Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Note: Italic text is enclosed in _underscores_. Additional notes will be found near the end of this eBook.

THE HISTORY OF OUR NAVY

_From a painting by Carlton T. Chapman._]

THE

HISTORY OF OUR NAVY

FROM ITS ORIGIN TO THE PRESENT DAY

1775–1897

BY
JOHN R. SPEARS

AUTHOR OF “THE PORT OF MISSING SHIPS,” “THE GOLD DIGGINGS
OF CAPE HORN,” ETC.

WITH MORE THAN FOUR HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS
MAPS AND DIAGRAMS

_IN FOUR VOLUMES_

_VOLUME IV._

NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
1897

COPYRIGHT, 1897, BY
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS

MANHATTAN PRESS
474 W. BROADWAY
NEW YORK

TO ALL WHO WOULD SEEK PEACE
AND PURSUE IT

CONTENTS

PAGE
CHAPTER I. THE STATE OF THE NAVY IN 1859 1

A Brief Story of the Development of the Warship that was Propelled
by both Sails and Steam--The Remarkable Floating Battery of 1814--
Barron’s Idea of a Ram--The Stevens Floating Battery--Ericsson’s
Screw Propeller--Stockton and the First Screw Warship--Experiments
with Great Guns--Discoveries of Bomford and Rodman--Practical Work
by Dahlgren--A Comparison of Yankee Frigates with a Class of British
Ships “Avowedly Built to Cope” with them--The Condition of the
_Personnel_.

CHAPTER II. BLOCKADING THE SOUTHERN PORTS 28

Lincoln’s Proclamation--It was Something of a Task to Close 185
Inlets and Patrol 11,953 Miles of Sea-beaches, especially with the
Force of Ships in Hand--One Merchant’s Notion of the Efficiency
of Thirty Sailing Vessels--Gathering and Building Blockaders--
Incentives and Favoring Circumstances for Blockade-runners--When
Perjury Failed and Uncle Sam was Able to Strike without Waiting for
Act of Congress--When Blockade-runners Came to New York and Yankee
Smokeless Coal was in Demand.

CHAPTER III. LOSS OF THE NORFOLK NAVY YARD 66

Effective Work Done by Southern Naval Officers who Continued to Wear
the National Uniform that they might the more Readily Betray the
National Government--The Secretary of the Navy was Deceived and the
Commandant at Norfolk Demoralized--William Mahone’s Tricks Added
to the Demoralization at the Yard, and it was Abandoned at Last in
a Shameful Panic--Property that was Worth Millions of Dollars,
and Guns that Took Thousands of Lives, Fell into the Confederates’
Hands--The First Naval Battle of the War--Three Little Wooden
Vessels with Seven Small Guns Sent against a Well-built Fort Mounting
Thirteen Guns--The Hazardous Work of Patrolling the Potomac.

CHAPTER IV. A STORY OF CONFEDERATE PRIVATEERS 84

They Did Plenty of Damage for a Time, but their Career was Brief--
Capture of the First of the Class, and Trial of her Crew on a Charge
of Piracy--Reasons why they could not be Held as Criminals--Luck of
the _Jefferson Davis_--A Negro who Recaptured a Confederate Prize to
Escape the Terrors of Slavery--A Skipper who Thought a Government
Frigate was a Merchantman--The “Nest” behind Cape Hatteras.

CHAPTER V. THE FORT OF HATTERAS INLET TAKEN 99

An Expedition Planned by the Navy Department that Resulted in the
First Federal Victory of the Civil War--An Awkward Landing Followed
by Ineffectual Fire from Ships under Way--One Fort Taken and
Abandoned--Anchored beyond Range of the Fort and Compelled Surrender
by Means of the Big Pivot Guns--A Wearisome Race from Chicamicomico
to Hatteras Lighthouse Won by the Federals--Capture of Roanoke
Island--Origin of the American Medal of Honor.

