Confederate Raider 1861–65

51 Pages·7.466 MB·English

by  Angus Konstam, Tony Bryan

Contedera te Rai der
1861-65
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 3
THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT 4
OF THE RAIDING FLEET
JAMES BULLOCH'S BRITISH RAIDERS 8
ANGUS KONSTAM halls from
the Orkney Islands and Is the
author of over 20 books for THE BUSINESS OF COMMERCE RAIDING 15
Osprey. His other maritime
titles Include Campaign 103:
Hampton Roads 1862, New CREW 17
Vanguard 41: Confederate
Ironclad 1861-65 and New
Vanguard 56: Union River OPERATIONAL HISTORY OF THE
Ironclad 1861-65. Formerly tho CONFEDERATE RAIDERS
Curator of Weapons In the
Royal Armourles at the Tower of • Tilt' principal raiders
London, he also served as the • Auxiliaries and other potential comlllerre rai<kr~
Chief Curator of the Mel Fisher
• Pri\'atcc-r~
Maritime Museum In Key West,
Florida. He Is now based In
London, where he combines a GUNNERY 41
freelance museum consultancy
business with a career as a
historian and writer. BIBLIOGRAPHY 43
COLOR PLATE COMMENTARY 44
INDEX 48
TONY BRYAN Is a freelance
illustrator of many years
experience. He Initially
qualified In Engineering
and worked for a number of
years In Military Research
and Development, and has a
keen Interest In military
hardware - armor, small
arms, aircraft and ships.
Tony has produced many
illustrations for partworks,
magazines and books,
Including a number of titles
In the New Vanguard series.
OSPREY
New Vanguard • 64
PUBLISHING
Confederate Ra ider
1861-65
Angus Konstam • Illustrated by Tony Bryan
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CONFEDERATE RAIDER 1861-65
s
INTRODUCTION
hen tJ1e Confederate State~ ~eceded from the L' nion in 1861, me
newly formed Confederate government \\'US ill prepared for me
stmgglc ahead. The Confederate Sen etat') of the Navy, Stephen
R. l\lallory, was faced with the dual problem~ ol defending the long
Southern coastJine from naval attack, and taking the war to the enemy.
Mallory hoped to cause sufficicntloo;ses to Uttion ),hipping to Ioree Union
political leaders to me peace table. Even bdore tiH.: bombardment of Fort
Sumter in Ap1il 1861, he had ckvdoped a three-pronged strategy to
counter the Union threat. Firl>tly, he clectccl to usc 1hc limited industrial
capacity of the Confederacy to produce ironclad warship~. which would
ncturali:~c the potentially overwhelming ~ilt' of lite l'nion fleet. He also
decided to arm tJ1ese naval lc\iatJ1ans \\ith rifled gum. cle),igned bv the
Somlwrn ordnance expen.John ~1. Brooke.
Secondly, he organin·d the dcfcmc of Soutlwrn port<., through the
a-.
me ol fortifications, mine), (then J...nm\11 "torpedoe-.''), and the
ironclads. This combination pro\'erl n·mm kabh '>UCCC!.~ful gi\'en the
force-; arrayed against the Confednacv. linion n.mti'>LJ<ll<'g\ in\'oh·ed the
-.IO\\ Mrangulation of the
, outlwrn State'> through
the imposition of a na\'al
hlorJ...ack. In cflect this pre
\'entecl the Confederates
from gathering sufficient
f'orn.:~ in am· one port to
launch a co-ordinated naval
altar\.. on the lJnion forces,
although relatively ind
f'eetive local auacks on Lhe
blockading ~C]lladrons were
uncleaLakcn.
Finally, i 11 order to cause
Captain Raphael Semmes, CSN, damage to the cnem\', the
photographed in Southampton onlv ollemivc option avail
(Great Britain), just days after
able to l\lallorv was the usc
the sinking of the CSS Alabama
of commerce raiders. I le
at the hands of the USS
Kearsage (June 19, 1864). belil'\NI that northern
Semmes went on to become a maritime commerce w<Ls
Rear Admiral, and was granted .,mt eptible to attack tw Con
the rank of Brlgadie,..General In
fedct<llt' high-sea raidel'),,
the Confederate Army during the
and that the predominantly
Appomattox Campaign of 1865.
