In 1862, construction was commenced on a wooden gunboat, at Saffold, Georgia, along the Chattahoochee River. This vessel would be named after the river she was built upon. Her career would be rather lackluster, and her only claim to fame would be as a result of a tragic accident which occurred aboard the vessel on Wednesday, May 27, 1863.
The CSS Chattahoochee would carry a complement of almost 120 personnel, and her armament would consist of four 32 pounder smoothbore cannon, a 32 pounder rifled cannon and a 9 inch smoothbore cannon. She would be constantly plagued by machinery problems. Prior to being commissioned on January 1, 1863, the vessel was commanded for a brief period from late July, 1862, by Lieutenant Catesby ap Roger Jones, who had served earlier that year aboard the CSS Virginia, and commanded the ironclad when Captain Franklin Buchanan was wounded during her engagement with the USS Monitor. On February 4, 1863, North Carolinian Lieutenant John Julius Guthrie succeeded to command of the CSS Chattahoochee. Sometime before this change of command, in early January, the vessel was sent down to the town of Chattahoochee, Florida, situated at the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers, which then form the Apalachicola River. It was detached to that point to assist in protecting the river against an expected invasion of the river by Union forces. The trip down river was not without its problems, with faulty boilers and pumps causing several delays. These engine failures were a sign of things to come, and caused much consternation amongst the crew. Obstructions had also been sunk at a couple of points in the river to assist in blockading against an invasion. The second set of obstructions, at Rock Bluff, about a dozen miles south of the town, restricted the Confederate gunboat's area of operations.
While stationed at Chattahoochee the vessel was subjected to much repair work. This was finally completed by April 7, when she departed on a trial run down river, as far south as the obstructions. The run was completed without any major incident. Then it was back to mundane duties stationed at the town.
Meanwhile, Union Lieutenant Commander George Morris, of the USS Port Royal, having learned that the blockade runner Fashion, was loaded with cotton and stationed about 45 miles above the town of Apalachicola, decided to send a small invasion force up river in an attempt to capture her.
On the night of Saturday, May 23, 1863, 41 Union naval personnel under the command of Acting Master Edgar Van Slyck proceeded, in three small rowboats, under cover of darkness, up the Apalachicola River. They had to row against the strong current, past Confederate occupied Fort Gadsden, which they succeeded in doing about 2 o'clock on the morning of May 24th. Eight hours later the party reached Canida Creek, situated some 45 miles up the river, and, on inspecting the river a short distance further, were convinced that it was practically impossible for a sloop the size of the Fashion to have proceeded past that point, and the decision was made to turn back. However, some miles down the river, a barge was sighted, giving an indication that the sloop was close at hand. A party was sent up Owl Creek, where the Fashion was discovered and captured without any resistance. Heavy rain covered the retreat of the raiding party after their capture of the sloop. As the retreating sailors passed Fort Gadsden, a round of canister was fired at the fort, but no reply was forthcoming.
On Monday, May 25th, the party reached the safety of the USS Port Royal, at the mouth of the Apalachicola River, with no casualties.
Back at the town of Chattahoochee, Lieutenant Guthrie, on hearing of the capture of the Fashion, decided to head downstream on the CSS Chattahoochee and attempt her recapture. On May 26th the vessel left the town and headed for the obstructions where she anchored for the night. The next morning orders were issued to raise steam in an attempt to try and cross the bar. Certain problems were encountered in the engine room, and, when the pump was started, a tremendous explosion rocked the vessel. Panic now gripped some sailors aboard the vessel, several jumping into the river, on the assumption that the magazine would soon explode. Three of these sailors drowned in their attempt to reach the shore.
Aboard the Chattahoochee the scene was chaotic, with some of the wounded running around frantic with pain, leaving the impression of their bleeding feet on the deck. Dead and wounded tars were moved ashore, where they remained until the next afternoon, during which time a terrible storm raged. Finally they were removed to Columbus, Georgia, aboard the steamer William H. Young, arriving there five days after the accident.
Those killed in the explosion, and those who later succumbed to their wounds were:
Second Assistant Engineer Henry Fagan, of Key West, Florida;
Third Assistant Engineer Euclid P. Hodges, of Maryland;
Third Assistant Engineer Fred W. Arents, of Richmond, Virginia;
Midshipman Charles K. Mallory, of Virginia;
Paymaster's Clerk Eugene Henderson, of Tuskegee, Alabama;
Pilot William B. Bilbro, of Columbus, Georgia;
First Class Fireman Joseph Hicks, of Georgia;
Second Class Fireman Enoch C. Lanpher, of Columbus, Georgia;
Coal Heaver Edward Conn, of Apalachicola, Florida;
Quartermaster Charles H. Berry, of Tampa, Florida;
Seaman John Joliff; Landsman Lewis C. Wild, of Florida;
Landsman John S. Spear, of Florida;
Landsman William Moore, of Florida;
Landsman James Thomas, of Florida;
Second Class Fireman Charles Douglas;
Landsman James H. Jones, of Florida and
Landsman Manassa Faircloth, of Florida.
Several other members of the crew were wounded.
A dispatch on page 870, of Volume 17, of the Official Records of the Navies, gives the following description of the death of one of the officers on board the stricken vessel:
"Poor Mallory! I shall never forget his appearance. I would not have known him had he not spoken. His face, hands, and feet were scalded in the most terrible manner; he plead piteously to have his wounds attended to. I urged the doctor, who, by the way, was almost used up himself, to pay Mallory some attention. He then told me that he would have to wait for some assistance. He then said that Mallory could not live. You would have thought differently had you seen him. I could not make up my mind that he would die. When they first commenced to remove the cloths he was talking cheerfully, but the nervous system could not stand the shock. He commenced sinking and was a corpse before they had gotten half through. Duffy, the fireman, expired on the next day."
The vessel sank below her decks and shortly after her guns were removed and sent to Lieutenant Augustus McLaughlin, at the naval station in Columbus, Georgia, for eventual disposal. The surviving crew members were detached to various commands, some of them being attached to the newly commissioned CSS Savannah.
The CSS Chattahoochee was later raised and towed to Columbus, Georgia, where extensive repairs were commenced. It was assumed that the explosion of May 27, 1863, was a result of inattention to the condition of water in the boiler.
In March, 1864, Lieutenant George Washington Gift, who had previously served aboard the vessel, before later being detached, assumed command of the still unseaworthy Chattahoochee. She remained under repair for the rest of that year, and was destroyed in December, when the Confederates abandoned the Apalachicola River.
(Most of the details in the preceding article were obtained from copies of dispatches as printed in the following volumes of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion: Series I, Volume 17, pages 447, 448, 468, 470, 474, 475, 864,868-872. Series I, Volume 19, pages 834 & 835. Series II, Volume 1, page 250. Series II, Volume 2, pages 530 & 752. Information was also obtained from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Volume II, pages 506 & 507. The article was originally published in my privately printed Civil War Naval newsletter, ENSIGN, issue number 8, April-June, 1999)
Terry Foenander. EMAIL