Confederate Blockade Runner 1861–65

Angus Konstam, Tony Bryan

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781841766362
• eBook ISBN: 9781472853264
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: American Civil War History
• Index: History

The lifeblood of the Confederacy, the blockade runners of the Civil War usually began life as regular fast steam-powered merchant ships. They were adapted for the high-speed dashes through the Union blockade which closed off all the major Southern ports, and for much of the war they brought much-needed food, clothing and weaponry to the Confederacy. This book traces their operational history, including the development of purpose-built blockade running ships, and examines their engines, crews and tactics. It describes their wartime exploits, demonstrating their operational and mechanical performance, whilst examining what life was like on these vessels through accounts of conditions on board when they sailed into action.

COLOR PLATE COMMENTARY

This unidentified British blockade runner was captured off Wilmington in December 1864. She is still flying the British mercantile “red ensign” from her stern and an unidentified flag from her mainmast. Note the traces of collision damage to her starboard side. (Stratford Archive)

A: Converted blockade runners

A1: Advance

A2: Margaret & Jessie

A: CONVERTED BLOCKADE RUNNERS

A1: Advance

Built at Greenock in Scotland by Caird & Co., this sleek blockade runner began life as the schooner-rigged sidewheel steam packet Lord Clyde. Launched in July 1862, she measured 230ft long, had a 26-ft beam, and a draft of 12ft. She was capable of speeds of up to 12 knots. She was purchased by the shipping firm of Power, Low & Company, which operated her in partnership with the state of North Carolina.

She is sometimes erroneously referred to as the A.D. Vance, a name which was never used in contemporary documents, and which confuses the ship name with that of the State Governor who supported her operation. Commanded by Lieutenant Tom Crossan of the Confederate Navy, she made 17 successful round-trip voyages from Wilmington to either Nassau or Bermuda before she was captured off the mouth of the Cape Fear River by the USS Santiago de Cuba on September 10, 1864. She was subsequently taken into Union service as the gunboat USS Advance.

A2: Margaret & Jessie

The steel sidewheel steamer Douglas was built at Robert Napier & Sons’ yard on Clydeside in Scotland in early 1858, for use as a packet steamer running between Liverpool and the Isle of Man. She was 211ft long, with a 26-ft beam and a draft of 10ft. Her sidewheel engines gave her a very respectable maximum speed of 15 knots, and when she was first built she was lauded as the fastest steamer in the world. In November 1862, she was purchased for use as a blockade runner, and made her first voyage to Charleston, slipping through the Union blockade to enter the port in late January 1863. She was then renamed the Margaret & Jessie, and made 18 more voyages between the Confederate seaboard and Nassau, five from Charleston and three from Wilmington. She was finally captured on her 20th return voyage on November 5, 1863, by the USS Nansemond while trying to slip into Wilmington. Taken into Union service as the USS Gettysburg, she ended the war as part of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, stationed as a “chaser” off Wilmington.

B: Running the blockade off Wilmington, 1864

B: RUNNING THE BLOCKADE OFF WILMINGTON, 1864

The location of Wilmington near the mouth of the Cape Fear River made it an ideal blockade-running port. Its rail links and proximity to the armies in Tennessee and Virginia made it ideal for the supply of the Confederate Army, while its location also allowed the easy trans-shipment of cotton from the Deep South to the Carolina coast. Even more important, the port was protected by Fort Fisher and other works such as Fort Caswell, and the garrisons did what they could to support blockade-running operations.

This close support is evident in this scene, which shows the government-owned blockade runner Owl attempting to slip out of Wilmington on the night of October 3/4, 1864. The British-built sidewheel steamer had entered the port on her maiden voyage the previous month, and was then turned over to Captain John Newland Maffitt of the Confederate Navy. Therefore, when she made the attempt shown here, she was commanded by one of the most experienced officers available.

When the Owl reached the mouth of the Cape Fear River she headed south, but was spotted by the tug Berberry, which maneuvered to block the blockade runner’s route back into the river and fired signal rockets to alert the rest of the fleet. Both the Berberry and the gunboat USS Niphon opened fire, hitting the Owl and wounding Maffit and several of his crew. The damage was insufficient to stop the blockade runner, and she managed to pull away from her pursuers in the darkness. During the action the Niphon fired 20 shots from her starboard battery, while the Owl fired a white flare, alerting the garrison of Fort Fisher, who opened up with covering fire.

Reports of the time mention that the sea was smooth, the weather was mild and visibility was good. Ensign Griffith, commanding the tug, reported that the Confederate blockade runner was long and low, with two stacks and no masts. Incidentally, observers also recorded that, unlike other blockade runners, the Owl’s hull was light red.

C: The Banshees

C1: Banshee (I)

C2: Banshee (II)

C: THE BANSHEES

C1: Banshee (I)

The Banshee was a purpose-built blockade runner, built by Jones, Quiggin & Co. of Liverpool in the summer of 1863. She was 214ft long, with a 20-ft beam and an 8-ft draft, and her hull was built from steel, making her one of the first ever steel-hulled merchantmen. On her maiden voyage, in January 1863, damage incurred to her light decking meant that she had to be strengthened, but she was soon ready for service as a fast-steaming blockade runner. With a top speed of up to 15 knots, she could outpace most of the Union fleet. She operated on the Nassau to Wilmington run, and under the command of Captain Joseph W. Steele she made 14 voyages in and out of Wilmington before her luck ran out. She was captured by the USS James Adger on her 15th voyage as she tried to run into Wilmington on November 21, 1863. She subsequently served in...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• CONTENTS
• CONFEDERATE BLOCKADE RUNNER 1861–65
• DEVELOPMENT
• DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
• THE OPERATION OF BLOCKADE RUNNERS
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• COLOR PLATE COMMENTARY
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
• eCopyright