The American Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year, 1861-1865, vols. 1-5. New York: Appleton & Co., 1868.

Navy of the United States, 1861

NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES. 1861 The committee appointed by act of Congress on the 9th of January, 1861, to report, among other subjects, upon the ships of the U. S., where stationed, in what command, and under what orders, presented the following list of vessels comprising the whole naval force of the country in commission on the 16th of January, 1861, those in actual service, and those lying unavailable in port:

List of the vessels of the United States Navy, in commission, on the 16th of January, 1861.

East India Squadron.—Hartford, steam sloop, Captain Chas. Lowndes; John Adams, sloop, Commander J. M. Berrien; Dacotah, steam sloop. Commander William Radford; Saginaw, steamer, Commander J. F. Schenck—cruising on the East India station. Vandalia, sloop-of-war, Commander I'. Lee—on the way to the station.

Brazil Squadron.—Congress, frigate, Captain L. M. Goldsborough; Seminole, steam sloop, Commander E. R. Thomson; Pulaski, steamer, Lieutenant Commanding W. H. Macomb—cruising on the station.

Pacific Squadron.—Lancaster, steam sloop, Captain John Hud J; Saranac, steamer, Captain Robert Ritchie; Wyoming, steam sloop, Commander J. K. Mitchell; Cyane, sloop-of-war, Commander S. B. Bissell; St. Mary's, sloop-of-war, Commander W. D. Porter—at Panama, 3d January. Narragansett, steam sloop, Commander T. A. Hunt—on the South American coast. Levant, sloop-of-war, Commander William E. Hunt— at Hilo, 3d September.

Mediterranean Squadron.—Richmond, steam sloop, Captain D. W. Ingraham; Susquehanna, steam sloop, Captain George W. Rollins; Iroquois, steam sloop, Commander J. S. Palmer—cruising on the station.

African Squadron.—Constellation, sloop-of-war, Captain J. S. Nicholas; Portsmouth, sloop-of-war, Commander John Calhoun; San Jacinto, steam sloop, Captain T. A. Durum; Mystic, steamer, Lieutenant Commanding William E. Le Roy; Sumter, steamer, Lieutenant Commanding J. F. Armstrong; Mohican, steam sloop, Commander S. W. Godon; Saratoga, sloop-of-war, Commander Alfred Taylor—cruising on the coast of Africa.

Home Squadron.—Cumberland, sloop-of-war, Captain J. Marston; Powhatan, steam sloop, Captain a. Mercer; Pocahontas, steam sloop, Commander S. F. Hazard—at Vera Cruz. Pawnee, steam sloop, Commander S. C. Rowan—at Philadelphia. Brooklyn, steam sloop, Captain W. S. Walker—at Hampton Roads. Sabine, frigate, Captain H. A. Adams; St. Louis, sloop-of-war, Commander Charles H. Poor— under orders to Pensacola. Macedonia, sloop-of-war. Captain James Glynn—on way to Pensacola. Mohawk, steamer, Lieutenant Commanding T. A. M. Craven; Crusader, steamer, Lieutenant Commanding J. N. Maffit; Wyandotte, steamer, Lieutenant Commanding 0. H. Berryman—supposed to be on their station, the coast of Cuba.

Storeships.—Falmouth, sloop-of-war, Lieutenant Commanding Charles Thomas—stationed at Aspinwall. Warren, sloop-of-war, Lieutenant Commanding J. J. Boyle—stationed at Panama. Fredonia, Lieutenant Commanding J. M. Watson—stationed at Valparaiso. Supply, Commander H. Walker—sailed from Pensacola, 12th January, for Vera Cruz. Release, Lieutenant Commanding J. M. Frailey—returning from Mediterranean. Relief, Commander John De Camp— at New York.

Special Service.—Niagara, screw frigate. Captain William W. McKean—special service to Japan.

Receiving Ships.—Ohio, ship-of-the-line, Commander William Smith—Boston. North Carolina, ship-of-the-line, Commander J. H. Ward—New York. Princeton, steamer, Commander H. K. Hoff— Philadelphia. Alleghany, steamer, Commander W. W. Hunter—Baltimore. Pennsylvania, ship-of-the-line, Commander A. Sinclair—Norfolk. Independence, razee—Mare Island, California.

There were also in the ports of the United States, dismantled and unfit for immediate service, the following vessels belonging to the navy:

At Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Santee, frigate, 60 guns; Dale, sloop, 16 guns; Marion, sloop, 16 guns.

At Boston: Colorado, steam frigate, 40 guns; Minnesota, steam frigate, 40 guns; Mississippi, steamer, 11 guns; Vermont, ship-of-the-line, 84 guns; Vincennes, sloop, 20 guns; Preble, sloop, 16 guns; Bainbridge, brig, 6 guns.

At New York: Wabash, steam frigate, 40 guns; Roanoke, steam frigate, 40 guns; Potomac, frigate, 50 guns; Brandywine, frigate, 50 guns; Savannah, sloop, 24 guns; Perry, brig, 6 guns.

At Philadelphia: Pawnee, sloop-of-war, 6 guns; Water Witch, steamer, 3 guns ; St. Lawrence, frigate, 50 guns; Jamestown, sloop, 22 guns.

At Washington: Pensacola, steam sloop.

At Norfolk: Merrimac, steam frigate, 40 guns; Plymouth, sloop, 22 guns; Germantown, sloop, 22 guns; Raritan, frigate, 50 guns; Columbia, frigate, 50 guns; United States, frigate, 50 guns.

At Annapolis: Constitution, frigate, 50 guns.

Page 500

From the evidence furnished the committee by the naval department, of which the above is a summary, it appears that the entire naval force available for the defence of the whole Atlantic coast consisted of the steamer Brooklyn of 25 guns, and the store ship Relief of 2 guns. The former was of too great draught to enter Charleston harbor with safety, except at spring tides, and the latter was under orders to the coast of Africa with stores for the African squadron. The committee called attention to the extraordinarily defenceless state in which the coast was thus left, stating that the number of ships lying in port dismantled and unfit for service was 28, mounting in the aggregate 874 guns; that none of these could be repaired and put under sail short of several weeks' time, and many of them would require for this purpose at least 6 months; and also that no orders had been issued to put any of them in readiness.

Between the 11th of November, 1860, and the 24th of January, 1861, 56 officers of the navy had resigned, including 11 from the Naval Academy. Notwithstanding the urgent appeal made by the committee, and the very alarming state of national affairs, Congress adjourned without making any unusual appropriations for naval purposes, and without ordering the recall of the vessels at distant stations. Such was the condition of affairs when the new Administration came into power on the 4th of March. At that time, according to the report made by the Secretary of the Navy on the 4th of July, the total number of vessels of all classes belonging to the navy was 90, carrying, or designed to carry, about 2,415 guns. Excluding vessels on the stocks, those unfinished, those used as stationary storeships and receiving ships, and those considered inexpedient to repair, the available force was:

1 ship-of-the-line 84 guns.

8 frigates 400 guns

20 sloops 400 guns

3 brigs 18 guns

3 storeships 7 guns

6 steam frigates 212 guns

5 first-class steam sloops 90 guns

4 first-class side-wheel steamers 40 guns

8 second-class steam sloops 45 guns

5 third-class screw steamers 28 guns

4 second-class side-wheel steamers 8 guns

2 steam tenders 4 guns

69 Naval vessels with a total of 1,340 guns

Of this force, the following wore in commission, the remainder being in ordinary, dismantled, &c.

