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Such was the end of the Virginia, a vessel constructed out of the burned and scuttled remains of the Merrimac, planned and fashioned crudely because of the limited resources of the Confederacy, armed with the banded guns, the work of Lieut. J. M. Brooke, manned with a crew of soldiers collected from regiments and a few sailors that remained in Norfolk after the evacuation, but commanded by the ablest, and bravest, and most skillful officers of the C. S. navy. She was a prodigy and a nondescript in naval construction. In her short career she not only inflicted immense loss on her enemy, defied the best production of unrestricted American genius, but revolutionized naval construction throughout the world. From her performance was given the first glimpses of the new system of naval warfare that was opening upon all navies; and she taught the nations that the end of wooden fighting-ships had come. The shots that sounded on her four-inch armament were heard and heeded in Europe, and England, France, and continental powers learned that no weapon of offence or defence was left to them, so efficient as a large armor-clad and very swift ram. Even in her weakness from over-draft and inefficient motive power, the Virginia carried the lesson, "that armor-plated floating batteries are the cheapest and most effectual protection to coasts and harbors," and in her short but glorious career she prefigured that of the Confederacy itself-brilliant in courage and endurance, but wanting greatly in those weightier matters which constitute a great and powerful nation.

The military movements of the armies on the peninsula, by which Gen. Joseph E. Johnston retired from the Yorktown lines to the west side of the Chickahominy, caused the order for the evacuation of Norfolk. The military necessity it is not our purpose to discuss; it put an end to all naval operations in Hampton Roads, and the little Confederate fleet, withdrawing up James River, took station behind the fortifications at Drewry's and Chapin's Bluffs. Norfolk was evacuated by the Confederates, the navy-yard and ships were burned, and Gen. Wool marched into the empty fortifications.

The loss of the navy-yard was a very great diminution of Confederate naval resources, while the destruction of the Virginia was equal almost to the loss of an army of many thousand men. Indeed, the official records show that she was far more feared at Washington than Gen. Lee's army, and that the terror excited by her exploits reached to every Atlantic city.

CHAPTER XI.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER FROM CAIRO TO VICKSBURG.

T

HE Mississippi River and its tributaries-that "inland sea," to which the Supreme Court of the United States extended maritime jurisdiction, because of its "two thousands of miles of public navigable waters, including lakes and rivers, in which there is no tide"-was too important to the great Northwest for its outlet to the ocean to be controlled by any power foreign to the United States.

The erection of batteries near Vicksburg by the State of Mississippi, in December and January, 1861, caused great excitement throughout the Northwest. "There was a good deal of fierce talk on both sides," said the N. Y. Herald of January 28th, 1861:

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"And some Western governors drew ensanguined pictures of possible difficulties to take place among the canebrakes and woodyards of the Mississippi. It appears, however, that these batteries were temporary affairs, built to prevent the reinforcement of the forts at points below Vicksburg, more especially those at New Orleans. The Louisiana Convention made haste to declare that the navigation of the river should be free to all friendly States and powers.' The governor of Mississippi recommends that the most prompt and efficient measures be adopted to make known to the people of the North western States that peaceful commerce on the Mississippi River will neither be interrupted nor annoyed by the people of Mississippi.' We agree with the governor in the statement that 'this will preserve peace between the South and the Northwest, if it can be preserved.' * * * We regard the course of Louisiana and Mississippi upon the matter of the river navigation as being not only very important in a commercial point of view, but likewise a very cheering sign that our political affairs are not in such a bad way as to be altogether hopeless. Let Chicago rejoice and Wall Street be comforted. Trade, the calm health of nations," will still flow unrestricted from the Falls of St. Anthony to the Delta of the Mississippi."

Notwithstanding these assurances of free navigation by Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as by the first acts of the Confederate Congress: That the peaceful navigation of the Mississippi River is hereby declared free to the citizens of any State upon its borders, or upon the borders of its navigable

tributaries," the great northwestern section of the United States was unwilling to accept, as a concession from a foreign power, a right so essential and indispensable to the prosperity and progress of its peoples. If there had been no sentiment of union to rouse the spirit of war for its preservation, this right of freely navigating without let or hindrance, without permission or question, the Mississippi, from its source to the Gulf, would have involved the two republics in war before the lapse of a single decade.