CHAPTER VI. ALONG SHORE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO 112

The Shameful Story of Pensacola and Fort Pickens--When Lieutenant
Russell Burned the _Judah_--A British Consul’s Actions when
Confederate Forts were Attacked at Galveston--Extraordinary Panic at
the Head of the Passes in the Mississippi when Four Great Warships,
Carrying Forty-five of the Best Guns Afloat, Fled from a Disabled
Tugboat that was Really Unarmed--Once more in Galveston--Lieutenant
Jouett’s Fierce Fight when he Destroyed the _Royal Yacht_.

CHAPTER VII. STORY OF THE TRENT AFFAIR 140

Capt. Charles Wilkes, of the American Navy, Took Four Confederate
Diplomatic Agents from a British Ship Bound on a Regular Voyage
between Neutral Parts, and without any Judicial Proceeding Cast
them into a Military Prison--A Case that Created Great Excitement
Throughout the Civilized World--A Swift Demand, with a Threat of
War Added, Made by the British--Comparing this Case with another
of Like Nature--The United States once Went to War to Establish
the Principle which Captain Wilkes Ignored--The British Officially
Acknowledge that the Americans were Justified in Declaring War
in 1812.

CHAPTER VIII. THE CAPTURE OF PORT ROYAL 161

A Fleet of Seventeen Ships, Carrying 155 Guns, Sent to Take a
Harbor that would Make a Convenient Naval Station for the Atlantic
Blockaders--There were Two “Exceedingly Well-built Earthworks”
“Rather Heavily Armed” Defending the Channel, but one Part of the
Squadron Attacked them in Front, another Enfiladed them, and in
Less than Five Hours the Confederates Fled for Life--A Heavy Gale
Weathered with Small Loss--Interesting Incidents of the Battle.

CHAPTER IX. THE _MONITOR_ AND THE _MERRIMAC_ 184

Superior Activity of the Confederates in Preparing for Ironclad
Warfare Afloat--Story of the Building and Arming of the _Merrimac_--
She was a Formidable Ship in Spite of Defects in Detail, but her
Design was not the Best Conceivable--Origin and Description of the
Ship that Revolutionized the Navies of the World--A Wondrous Trial
Trip--For One Day the _Merrimac_ was Irresistibly Triumphant--Two
Fine Ships of the Old Style Destroyed while she Herself Suffered but
Little--The Magnificent Fight of the _Cumberland_--A Difference in
Opinions.

CHAPTER X. FIRST BATTLE BETWEEN IRONCLADS 214

A Comparison between the _Monitor_ and the _Merrimac_ by the
English Standard of 1812--It Astonished the Spectators to See
the Tiny _Monitor’s_ Temerity--After Half a Day’s Firing it was
Plain that the Guns could not Penetrate the Armor--Attempts to
Ram that Failed--The _Merrimac_ A-leak--Captain Worden of the
_Monitor_ Disabled when the _Merrimac’s_ Fire was Concentrated on the
Pilot-house--Where the _Monitor’s_ Gunners Failed--Fair Statement
of the Result of the Battle--Worden’s Faithful Crew--The _Merrimac_
Defied the _Monitor_ in May, but when Norfolk was Evacuated she
had to be Abandoned and was Burned at Craney Island--Loss of the
_Monitor_.

CHAPTER XI. WITH THE MISSISSIPPI GUNBOATS 239

Creating a Fleet for the Opening of the Water Route across the
Confederacy--Ironclads that were not Shot-proof, but Fairly
Efficient nevertheless--Guns that Burst and Boilers that were
Searched by Shot from the Enemy--When Grant Retreated and was
Covered by a Gunboat--First View of Torpedoes--Capture of Fort
Henry--A Disastrous Attack on Fort Donelson--When Walke Braved the
Batteries at Island No. 10--The Confederate Defence Squadron at
Fort Pillow--The First Battle of Steam Rams--Frightful Effects of
Bursted Boilers--In the White River--Farragut Appears.