2 frigates 100 guns.

11 sloops 232 guns

3 storeships 7 guns

1 screw frigate 12 guns

6 first-class steam sloops 90 guns

3 side-wheel steamers 35 guns

8 second-class steam sloops 45 guns

5 third-class screw steamers 28 guns

3 side-wheel steamers 5 guns

1 steam tender 1 gun

42 Vessels with a total of 555 guns

These vessels had a complement, exclusive) of officers and marines, of about 7,600 men, and nearly all of them were on foreign stations. The home squadron consisted of twelve vessels, carrying 187 guns and about 2,000 men. Of this squadron, only four small vessels, carrying twenty-five guns and about 280 men, were in northern ports.

On the 23d of March, the sloop-of-war Cumberland, flag-ship of Commodore Pendergrast, of the home squadron, arrived in the Chesapeake, and was detained by the Secretary of the Navy at Norfolk, to await events that were gradually developing in Virginia and the adjoining States. The navy yard at Norfolk was at that time filled with arms and munitions, and several ships were in the harbor dismantled and in ordinary, and in no condition to be moved, had there been men to move them. Any attempt to withdraw these vessels, moreover, without a crew, was at that time deemed injudicious, as likely to arouse a more disturbed state of feeling at the South. The commandant at the yard, Commodore McCauley, however, was, early in April, cautioned to extreme vigilance and circumspection; and on the 10th of April, he was ordered, without giving needless alarm, to put the shipping and public property in condition to be moved and placed beyond danger whenever this might be necessary. A commander and two engineers were detailed to proceed to Norfolk and put the machinery of the steam-frigate Merrimac in order, that she might move herself and tow out some of the other ships; and on the 12th of April, the department directed that this vessel should be prepared to proceed to Philadelphia with the utmost despatch. It was stated in reply that four weeks would be required to put the engine in working order. The engineer-in-chief was then ordered at once to Norfolk, and the commandant was directed to lose no time in placing an armament on board the Merrimac, and removing her, together with the Plymouth, Dolphin, and Germantown, away from Norfolk, with as much of the public property, ordnance stores, &c, as could be saved. The engineer-in-chief reported the Merrimac as ready to be moved on the 17th, but Commodore McCauley at that time refused to have her fired up. The fires were, however, started early the next morning, the engines were working, and the engineers, firemen, and sufficient men were on board, but the commandant still refused to permit her to be moved, and in the afternoon gave directions to draw the fires. The Secretary of the Navy states that the cause of his refusal to move the Merrimac, has no explanation other than that of misplaced confidence in his junior officers who opposed it. Commodore Paulding was then immediately ordered to Norfolk with such officers and marines as could be obtained, and with directions to take command of all the vessels there, and at all hazards prevent the ships and public property from passing into the hands of the secessionists. 'With troops just arrived Page 501 at Fortress Monroe from Massachusetts, and others, he reached Norfolk on the evening of Saturday the 20th, where he found that the powder magazine had already been seized, and that an armed force under General Taliaferro had commenced throwing up batteries in the vicinity of the navy yard. The commandant of the yard, hopeless of extricating the ships, had just ordered them to be scuttled, and they were sinking on the arrival of Commodore Paulding. To render them useless, Commodore Paulding ordered them to be fired; and he also destroyed as much public property in the yard as he was able to do with his limited force. The Cumberland was then taken in tow, and the vessels returned with her down the river, notwithstanding the obstructions that had been sunk in the channel for the purpose of preventing her removal. By this disaster, the disabled vessels of the navy yard, about 2,000 cannon, 300 of which were of the Dahlgren pattern, together with a great quantity of powder, wore left in possession of the Confederates.

In view of these acts, and of similar hostile demonstrations occurring at the same time in Baltimore, the Government was impelled to hasten at once the completion of all public armed vessels, and, moreover, to issue orders to the commandants of the navy yards in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, to purchase or charter and arm, equip, and man such steamers as might be found suitable for the public service The whole naval force was required to carry into effect the proclamations declaring an embargo or blockade of the Southern ports which resisted the execution of the national laws; and on account of the great extent of nearly 3,000 miles of the coast along which these ports were situated, the force was divided into two squadrons, one for the Atlantic and one for the Gulf of Mexico. At Hampton Roads, notice was given of this blockade on the 30th of April by Flag-officer Pendergrast, in command of the home squadron; and it was soon afterwards made effective by Flag-officer Stringham, who arrived in Hampton Roads on the 13th of May, with his flag-ship, the Minnesota. The Niagara arrived at Boston from Japan on the 24th of April, and soon after proceeded off Charleston harbor, and thence to the Gulf of Mexico, to intercept, if possible, large shipments of arms and munitions of war from Europe destined for the Gulf States. The Gulf squadron was under the command of Flag-officer William Mervine, who arrived in the Gulf on the 8th of June, in the steamer Mississippi, in advance of his flag-ship, the Colorado. The Secretary of the Navy, in his report of July 4th, presented the following statement of the vessels at that time in service:

"Of the 69 vessels, carrying 1,346 guns, mentioned as available for service on the 4tli of March last, the sloop Levant has been given up as lost in the Pacific; the steamer Fulton was seized at Pensacola; and one frigate, two sloops, and one brig were burnt at Norfolk. These vessels carried 172 guns. The other vessels destroyed at Norfolk were considered worthless, and are not included in the list of available vessels. "These losses left at the disposal of the department 62 vessels, carrying 1,174 guns, all of which are now, or soon will be in commission, with the exception of the Guns.

Vermont, Ship-of-the-line 84 guns

Brandywine, frigate 50 guns

Decatur, sloop, at San Francisco 16 guns

John Hancock, steam tender, at San Francisco.... 3 guns

"There have been recently added to the navy, by purchase, 12 steamers, carrying from 2 to 9 guns each, and 3 sailing vessels. There have been chartered 9 steamers, carrying from 2 to 9 guns each. By these additions, the naval force in commission has been increased to 82 vessels, carrying upwards of 1,100 guns, and with a complement of about 13,000 men, exclusive of officers and marines. There are also several steamboats and other small craft which are temporarily in the service of the department.

"Purchases of sailing ships have been made for transporting coals to the steamers that are performing duty as sentinels before the. principal harbors. * * * "The squadron on the Atlantic coast, under the command of Flag-officer S. H. Stringham, consists of 22 vessels, 296 guns, and 3,300 men.

"The squadron in the Gulf, under the command of Flag-officer William Mervine, consists of 21 vessels, 282 guns, and 3,500 men.

"Additions have been made to each of the squadrons, of 2 or 3 small vessels that have been captured and taken into the service. The steamers Pawnee and Pocahontas, and the flotilla under the late Commander Ward, with several steamboats in charge of naval officers, have been employed on the Potomac River, to prevent communication with that portion of Virginia which is in insurrection. Great service has been rendered by this armed force, which has been vigilant in intercepting supplies, and in protecting transports and supply-vessels in their passage up and down the Potomac.

"The flotilla, on the 27th ultimo, met with a serious and sad loss in the death of its gallant commander, James H. Ward, who died at his post, while covering the retreat of his men from the assault of an overpowering number of rebel enemies. In the death of Commander Ward the navy has lost a brave officer, who has enriched it by military and scientific contributions, served it faithfully in varied spheres, and promised much for it in the future.

