Jonathan Letterman-- Part 2: Based Work on Teachings of Dominique Jean Larrey

His father was a physician and fairly wealthy.  Letterman took a 3-day test to become a federal surgeon and was of a very few to pass it.  His first posting was at Fort Mead, by present-day Tampa where he became friends with Stonewall Jackson who left the service and went to teach at the Virginia Military Institute.

Letterman went on to serve in Minnesota, New Mexico and San Francisco.

Letterman was much influenced by the work of Baron Dominique Jean Larrey (1776-1842) who served with Napoleon in his Grande Armee as a surgeon and is regarded as the world's first modern military surgeon.   The Baron's four adages about hospital work:  1.  Time,  2)  Triage,  3)  Evacuation.  Speed was of the essence, the faster, the more chance of survival.  Triage meant you first work on those needing it the most.  And, get the wounded off the field and to a hospital.

On the battlefield, the main operation performed was amputation.

--Old Secesh

Saw Another Really Big Confederate Flag

Yesterday, we drove from South Florida's Hollywood Beach across Alligator Alley to the west coast and took I-75 north to Tampa and then east on I-4.

I remembered hearing that the local SCV group had erected a huge flagpole from which to fly a huge Confederate Naval Jack at the intersection so that everyone could see it.  I was hoping to see that huge jack as I'd heard it was the largest one ever made.  But it wasn't flying.

They did have a large Third National flag flying proudly, though.  Made me feel proud.

It is too bad that the current anti-Confederate hatred is so prevalent.  If it wasn't, there would be no need for these huge flags.

They are kind of like the Revolutionary War "Don't Tread On Me" flags.

Flying High and Proud.  --Old Secesh

A Civil War in the SCV?

From the September 10th Tampa (Fl) Tribune "Confederate group splits, says it is not a civil war" by Keith Morelli.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) has split into two groups.  The General Jubal A. Early Camp No. 556, chartered nine years ago, once had over 100 members.  Earlier this year, a dozen broke from it and formed the Judah P. Benjamin Camp No. 2210.

The given story was that the two groups split because of a difference in philosophy.

The Early Camp is best-known for flying the huge Confederate flag over US-92, which can easily be seen from I-4 and I-75.

Always good to have more camps, but, splitting in the face of this constant attack on our heritage is not in the SCV's best interest.

Seceding From a Secession.  --Old Secesh

USS Narcissus

I previously had two more entries on the USS Narcissus, but found spelling errors and was woking on them when I lost them.

Went to good old Wikipedia for this information.

The USS Narcissus was a screw steamer tug launched in July 1863 as the Mary Cook in East Albany, New York.

It was purchased by the US Navy and commissioned in February 1864 and joined the West Gulf Blockading Squadron at New Orleans. It was 82 feet long and mounted 1X20-pdr Parrott Rifle and 1Xheavy 12-pdr. I wonder if the guns are still on the wreck?

It was assigned patrol duty on the Mississippi Sound and captured one blockade-runner.

Then, it supported cleanup operations after the Battle of Mobile Bay. On December 7th, in a violent storm, it struck a Confederate mine and sank in just 15 minutes. The Narcissus was raised and repaired in Pensacola and then used as a dispatch boat.

On January 4, 1866, it struck a shoal off Egmont Key by Tampa, Florida. When the cold Gulf water hit the boiler, it exploded, killing all 19 or 23 men aboard.

There was a lighthouse on Egmont Key at he time, but the light had not yet been turned back on after the war. Had it been on, it is likely that the Narcissus would not have hot that shoal.

Interesting Story About a Little-Known Warship. --Old B-Runner

USS Narcissus Wreck Might Receive State Designation

From the October 29, 2010 Tampa (Fl) Tribune.

There is not too much left of the tugboat USS Narcissus, located two miles west of Fort DeSoto. A photo of divers at the ship's 6.5 foot propeller accompanies the article. It lies in about 18 feet of water. It hit a shoal in 1866 and exploded, killing all 29 aboard.

By the 1990s, you could only see the steam engine, but the busy 2005 hurricane season and nearby dredging have exposed much more of the ship.

Now, the entire engine, propeller and part of the boiler can be seen.

Divers from the Florida Aquarium have been investigating it with the hopes that it will become Florida's 12 Underwater Archaeological Preserve.

A Ship I've never Heard of Before. --B-R'er

Tampa's Egmont Key

Egmont Key is an island off the entrance to Tampa Bay, Florida.

