior of the historic building collapsed. Twenty-two clerks died in the tragedy and sixty-eight others were seriously injured. This led some people to believe that the former church turned theatre and storeroom was cursed. Within a year, the damage was repaired, the former theatre was again remodeled and used as a government warehouse until 1911.
Posted on 7/30/15 at 3:58 am to BadLeroyDawg
Sunday, 30 July 1865
Brigadier General George Wright, USA, drowns at sea off the coast of northern California in the wreck of the steamship, Brother Jonathan. She was a paddle steamer that struck an uncharted rock near Point St. George, off the coast of Crescent City, California, this morning.
General-in-Chief of the former Confederate forces Robert Edward Lee this morning writes Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury's son, Colonel Richard Launcelot Maury: "I received by the last packet from Richmond your letter of the 22d enclosing an extract from a letter of your Father to you dated June 27 and a project of a decree of the Emperor of Mexico to encourage emigration of the planters of the South to that country."
"I was very glad to learn of the well being of your Father and of his safe arrival in Mexico and had felt assured wherever he might be that he deeply sympathized in the suffering of the people of the South and was ready to do all in his power to relieve them. I do not know how far their emigration to another land will conduce to their eventual prosperity although their prospects may not now be cheering. I have entertained the opinion that it would be better for them and the country to remain at their homes and share the fate of their respective States...I hope however the efforts of your father will facilitate the wishes and promote the welfare of all who find it necessary or convenient to expatriate themselves but should sincerely regret that either he or his should be embraced in that number."
Brigadier General George Wright, USA, drowns at sea off the coast of northern California in the wreck of the steamship, Brother Jonathan. She was a paddle steamer that struck an uncharted rock near Point St. George, off the coast of Crescent City, California, this morning.
General-in-Chief of the former Confederate forces Robert Edward Lee this morning writes Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury's son, Colonel Richard Launcelot Maury: "I received by the last packet from Richmond your letter of the 22d enclosing an extract from a letter of your Father to you dated June 27 and a project of a decree of the Emperor of Mexico to encourage emigration of the planters of the South to that country."
"I was very glad to learn of the well being of your Father and of his safe arrival in Mexico and had felt assured wherever he might be that he deeply sympathized in the suffering of the people of the South and was ready to do all in his power to relieve them. I do not know how far their emigration to another land will conduce to their eventual prosperity although their prospects may not now be cheering. I have entertained the opinion that it would be better for them and the country to remain at their homes and share the fate of their respective States...I hope however the efforts of your father will facilitate the wishes and promote the welfare of all who find it necessary or convenient to expatriate themselves but should sincerely regret that either he or his should be embraced in that number."
Posted on 7/31/15 at 6:08 am to BadLeroyDawg
Monday, 31 July 1865
Commodore Henry Haywood Bell was appointed by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles to command the East India Squadron, consisting of Rear Admiral David Glasgow Farragut's former flagship the U.S.S. Hartford, and the U.S.S. Wachusett, Wyoming, and storeship Relief. The command extended from the Strait of Sunda to the shores of Japan Wachusett and Wyoming were already in the Pacific at the time having been ordered there by Secretary Welles to search for the C.S.S. Shenandoah, still wreaking havoc on Yankee Shipping and Insurance Rates under Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell. Thus, the East India Squadron was reactivated after being discontinued upon the outbreak of the War Between the States. The squadron had been initially established in 1835 when Commodore Edmond P. Kennedy commanded the sloop U.S.S. Peacock and the schooner Boxer on a cruise of Far Eastern waters. Secretary Welles directed the new squadron commander "...to guard with jealous care the honor and interests of your flag and country, defend the citizens of the United States, and protect and facilitate the commerce thereof within the limits of your command." The squadron was an ancestor of today's Seventh Fleet, which alertly guards the long troubled shoreline of Asia from Siberia to Singapore.