"The squadron in the Pacific, under the command of Flag-officer John B. Montgomery, consists of 6 vessels, 82 guns, and 1,000 men.

"The West India squadron is under the command of Flag-officer G. J. Pendergrast, who has been temporarily on duty, with his flag-ship, the Cumberland, at Norfolk and Hampton. Roads, since the 23d of March. He will, at an early day, transfer his flag to the steam-frigate Roanoke, and proceed southward, Laving in charge our interests on the Mexican and Central American coasts, and in the West Indian Islands.

"The East India, Mediterranean, Brazil, and African squadrons, excepting one vessel of each of the two latter, have been recalled.

"The return of these vessels will add to the force for service in the Gulf and on the Atlantic coast, about 200 guns and 2,500 men."

He also stated in his report that 259 officers of the navy had resigned their commissions, or been dismissed from the service, since the 4th of March; for which reason many of the vessels were necessarily sent to sea without a full complement of officers. Many, however, who had retired to civil pursuits, had promptly come forward in this time of their country's need, and voluntarily tendered their services, while many masters and masters' mates were also appointed from the commercial marine. So promptly did seamen present themselves at the naval rendezvous of all the principal seaports, under the authorized increase and abbreviated term of enlistment, that only one or two ships experienced any detention for want of a crew, and none beyond two or three days. Never, as the Secretary states, has the naval force had so great and rapid an increase, and never have our seamen come forward with more alacrity and zeal to serve the country. In the need of a substantial class of vessels suitable for performing continuous duty off the coast in all weathers, the department contracted for the building of 23 steam gunboats, each of about 500 tons burden, and made preliminary arrangements for several larger and fleeter vessels, in addition to taking measures for carrying out the order of Congress of the preceding session for the construction of 7 sloops of war, with the addition of one more. At each of the Northern navy yards, Portsmouth, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, two of this last class were directed to be built. The following table comprises a summary of the vessels purchased for naval service during the year 1861: ,

Class or Vessels. No. Number oi' gum to each. Total number of Kline. Tonnage of each. Total tonnage. Can of each. Total cost. 38 1 lo 10 160 U3 to 1.800 26,080 $12,000 to 200.000 f2,418.103 42 1 to 9 170 65 to 2,100 10,955 6,000 to 172,500 2,187,587 Ships 1 1 to" 8 5 334 to 1,375 418 7,000 to 40,000 27,600 13 52 9,098 313,503 17 2 to 6 78 '200 to 8SS 8,130 11,500 to 32,000 343,400 1 1 to 4 53 to '340 90 6,000 to" 18,000 10,000 25 60 6,458 241,790 •1 •2 4 190 to 204 460 0,000 to 10,000 10.000

Of side-wheel steamers, 9 were first-class steamships, all of them costing from $85,000 to $200,000 each, except one, the Alabama, which was bought for $23,000. Among the steamers were 18 ferry-boats and tug-boats, the former purchased from the Brooklyn and New Jersey companies. The Navy Department also purchased, after August 13th, a large number of old vessels, for the purpose of loading them with stone and sinking them at the entrance of the ports of the Confederate States. These consisted of 20 ships, 22 schooners, 16 barks, and 1 brig, and their total cost was $100,205. A considerable number of vessels, mostly large steamers, were also chartered for the use of the navy, for which, between the middle of April and the middle of September, the department paid the sum of $39,305 05.

The armed vessels were almost exclusively ordered, on entering into the service, to proceed to the Southern ports, for the purpose of enforcing their blockade, and the result of their operations is shown in the following summary of vessels, captured and destroyed from April 23 to November 15. These are 7 ships, 12 barks, 9 brigs, 115 schooners, 8 sloops, and 7 miscellaneous, the last including the steamer Salvor, loaded with arms, from Havana, and bound to Tampa Bay. Most of these vessels contained valuable cargoes, and three of them*

____________________________________

*One (schooner named the Chotauk, formerly the privateer Savannah, prize to the Perry, was purchased at marshal's sale for $1,250.

___________________________________

were privateers. A few were recaptured prizes, and were restored to their owners. The table on the next page presents a list of the vessels constructed at the navy yards, and contracted for the navy during the year 1861.

Iron-clad Vessels.—At the close of the following table three vessels are introduced, belonging to a new class of war steamers. The year 1861 will always be famous in naval history for the material change then first fairly established in the construction of vessels of war, by rendering them as nearly impenetrable as possible to the heaviest shot, by means of a coating of iron plates. The superiority of a few guns of the heaviest calibre to the large batteries of the older ships was then first generally appreciated, and the whole system of ship-building in the navies of France and England, as also of some of the minor naval powers of Europe, underwent a more complete change than had followed the introduction of steam. The building of wooden vessels was entirely abandoned, except in some special cases where they were to be covered with plates of iron, and the day of old wooden frigates and line-of-battle ships was looked upon as having passed. But steam floating-batteries were then no new' invention. They were recommended as long ago as 1813 by Robert Fulton, and one was built for the U. S. Government after his plans, and completed soon after the close of the war with Great Britain. An account of this and of other steam-batteries

Page 503

Kearsarge

Ossipee*

Sacramento* .

Wachusett*

Housatonic*

Canadaigua*

Adirondack*

Ticonderoga*

Oneida*

Lackawanna*.

Juniata*

Tuscarora*

Monongahela*

Shenandoah*

Tahoma

Wissachickon

Sciota

Itasca

Unadilla

Ottawa

Pembina

Seneca

Chippewa

Winona

Owasco

Kanawha

Cayuga

Huron

Chocura

Sagamore

Marblehead 

Kennebec

Aroostook

Kineo

Katahdin

Penobscot.

Pinola

Sebago

Mohaska

Sonoma

Conemaugh

Maratanza

Tioga

Genesee 

Octorora

Port Royal

Miami

Cimerone

Paul Jones

Galena

Monitor

Not named

used by the English and the French in the Crimean war is given in the article Battery, in vol. ii. of the "New American Cyclopaedia." The French were the first to fully appreciate the immense advantage to the naval power possessing the largest number of the strongest batteries of this class, and in 1860 engaged largely in their construction; launching in that year the battery named La Gloire, a wooden screw-steamer of 900 horse power, 253 feet long, 55 feet broad, and drawing 27 ½  feet of water. To some depth below her load-water line her sides are covered with iron plates, 2 

___________________________________

*About 1,200 tons each, carrying about 7 guns each, + About 600 tons each, carrying about 4 guns each. 1 About 700 tons each, carrying about 4 guns each. About 4,600 tons altogether, carrying 2,12, and 13 guns.