(Author's Collection) maritime cconoanie~ of New 3
England could be brought to their knees through the loss of their The CSS Alabama, a line
shipping. This would then lead them to put pressure on Presidem Lincoln engraving first published in
to sue for peace. Traditionally, this kind of strategy had involved the usc Harper's Weekly (1862). The
original caption referred to the
of "privateers;" ptivatcly owned high-seas raiders who operated under
vessel as the "pirate Alabama,
license from the government for the duration of the war, rather like
alias 290," and noted that the
IC'galized pirates. Wha1 Mallory envisaged was the crearion or a small fleet engraving was certified as an
of raiders operated directly by the Confederate Navy, not by authotizcd accurate depiction of the raider
ci,ilian captains and ship-owners. Mallory's employment of custom-buill by Captain Hagar of the Brlfliant,
whose vessel was captured
high-seas raiders would prove an eiTective stratagem, although it never
by the Alabama on October 3,
succeeded in bringing the Union govemment to Lhe peace table, largely
1862. (CHC)
due to the single-minded drive of President Lincoln. The history of these
ships, the men who commanded them, and the effect they had on the war
is one or the most fascinating aspects of the naval history of the Civil War,
and is undoubtedly the one which is considered the most romantic.
THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE
RAIDING FLEET
In most maritime nations, the age-old stratagem of privatcering had
fallen inlO disuse, despite its proven historical effectiveness. During the
War of 1812 between the United States and Britain, both sides made
extensive usc of privateers issuing "letters of marque" (privatccring
licenses) throughout the war. In 1812, the British mercantile marine
was the largest in the world, making the American dcpi0)'1llent of
privateers an effective strategy. Unfortunately the American merchant
fleet proved equallr vulnerable to attack, and the losses in11icted on
4 1'\ew England ship-owners led to the paralysis of American commerce.
Evcntualh, 'ew England lobbyists forced the CS GoH'fiHllt·nt to
negotiate a peace trean with (,real Britain.
Stephen 1\Iallory wa~ \H!II aware of the dkrtiH:ness of p• ivattTring,
however, his options were limited by intemarional opinion. In the clt:radc~
since the vVar of 1812 plivillccring had fallen into disme, and the 111:J.jority
of maritime powers had outlawed the practice in the naval u·eal) J...nown
as the Declaration of Pm;~ (I R56). This treat\· also limited the U\e of
commerce raide1 of an\ t' pe. Although .\I all on reali1ed the impmtance
of securing British or French ~upport for the Confederacy, he al~o kiWI\
his strategic options were limited. I Ic w<L<; oppmcd to the usc of privateers,
and, although President L)avio; ~igncd several privatec•;ng "ktter.s of
marque" during tl1e war, tht• commerce raiders emplorcd b)' Mallory
would pr(•dorninantly be owned and operated b) the Confederaw 'aw.
F01 ~lallon·. the opp01tunitie' presented w commerce raider' were
consicl<'rable. During the L\\O decades preceding tl1c olllbreak of the war.
the m<'rrantile fleet of the Unitt·d States had enjon·d a period of dramatic
expansion. Between 1845 and 1861 bOLh thl· total tonnage and the
numbcr of American-flagged vessels had doubled in size. By 18GO, the
The Confederate privateer
merchant fleet was growing I>\' an average of 100,000 tons per ycat. This
schooner Savannah was typical
of the majority of "private was a boom period. and po• L'i -.uch as ~cw York, Bo,ton, San Franri~co
men-of-war" who patrolled and cw Orleans were filled '' ith shipping fl,ing tl1e A.me•;can flag. 1 he
the Southern coastline during total <,ite of the Ame•;can nwrrhant marine was abo close to m·t•• taJ..ing
1861. She carried a single the merchant lla\)' of Britain, \d1ich until that point had been the lc~rge-.t
18-pdr. smoothbore gun. This
flag-caJT)ing merchant fleet en-r seen on th<' world's oceans.
