The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Operations of USS Niagara on Gulf Coast, June 1861-- Part 2

'We have been experimenting; trying the range of our guns and find that by increasing the charge of powder from 14 to 19 pounds we can accommodate the navy yard from our present position..." (I imagine that means hit the former US naval yard, now in Confederate possession."

On June 24th, the Vanderbilt, eight days out of New York City arrived carrying Wilson's Zouaves, an easy voyage, but six members of the group died.

That same day, the HMS Jason arrived on its "cruise of observation. (Probably seeing if the blockade of Pensacola was established and maintained. The HMS Jason was a wooden screw corvette launched in 1854 and later broken up in 1877.)

On the 24th, the Illinois arrived "with 'messengers of death.'" I'm not sure what this was about.

The Cahawba was arriving as well.

In the previous post,I wrote about a schooner the Niagara had captured off Mobile. On June 5th, the ship captured the schooner Aid in a cutting out expedition.

So, That's the Way It Was Off Pensacola Back Then. --Old B-Runner

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