____________________________________

feet wide and 4-1/2  inches thick. Her armament consists of thirty-four 54-ponnders on her main deck, and two heavy shell guns forward, under an iron screen. Her ports are brought, down within 6 or 7 feet of the water. So well approved was the plan that in 1861 the Government had as many as 20 batteries of this character upon the stocks or launched. The English, in order to maintain the superiority of their navy, were compelled to engage with great vigor in the same enterprise. In the course of the year 1861, they conducted a series of expensive experiments in firing from and upon an iron cupola, constructed upon a floating battery. Finding that it stood the most complete hammering with the heaviest shot without injury, the Admiralty decided upon Page 504 the construction of a double cupola, carrying two guns. There were also built and afloat before the close of the year, the following iron-cased ships:

Vessels. Tons. Guns. horse power. 0,11)0 40 1.250 0,100 40 1,450 21 000 8,063 21 600 4,000 82 600

                                              Tons                 Guns

Warrior                                  6,100                   40                     

Black Prince                          6,100                   40

Defense                                     ..                       22

Resistance                              8,668                   22

Hector                                    4,000                   32

There were also building the Achilles, of 6,100 tons, 36 guns, 1,250 horse power, and the Valiant, of 4,000 tons, 32 guns, 800 horse power. Three others, of 60 guns each, were ordered, and three more were soon to be built, cased either with 4 ½ -inch iron on a teak wood backing, or built of 64-inch iron slabs without a wooden backing, the choice to be determined by the greater resistance to shot on trial made at Shoeburyness. Besides these 13 ships of iron, the construction of 5 wooden ships, expressly designed for being plated with iron, was rapidly pushed forward. The armament of each of these will consist of 40 guns of the heaviest calibre. The estimated cost of these 18 vessels is £8,000,000, or $39,000,000. The following is the general description of the Warrior, the first one completed of these vessels. She is a screw-steamer, 380 feet long between perpendiculars, (420 feet over all,) of 58 feet beam, 41 feet depth from spar-deck to keel, 20 feet draught of water, and of 6,177 tons burden, builder's measurement. She is built of iron throughout, and 205 feet of her length are protected by 4 ½ -inch plates of solid iron, backed with two layers of teak timber, one of 10 inches next the iron, and the inner one of 8 inches. The protection extends 9 feet below load-water line. At each end of this protected portion, iron bulkheads, 4 ½  inches thick, backed with 18 inches of teak timber, complete the protection for the centre of the ship, and inner bulkheads extend all around this portion within Si feet of the sides. The enclosed space is divided into 6 water-tight compartments, one being devoted to each of the two boilers. Her main-deck ports are about 8 ½  feet above water at load-water line, and are 15 ½  feet apart. She is bark-rigged with the spars and sails of an 80-gun ship. Her guns are 68-pounders for the main-deck, ten Armstrong 70-pounders on the spar-deck, and two pivot Armstrong 100-pounders, one at each end, in all 48 guns, which may be considerably added to.

Mr. Donald McKay, the American shipbuilder, in calling the attention of our people to these startling facts in a letter from London of December 3d, 1801, alludes to the inferiority of our navy, which ranks hardly with that of second-rate European powers, and to our unquestioned ability to build and man a first-class fleet. Ho remarks: "It would be easy for us to build in one year, a fleet of 500 to 000 men-of-war ships, from a gunboat to the largest class of iron-cased frigates. It is a well-known fact that we built in one year, the astonishing number of 2,034 vessels and steamers of all classes, measuring together 583,450 tons. * * * * We would be able in our merchant yards alone to turn out in ono year 583 ships of 1,000 tons each. In our six navy yards, where the choicest materials are stocked for building a fleet of 100 ships, 00 more might be built in one year, making a total of 043 men-of-war ships of all classes, varying in their armament from 3 to 00 guns. More than a hundred of our greatest engineering firms would complete all the machinery necessary to be put in these ships in less than a year. Our capabilities and facilities of building ships have not in the least suffered by the loss of the seceded States, which have never built one per cent. of. the sea-going ships of the United States." As an evidence of the entire change that is taking place in the views of practical men as to the future character of vessels of war, Mr. McKay recommends, that in any great emergency our navy could be rendered much more efficient for defence by cutting down all our line-of-battle ships one or two decks, casing them with 5-inch iron plates, and arming thein with 30 or 40 guns of the heaviest calibre. Our heavy frigates might be made shell-proof with iron plates, and the armament on the upper deck be dispensed with on account of the additional weight. Our merchant steamers and large clipper ships may readily be transformed into frigates, sloops, and gunboats of great efficiency and speed superior to that of any men-of-war ships yet built. A very large number of our barks and brigs are well adapted for receiving an armament of from 8 to 20 guns, and more than a thousand large coasting schooners of 28 to 30 feet breadth of beam, of a class unsurpassed for speed by any sailing vessels, and having great stability and strength, can soon be transformed into men-of-war schooners, armed with a pivot gun, or a mortar of the heaviest description placed amidships, and two to four 22pounders at the ends. The subject came before Congress in 1801, and on the 3d of August an act was approved, directing the Secretary of the Navy "to appoint a board of three skilful naval officers to investigate the plans and specifications that may be submitted for the construction or completing iron-clad steamships or steam-batteries, and on their report, should it be favorable, the Secretary of the Navy will cause one or more armored, or iron or steel-clad steam-ships 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 $1,500,000." Commodores Joseph Smith and H. Paulding, with Captain C. H. Davis, were appointed this hoard, and their report was presented of the date of September 10. While considering iron-clad ships as without doubt formidable adjuncts to coast and harbor fortifications, the board questioned! their advantages and ultimate adoption as cruising vessels, chiefly on account of the enormous weight added to the vessel by the armor, which involved greater power to propel her, and at the same time largely increased the cost of construction. To meet the immediate demand for vessels as far as practicable invulnerable to shot, and adapted by their light draught of water to penetrate our shoal harbors, rivers, and bayous, the board recommended "that contracts be made with responsible parties for the construction of one or more iron-clad vessels or batteries, of as light a draught of water as practicable consistent with their weight of armor." They also advised the construction in our own dock-yards, of one or more of these vessels upon a large and more perfect scale when Congress shall see fit to authorize it. The report concludes with a synopsis of the propositions and specifications submitted, amounting to 17 in number, the terms of construction for the different vessels ranging from $32,000 to $1,500,000. Three only of these were selected as worthy of recommendation, the others being put aside, either owing to too great cost or for other reasons. The three proposals recommended were those of J. Ericsson, New York; Merrick & Sons, Philadelphia; and C. S. Bushnell & County, New Haven, Connecticut. Of these the remarks of the board are as follows:

"J. Ericsson, New York. —This plan of a floating battery is novel, but seems to be based upon a plan which will render the battery shot and shell-proof. It is to be apprehended that her properties for sea are not such as a seagoing 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 a 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, 174 feet; breadth of beam, 41 feet; depth of hold, 11 ½ feet; time, 100 days; draught of water, 10 feet; displacement, 1,245 tons; speed per hour, 9 statute miles.

"Merrick & Sons, Philadelphia.—Vessel of wood and iron combined. This proposition we consider the most practicable 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 require the plates to be 15 feet long and 36 inches wide, with a reservation of some modifications, which may occur as the work progresses, not to affect the cost. Price, $7S0,000; length of vessel, 220 feet; breadth of beam, 00 feet; depth of hold, 23 feet; time, 9 months; draught of water, 13 feet; displacement, 3,290 tons; speed per hour, 9J knots.

"S. C. Bushnell & Company, New Haven, Connecticut, propose a vessel to be iron-clad, on 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 stability enough for a sea vessel. With a guarantee that she shall do these, we recommend on that basis a contract.

"Price, $235,250; length of vessel, 180 feet; breadth of beam — feet; depth of hold, 12 ½  feet; time, 4 months; draught of water, 10 feet; displacement, tons; speed per hour, 12 knots."

The recommendation was adopted by Congress, and the 3 vessels ordered to be built are the last three on the list given above.