In a General Order to the officers and men of the Potomac Flotilla, Commander F. A. Parker announced the disbanding of the flotilla: "The war for the preservation of American liberty being at an end, the Potomac Flotilla, which took its rise with it and grew with its growth until it had become a fleet rather than a flotilla, this day happily ceases to exist." This squadron had made significant contributions to the Union victory by safeguarding the water approaches to Washington, DC, by denying the use of the Potomac to the Confederacy, by maintaining control of the Rappahannock which rendered secure General Grant's supply base at Fredericksburg, and by conducting numerous amphibious operations which secured Virginia's Northern Neck for the Union. Parker concluded: "To those of you who are about to return to civil life I would say, render the same cheerful obedience to the civil that you have rendered to the naval law. Cast your votes as good citizens, regularly and quietly at the polls; so keeping in your hearts '...with malice toward none, with charity for all...' that after each Presidential election, whether it be with you or against you, you may be able to respond heartily to our old navy toast: 'The President of the United States: God Bless Him!' "
Commodore Henry Haywood Bell was appointed by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles to command the East India Squadron, consisting of Rear Admiral David Glasgow Farragut's former flagship the U.S.S. Hartford, and the U.S.S. Wachusett, Wyoming, and storeship Relief. The command extended from the Strait of Sunda to the shores of Japan Wachusett and Wyoming were already in the Pacific at the time having been ordered there by Secretary Welles to search for the C.S.S. Shenandoah, still wreaking havoc on Yankee Shipping and Insurance Rates under Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell. Thus, the East India Squadron was reactivated after being discontinued upon the outbreak of the War Between the States. The squadron had been initially established in 1835 when Commodore Edmond P. Kennedy commanded the sloop U.S.S. Peacock and the schooner Boxer on a cruise of Far Eastern waters. Secretary Welles directed the new squadron commander "...to guard with jealous care the honor and interests of your flag and country, defend the citizens of the United States, and protect and facilitate the commerce thereof within the limits of your command." The squadron was an ancestor of today's Seventh Fleet, which alertly guards the long troubled shoreline of Asia from Siberia to Singapore.
In a General Order to the officers and men of the Potomac Flotilla, Commander F. A. Parker announced the disbanding of the flotilla: "The war for the preservation of American liberty being at an end, the Potomac Flotilla, which took its rise with it and grew with its growth until it had become a fleet rather than a flotilla, this day happily ceases to exist." This squadron had made significant contributions to the Union victory by safeguarding the water approaches to Washington, DC, by denying the use of the Potomac to the Confederacy, by maintaining control of the Rappahannock which rendered secure General Grant's supply base at Fredericksburg, and by conducting numerous amphibious operations which secured Virginia's Northern Neck for the Union. Parker concluded: "To those of you who are about to return to civil life I would say, render the same cheerful obedience to the civil that you have rendered to the naval law. Cast your votes as good citizens, regularly and quietly at the polls; so keeping in your hearts '...with malice toward none, with charity for all...' that after each Presidential election, whether it be with you or against you, you may be able to respond heartily to our old navy toast: 'The President of the United States: God Bless Him!' "
Posted on 8/1/15 at 8:21 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Wednesday, 2 August 1865
The commander and crew of the CSS Shenandoah, still prowling the waters of the Pacific in search of Yankee whaling ships, is finally informed by a British vessel that the South has lost the War.
The Shenandoah was the last major Confederate cruiser to set sail. Launched as a British vessel in September 1863, she was purchased by the South and commissioned in October 1864. The 230-foot-long craft was armed with eight large guns and a crew of 73 sailors. Commanded by Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell, the Shenandoah immediately steered toward the Pacific and targeted Yankee whaling ships. Waddell enjoyed great success, taking 6 ships in the South Pacific before slipping into Melbourne, Australia, for repairs in January 1865.
Within a month, she was back on the loose, wreaking havoc in the waters around Alaska. The Rebel ship captured 32 additional Union vessels, most of which were burned. The damage was estimated at $1.6 million, a staggering figure then in such a short period of time. Although the crew heard rumors that the Confederate armies had surrendered, Waddell continued to fight. He finally accepts an English captain’s report today. The Shenandoah would pull off yet another remarkable feat by sailing from the northern Pacific all the way to Liverpool, England, without stopping at any ports. Arriving on November 6, Waddell will then surrender his ship to British officials.