CHAPTER XII. FARRAGUT AT NEW ORLEANS 311

It was Hard Work Getting the Squadron into the Mississippi--
Preparing the Ships to Run by the Forts Guarding the River--Mortar
Schooners Hidden by Tree Branches--The Forts were Well Planned, but
Poorly Armed--A Barrier Chain that was no Barrier at the Last--The
Heterogeneous Confederate Squadron--The Fire-rafts--Work of the
Coast Survey--Bravery of Caldwell--Foreigners who Interfered--
Work of the Mortar Fleet--When the Squadron Drove past the Forts--
Scattering the Confederate Squadron--Nevertheless, at least Three
Good Captains were Found among them--Sinking the _Varuna_--Fate of
the Ram _Manassas_--Surrender of the Forts--End of the Ironclad
_Louisiana_--The Work of the Mississippi Squadron.

CHAPTER XIII. FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 377

The Forts and the Confederate Squadron the Union Forces were
Compelled to Face--The Confederate Ironclad just Missed being a most
Formidable Ship--Tedious Wait for Monitors--When the Southwest
Wind Favored--There was a Fierce Blast from the Forts at First, but
the Torpedo was Worse than Many Guns--Fate of the _Tecumseh_ and
Captain Craven--The Last Words of the Man for whom “there was no
Afterward”--Torpedoes that Failed beneath the Flagship--Captain
Stevens on the Deck of his Monitor--When Neilds Unfurled the Old
Flag in the midst of the Storm--How Farragut was Lashed to the
Mast--Jouett would not be Intimidated by a Leadsman--Mobbing the
_Tennessee_.

CHAPTER XIV. TALES OF THE CONFEDERATE CRUISERS 407

The most Instructive Chapter in the History of the United States--
Work Accomplished by an Energetic Seaman in a Ship his Brother
Officers Condemned--Brilliant Work of the _Florida_ under John
Newland Maffitt--Bad Marksmanship and a Worse Lookout off Mobile--A
Case of Violated Neutrality--Semmes and the _Alabama_--The Battle
with the _Kearsarge_--What Kind of a Man is it that Fights his Ship
till she Sinks under him?--American Commerce Destroyed--The British
without a Rival on the Sea, at Last, and at Very Small Cost.

CHAPTER XV. THE _ALBEMARLE_ AND CUSHING 452

A Formidable Warship was Built under Remarkable Conditions to Enable
the Confederates to Regain Control of the Inland Waters of North
Carolina--Very Successful at First, but she was Laid up to Await
the Building of another One, and then came Cushing with his Little
Torpedo Boat, and the Confederate Hopes were Destroyed with their
Ship.

CHAPTER XVI. THE NAVY AT CHARLESTON 465

It was a Well-guarded Harbor, and the Channel was Long and Crooked--
The “Stone Fleet” and the Attitude of Foreign Powers--Brief Career
of Two Confederate Ironclads--The Blockade was not Raised--A
Confederate Cruiser Burned--Utter Failure of the Ironclad Attacks on
the Forts--Capture of the Confederate Warship _Atlanta_--“Boarders
Away” at Fort Sumter--Magnificent Bravery of the Men who Manned the
Confederate Torpedo Boats.

CHAPTER XVII. CAPTURE OF FORT FISHER 503

It was One of the Best Works in the South, though not well Located--
Butler’s Powder-boat Scheme, and what he Expected to Accomplish by
it--Throwing 15,000 Shells at the Fort Disabled Eight Great Guns out
of a Total of Thirty-eight--Butler Thought the Fort still too Strong
and would not Try--He did not even Make Intrenchments According to
Orders--Gen. A. H. Terry, with 6,000 Soldiers and 2,000 from the
Ships, Easily Took the Fort Three Weeks Later--The Navy’s Last Fight
in the Civil War.