Garrett J. Pendergrast, USN

From Wikipedia.

From Dec. 5, 1802. Died November 7, 1862. One of the oldest officers in the Union Navy during the war.

He was a flag officer on the USS Cumberland during the action at Gloucester Point and it was under his orders that Lt. Thomas O. Selfridge reconnoitered the Confederate defenses. He was the uncle of Austin Pendergrast, the hapless commander of the USS Water Witch when it was captured.

During the Mexican War, Pendergrast commanded the USS Boston He was also the commanding officer of the USS Merrimack (which later became the ironclad CSS Virginia) when it was commissioned.

Starting April 24th, the Cumberland and supporting ships began seizing Confederate ships and privateers off Fort Monroe in the Chesapeake Bay, capturing 16. The first major blockade operation of the war.

When the Cumberland was sunk by the CSS Virginia, Pendergrast was no longer the ship's commander.

In July, 1862, Pendergrast became a commodore and was assigned to the command of the Philadelphia Naval Yard where he died November 7, 1862, of a paralytic stroke.

He is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. Find-A-Grave shows a large obelisk with an anchor on it. It also says that Austin Pendergrast is buried at the same spot and that Garrett was his father.

I had Never Heard of Him. --Old B-Runner

Battle of Gloucester Point

As usual, I find out about something I don't know, that will cause more research on the subject. And, more time.

From Wikipedia.

The battle in the last entry took place May 7, 1861, and no casualties were reported. Flag officer Garrett J. Pendergrast, the uncle of Austin Pendergrast, who surrendered the USS Congress to the CSS Virginia and later lost the USS Water Witch to a Confederate boarding party, for which he was severely reprimanded, ordered Lt. Selfridge to investigate the reports of Confederate guns at the point.

After the battle, Selfridge reported that all but two of the Confederate shells fired at the USS Yankee fell short. He believed the Confederates had "long 32s and an 8-inch shell gun." Actually, the southerners just had smaller six-pounder cannons.

However, a rush was made to fortify the point and by May 11th, two 9-inch guns were in place and two more were ready. By June 14th, the battery mounted 14 heavy guns.

Chance Lost for the Federals. --Old B-Runner

Anniversary re-Enactment of the Capture of the USS Water Witch-- Part 2

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