A new lighthouse was constructed in 1858 to replace the one completed in 1848 that was immediately put out of commission by the Great Hurricane of 1848 and another one in 1852. The new tower was 87 feet high with an Argard kerosene lamp and Fixed Frensel lens.

Confederate troops occupied Egmont Keyat the beginning of the Civil War, but took the lens with them when they were forced to leave the island.

The Union Navy used Egmont Key as a base for their Gulf Coast Blockade. Union troops raided Tampa at one time in a futile search for the lens.

And, I'd Never Heard of It. --Old B-Runner

Tampa's Orange Grove Hotel

The Historical Marker Database (HMdb) had an entry about a famous hotel in Tampa, Florida, that no longer exists, but which had a Civil War connection.

The Orange Grove Hotel was built right before the war in 1859 by Captain William Brinton Hooker on the northwest corner of Madison and East streets. The captain moved to Hillsborough County in 1843 and became Florida's premier "Cattle King," eventually with a herd of over 10,000 head. he got the rank of captain during the Seminole Wars.

Hookers Point is named after him.

During the Civil War, the hotel served as Confederate headquarters for the area.

In 1866, the three-story, 33 room wood frame building became the Orange Grove Hotel. It was Tampa's social center for many years before being torn down in 1945.

Many important visitors to Tampa stayed there, including Gen. William T. Sherman.

A Night at the Old Inn. --Old B-Runner

Tampa's Fort Brooke

Last week, I was writing about Tapa's Oaklawn Cemetery being shelled by the USS Sagamore while it was attacking Fort Brooke, which also played a role when Tampa was attacked by a naval expedition Oct-16-18, 1863 and a landing party caused three blockade-runners: the Scottish Chief, Kate Dale and A. B. Noyes to be destroyed. I wrote about this in three entries from October 20-25, 2008. The Union ships were te USS Adela and USS Tahoma.

In this battle, the bloc

Fort Brooke was located on the east bank of the Hillsborough River at its mouth on Tampa Bay. It is no longer there, being the present location of the Tampa Convention Center. The cemetery of the fort was relocated to Oaklawn.

In 1823, Colonels George Mercer Brooke and James Gasden were ordered to establish a military presence in the new Florida Territory and started a wood log fort at the site in 1824.

Besides the engagement with the Sagamore and the 1863 battle, the fort and town of Tampa was captured by Union forces May 6, 1864.

A Little-Known Part of the Civil War. --Old B-Runner

Tampa's Oaklawn Cemetery-- Part 2

Members of Tampa's pioneer families are buried at the cemetery along with 13 Tampa mayors and one governor of Florida. The fact that most graves were designated with wooden markers explains why there are so many mass burials from Fort Brooke and Yellow Fever epidemic.

A walking tour is offered.

One interesting story belongs to J. T. MAGBEE, one of Tampa's first lawyers, a member of the Florida State Constitutional Convention, Florida state senator, early newspaper editor and a circuit court judge.

he was also known as a "scalawag" because he quickly sided with northern carpetbaggers after the Civil War. One time, locals took advantage of his propensity for strong drink which caused him to pass out cold in the street. They poured a mixture of molasses and cornbread on the passed out judge's body. Local night-roaming pigs found the mixture to their liking and they ate it as well as the poor judge's clothes causing quite an incident.

JOHN P. WALL was a mayor of Tampa and a surgeon in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He moved to Tampa in 1869 where his wife and daughter died from Yellow Fever. he then began a lifelong campaign to eradicate the disease. He was one of the first to determine the disease came from mosquitoes.

Interesting People. --Old B-R

Tampa's Oaklawn Cemetery

HMdb also mentions some other markers in the cemetery that are of interest.

One is for the Confederate States Soldiers and sailors that are interred there.

Another is for the 102 unknown soldiers and settlers relocated there from the old US Army cemetery at Fort Brooke March 24, 1981. This probably would have been before construction of the Tampa Convention Center which was built on the fort's site.

Another marker is on the spot where victims of the 1853, 1858, 1867, 1871 and 1887-1888 Yellow Fever Epidemics are buried.

Tampa was just a struggling community of about 500 when the cemetery was established in 1850. It was designated as a public burial ground for whites, blacks, slaves, rich and poor.

The first markers erected were wooden and decayed so that now, many bodies are unmarked. This is why there are so many mass burials of unmarked people.

Not Just Any Cemetery. --Old B-Runner

USS Sagamore Shells a Florida Cemetery

The HMdb, Historical Marker Data Base, recently had an account of a cemetery in Tampa in which a shell from the USS Sagamore landed during a bombardment of the city June 30-July 1, 1862.