sketch was drawn after her
capture by the USS Parry on Mallorv\ distrust for comnwrrial privatecrs stemmed fi·om the lark of
June 3, 1861. (CHC) comrol he could enforce on their activities. At a time when world opinion
could be colored b\ a ~ingle
- cn·n t. both .\ tallorv .md
P1 e~ident Da,;-. were aware
that the ultimate f.1te of
the Confecleraq· reMcd on
it:-. recog111Lton bv the
European powers. The use
of ~tate-owned commerce
raickr~ rather than pri
\oHl'l'l ensured th.n ~lallon
could retain a greater
degree or control on:r tht·ir
act ivi Lies. Also, ptivateering
re((uired the exi~1enre of
f'Jit'ndh ports lot the pri
\-:tteel"'i to take the it p1 ite),
ba(k to. As the leading
Eutopean powerll L'Jilo•ced
sttict neulrality, their pom
W<'l"l' placed off-limit!. to
Confederate privateets.
while the increasing dlec
ti\l'ne~ of the blnck<tdt· of
tht' Soutl1 denied the u~e
of Southern ports to p•;.
vatt'tTs. Eve11tually, l hese 5
r
limitations led LO the collap!>e of tht· limited
Confederme pri\<llcering fleet. B, collU<tM. the
high-seas raider<~ planned by Mallon needed no
home pon, as they were designed to destroy
commerce. nor to capture prizes. A~ ~uch they were
a ~u-ategic weapon, forcing the llnion to devote
comiderable enerh'" to countering them, while
<'X tending the ~cope and impact of thc ''a1 beyond
the coastal waters of the Americas. ,\bow all. these
ConicdcttJ.te raiden, \\ere designed lO operate in
or
accordance with the tt'mls the Declaration of
Pari~>, and thcrcb)· avoided any potential conflict of
interei>L5 with Btitain and Ftt~.ncc.
:\tallon· ,,-;1s aiM> well aware that the ship
building capacitY of the Confederan wa., limited,
and that the few h1cilities <l\dilahk would be
hard-pressed to meet the needs of his ironclad
program, let alone furnish the South with a fleet
of commerce raiders. Conseqm~n tly. hc initiated
hi-, policy by ~ending two Confed('ratc agents lO
Europe, with the intention of ming foreign
.,hipvard!> lO produce tJ1e com mer <"l' 1< tidcrs he
ICCJllired. From that point on, although a handful
of Confederate raider'> were built 01 converted in
Southern pons, the 111ajority o! the.: raider fleet
wotlld come from Olltside the Confcckracy. These
two Confederate agenL~, the former naval ollicer Jame~ D. Bulloch and James Dunwoody Bulloch, the
the ~en1ng ofliCt'l l.ieutenantjames \. :-.Jm Ul cs~. both planned lO stan enterprising Confederate naval
their search in lkitain, where tlwre wa'> \\idespread '>ympmh~ for the agent In Britain. His remit was
later extended to cover ship
'outhern cau~c ..\ l> a neutral countn, lkiti~h shipbuilder:-. were unable
or procurement throughout Europe.
lO build warships !or foreign power~ without the approval the Bulloch was responsible for the
g-overnment. Unkss the.: British goV<'nnnetll recognized the Confederate building of both the CSS Florida
States, this approval would not be f'orthcoming. This ensured that and the CSS Alabama. (Author's
Bulloch and 1'\onh were forced to di)>RUi~c tJ1eir e!Tons from botJ1 Union Collection)
.,pic1> and Btiti'>h olliciaJ...
