Theft Aboard the USS Baron De Kalb.

by Terry Foenander.

Early on the morning of June 6, 1862, Union vessels under the command of Flag Officer Charles Henry Davis engaged in combat with part of the Confederate River Defense Fleet under Captain James E. Montgomery, on the Mississippi River, at Memphis, Tennessee. This action resulted in the capture and destruction of seven of the Confederate vessels, the General Earl Van Dorn being the only one able to escape by her superior speed. The General Beauregard and General M. Jeff Thompson, both side wheel rams were two of those destroyed in the action, having been blown up and sunk off Memphis.

In mid-September of that year, Captain John A. Winslow, commander of the USS Baron De Kalb, sent a communication to Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, advising that, due to the fall in the depth of the water on the Mississippi, members of his crew were able to extract a quantity of cotton from the wrecks of the Jeff Thompson and Beauregard. Due to the damaged state of this cotton, it was immediately sold off and the proceeds of this sale, a total of over $9600, placed in storage in the Paymaster's safe aboard the Baron De Kalb.

Sometime on the night of September 23, 1862, in spite of some security measures having been taken, the safe was stolen from the vessel and part of the money successfully taken out. The culprits were eventually found to be two seamen of the Baron De Kalb, James Kincaid and Henry Coyne.

A reward of a thousand dollars was offered for the recovery of the money and two detectives of the Metropolitan Police of New York City, Sergeants Rode and Delany, employed to investigate the crime and track the suspects. They managed to arrest one of the suspects in New York, after he had deserted from the vessel, and he in turn informed on his partner, who was still aboard the vessel. A major part of the money was recovered and the suspects gave an indication of how they managed to commit the felony. They were able to take the iron chest out of the vessel and placed it on board a small boat, in which they dropped downstream. Only able to partly open the chest, they managed to get some of the money, and then returned to the Baron De Kalb. They were able to get aboard as the officer of the deck, Master's Mate James P. Paulding, was absent from his post. For this lax in security, Paulding was later dropped from the service. Later, one of the two felons deserted with his share, and was eventually tracked to New York City.

For their successful recovery of the money, and detaining the felons, the detectives were recommended for the reward.

David Dixon Porter, commanding the Mississippi Squadron, gave the final word on this episode when he wrote, in a despatch to Gideon Welles:

The result will have a most happy effect among all persons in the squadron against embezzling public property, and show them how little chance there is of escaping justice.

Sources:

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 23, pages 118-136, 358-359 and 387.

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Volume 2, Appendix II, Annex II (page 586) titled "River Defense Fleet."

Copyright, Terry Foenander.

July, 2000.