Second report: The CSS Shenandoah, commanded by Lieutenant Waddell, having quit her Arctic hunting grounds early the previous month, spoke with the English bark Barracouta, some 13 days out of San Francisco. For the first time Waddell learned positively that the War which he had been doing his part to prosecute had been over since April. He abandoned his daring and prospectively successful plan to lay San Francisco under ransom. The log of the Shenandoah recorded: "Having received by the Barracouta the sad intelligence of the overthrow of the Confederate Government, all attempts to destroy the shipping or property of the United States will cease from this date, in accordance with which the first lieutenant, William C: Whittle, Jr., received the order from the commander to strike below the battery and disarm the ship and crew." Lieutenant Whittle, Shenandoah's executive officer, wrote in his journal: "We were bereft of ground for hope or aspiration, bereft of a cause for which to struggle and suffer." Having terminated the raider's commerce destroying mission, Waddell was next confronted with the problem of what to do with the ship--a decision "which involved not only our personal honor, but the honor of the flag entrusted to us which had walked the waters fearlessly and in triumph." In addition to avoiding capture as a matter of honor and pride, Waddell was intent on insuring that the raider's crew should be accorded fair and unprejudiced treatment upon surrendering. After much consideration, he decided that these various purposes could best be served by attempting a nonstop voyage to Liverpool, England, via Cape Horn.
The commander and crew of the CSS Shenandoah, still prowling the waters of the Pacific in search of Yankee whaling ships, is finally informed by a British vessel that the South has lost the War.
The Shenandoah was the last major Confederate cruiser to set sail. Launched as a British vessel in September 1863, she was purchased by the South and commissioned in October 1864. The 230-foot-long craft was armed with eight large guns and a crew of 73 sailors. Commanded by Lieutenant James Iredell Waddell, the Shenandoah immediately steered toward the Pacific and targeted Yankee whaling ships. Waddell enjoyed great success, taking 6 ships in the South Pacific before slipping into Melbourne, Australia, for repairs in January 1865.
Within a month, she was back on the loose, wreaking havoc in the waters around Alaska. The Rebel ship captured 32 additional Union vessels, most of which were burned. The damage was estimated at $1.6 million, a staggering figure then in such a short period of time. Although the crew heard rumors that the Confederate armies had surrendered, Waddell continued to fight. He finally accepts an English captain’s report today. The Shenandoah would pull off yet another remarkable feat by sailing from the northern Pacific all the way to Liverpool, England, without stopping at any ports. Arriving on November 6, Waddell will then surrender his ship to British officials.
Second report: The CSS Shenandoah, commanded by Lieutenant Waddell, having quit her Arctic hunting grounds early the previous month, spoke with the English bark Barracouta, some 13 days out of San Francisco. For the first time Waddell learned positively that the War which he had been doing his part to prosecute had been over since April. He abandoned his daring and prospectively successful plan to lay San Francisco under ransom. The log of the Shenandoah recorded: "Having received by the Barracouta the sad intelligence of the overthrow of the Confederate Government, all attempts to destroy the shipping or property of the United States will cease from this date, in accordance with which the first lieutenant, William C: Whittle, Jr., received the order from the commander to strike below the battery and disarm the ship and crew." Lieutenant Whittle, Shenandoah's executive officer, wrote in his journal: "We were bereft of ground for hope or aspiration, bereft of a cause for which to struggle and suffer." Having terminated the raider's commerce destroying mission, Waddell was next confronted with the problem of what to do with the ship--a decision "which involved not only our personal honor, but the honor of the flag entrusted to us which had walked the waters fearlessly and in triumph." In addition to avoiding capture as a matter of honor and pride, Waddell was intent on insuring that the raider's crew should be accorded fair and unprejudiced treatment upon surrendering. After much consideration, he decided that these various purposes could best be served by attempting a nonstop voyage to Liverpool, England, via Cape Horn.
Posted on 8/1/15 at 8:21 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Wednesday, 2 August 1865 (continued)
More from the Shenandoah's log: On reaching the 129th meridian of west longitude we ran down parallel with the coast. On August 2, when in latitude 16 degrees 20 minutes north, longitude 121 depress 11 minutes west, we made out a vessel, a sailing bark, which we chased under steam and sail and overhauled and boarded at 4 P. M. It proved to be the English bark Barracouta, from San Francisco for Liverpool, thirteen days out from the former port. The sailing master, I. S. Bulloch, was the boarding officer, and after he had examined her papers, to establish her nationally, he asked the captain for the news about the war. The English captain said "What war?" "The war between the United States and Confederate States," Bulloch replied. When the Englishman replied, "Why the war has been over since April. What ship is that?" "The Confederate steamer Shenandoah," Bulloch replied.
He then told of the surrender of all the Confederate forces, the capture of President Davis and the entire collapse of the Confederate cause, and when Bulloch returned he not only told all this, but, too, that Federal cruisers were looking for us every-where and would deal summarily with us if caught. Files of recent papers confirmed everything. The information given by the captain of the Barracouta was appalling to the last degree. Coming as it did from an Englishman, we could not doubt its accuracy. We were bereft of country, bereft of government, bereft of ground for hope or aspiration, bereft of a cause for which to struggle and suffer.