In tJ1e Conkckr an, :\lall01; cnhMed the help of the naval officer
Raphael Scrnrn<'~> to locate ,·e~~eb that could be comened into
commerce raider<>. I le found the ·1~7-ton passenger packet Habana in
New Orleans, L()llisiana. This vcs~d had been built in Philadelphia in
IR!l7, and had served the past thre<' >·<'ars sailing between cw Orleans
am! llavana, Cuba. On cmnw~· recommendation the Confederate
govemmcnt ptn ( haM:~d tJ1e pad,et in April 1861, and \\Ork began on her
conversion into the Confedcraq \ firM commerce raider. Two month~
later, in June 1861, ~he was commi~>siorwd into ~erYicr a.!\ the CSS Swntn;
and Sennnc1> wa~ named as her connnander. The SumlPI slipped Lhrough
the Union blockade off the Mis~is!.ippi Delta in late june, and began the
fit ~t commcrce-raiciing cruise of the war. This eight-month spree
r e\ulted in the capture of 18 L'nion p1 itt''>. Four momhs later a second
raider set sail from Charleston, South Carolina. The (' ' · .\'ashvillt \\'<li>
o• iginally a t'\e" York .!\iclewheel pa~\engcr steamer, which had been
impounded in Charleston during the auack on Fort Sumter. The eight
year old vessel wa~ convened into a warship with th<' addition of a pair
Commander Raphael Semmes, ol 12-pdr. howiller~. and was commissioned into the Confederate Na'"
CSN (center), surrounded by the in October. J lt:t original mission was LO ferrr a Confederate diplomatit
officers of the CSS Sumter, mission to Europe, but at the la~t minute she was re-designated a
photographed in Gibraltar after
commt•t-cc raider. Following her breakout from Charle\ton, sht· an;,ed
the completion of their cruise In
in the British port of Sou1hnmpton, where she caused something of a
January 1862. Note that all the
officers are shown wearing diplomatic furore "hen she became the first warship to sail into n
old-style US Naval uniforms. European port A};ng the Confederate Hag. This resulted in the tatit
(CHC) recognition of"Conl'ccleratc warships as bona fide bdligerents in F:uropc,
not as outlaw 'esse b. a stance that was argued b\' Union diplomats. It
:-.oon became apparent to . tephcn Mallory that apart from the CS ·
Sumterand the CSS .\'r15hvillf, there were no ,·esscls in any Soutlwrn port
that were ideall~ suited for ~en·ice a' high-!'leas commerce t<tidct~. Gin·n
that the Union blockade of the Southern coastlint' was deemed an illegal
act b) the ConfederaCY. and f~teed with the seeming reluctance of the
~:uropean maritime powers to recognize the Confederacr Mallory and
President Davi~ considered the issuing of privatecring "letters ol
marque." Onh a fe" private \hip 0\mcrs considered suth a \'enture, a'
11siug ships as blockacte runners was more profitable. llowever, thell'
\H'I'e a few notable exceptions. In :--Jew Orleans the ironclad gunboat
J'vlanas!.to was convened from a mercharH ,·essel, but wa~ purchased b\
the Confederate go\'crnment before it could begin her privateering
nuise. Slighth more successful wa!> the 1.mall. ew York .st('amer Calhoun.
which was converted into a privateer in a . ew Orkans yard in ~lay 181i 1.
(), cr the next ~ix month~ she cmiscd in tlw waters of the Gulf of ,\1exico
<L~ a liccn~ed privateer, before being purchased by the Confederate :-\aw
as a gunboat in Novetllber I H61. 7
Only one other official commerce raider began her career in me The CSS Sumter, from an
Americas. The specially commissioned, London-built blockade runner engraving published in Harper's
Edith was purchased by the Confederate government in 1864, in Weekly, 1862. A slow and
somewhat unseaworthy raider,
Wilmington, North Carolina. Commissioned as me CSS Chickamauga in
she nevertheless demonstrated
October me same year, she slipped through the Union blockade to cruise
the potential of commerce raiding
in the North AtJantic. I lowever, she turned out to be a poor raiding vessel, to the Confederate government.
and returned to port after only t\vo months. With tJ1e CSS Sumter an (Author's Collection)
honorable exception, the conversion of existing vessels into commerce
raiders was less than successful, partially due to tJ1c strengthening of the
Union blockade in 1861 and 1862. Consequently, nearly all Confederate
efforts to create a fleet of commerce raiders would revolve around the
purchase or constntction of ships in Europe.
JAMES BULLOCH'S BRITISH RAIDERS
Given that tJ1c Confederate 'avy was forced to look towards Europe for
the supply of suitable commerce raiders, the naval mission of James
Bulloch and James North became of paramount importance. While
orth concentrated on the purcha~e of ironclad warships (with a
singular lack of success), Bulloch, a civilian in the Naval Department and
a matemal uncle of future American President Theodore Roosevelt,
cleYoted his energies to the commissioning of commerce raiders. He
took passage to Liverpool in Great Britain, a port renowned for its
shipbuilding excellence and the entreprenewial skills of its shipbuilde1~~
and ship owners. Arriving in the city on June 4, 1861, he quickly
established contact~ with local companies. Confederate currency was not
recognized in Britain, so Bulloch had to wait until quanti Lies of gold were
shipped to his British bank before Liverpool shipbuilders would consider
8 undertaking any pr<{jecl. Once his funding was secured, Bulloch still had