The contract made with Captain Ericsson stipulated for the completion of his battery within 100 days from the signing of the contract, which was October 5th, 1861, and the extraordinary provision was introduced, that the test of the battery, upon which its acceptance by the U. S. Government depended, should be its withstanding the tire of the enemy's batteries at the shortest ranges, the United States agreeing to fit out the vessel with men, guns, &c. The following is a general description of the vessel as completed and delivered to the U. S. Government for trial, March 5, 1862. The hull is formed by two distinct parts, a lower and upper, both of which are flat-bottomed; the lower one built of 3/4 -inch iron, 124 feet long, 34 feet wide at the top, and 6i feet deep. The sides incline at an angle of about 51° with a vertical line, and terminate in sharp ends, the bow projecting and coming to a point at an angle of 80°. The upper hull is 174 feet long, 41 feet 4 inches wide, with perpendicular sides 5 feet high. It juts over the lower hull on each side 3 feet 7 inches, and at each end 25 feet. The sides of this portion are built of white oak, 2£ feet thick, covered with 6 inches of iron plates on the outside, and a ½ -inch plating of iron within; the object of the latter being to arrest splinters in case of a ball penetrating the sides. The top is covered with a bomb-proof flat deck unprotected by any railing or bulwark. This deck consists of oak beams, 10 inches square and 26 inches apart, covered with 8-inch plank, and this with 2 layers of iron, each an inch thick. The draught of water is 10 feet, leaving only 18 inches above the surface. The projecting ends of the upper hull serve as a cover for the propeller and rudder in the stern and the anchor in the bow. The former are entirely out of reach of shot; and the latter is carried in the upper hull, from which it is readily lowered, and into which it is hoisted again by men working below, without any exposure or sign of their movements on the outside. The lower hull is so situated beneath the upper, that it can only be reached by a ball after this has passed through at least 25 feet of water, and the inclination of the sides would then prevent its penetration; and the upper is impregnable in its 6 inches of iron, backed with 30 inches of white oak and the inner lining of ½ -inch iron. The prominent object upon the deck in the middle of the boat is the turret or castle, a cylinder of 20 feet diameter within, and 9 feet high, built of 8 thicknesses of 1-inch plates, bolted

Page 506 Illustration of the Monitor

Page 507 securely one over another with overlapping joints, and lined with an additional layer of iron an inch thick, thus making 9 inches in all. The weight of the turret is about 100 tons, and its support is a circular bed plate of composition metal firmly secured to the deck. Upon this it is supported except in time of action, when the weight is taken by a vertical central shaft of iron, with which it is made to revolve as desired, the motive power being a steam engine specially designed for this service, as also for working the blowers for the fires, and for ventilation. On the top, the turret is covered with iron beams and perforated iron, shell-proof. This, while it affords protection, admits the circulation of air necessary in working the guns. Small sliding iron hatchways are also provided to afford an entrance for the men through this portion. The turret is constructed for two heavy guns, which constitute the whole armament of the battery. They are placed precisely parallel with each other, and both are directed out the same side of the turret. Those selected for the first trial were 11-inch Dahlgren smooth-bore guns, carrying 168 lb. round shot. Some wrought-iron shot were provided for the first encounter, but their use was forbidden for fear of their bursting the guns, by reason of their weight, being 15 lbs. greater than that of the shot used in proving the guns. The portholes are circular openings, 3 feet above the deck, just large enough to admit the muzzle of the gun, and kept closed by a sliding shutter, managed ou the inside, and removed only when the gun is run out to be fired. The gun-carriages are of wrought iron and run on slides very accurately constructed. The sighting of the guns was designed to be not over their line through the portholes; but four holes were pierced through the turret at the height of the eye for telescopes, and just outside of the holes reflectors were fixed, which bent the ray of light coming in a direction parallel with the guns through the axis of the telescope. In action, however, the ordinary mode of sighting was adopted. The turret is caused to revolve to the right or left, by the movement of a small wheel which controls the action of the steam, and is turned by the gunner or his assistants, and a scale is provided by which the elevation of the guns is also adjusted. "When ready for firing, the shutter is triced up by the gunner, the piece is run out, fired, and instantly returns by the recoil, a friction clamp upon the sides of the ways arresting it at any desired point. On this side of the turret is an additional thickness of iron plating of about 3 inches. The pilot or wheel-house, as originally constructed, was a square box formed of bars or beams of wrought iron, 9 inches by 12, interlocked at the corners, and covered with heavy plating. Elongated horizontal apertures at the side9 afford the only lookout for the helmsman. These apertures may also be used as loopholes for musketry if desirable. In the place of chimneys, bomb-proof gratings are set in the deck, and through these the smoke of the fires is driven out by the blowers; low temporary chimneys are however provided, which are removed in time of action. The deck is thus entirely free of all incumbrances, and the men who work the vessel and handle the guns, are all entirely out of sight beneath the invulnerable plating. All access into the interior is securely shut off, so that if the battery were boarded, the men could not be reached, and no harm could be done to the vessel itself. Its sharp and powerful iron prow will enable it to sink with ease any wooden vessel it can reach, and its light draught allows of its running into shoal waters cither for offensive operations or to retire, if necessary, to a distance from more powerful vessels of deeper draught. Her complement of men consists of 00 in all, of whom 11 are officers. The battery is evidently designed for harbor and river operations, and not for encountering heavy seas.*

____________________________________

* The Important service noon performed by this vessel, and the immense consequences following the first encounter between iron-clad vessels, will justify us in presenting in this form a short sketch of her voyage, and of the battle in which she was immediately afterwards engaged, although the events properly belong to the year succeeding that to which this volume is particularly devoted. The Monitor was taken in tow from New York harbor by a steam-tug on the 6th of March, 1862, and propelled by her own steam-power also, was hurried towards Hampton Roads, to be in readiness, if possible, for the threatened descent upon our shipping of the frigate Merrimac. which the Confederates had covered with a heavy plating of iron, and with a roof forward formed of bars of railroad iron. In case of encountering storms, the original plan was to make a harbor, and thus avoid the dangers to which a vessel of this character would be subjected. The voyage, however, was performed through a heavy gale of wind and rough seas, which the vessel happily weathered, although the waves rolled over the top of the turret, and the water was driven with violence through the apertures necessarily left for ventilation, for the escape of smoke, &c. This threatened several times to extinguish the fires, and caused the engines to work so feebly, that they were Incompetent to expel the noxious gases, of pump out the water. Several of the men and officers were rendered senseless by the suffocating fumes from the fires, and were only restored by being brought up into the turret, and exposed to the fresh air. In the height of the gale the tiller rope was thrown off the wheel, and but for the strong hawser connecting the battery with the tug-boat ahead, the former must have' foundered before her movements could have been brought under any control. During the night, when these dangers were most imminent, no means whatever were available for signaling to the tugboat the need of seeking protection nearer the shore, from which direction the wind came, and all on board were thus kept in constant alarm.

