EDITORIAL

For too long the study of the Civil War has been concentrated mainly on the armies of both sides and the naval aspect has been sorely neglected. With the distribution of this newsletter I hope to correct this deficiency and at least gain some small recognition for the contribution made by both the Union and Confederate Navies during that period of turmoil.

In recent years there has been a slow but steady release of publications dedicated to this important subject. Authors such as Chris Fonvielle, Chester G. Hearn and John M. Coski have ensured that we are reminded that the navies were involved in the eventual outcome of the war, even though it may have been in a small way.

All the articles in this issue were contributed by the editor and any opinions expressed therein are solely his.

Contributions for future issues are invited from anyone interested in this subject and all articles, letters and comments are welcome. However, I request that no fictitious material be sent as I intend to keep this a non-fiction zone. Please send them to me at the following address: Terry Foenander, 30 Raff Street, Toowoomba, QLD. 4350, Australia. My e-mail address is:tfoenander@hotmail.com

THE ALABAMA IN SINGAPORE.

The following article was copied from the Straits Times (Singapore) of Saturday, December 26, 1863:

The Alabama was open for inspection on Wednesday, and no doubt many availed themselves of the opportunity to inspect a ship that will possess a place in the history of the present age. The Alabama once seen will not be readily forgotten. She is not large, being, we should say, barely 1,000 tons register; but still she has the air of a dare-devil craft that would hesitate but little to test her strength against a much stronger enemy. She is very low in the water, extremely long, being according to our measurement at the wharf 215 feet from stem to stern; but the most remarkable feature of her build is her extreme narrowness, her beam amid-ship we should set down at very little if anything over 30 feet. She is barque rigged with long raking spars; but not full barque rigged, as her main and fore top masts and top gallant masts are of one spar. Her greatest spread of canvas is in her fore and aft sails, which are of gigantic proportions; she has no square mainsail, and she sets no royals. Under canvas alone she has gone as much as 132 knots. Her funnel is short and stumpy, having a considerable rake aft, and with steam pipes both before and abaft, - like her hull, her funnel is painted black.

Early in the morning we were shewn(sic) over her deck, and the narrowness of her beam was again most strikingly apparent. Her armament consists of six 32 pounder smooth bore broad side guns, and two large pivot guns one forward and the other aft; the former is a rifled gun throwing 110 lb shot, and the latter a smooth bore 68 pounder. Everything on deck is in splendid order and of the very best material. Her engine room is also a picture of neatness; she has double cylinders, working transversely, and is nominally of 300 horse-power, but capable of working up to very considerably over that. Her speed under steam alone is between 14 and 15 knots.

The impression which an inspection of the Alabama gives, is that she is essentially a handy craft, capable of the most rapid movements, and thoroughly effective to the extent of her strength. We had been accustomed to think that she was slightly built; and unfit to stand fire; but this is a mistake, she is wooden built and presents a side equal in strength, we should say, to that of any modern war vessel of her size, so that she can fight as well as run from an enemy; though the former is not her policy when she has the alternative left to her. Three or four places are pointed out where the fire of the Hatteras off Galveston took effect upon her, one is just under the main chains, one a little before the foremast - low down, one on the deck close beside her broadside gun on the starboard side, and another has torn a fragment out of the funnel. It will be remembered that in this engagement she sunk the Hatteras, but not with one broadside as is generously stated, she fired eight broadsides before her enemy sank.

Whatever may be our impressions when we sedately view the mission of the Alabama it is impossible in the presence of the little craft not to be momentarily carried away by an enthusiastic sympathy for her cause. When talked to here of the hard push the South had for it, Captain Semmes, pointing to the Confederate ensign floating above him, said “It is no matter, that Flag never comes “down.” It is a bold and confident boast; - time will tell us if it be a true one. No one who will visit her, can deny that the Alabama is officered by gentlemen, corteous(sic) and obliging.

ALABAMA PHOTOGRAPH DISCOVERED AT THE TENNESSEE STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES.

David M. Sullivan, author of the multi-volume publication “HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS IN THE CIVIL WAR”, recently discovered a photograph of the C.S.S. Alabama at anchor off the island of Singapore, in the collections of the Tennessee State Library and Archives. A lithographic image of the same vessel is also available at the Singapore National Archives. When compared they confirm that it is indeed the Alabama.