The pouring of hirelings from the outside world had at last overpowered the remaining gallant Confederates. That independence for which our brave people had so nobly fought, suffered and died, was, under God's ruling, denied us. Our anguish of disappointed hopes cannot be described. Naturally our minds and hearts turned to our dear ones at home. We knew the utter impoverishment of those who survived, for surrender proved that, but what of the fate of each and all who were dear to us. These were the harrowing thoughts which entered into our very souls, the measure and intensity of which can never be portrayed. Then, too, by comparing dates, we found that most of our destruction was done, unwittingly, after hostilities had ceased at home. We knew the intensity of feeling engendered by the war, and particularly in the hearts of our foes towards us. We knew that every effort would be made for our capture, and we felt that if we fell into the enemy's hands we could not hope, fired as their hearts were, for a fair trial or judgment, and that the testimony of the whalers, whose property we had destroyed, would all be against us, and that the fact that we had been operating against those who had been nearly as much cut off from channels of information as we were ourselves, would count for naught. Even during the war we had been opprobriously called "pirates," and we felt that if captured we would be summarily dealt with as such.
These were disquietudes which caused no demoralization, or craven fear, however, but were borne by true men with clear consciences, who had done their duty as they saw it, with the powers given them by God. It was a situation desperate to a degree, to which history furnishes no parallel. Piracy is a crime, not against any one nation, but against all. A pirate is an enemy to mankind, and as such is amenable to trial and punishment, under the laws of nations, by the courts of the country into whose hands he may fall.
The first thing was to suspend hostilities and to proclaim such suspension. Captain Waddell promptly ordered me to disarm the vessel and crew. This was done immediately and our guns were dismounted and stowed and secured below in the hold of the ship. The captain addressed his crew and told them unreservedly the situation and declared all warlike operations stopped.
The next step was to go into the hands of some nation strong enough to maintain the rulings of the laws of nations and resist any demand, from our enemies, for our surrender, that we might have a full, fair trail. There were various opinions advanced as to the best course to pursue to promoted the general safety. Our captain decided and made know his decision; that we would proceed to England, learn the true situation, and if all we heard was true, surrender to the British Government. We steered for Liverpool. Our coal supply was short and was needed for ballast and for emergency of pursuit, and for the last home stretch of our gauntlet of about 17,000 miles. So our long voyage must be under sail.
The admirable discipline, sedulously enforced and maintained all through, now, on our changed condition, brought forth good fruit. The crew, from here, there and everywhere, many being from our prizes, behaved splendidly and with a high loyalty to general safety. No serious disorders arose, but every man did his duty in the effort to safety reach our selected destination. It was a long, weary and anxious voyage, with its share of gales and storms. We rounded Cape Horn on September 16, 1865, under top gallant sails, but on getting to the eastward of it had heavy adverse gales, which threw us among icebergs. We passed many sails, but exchanged no signals-we were making no new acquaintances.
More from the Shenandoah's log: On reaching the 129th meridian of west longitude we ran down parallel with the coast. On August 2, when in latitude 16 degrees 20 minutes north, longitude 121 depress 11 minutes west, we made out a vessel, a sailing bark, which we chased under steam and sail and overhauled and boarded at 4 P. M. It proved to be the English bark Barracouta, from San Francisco for Liverpool, thirteen days out from the former port. The sailing master, I. S. Bulloch, was the boarding officer, and after he had examined her papers, to establish her nationally, he asked the captain for the news about the war. The English captain said "What war?" "The war between the United States and Confederate States," Bulloch replied. When the Englishman replied, "Why the war has been over since April. What ship is that?" "The Confederate steamer Shenandoah," Bulloch replied.
He then told of the surrender of all the Confederate forces, the capture of President Davis and the entire collapse of the Confederate cause, and when Bulloch returned he not only told all this, but, too, that Federal cruisers were looking for us every-where and would deal summarily with us if caught. Files of recent papers confirmed everything. The information given by the captain of the Barracouta was appalling to the last degree. Coming as it did from an Englishman, we could not doubt its accuracy. We were bereft of country, bereft of government, bereft of ground for hope or aspiration, bereft of a cause for which to struggle and suffer.
