'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
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
Showing posts with label USS Niagara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USS Niagara. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Operations of the USS Niagara on Gulf Coast, June 1861-- Part 1
From the July 15th Long Recall, the Civil War Blog as it happened in the newspapers. I look at this every day.
This was a letter from the US steam frigate Niagara off Fort Pickens, Florida, written June 25, 1861.
Not much happening off Mobile so left that station to the USS St. Louis to blockade on the night of June 11th and arrived at Fort Pickens on the 12th. They took the prize schooner "taken from the Mobileans right under the nose of Fort Morgan"
On the new station at Pensacola, the ship took on 100 new men from the US transport South Carolina and had begun training them in gunnery and other shipboard duties. Quite a bit of gunnery practice.
On the 15th, the USS Sabine left for Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The Niagara's crew also helped land guns and munitions at Fort Pickens from the steamers Star of the South and Thomas Swain. All these new guns were rifled.
Receiving news of Rebel activity from deserters and they were erecting batteries at various points opposite Pickens.
This letter gives a good idea what blockade duty was like. It wasn't all just sitting there and waiting to catch sight of a blockade-runner.
Life on Blockade Duty. --Old B-R'er
This was a letter from the US steam frigate Niagara off Fort Pickens, Florida, written June 25, 1861.
Not much happening off Mobile so left that station to the USS St. Louis to blockade on the night of June 11th and arrived at Fort Pickens on the 12th. They took the prize schooner "taken from the Mobileans right under the nose of Fort Morgan"
On the new station at Pensacola, the ship took on 100 new men from the US transport South Carolina and had begun training them in gunnery and other shipboard duties. Quite a bit of gunnery practice.
On the 15th, the USS Sabine left for Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The Niagara's crew also helped land guns and munitions at Fort Pickens from the steamers Star of the South and Thomas Swain. All these new guns were rifled.
Receiving news of Rebel activity from deserters and they were erecting batteries at various points opposite Pickens.
This letter gives a good idea what blockade duty was like. It wasn't all just sitting there and waiting to catch sight of a blockade-runner.
Life on Blockade Duty. --Old B-R'er
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