CIVIL WAR DECK-LOGS IN THE COLLECTIONS OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES AT WASHINGTON, D.C.

Our readers may be interested to know that a largely untapped source of research material lies at the National Archives, Washington, D.C., in the form of ships’ deck-logs. Daily occurrences on board ship were recorded by the Officer of the day, together with other nautical information, such as weather conditions, speed in nautical miles and bearings. Most of the entries are mundane, detailing such occurrences as the loading of rations and coal, and the sighting of other vessels, named where possible. However, some of the entries are quite interesting, such as battle accounts, which name casualties and also detail the amount of ammunition expended. Entries are recorded in four-hour shifts and the Officer who records these entries signs his name after each entry.

The editor has copies of the log of the Union gunboat Agawam, on microfilm, in his collection. One humorous entry dated 1st October, 1864, when the vessel was on patrol duty on the James River, VA., shows that “Theodore Harvey was discharged from the U.S. Navy for utter worthlessness.” I wonder if his wife thought the same way of him?

INCIDENT AT MURRELL’S INLET, SOUTH CAROLINA.

Towards the end of 1863 the US brig Perry was sent on blockading duty off the coast of South Carolina, at Murrell’s Inlet, situated some 70 or so miles north-east of Charleston.

In early December of that year, Acting Master Samuel B. Gregory, commanding the Perry, had received information that the Confederates were fitting up a vessel, in preparation for running the blockade. He decided to send a group of his sailors ashore to destroy this vessel, if possible.

On December 5th, after unsuccessfully shelling around the schooner, Gregory detailed a party of 3 officers and 22 men, under command of Acting Ensign William B. Arrants, in two cutters, to land ashore and attempt to destroy the vessel. Gregory had given Arrants express instructions, that on landing, he was to send one person ahead to see if the way was clear, and, if so, to forward one or two more to set fire to the Confederate vessel, while the rest remained at the cutters to afford protection to the advance party in the event of an attack. However, on landing, all but two members of the first cutter landed, and within three minutes of heading inland, they were surrounded by Confederate cavalry and captured. The cavalry then attacked the two cutters but were driven off by shelling from the Perry, lying off-shore. Those captured were William B. Arrants, acting ensign and sailing master; George Anderson, acting ensign; George W. Burkett, acting assistant paymaster; John P. Reinhardt, coxswain; John Pinkham, coxswain; Conrad Horse, Albert Williamson, James Davis, William Henderson, Michael Lawton, Michael Tobin, Peter Keefe, seamen; Samuel B. Gregory, jr. (Gregory’s son), William McDowell, George A. Brimsmaid (colored), landsmen.

During the skirmish on being attacked, five of Arrants’ party were wounded before their capture. John Pinkham, one of the wounded, after the surrender, was ordered to get up by one of the Confederate captains, at which Pinkham replied that he was unable to. The so-called officer then shot him, inflicting a wound from which he died shortly after. On arrival at the Confederate encampment in the woods, George Brimsmaid (the colored landsman) was taken away by two of the Confederate cavalrymen and a man in civilian attire. As he was being led away, one of the Confederates was seen striking Brimsmaid over the head with his saber. A few minutes later a loud yell was heard followed by two shots. On returning to the rest of the prisoners, the two cavalrymen stated to them that they had hung and then shot Brimsmaid. This fact was also admitted to the prisoners by several officers of the command which consisted of two companies of the Fifth and Twenty-first Georgia Cavalry, under command of Captains H.K. Harrison and C.C. Bowen.

Although not fully confirmed until some months later, after most of his crew had been released by the Confederates, Acting Master Gregory, had heard rumors from escaping slaves that Brimsmaid had been executed.

George Brimsmaid, was a resident of New London, Connecticut, when he shipped as landsman aboard the North Carolina on September 24, 1863, aged 23 years. He was transferred to the Perry on October 29, 1863, a little over a month before he was brutally murdered. (Account condensed from the OFFICIAL RECORDS OF THE UNION AND CONFEDERATE NAVIES IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, Series 1, Volume 15, pages 152-161)

CONCLUSION. This concludes Issue number 1 of my newsletter. I hope you enjoyed the contents. Being an occasional publication I intend to publish the next issue as soon as I set my mind to it. Hopefully the number of pages will be increased by the addition of articles and letters contributed by you, the reader. I apologise for the lack of images as my printing capabilities are limited at present.