I have to admit, Water Witch is just not the name you'd expect to find on a warship.
At 9 pm Friday and Saturday, a re-enactment of the capture took place at the full-scale replica of the actual ship. People in attendance can watch from the newly-built dock which can seat 200. Onlookers were close to the action.
Lt. Austin Pendergrass was the second in command of the USS Congress when it was attacked by the Confederate ironclad Virginia. The Congress was burning and sinking when its commander told Pendergrass to surrender to save the remaining crew members.
He did and was "pilloried" by the Navy, becoming a "marked man." This is one reason he was commanding a ship like the Water Witch instead of an ironclad or bigger warship.
It happened again with the loss of the Water Witch. The officers fought, but enlisted men whose enlistments were up did not.
Pendergrass was wounded three or four times.
For his effort, he was suspended two years without pay and censured in a court martial. Despite this Pendergrass died in naval service. (I'll have to do some more research on him.)
All the while, another naval officer, Thomas O. Selfridge was sinking ships and walking away with no attacks of his ability to command.
Peter McIntosh, was the only black Water Witch sailor to survive. He jumped overboard, swam to safety and later served on the USS Philadelphia. At the end of his enlistment, he just disappeared from history.
Tickets for the show were $5 to $6.50.
I Sure Would Have Liked to Be There. Maybe for 2014. --Old B-Runner
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