An 8-inch shell landed in Oaklawn Cemetery, founded 1850, and a marker is in it today to commemorate the event. Tampa was just a very small town during the Civil War and several small skirmishes, usually of a naval nature, took place.

On July 2, 1862, the Confederate commander of Fort Brooke, John W. Pearson, wrote of the USS Sagamore's attempt to reoccupy Tampa. One of the shells landed in the cemetery, which he noted a being quite a bit north of the fort.

There was mention in the article that Pearson might have moved some of his supplies to a nearby area.

There was no mention as to whether the shell was recovered, but I imagine it was.

Just a Little Bit of Minor History. --Old B-Runner

Blockade-Runner Discovered in Florida-- Part 2

Continued from December 24th.

Finally, on September 19, 1863, the Union vessels were able to approach the port, they found the steamer and an onshore cotton warehouse ablaze, set by retreating Confederates. Better to destroy the vessel than turn it over to Union forces.

The steamer was described as being over 200 feet long and apparently English-made.

What the Union lost that day has turned into a major find for today's archaeologists.

Amateur diver and archaeologist Matt Mattson found the wreck in 1991, but was unable to determine if it was the steamer from 1863.

Nicole Tumbleson, outreach coordinator for the Florida Public Archaeological Network, returned to the site earlier this year to document and map Civil War-era artifacts in the Bayport area. Using a metal detector, a 70 foot long debris field was found.

Besides the pipe, "pieces of machinery, iron hull plates, charred wood, ceramic fragments of a sink and brass hinges that might have allowed the sink to be folded against the steamer's bulkhead when not in use."

Marine archaeologist Billy Morris says they are about 83% sure this is the vessel they were looking for. Unfortunately, the name of the ship is lost to history.

They are being vague about its location to prevent looting, but they were "so close to the pier that fishermen were practically looking over their shoulders" complete secrecy is impossible.

Another Piece of the Past Found. --Old B-Runner

Blocakade Runner Scottish Chief

One of the two blockade runners found by Tampa, Florida, that were sunk after a Union naval attack in 1864. Its wreck has recently been identified.

Captain William Russell built the stern-wheel Scottish Chief for Captain Banks and installed the machinery of the Brothers steamship in it.

Later, I saw that the Scottish Chief was a sidewheel steamer built in Wilmington, NC in 1855. It was 123 feet long, 18 feet wide, had a 4-foot depth and weighed 102 tons and one deck.

It was offered for sale in an 1856 advertisement and wasn't mentioned in the Wilmington papers after that, so was possibly sold. Perhaps to Tampa?

I'm not sure about whether it was sidewheel or stern, but if going to sea, I think sidewheel would be preferable.

From the Cape Fear River Steamers Blog.

Finding a Lost Ship. --B-R

Confederate Blockade-Runner Found Near Tampa

Divers from the Florida Aquarium are nearly certain that they have located the wreck of Confederate blockade-runner Scottish Chief in 15 feet of water in the Hillsbourough River near Blake High School.

They located the vessel, once owned by James McKay, one of Tampa's founders, by sonar after three weeks of search. It was 124 feet long steamer made of oak and pine. On outward trips through the blockade, it carried cotton and cattle hides and returned with guns and ammunition as well as Cuban cigars and fine wines.

McKay made six successful runs through the Union ships who decided to end them once and for all.

It was heavily damaged during a Union attack October 13, 1863, and towed to the spot and salvaged before sinking. The blockade-runner Kate Dale, also sunk in the attack, was found last summer. A third vessel, a barge called the Noyes, was also damaged and believed sunk within 150 yards of the Scottish Chief.

From September 15th Tampa Tribune.

Always Good News to Find a Relic of the War. --Old B-Runner

USS Adela-- Hillsborough River Raid

Still on the destruction of the Blockade-Runner Kate Dale. Yesterday, I wrote about the USS Tahoma, one of the two Union warships that participated in the raid on Tampa, Florida, that resulted in the Kate Dale's destruction.

The Tahoma was a ship constructed specifically for the Union Navy. The USS Adela, on the other hand, was a captured blockade-runner. What better way to capture a blockade-runner than to use a former one?

The 211 foot long, 23 foot beam Adela mounted 4 cannons and was capable of speeds up to 12 knots. This fast, iron-hulled sidewheeler originally operated out of Belfast, Ireland, before running the blockade and being captured by the Union Navy.


