Bermuda Confederate Headquarters and the Globe Hotel St. George's Parish

8thFlorida

First Sergeant
Joined
Nov 27, 2016
Rogues Outside Front B5F3E372-CECB-4CE4-AB59-4BC80F999FB8 (002).JPEG


Desk 463019DC-BB50-418A-8AE6-97343B67B62F (002).JPEG


We recently completed a tour of Bermuda and wanted to share some of the Confederate history that we encountered at the Rogues and Runners Museum. This present day museum was formerly the Headquarters of Major Norman S. Walker Ordnance Agent and was the center command for Confederate Blockade Runner activities between Bermuda, Europe and the Southern States. After the war it became the Globe Hotel, which had some notable guests such as Mark Twain. I attached a copy of the guest book in which he signed as S. Langhorne.

The museum is directly across from the oldest functioning Protestant church in the Western Hemisphere- St. Peter's Anglican Church. The Rogues and Runners museum features a Victorian seal press and a copy of the original Confederate States Seal that was actually copied by its original engravers in London and the copied seal is now on permanent loan to the Bermuda National Trust at the museum. An interesting note is that the original seal and press is somewhere in a private collection on the island.

This museum is a must see. The Florida, Flora, Lynx, Mary Celestia, Thistle, Robert E. Lee, A. D. Vance, and Banshee are several of the Blockade Runners that are highlighted. Many of these risk taking ships originating from Bermuda beat the Federal blockade and went on safely to Wilmington, NC, Fernandina, FL, Charleston, SC, Galveston, TX and Mobile, AL. Some blockade runners like the Mary Celestia sunk off the coast of Southampton Parish in Bermuda. The reefs around Bermuda have claimed many ships and the Confederate Blockade Runners were no exception.
St. Peters Church 2E5ED66A-19DC-42A0-8B57-734638AFD978 (002).JPEG

Blockade Runner Front B1FEC045-6554-4B9E-AF11-59EDB9BECC5E (002).JPEG

Lee Alexandria 0D1F24AA-AE47-4672-90D7-C12801E4B494.JPEG

CSA Seal Alone 85333861-DC5A-43BB-94CE-9C18CFD3693B.JPEG


Georgiana Walker EB0FA2C6-8A18-4CCD-91AD-5CD639B4E5C5 (002).JPEG


Mary Celestia C26154D0-BB5A-450E-8B79-3E056EC48590 (002).JPEG


S. Langhorne ABB82EF6-0B6D-4DBA-9F68-638B3C2E85B1 (002).JPEG


UDC Letter CCBB1652-7275-48A2-84CA-2214559EC789.JPEG


Building Plaque 867F8905-C575-4CD8-A939-2B5E553AFE8D (002).JPEG

“The true Southern watermelon is a boon apart, and not to be mentioned with commoner things. It is chief of this world's luxuries, king by grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat. It was not a Southern watermelon that Eve took: we know it because she repented.”
Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson
 
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I didn't know about the museum. Thanks for posting - very interesting !

I do wonder if my gg grandfather - a prominent "importer" in Charleston - ever visited.
Sure thing. I’m sure he did if he was prominent. What was his name? I just ordered a book that has a list of all of the Confederate Blockade Runner records.

I’m not sure how much of the history has been lost but Bermuda is doing a good job of holding onto it for future generations. CWT only had a few mentions of the museum so I wanted to share with the group.
 
Sure thing. I’m sure he did if he was prominent. What was his name? I just ordered a book that has a list of all of the Confederate Blockade Runner records.

I’m not sure how much of the history has been lost but Bermuda is doing a good job of holding onto it for future generations. CWT only had a few mentions of the museum so I wanted to share with the group.

Grandpa's name was Daniel Hardy Silcox. He was a founding member of the Importing & Exporting Co. of Charleston, one of the two biggest blockade running companies, and often hosted Bee sales out of his furniture store on King St. He and his brother had a store in Columbia, SC where they sold their goods (which burned when Columbia was occupied). While he did sell some furniture to the Confederate government, Daniel didn't import military goods (as far as I could determine). He didn't captain any vessels; just chartered them and imported cargo. He was one of those who had to get a presidential pardon because he was worth more than $20,000 when the war ended.
 