The pouring of hirelings from the outside world had at last overpowered the remaining gallant Confederates. That independence for which our brave people had so nobly fought, suffered and died, was, under God's ruling, denied us. Our anguish of disappointed hopes cannot be described. Naturally our minds and hearts turned to our dear ones at home. We knew the utter impoverishment of those who survived, for surrender proved that, but what of the fate of each and all who were dear to us. These were the harrowing thoughts which entered into our very souls, the measure and intensity of which can never be portrayed. Then, too, by comparing dates, we found that most of our destruction was done, unwittingly, after hostilities had ceased at home. We knew the intensity of feeling engendered by the war, and particularly in the hearts of our foes towards us. We knew that every effort would be made for our capture, and we felt that if we fell into the enemy's hands we could not hope, fired as their hearts were, for a fair trial or judgment, and that the testimony of the whalers, whose property we had destroyed, would all be against us, and that the fact that we had been operating against those who had been nearly as much cut off from channels of information as we were ourselves, would count for naught. Even during the war we had been opprobriously called "pirates," and we felt that if captured we would be summarily dealt with as such.
These were disquietudes which caused no demoralization, or craven fear, however, but were borne by true men with clear consciences, who had done their duty as they saw it, with the powers given them by God. It was a situation desperate to a degree, to which history furnishes no parallel. Piracy is a crime, not against any one nation, but against all. A pirate is an enemy to mankind, and as such is amenable to trial and punishment, under the laws of nations, by the courts of the country into whose hands he may fall.
The first thing was to suspend hostilities and to proclaim such suspension. Captain Waddell promptly ordered me to disarm the vessel and crew. This was done immediately and our guns were dismounted and stowed and secured below in the hold of the ship. The captain addressed his crew and told them unreservedly the situation and declared all warlike operations stopped.
The next step was to go into the hands of some nation strong enough to maintain the rulings of the laws of nations and resist any demand, from our enemies, for our surrender, that we might have a full, fair trail. There were various opinions advanced as to the best course to pursue to promoted the general safety. Our captain decided and made know his decision; that we would proceed to England, learn the true situation, and if all we heard was true, surrender to the British Government. We steered for Liverpool. Our coal supply was short and was needed for ballast and for emergency of pursuit, and for the last home stretch of our gauntlet of about 17,000 miles. So our long voyage must be under sail.
The admirable discipline, sedulously enforced and maintained all through, now, on our changed condition, brought forth good fruit. The crew, from here, there and everywhere, many being from our prizes, behaved splendidly and with a high loyalty to general safety. No serious disorders arose, but every man did his duty in the effort to safety reach our selected destination. It was a long, weary and anxious voyage, with its share of gales and storms. We rounded Cape Horn on September 16, 1865, under top gallant sails, but on getting to the eastward of it had heavy adverse gales, which threw us among icebergs. We passed many sails, but exchanged no signals-we were making no new acquaintances.
Posted on 8/3/15 at 8:02 pm to BadLeroyDawg
Friday, 4 August 1865
Rear Admiral George Fredrick Pearson of the Pacific Squadron reports to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles this morning that the information gained from the whaler Milo, mastered by Jonathan Capen Hawes, on depredations of the C.S.S. Shenandoah had brought him (Pearson) to San Francisco, California. He also reports that he has immediately dissolved a general court martial being conducted by squadron officers and sent every available ship to sea in search for the last of the Confederate commerce raiders.
At the request of the United States agent in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Rear Admiral Henry Knox Thatcher sends the U.S.S. Mercedita, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Milton Haxtun, to the Dominican Republic with orders "...to take all necessary steps to protect the lives and property of American citizens..." in Santo Domingo. Now that the War is over, the Navy will resume its peacetime duty of protecting American citizens and their interests and property throughout the world.
Rear Admiral George Fredrick Pearson of the Pacific Squadron reports to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles this morning that the information gained from the whaler Milo, mastered by Jonathan Capen Hawes, on depredations of the C.S.S. Shenandoah had brought him (Pearson) to San Francisco, California. He also reports that he has immediately dissolved a general court martial being conducted by squadron officers and sent every available ship to sea in search for the last of the Confederate commerce raiders.
At the request of the United States agent in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Rear Admiral Henry Knox Thatcher sends the U.S.S. Mercedita, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Milton Haxtun, to the Dominican Republic with orders "...to take all necessary steps to protect the lives and property of American citizens..." in Santo Domingo. Now that the War is over, the Navy will resume its peacetime duty of protecting American citizens and their interests and property throughout the world.
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