To those upon whom rested the responsibility of the great trial, upon which they were about to enter, no sleep was afforded after Friday morning the 7th of March. On Saturday evening the Monitor entered Hampton Roads as the engagement of the day was terminating between the Confederate ships—the iron-plated Merrimac, the Jamestown, and the Yorktown, with the United States vessels—the sloop-of-war Cumberland, the frigate Congress, and the steam-frigate Minnesota, the two former of which had already been destroyed, the ono by the terrible battering power of the Merrimac, and the other by her heavy broadsides of shot and shell. During the night the Merrimac lay at anchor near Sewall's Point, and the Monitor remained near the Minnesota, which was fast around between Fortress Monroe and Newport News. Early on Sunday morning the Merrimac was seen advancing towards the Minnesota, to renew the work of destruction she had so successfully prosecuted the day before. When within range, her shot were discharged at the frigate aground without any heed being paid to the apparently insignificant stranger within a mile of which she was passing. At this distance, those on board the Merrimac must have been astonished as one of the 11inch Dahlgrens from the curious little tower upon the raftlike structure opened upon the ship with its hundred and sixty-eight pound shot. From that time the attack upon Page 508

Stevens Battery.—In November an act was passed by Congress, directing the Secretary of the Navy to appoint a committee to examine the Stevens Battery at Hoboken, New Jersey, and report upon the expediency of its being completed by the Government. This board consisted of Commodore Stringham, Commander William Inman, Captain T. A. Dornin, and Chief Engineer A. C. Stimers, all of the United States Navy, and Prof. Joseph Henry, of the Smithsonian Institute, who met at the navy yard in Brooklyn, on the 1st of December, and proceeded to the investigation of the subject, with which they were charged. The report of the board, made December 24th, was unfavorable for the completion of the ship, Prof. Henry, however, not fully concurring in the conclusion arrived at by the naval officers.

The ship is described as a long, slender iron vessel, evidently intended for high speed in smooth water, and but partially completed, her length is 420 feet, and extreme breadth 53 feet. Her sides are built of -}-inch iron, riveted to ribs of angle iron 0 inches deep, 3 inches wide, and £ inch thick, spaced two feet apart throughout the entire length. The bottom is strengthened with floor timbers of plate iron,

____________________________________

the Minnesota was abandoned, and attention was directed only to this new antagonist. The vessels soon came into close action, and no effect resulting from the shot of the Merrimac striking the Monitor, an attempt was made by the former to run down and crush or sink the smaller vessel. Five times the two vessels struck each other, and each time one of the guns of the Monitor was discharged directly against the plated sides of the Merrimac. The Minnesota directed her fire against the Merrimac, and two of her balls struck the Monitor, without, however, inflicting any damage. After the contest had raged for some hours, the Monitor, entirely unharmed, withdrew to some distance for the purpose of hoisting more shot into her turret; which being done, the fight was immediately re-commenced. The Merrimac soon appeared to be in a disabled condition, and gradually worked away towards the batteries at Sewall’s Point As afterwards ascertained, the heavy iron prow, projecting six feet from the stem of the Merrimac, was so wrenched by the concussion against the side of the Monitor, that the timbers of the frame were started, causing the vessel to leak badly. It is not known that the shot of the Monitor penetrated the sides of her opponent; but it has been reported and denied that the timbers behind the iron plating were shattered by the tremendous force of the blows. The Merrimac received some injury, and loss of life was incurred from the shot of the Minnesota, but to what extent is not known. During the fight, the first officer of the Monitor, Capt. A. H. Worden, took his station in the pilot-house, and directed the firing by signals to the First Lieutenant, S. Dana Greene, by whom the guns ware trained and fired. One of the last shots of the Merrimac struck the pilot-house near the aperture through which Captain Worden was looking at the instant. The blow, which was so heavy as to break one of the great wrought-iron beams of the pilot-house, stunned this officer, seriously injuring bis eyes and face. On the retiring of the Merrimac, the second officer, now taking charge of the vessel, knowing that another shot striking the pilot-house would be likely to complete its destruction, and render the vessel unmanageable by disabling the steering apparatus: and acting under positive orders which restricted the Monitor to in defensive course, except so far as might be necessary to protect the Minnesota, declined to pursue the Merrimac, and remained by the Minnesota. Excepting the damage to the pilot-house, the Monitor received no injury in this naval battle. Two men leaning against the inner wall of the turret were knocked down and stunned for a short time by a shot striking the opposite side against them, but no other inconveniences were experienced by the officers and crew. Many marks of shut were found upon the sides, turret, and deck of the Monitor, the deepest penetration of which was on the vertical sides, amounting in one instance to 44 inches. On tile tower the deepest depression was 1 1/2  Inches, and on the deck J inch. secured to a heavy box keelson, running from stem to stern, and the plating over this portion is 5/8 of an inch thick. Five tubular boilers on each side, occupying 80 feet of the length of the vessel, are secured to the iron keelson, and immediately abaft these are the 8 main engines, nearly completed, and occupying 53 feet length of the vessel.

Four engines, of 1,000 horse power each, are connected with each of the two propeller shafts, which are worked quite independently of each other, so that the propellers, revolving in different directions, if desired, may be used to turn the ship round, or they may be used as a substitute for the rudder. Forward of the boilers are two pumping engines, and pumps for feeding the boilers, and two engines for running a large fan-blower for furnishing fresh air throughout the ship, drawn down through gratings in the bomb-proof deck above. This will cause a powerful draught in the furnace fires, independently of the height of the chimney. The lower deck, at the height of 14 feet above the bottom, is planned to extend forward and abaft the machinery, beneath which will be coal, water-tanks, and powder-magazines, and upon it provisions and shell rooms and other water tanks. The object of the tanks is for containing sea-water, which it is designed to admit to the extent of 1,100 tons, if necessary, in time of action, for the purpose of partially submerging, and thus better protecting, the vessel. At 21 feet from the bottom is the next deck, rendered bomb-proof forward and abaft the machinery, but over which it is to be of ordinary material. The portion of the ship protected by heavy armor is that occupied by the machinery, extending altogether 120 feet in length. From 3 feet outside the vessel, the sides against this portion are to be carried up on a slope of about 27° with the horizon, to 14 feet inboard, giving an upper deck 7 feet above the 21-feet deck, with the width of 23 feet amidships. The forward and after ends of this deck are formed like the sides, and slope down to the bomb-proof deck. The inclined armor is to be of 7 thicknesses of plate iron, making altogether inches, supported upon iron beams 8 inches deep, and filled in between with locust, and locked with locust planks 6 inches thick. The upper deck is made bomb-proof by 3 layers of iron of 2 inches thickness, including wooden planking 6 inches thick. A light deck continues this platform fore and aft over the quarters of the men and officers. From the lower edge of the inclined armor at the 21-feet line, which is the load water-line, a strong protection of oak timbers, covered with iron plates, extends down the sides of the vessel to the depth of 6 feet. This protection is extended the whole length of the ship.

These arrangements will be better understood by reference to the accompanying cuts and explanations.

The armament, to be constructed especially for this battery, consists of 5 fifteen-inch guns,

Page 509

DESCRIPTION OF THE STEVEN'S BATTERY.

Fig. 1, longitudinal section. All parts below the heavy line representing the armor, are protected from shot and shells. A, Boilers. B, Engines. C, Blowers. D, Pumping Engines. EE, Stowage. F, one of the Steam-loading Cylinders. II, Steam Machinery for training the guns. I, Helm. Fig. 2, Deck Plan. The light part under the guns is the top of the casemates, and is level with the rest of the upper deck. Fig. 3, half cross section, 54 feet aft the centre, through the engines. Fig. 4, half cross-section, 40 feet forward the centre, through the boilers.

