Major John Johnson Makes Corrections in Second Printing of His Book "Defense of Charleston..."

The first printing ran out in just six months.

Omissions he wanted to correct:

**  The Confederate transport Marion sunk by a torpedo while placing then in the Ashley River on April 6, 1863.

**  The statement that the finding of the "fish" Confederate torpedo boat, alongside the wreck of her victim, the U.S. sloop of war "Housatonic" is not a certified fact.

**  The captured gunboat "Isaac Smith" afterwards known as the "Stono" by the Confederates,  was lost in attempting to run the blockade.

**  The attack on the Pawnee and Marblehead gunboats  on the Stono River m July 16, 1863,  there were engaged four rifled guns of the siege train (Palmetto Guards) Capt. B.C. Webb, , besides the artillery mentioned.

**  The average range of all (Union) batteries at the reduction of Fort Pulaski, Ga., was 2,559 yards, though the actual breaching was done at  at 1,700 yards.

--Old Secesh

Seven New US Sloops-of-War

From the June 7th Long Rewind Blog.

The June 7, 1861, Richmond Daily Dispatch reported on the seven new sloops-of-war authorized by the last Federal Congress as to their names and where they were to be built.

NEW HAMPSHIRE, KEARSARGE, OSSIPEE-- to be built at Portsmouth
HOUSATONIC, WACHUSETT-- to be built at Boston
ADIRONDACK-- to be built at New York
JUNIATA, TUSCARORA-- to be built at Philadelphia

Of course, the Kearsarge sank the Alabama and the Housatonic was sunk by the submarine Hunley.

The Build-Up begins. --Old B-Runner

Looking for the H. L. Hunley During the Civil War-- Part 2

A private collector donated this letter and 27 other documents to the Relic Room. They are part of the Letters to and from William L. Churchill, A. W. Johnson and John A. Dahlgren dated from the early days of the war to 1869.

By 1869, Churchill had his own submarine company.

In the first letter there is notification to Churchill of his appointment as Master's mate on the USS Susquehanna. Churchill witnessed the pivotal naval battle between the Monitor and Virginia. Later, he was transferred to the USS Nipsic, blockading Charleston Harbor.

He declared the wreck of the USS Housatonic as being worthless" owing to the large amount of damage done by the Hunley's 90-pound charge.

He then searched for the Hunley. He didn't find it, however and Robert Neyland, head of the Naval Historical Center's Underwater Archaeology Branch says that was fortunate. Had he discovered it, there would be nothing left of the submarine today.

When the Hunley was raised in 2000, grappling hooks were found on it. Perhaps they were Churchill's?

These letters are expected to be on a web site as some date soon.

An Interesting "New View" of the Navy in the Civil War. --Old B-Runner