The Louisville Journal of Jan. 24th, 1861, had the following indignant protest against the blockade of the Mississippi River:

"It appears that the respectable Kentucky secessionist who informed us that the cannon placed at Vicksburg by the order of the governor were withdrawn from the Mississippi shore on Tuesday of last week was mistaken. The battery still frowns from the bank, compelling all descending boats to come up to, undergo a formal search, and pay wharfage, although they have no business in the port. And now, as we learn from telegraphic dispatches, a battery of sixteen thirty-two pounders has been planted upon the Memphis bluff to bring boats to there as they are brought to at Vicksburg. This really seems almost incredible. It is hard to bring ourselves to believe that the people of Memphis, always deemed so loyal, can tolerate any such a high-handed proceeding, such a wrong and insult to all the States that use the Mississippi River for purposes of navigation. Much as we dislike violence in all its forms, we should suppose that the Memphis population, in spite of the Minute Men, or any other organization, secret or open, would rise up in their wrath and tunible the obstructing battery into the river. We wonder whether batteries are to be planted at all the ports of all the States on the Lower Mississippi for overhauling all descending boats, examining their cargoes with an eye to seizure or confiscation, and enforcing the payment of wharfage. If so, how long before the river cities will either break up the navigation to which they owe their existence and on which they depend for its continuance, or else bring upon themselves and their States the armed hosts of the States that shall feel themselves aggrieved?

"The Louisiana State Convention is very careful to stipulate for the free navigation of the Mississippi. Yesterday the following resolution was reported to the Convention, to be added to the ordinance of secession:

"We, the people of Louisiana, recognize the right of free navigation of the Mississippi River and tributaries by all friendly States bordering thereon; we also recognize the right of the ingress and egress of the mouths of the Mississippi by all friendly States and Powers, and hereby declare our willingness to enter into stipulations to guarantee the exercise of those rights.'"

As if to force the Southern States, against their wish and purpose, to prevent the free navigation of the Mississippi River, the U. S. Surveyor of the Customs at Louisville, Ky., May 8th, was instructed to prevent the shipment of arms, ammunition and provisions to the seceded States, including Tennessee, North Carolina and Arkansas, and to intercept such shipments passing by or going through Louisville.

The administration at Washington thus took the first steps to interrupt the free navigation of the Mississippi. It was

1 Approved, Feb. 26th, 1861.

by successive steps against the interests and the purposes of the Southern States that from one act to another, by one provocation and another, the two sections did exactly what was against their material interest, because of their fears of injury by the authorities of each section. But commercial intercourse was not wholly interrupted by the Proclamation of Mr. Lincoln, of April 19th.

The Cairo correspondence of the Cincinnati Commercial, of May 25th, says:

"Somewhat singular is the manner in which matters are being conducted at the different ports in relation to articles_destined South. A few days since, the Surveyor of the Port at St. Louis permitted the steamer Falls City to clear with some 10,000 or 15,000 barrels of lime for New Orleans. Upon her arrival here, as you are aware, she was stopped, and the lime taken off. Yesterday a flatboat loaded with the same article arrived from Louisville. She underwent an examination by the authorities at Evansville, and was allowed to pass. This lime was also stopped here. The orders upon this subject must be general and consistent. This peculiar execution of them should be remedied, so that the great inconvenience and consequent dissatisfaction might be avoided, and the object of the blockade more easily and speedily accomplished. Considerable anxiety is manifested here in relation to the steamer Prince of Wales. It is thought that she has been seized at Memphis, as an article in yesterday's Avalanche, in speaking of the seizure of the Sovereign, and the expected arrival of the Prince, sounded somewhat of rapaciousness.

“The steamship Catawba was seized at New Orleans, April 25th, 1861, by a number of citizens under Capt. Shirens, on their own responsibility; she was released afterwards by orders from Governor Moore, who had received instructions from the Confederate government prohibiting and disapproving of any obstruction to commerce in Southern ports. The Collector of New Orleans was notified to the same effect. Orders were also sent to the Collector at Galveston, to raise the embargo at that port-general government alone having such power. The Catawba sailed for New York, full of freight and passengers. She was owned principally in New Orleans and Mobile. She was only seized on the ground of expediency and not out of retaliation.

"Governor Moore, in reply to a dispatch relative to the seizure of boats and Southern property in the Ohio River, was instructed by the government at Montgomery to wait till the reports were confirmed, and then only to retaliate by seizing property belonging to citizens of Ohio."