THE HULL. Length over all, 420 feet. Breadth over all, 53 feet. Depth from upper or gun deck, 28 feet. Draft of water, without coal or stores, IT feet 2 inches. Draft of water, with coal and stores, 20 feet 6 inches. Fighting draft, 22 feet 6 inches.

THE ENGINES AND BOILERS. Number of screw-propellers, 2. Number of engines, 8. Diameter of cylinders, 3 feet 9 inches. Length of stroke, 3 feet 6 inches. Number of boilers, 10. Horse power, 8,600.

This page contains an image.

Page 510 capable of throwing round shot of 425 lbs. weight, and 2 ten-inch rifled guns. They are to rest on wrought-iron shot-proof carriages, each of the 15-inch guns, with its carriage, weighing G0,000 lbs., and each of the 10-inch guns, with its carriage, 40,000 lbs. The weight of broadside thrown by these guns is 2,200 lbs., far exceeding that of any other war vessel in the world. The weight of broadside of all the guns of the 'Warrior is 1,564 lbs, and of the Minnesota, unprotected by armor, is 1,122 lbs. The original plan was to depend upon the immense weight and strength of these guns for their protection against the shot of the enemy, and it was supposed that they might themselves be sufficient defence to the single man required upon deck to each one for sighting it; but a covering of wrought iron is also devised for their further security in their exposed situation en barbette. The whole arrangement for loading and training them is of an exceedingly novel character, designed to be conducted entirely by men below the deck, and with steam machinery, under the direction of the gunner in charge of each gun. The loading is performed by depressing the muzzle into an opening in the deck at an angle of about 20°. The bore is thus brought in line with the steam cylinder, below which it has, upon the outer and upper extremity of its piston-rod, a compound sponge and rammer. On admitting steam to one side and the other of this piston, the gun is sponged out, and the ammunition being placed in a position near the muzzle, is rammed home by the steam rammer, after which the piece is elevated, trained upon the enemy, and fired. The recoil is received by springs of india rubber disks, making a pile on each side 40 inches long, which throw the piece forward into position again, similar springs in front checking the return movement in that direction.

The total expenditure upon the vessel has been $728,435.87, of which the Government has paid $500,000 and Mr. Edwin A. Stevens the remainder. The amount required to complete the vessel is estimated at $554,858.13, making the total cost $1,283,204. The following were the principal objections found by the board in the construction and equipment of the ship: her great length compared with the transverse strength rendering her unsafe in a heavy sea, while for harbor service alone, she would be inconvenient on account of her length and draught of water; the exposure of the quarters of the men and officers to be flooded by shot-holes in the unprotected sides near the waterline when the ship is submerged below the 21feet deck; a want of sufficient strength above the 14-feet line for the support of the heavy armor; the inefficiency of the side armor forward and abaft the central protected part; the danger to the. light deck when the heavy guns are fired nearly on a line with the keel. This last objection, however, was withdrawn after the board had witnessed some experiments made by Mr. Stevens in firing a 10-inch gun over a deck temporarily arranged on the same plan. The others also have been ably answered by Mr. Stevens in a memorial he addressed to the Senate and House of Representatives in February, 1862, in which he fully explained the peculiarities in the construction of the vessel, presented the opinions of experts thoroughly acquainted with the construction of iron steamships, who reported unanimously their opinions in favor of the great strength and safety of the vessel, and her great capacity of speed, &c, which is estimated at not less than 17 nautical or 20 statute miles an hour.

This memorial, which forms a large printed pamphlet, contains much valuable information respecting iron-clad ships, the history of their earliest designs, and offers an interesting explanation of the fact of the French preceding all other European governments in adopting this class of war vessels, their first idea on the subject being derived from an eminent person, who, when an exile, became aware of some of the author's experiments. On the 31st of December Mr. Stevens having made preparations for a series of experiments at Hoboken, upon a large scale, invited the board appointed to examine the battery, together with a large number of gentlemen, officials and others, to witness their results. On the day appointed, January 4, a largo company assembled at Hoboken, where they were shown the battery in its incomplete state, and the models and plans according to which it was to be finished. After this the following experiments were made: a 10-inch gun, procured from the Navy Department, weighing 9,883 pounds, was mounted with India rubber buffers behind the trunnions. This gun was loaded with a full service charge, 11 pounds of powder, and a solid spherical ball weighing 124 pounds, and was fired at a target exactly representing a section of the armor of the battery, and anchored in the river, 220 yards from the gun. The target was composed of layers of plate iron from five-eighths to two inches thick, making 6 inches in all. It was 4 feet broad, 8 feet long, and set at an angle of 27 ½  degrees with the horizon.

The iron was backed with two layers of locust timbers seven inches thick each. In the lower layer were imbedded wrought-iron beams six inches high, four feet long, and two feet apart, weighing forty-six pounds to the yard.

Beneath the wood was a half-inch iron plate, making the entire thickness twenty-one and one-fourth inches. The upper and lower plates were fastened to the wood by wood screws fifteen inches apart, and the side edges of the upper plates were battened by iron, one inch thick and three inches wide, and riveted together.

This target rested on a raft, so as to have no support except at the edges, the lower part of it was 18 inches under water.

After a few experimental shots, the gun was pointed at the target, and the first shot struck it 21 inches above the water, and within nine Page 511 inches of the right edge of the target. Its effect was to make an indentation and deflection, which together were l 13/16 inches deep in the deepest place, and which ran out to the surface or diminished to nothing in a distance of 13 inches measured on the line of flight without cracking any of the plates. The second shot passed to the right of the target, and the third went over it. The fourth shot struck the target on its left side, 13 inches from the edge, and 11 inches above the water, with the same effect as that of the first shot, except that the depression was 1 ¾  inches deep. The figure of this indentation was similar to that of the first. The recoil of the gun was 7 ¼  inches, and did no injury to the carriage or buffers.

This gun was loaded by steam-power, the muzzle being depressed so as to bring the bore parallel with a steam cylinder situated below a platform made to represent the deck of the battery. The platform was composed of white pine planks, 2 ½  inches thick, resting on pine beams 5 inches square and 2 feet apart from centre to centre, and caulked and pitched in the usual manner. The piston-rod of this steam cylinder was the ramrod of the gun. Upon the upper end of this ramrod was a swab, which also answered the purpose of a rammer. The cartridge and ball were attached to a sabot and placed on a scoop, arranged so as to lift the ball to its proper position between the rammer and the muzzle of the gun, when steam being admitted to the cylinder, the ball was forced home. The gun was then elevated, sighted, and fired.

The deck above described was 3 ½  feet below the line of fire. Upon examination after the firing, no injury or change could be perceived in the deck or its caulkings.

A Parrott rifled gun having a 6 4/15 -inch bore, and weighing about 9,300 lbs., was then fired at the target with 10 lbs. of powder and an elongated shell weighing 100 lbs. Several of these shots were fired, and one struck the target 4 feet 6 inches from the water, and 6 inches from the right side, making a depression one inch deep and running out to the surface at a distance of 8 inches without doing other injury to the plates. This shot grazed the edge of the batten, displacing the corner to the depth of half an inch. The mounting of this gun was such that temporary sights had to be used, which accounts for the inaccuracy of its aim.