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Grandpa's name was Daniel Hardy Silcox. He was a founding member of the Importing & Exporting Co. of Charleston, one of the two biggest blockade running companies, and often hosted Bee sales out of his furniture stone on King St. He and his brother had a store in Columbia, SC where they sold their goods (which burned when Columbia was occupied). While he did sell some furniture to the Confederate government, Daniel didn't import military goods (as far as I could determine). He didn't captain any vessels; just chartered them and imported cargo. He was one of those who had to get a presidential pardon because he was worth more than $20,000 when the war ended.

Sounds like there is a good book in that story...

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
Sounds like there is a good book in that story...

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

Well, while I find his story interesting he was far from unique. Because he imported goods for his furniture store before the war he had connections in the shipping trade (he was probably a silent partner in one company - a daughter married one of their captains - and for a time ran a ship chandlery business with one of the Bee family) and I'm sure that served him well and was how he jumped at blockade running as an opportunity. Just one of many who found a way to profit from the war and was in the right place at the right time.
 
Tough assignment to be the CSA agent in Bermuda for the duration!:D

Indeed - until Yellow Fever struck...

Year / White / Coloured / Military / Convicts & Officers / Total Deaths / Total Population / Percent of Population

1864 / 217 / 20 / 206 / 28 / 471 / 13536 / 3.5%

Before anyone asks, I have no idea why the compiler grouped Convicts & Officers together...

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
Indeed - until Yellow Fever struck...

Year / White / Coloured / Military / Convicts & Officers / Total Deaths / Total Population / Percent of Population

1864 / 217 / 20 / 206 / 28 / 471 / 13536 / 3.5%

Before anyone asks, I have no idea why the compiler grouped Convicts & Officers together...

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
If you go to the St.Peter's Church Cemetery you can find many of the graves of those that died of yellow fever. Many of them are pre-Civil War as well.
 
Grandpa's name was Daniel Hardy Silcox. He was a founding member of the Importing & Exporting Co. of Charleston, one of the two biggest blockade running companies, and often hosted Bee sales out of his furniture store on King St. He and his brother had a store in Columbia, SC where they sold their goods (which burned when Columbia was occupied). While he did sell some furniture to the Confederate government, Daniel didn't import military goods (as far as I could determine). He didn't captain any vessels; just chartered them and imported cargo. He was one of those who had to get a presidential pardon because he was worth more than $20,000 when the war ended.
I emailed the curator of the museum to see if there is a good resource for you as well or if he has seen the name in any Bermuda records.
 
This is amazing! Thank you for posting! I just posted some of my reenactment photos from Hale Farm from this past weekend only a few hours ago and my character is a female Confederate spy/smuggler so learning as much as I can about my "sources" of "contraband" only helps me! Thank you again! :lee:
 
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We recently completed a tour of Bermuda and wanted to share some of the Confederate history that we encountered at the Rogues and Runners Museum. This present day museum was formerly the Headquarters of Major Norman S. Walker Ordnance Agent and was the center command for Confederate Blockade Runner activities between Bermuda, Europe and the Southern States. After the war it became the Globe Hotel, which had some notable guests such as Mark Twain. I attached a copy of the guest book in which he signed as S. Langhorne.

The museum is directly across from the oldest functioning Protestant church in the Western Hemisphere- St. Peter's Anglican Church. The Rogues and Runners museum features a Victorian seal press and a copy of the original Confederate States Seal that was actually copied by its original engravers in London and the copied seal is now on permanent loan to the Bermuda National Trust at the museum. An interesting note is that the original seal and press is somewhere in a private collection on the island.

This museum is a must see. The Florida, Flora, Lynx, Mary Celestia, Thistle, Robert E. Lee, A. D. Vance, and Banshee are several of the Blockade Runners that are highlighted. Many of these risk taking ships originating from Bermuda beat the Federal blockade and went on safely to Wilmington, NC, Fernandina, FL, Charleston, SC, Galveston, TX and Mobile, AL. Some blockade runners like the Mary Celestia sunk off the coast of Southampton Parish in Bermuda. The reefs around Bermuda have claimed many ships and the Confederate Blockade Runners were no exception.
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“The true Southern watermelon is a boon apart, and not to be mentioned with commoner things. It is chief of this world's luxuries, king by grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat. It was not a Southern watermelon that Eve took: we know it because she repented.”
Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson
This is so cool!!! Thank you for sharing this.

When was that particular HQ established?

-Tyler Underwood
 
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