CAPTURE

On July 7, 1862, she was spotted by the USS Quaker City and USS Huntsville off Great Abaco Island and given chase. Four warning shots were fired and when the Adela didn't stop, a 5th and 6th shell hit her, causing the captain, James Walker, to surrender the ship. He was a former Cunard Line commander and had captained the Great Eastern. The Adela was towed to Key West and turned over to the Admiralty Court.

The British government protested because the Adela was carrying two bags of Royal mail and this delayed proceedings, but in the end, the Adela was condemned and purchased by the Navy and fitted out for its new role at the New York Navy Yard.

More to Come. --Old Blockade-Runner

USS Tahoma-- Hillsborough River Raid

On the 14th and 20th of this month, I wrote about the Hillsborough River Raid on Tampa, Florida, and Fort Brooke and the Blockade-Runner Kate Dale.

I found this information about the USS Tahoma, one of the two Union ships involved.
This comes from Wikipedia, a great source for Civil War information.

The USS Tahoma was a 507-ton, 158 foot long, 28 foot beam Unadillo class screw steam gunboat built by the Union Navy in Wilmington, Delaware and launched October 2, 1861 and commissioned in December. She carried five cannons and could steam at 10 knots.

She was assigned to the East Gulf Blockading Squadron and raided St. Marks, Florida, and burned a barracks and destroyed a Confederate battery. Later, the Tahoma chased a blockade-running schooner aground and destroyed it. One funny thing happened when the blockade-runner Uncle Mose sailed up to the ship and anchored resulting in the capture of 115 bales of cotton.

Land attacks on Confederate saltworks along the Florida coast resulted in the destruction of three of them during one operation involving eight boats carrying 111 men from the Tahoma.

During the first six months of 1863, the Tahoma captured seven blockade-runners and engaged a Confederate battery.

On October 17, 1863, the Tahoma was involved in the operation in the Hillsborough River that ended with the destruction of the Kate Dale and Scottish Chieftain.

On February 17, 1864, a landing party from the Tahoma marched 7 miles inland and destroyed salt works at St. Marks, Florida and ten days later, another saltworks were destroyed.

After the war, the USS Tahoma served in the Gulf Squadron from 1866-1867, before being decommissioned in 1867.

One Busy Ship. --Old B-R'er

Fort Brooke-- Tampa, Florida

While reading about the blockade-runner Kate Dale, I read about a Fort Brooke in Tampa and realized I'd never heardof this fortification before. So I looked it up in Wikipedia.

It was located on the current site of the Tampa Convention Center which was named after Col. George Brooke who established a military post there in 1824. It was amajor outpost during the Seminole War and the Civil War.

It received enemy fire during the October 1863 attack on the blockade-runners and was captured by the Union Navy along with Tampa on May 6, 1864.

Nothing remains of the fort except two cannons located on the campus of the University of Tampa. However, they are not marked as being from the fort.

While the city was building the Fort Brooke Parking Garage, an unknown cemetery was uncovered with the remains of soldiers and Seminoles.

They were reinterred elsewhere, which is better than I can say for the poor folks at Fort Fisher in Waco, Texas.

Blockade-Runner Kate Dale

On the night of October 16,1863, a hundred man Union naval landing party landed at Ballast Point along Tampa's Hillsborough River and marched north along the bank to what is today Lowry Park where they found the Kate Dale, a sloop made of live oak and pine, loaded with cotton and preparing to run the blockade to Cuba.

This ship was owned by maritime pioneer and future Tampa mayor Captain James McKay.

The USS Tahoma and USS Adela first shelled Confederate Fort Brooke near present downtown Tampa as a diversion.

The force captured and then burned the Kate Dale and nearby Scottish Chieftain, sinking both.


TODAY

For years, the Kate Dale's wreck stayed right there, with its ribs exposed sometimes at low tide. Most people thought it was an old dock. According to legend, the Scottish Chieftain was towed downriver where its engines were taken for use on another ship.

About a third of the Kate Dales 80 foot length remains in anywhere from a few feet to 15 feet of water. The rest has either rotted, been swept away by currents, or salvaged by local residents.

Two years ago, the Florida Aquarium started an underwater mapping project and "found" the Kate Dale again. For two weeks in May, a team of divers led by marine archaeologist Billy Morris, carefully mapped the remains in zero visibility water. There are no plans to raise the wreck.

In 1982, the Tampa Tribune had an article about Calvin "Poppa" Taylor, a local treasure hunter who got inside information from a McKay descendant. He posed with a steering wheel from either the Kate Dale or Scottish Chieftain.

From May 22nd Tampa Bay Online by Keith Morelli of the Tampa Tribune.

And, I Never Thought of Blockade-Running From Tampa. --Old B-Runner