The experiments of settling and raising a vessel and of turning her on her centre were tried with the iron steamboat Naugatuck. She is 100 feet long by 20 feet beam and 7 feet depth of hold, and is arranged with apartments at the ends and on deck for receiving the water to depress her. The water was pumped into the compartments and on deck, depressing the vessel 2 feet 10 inches, and submerging the deck 6 inches in 15 minutes. The water was then pumped out in 8 minutes, restoring the vessel to her original draft. The vessel was turned end for end in 1J minutes, by reversing one of her two screw propellers. 'These experiments were repeated several times with substantially the same results.

On the 11th further experiments were made in the presence of General Scott, General Anderson, Colonel Delafield, and other officers, engineers, and citizens. The 10-inch gun, mounted as before described, was loaded by steam with 11 pounds of powder and a 124pound ball, and fired four times with the same charge; the entire time occupied by the four shots being 139 consecutive seconds, and the average time being 34 ¾  seconds. The quickest time was 25 seconds. The average was increased by the failure of a friction primer to go off. A 225-pound elongated shot was afterwards fired with 4 pounds of powder, having been loaded with the same rapidity as the 124-pound shots, and the recoil being less. The raft on which the target was secured, having been carried away by the floating ice in the river, it could not be replaced in time for this experiment.

The energies of the navy were severely tested during the year, in maintaining the blockade of an immense line of sea coast. So. successful was this effort that the governments of Europe acknowledged its efficiency, and refrained from any interference. The other operations may be briefly stated. On the 12th of April, upon the receipt of orders from Secretary Welles conveyed by Lieutenant Worden, the commander of the fleet off Pensacola harbor, Captain Adams, prepared to reenforce Fort Pickens, and the same night the troops under Captain Vodges, and the marines under Lieutenant Cash were landed. No opposition was made, and no accident or disorder occurred. The expedition was under the command of Commander Charles II. Poor, assisted by Lieutenants Smith, Lewis, Newman, and Belknap.

On the 31st of May, the gunboat Freeborn, supported by the Anacosta and Resolute, made a serious cannonade upon the Confederate batteries at Aquia Creek. The firing continued for two hours, and the three lower batteries of the enemy were silenced. The action was recommenced on the next day, a higher tier of batteries being engaged, and continued for five hours, from half-past eleven a. m. to half-past four p. m. The gunboat Pawnee was engaged on the second day. Some damage was done to the vessels, but no one was killed.

On the 5th of June, the steamer Harriet Lane opened fire upon the Confederate battery at Pig Point. This was for the purpose of ascertaining the strength of the battery. Thirty rounds of shot and shell were thrown from the steamer, and about fifty from the battery. The vessel was somewhat injured, but no lives were lost. (See PIG POINT.)

On the 3d of June the brig Perry captured the privateer Savannah. (See PRIVATEERS.)

On the 26th of June the Freeborn and Reliance, gunboats, made an attack on the Confederate batteries at Matthias Point, and were Page 512 repulsed, with the loss of Commander Ward, killed, and four wounded. (See WARD, and MATTHIAS POINT.)

On the 21st of July, a battalion of marines, under the command of Major John G. Reynolds, was present and took part in the battle of Bull Run. (See BULL RUN.)

On the 25th of July, Lieutenant Crosby, with five launches and four boats from Fortress Monroe, proceeded up Back River, a small stream, not far from the fortress, and destroyed ten vessels. They also brought back a schooner heavily laden with corn, provisions, and other articles.

On the 10th of August, Galveston, in Texas, was bombarded by Commander Alden. (See GALVESTON.)

On the l5th of August, the gunboats Reliance and Resolute were despatched to make a reconnoissance of Matthias Point. A boat was sent with a small party to capture another boat seen on the Virginia shore. As the former approached the shore they were fired on from the bushes, and three of the boat's crew were instantly killed and one wounded. The gunboats opened fire upon the covert and drove the enemy out, when the boat's crew was brought off by assistance from one of the vessels.

On the 26th of August, the naval and military expedition to Hatteras Inlet sailed from Hampton Roads. (See EXPEDITIONS.)

On the 10th of September, the gunboat Conestoga, Lieutenant S. E. Phelps, opened fire on a Confederate battery at Lucas Bend, a few miles below Cairo on the Mississippi River. There were sixteen pieces of field artillery and one heavy piece in the battery. Some of the guns were rifled. In a short time the gunboat Lexington, under Commander Stembel, arrived. The guns of the battery constantly changed their position on the shore, and the boats moved up or down in like manner. As the former were silenced at one spot they reappeared at another until they were finally silenced. Several shots were also fired at a Confederate gunboat, which retired to Columbus. The object of the movement of the gunboats was to accompany a body of troops marching down the Missouri side of the river.

On the 13th of September, the schooner Judah was destroyed as she lay at the Pensacola navy yard. (See PENSACOLA.)

On the 14th of September, the fort on Beacon Island, at Ocrocoke Inlet, was destroyed and twenty-two guns disabled.

On the 16th of September, a naval force under Commander Melancthon Smith occupied Ship Island.

On the 5th of October, the gunboat Monticello, Lieutenant D. L. Braine, shelled a Confederate force on Hatteras Island and the steamers from which they had landed. (See HATTERAS ISLAND.)

On the 5th of October, an attempt was made to cut off two boats and twenty-three men belonging to the steamer Louisiana, which had been sent to destroy a schooner at Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia. The schooner was destroyed, and four of the Federal force were wounded. The injury to the Confederates is unknown.

On the 11th of October, a large schooner was destroyed in Quantico (or Dumfries) Creek by a Federal force in two launches under Lieutenant A. D. Harrall. It was dark at the time, and the attacking party was fired upon by a considerable Confederate force on the shore.

On the 11th of October, a Confederate battery at Lynnhaven Bay was silenced by the propeller Daylight, Commander Samuel Lockwood. The battery had opened fire upon an American ship, which, during a gale, had dragged within reach of its guns.

On the 13th of October, the affair at the Passes of the Mississippi took place. (See LOUISIANA.)

On the 21st of October, a skirmish at long range took place between the steamer Massachusetts, Captain Smith, and a Confederate steamer of light draft and great speed, in Mississippi Sound. The Massachusetts was struck by a 68-pounder shell, but continued the engagement until her ammunition was exhausted.

On the night of October 27, a boat expedition from the steamer Louisiana destroyed a schooner at Swan's Bug Creek, near Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia.

About October 30, Lieutenant Phelps with three companies of an Illinois regiment in the gunboat Conestoga, attacked a Confederate force at Eddyville, up the Tennessee River, 62 miles from Paducah. Forty-four prisoners were taken, and also 6tores.

On the 7th of November, the batteries at Port Royal were captured. (See EXPEDITIONS.)

On the 9th of November, the gunboats Taylor, Commander Walke, and Lexington, Commander Stembel, participated in a disastrous attack on the batteries at Belmont on the Mississippi River. On the same day a schooner was burned at Curritowan Creek, Virginia, by n force from the gunboat Cambridge, Commander W. A. Parker.

On the 14th of November, the gunboat Corwin had a conflict with a Confederate steamer at Hatteras Inlet. A number of exploits were performed before the close of the year by the gunboats of the navy. (The American Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1861, vol. 1. New York: Appleton & Co., 1868, pp. 499-512.)


Source: The American Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events of the Year, 1861-1865, vols. 1-5. New York: Appleton & Co., 1868.