When war became inevitable by the assault on Sumter, Attorney General Bates, on April 17th, wrote to James B. Eads to hold himself in readiness to aid the U. S. government with his information and experience of the Mississippi as to the best manner of recapturing and holding the navigation of all Western waters. On the 29th of April, Mr. Eads' submitted a plan of operations with a description of the kinds of gunboats suitable for operations on Western rivers. The plan, approved by Commodore Paulding, was intrusted to Capt. John Rodgers to be put in execution. After further consultation with Mr. Eads, the Conestoga, Taylor and Lexington, powerful freight and passenger Ohio River steamboats, were altered at Cincinnati and converted into gunboats. While

1 Life of Admiral Foote, p. 164.

these boats were not iron-plated they were protected by oak bulwarks from musket balls.'

Mr. Eads became the successful bidder for the seven gunboats, advertised for construction by the U. S. quartermaster in July. These gunboats were each of 600 tons, and drew six feet water, and carried thirteen guns each. They were built very strong, and plated with two-and-a-half-inch iron, and could steam nine miles per hour. Their form and dimensions gave very great steadiness, and the accuracy of the fire of their guns was almost equal to those on land batteries. These seven boats were the DeKalb, Carondelet, Cincinnati, Louisville, Mound City, Cairo, and Pittsburg. The Benton was added later; she became the flag-ship of Admiral Foote, who, in September, 1861, assumed command in Mississippi waters. This was a powerful squadron, aggregating a tonnage of 5,000, heavily armored, fully equipped, and mounting 157 large guns, without which all the armies of the great West would not have been able to have regained and held the navigation of the Mississippi River.

The efforts of Secretary Mallory to organize a fleet on the Mississippi River were necessarily confined to adapting river craft to war purposes. While the immense resources of the United States were able in 100 days to put afloat, armed and equipped, the fleet of gunboats on the Mississippi River, the Confederate Navy Department was confined to altering steamboats; and even that work was hindered and delayed by want of skilled workmen, scarcity of material at ports, and embarrassments from defection and deficient transportation.

New Orleans and Memphis were the only points on the Mississippi River in the least adapted to ship-building or repairing. At the latter city, the Tennessee and Arkansas were put under contract for completion by December 24th, 1861.

The secession of Tennessee and her adoption of the Confederate Constitution enabled the Confederate authorities to

1 The first active service of the Lexington was to seize the W. B. Terry, at Paducah, Ky., Aug. 25th, 1861; and that act, called for by no conduct, hostile or injurious, to the United States, or any citizens thereof, provoked to capture by Kentuckians of the steamer Samuel Orre, belonging to Evansville, Ind., and worth, with her cargo, $25,000. Thus, one uncalled for outrage led to others, and on the 28th of July, Col. A. A. Hunt, Capt. G. B. Massey and Lieut. W. H. Branham, left the city of Mobile for the purpose of capturing the packet Cheney. On their arrival at Columbus, Ky., they found her running under the orders and signals of Gen. Prentiss. There being some doubt as to where she belonged, Col. Hunt sent Capt. Massey to Cairo, with instructions to remain there until he could ascertain her proper ownership. On the return of Capt. Massey, it was rendered certain that she belonged to the enemy. Col. Hunt, having been informed that the packet carried United States troops secreted upon her, made known the object of his expedition to a few reliable friends in Columbus, and received the aid of T. W. Doughty, S. W. Rennich and W. Gray.

Col.

On the arrival of the Cheney at Columbus, on Thursday, the 1st of August, as she landed she was boarded, the captain, clerk and other officers arrested-the short space of twenty minutes being allowed them to get ashore. Hunt then took command of the boat, bringing her down the Mississippi River to the headquarters of Gen. G. J. Pillow, to whom he reported the prize. Gen. Pillow then ordered Col. Hunt, with the packet, to Memphis to report to Maj. Gen. Polk.

As she left for Columbus a shout arose from a large assemblage on the levee. At Hickman she was presented with a Confederate flag, and three hearty cheers for the success of the adventurers were given. As she progressed down the river, salutes were fired, and other demonstrations of joy were manifested. At Randolph, Capt. Tom Demmons, of the Woodruff guard, was detailed with a detachment of his men to guard her to Memphis.

She arrived at the wharf with a large U. S. flag flying beneath a handsome Southern banner. The Cheney was worth probably $25,000, and was a capital prize.

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