Blockade Runner Ad-Vance, painting

[CSA Today]

"This steamer, formerly called the "Lord Clyde," running between Dublin and Glasgow, was purchased by the State of North Carolina to carry cotton and other Southern products, and bring in arms and supplies of clothing and medicines for the North Carolina State Troops, and was named the Ad-Vance."

Chief Engineer - James Maglenn

This is a painting by William G. Muller of the Ad-Vance at Wilmington, N.C. in September 1863, loading cotton.

 

[AndyHall]

That's a great painting.

 

[Seduzal]

. Yes, great painting! Never seen this one before. Thanks fort sharing.

 

[JeffBrooks]

Vance. . . as in Zebulon Vance?

 

[CSA Today]

Vance. . . as in Zebulon Vance?

I often wondered about it, I don't recall seeing anything stating that it was named for Governor Vance, but a reasonable guess would be that was since the governor was so instrumental in buying the ship. The hyphenated name may have been a play on the word advance, but you would have thought the name would have been simply Vance or Governor Vance.

 

[Bob Owen]

Great painting and a great looking ship! I wonder if a print for framing is available?

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

USS Frolic
Confederate Blockade Runner Advance Civil War Navy Ship
Advance (Blockade Running Steamer, 1863-1864) Also called A.D. Vance

Advance , a 902-ton side-wheel steamer, was built at Greenock, Scotland, in 1862 for use as a River Clyde packet. Purchased by the State of North Carolina under the name Lord Clyde in 1863, she was renamed Advance (a name frequently given as A.D. Vance ), and put to work running the Federal blockade. She was one of the most successful Confederate blockade runners, making more than twenty voyages before her capture by USS Santiago de Cuba off Wilmington, North Carolina, on 10 September 1864. Taken into the United States Navy soon thereafter, she served as USS Advance until June 1865, when she was renamed Frolic .

USS Frolic operated as the Confederate blockade runner Advance from 1863 until her capture by USS Santiago de Cuba on 10 September 1864. Purchased by the U.S. Navy from the prize court in that month, she was commissioned as USS Advance in October 1864. During the rest of that year, and into 1865, she was active off the North Carolina coast and took part in the assaults on Fort Fisher in December 1864 and January 1865. Advance went to New York in March 1865 and was out of commission there until June, when she was placed back into service and renamed Frolic .

Frolic was then assigned to the European Squadron as a dispatch vessel, a mission for which she was well suited by virtue of her small size and good speed. Arriving at Flushing, the Netherlands, in July 1865, she operated in northern European waters and in the Mediterranean until 1869. Again out of commission from May to September 1869, Frolic 's next active service was patrolling the North Atlantic fishing grounds in April-October 1870. After another period in reserve, she operated off New England for several months in 1872 and was then station ship at New York. In 1875-77, she cruised in South American waters as a unit of the South Atlantic Squadron. Decommissioned for the last time in October 1877, USS Frolic was sold in October 1883. She was a civilian ship, retaining the name Frolic , for a few years after that.

Source:
http://www.americancivilwar.com/tcwn/civil_war/Navy_Ships/blockade_runner_Advance.html

Related thread,
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/blockade-runner.75913/

 

[CSA Today]

"Governor Vance sent agents to England who purchased for the state a swift steamer which was renamed the Advance. Later the state acquired part ownership in several other blockade runners. Before the capture of the Advance it made eleven trips through the blockade, taking out cotton and bringing into Wilmington arms, food, and supplies necessary for civilian and soldiers. Governor Vance regarded the success of the venture of blockade-running as one of the most important achievements of his administration and it was one of the sources of his great popularity as "war governor". Years later he described the supplies thus obtained by the state: large quantities of machinery supplies, 60,000 pair of hand cards, 10,000 grain scythes, 200 barrels of bluestone for wheat growers. Leather and shoes amounting to 250,000 pairs, 50,000 blankets, woolen cloth for at least 250,000 uniforms, 12,000 overcoats, 2,000 Enfield rifles, 100,000 of bacon,, 500 sacks of coffee for hospital use, $50,000 worth of medicines, large quantities of lubricating oils, and many minor supplies of various kinds. The total business on state account was over $12,000,000, of which about $6,000,000 worth of goods were resold to the Confederate government. The state government alleviated civilian shortages, and suffering, aiding in feeding and clothing of the Confederate armies and fully succeeded in meeting its responsibilities of clothing the troops from North Carolina."

Hugh T, Lefler and Albert R. Newsome. North Carolina: the History of a Southern State, p.436.

 

[donna]

A beautiful painting.

 

[Lee]

Great Pictures, Information, and Thread CSA..................hat tip to you sir.

 

[USS ALASKA]

Anniversary Bump

10 Sept 1864

North Carolina. USS Santiago de Cuba, Captain Glisson, captured the blockade-running steamer A D Vance at sea northeast of Wilmington, with a cargo of cotton. Advance was commanded by Capt. Tom Crossan when captured by USS Santiago de Cuba on 10 September 1864 when she attempted to put to sea from Wilmington, North Carolina. Gov. Vance attributed her capture to use of low grade North Carolina bituminous coal and denounced Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory for giving the stockpile of smokeless anthracite to CSS Tallahassee (a raiding cruiser) so that none was left for Advance to run out of Wilmington safely. Writing on 3 January 1865, Vance complained:

"Why a State struggling for the common good, to clothe and provide for its troops in the public service, should meet with no more favor than a blockade gambler passes my comprehension."

Advance was condemned by the New York prize court, and she was purchased by the Navy that same month; then commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 28 October 1864, Lt. Comdr. John H. Upshur in command. Recommissioned USS Frolic, 12 June 1865, LCDR. John H. Upshur in command

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Advance_(1862)#Capture_by_the_Union_Navy

...which does bring up a question - where was the South getting her anthracite coal in this timeframe? I know there were anthracite beds within the territory of the Confederacy but didn't think they were exploited until postbellum.

Built at New York City in 1861, this steamer was commercially employed as SS Santiago de Cuba in 1861 and in 1865-1886. Between 1861 and 1865, she served as USS Santiago de Cuba. US Naval History and Heritage Command Photo #: NH 63852.

https://www.navsource.net/archives/09/86/098606102.jpg

Watercolor of USS Frolic by Erik Heyl, for use in his book "Early American Steamers", Volume III. Courtesy of Erik Heyl.
US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 66972

https://www.navsource.net/archives/09/86/098608705.jpg

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[John F Messner]

Yes indeed the Ad-Vance was captured on the 10th. By the 11th it had arrived at Fortress Monroe along with USS Santiago de Cuba. But someone who didn't arrive there was Thomas M Crossan. Although once thought to be in command of the Ad-Vance at time of capture, at the helm was Joannes Wyllie, the Scotsman who had originally brought the steamer (then know as Lord Clyde), over from Glasgow in June of 1863. Crossan had left command of the steamer in late 1863, being replaced by John Julius Guthrie and then Wyllie in February of 1864.

More can be found in my book 'A Scottish Blockade Runner in the American Civil War: Joannes Wyllie of the steamer Ad-Vance'

A Scottish Blockade Runner in the American Civil War: John F. Messner: 978-184995-482-2 - Whittles Publishing

Born in 1828 near Kelso in the Scottish Borders, Wyllie went to sea as an apprentice seaman in 1852 and quickly rose through the ranks. By 1862 he had gained his masters certificate in Liverpool, and there he took command of his first vessel, the Bonita. He sailed for Nassau, then a booming...

www.whittlespublishing.com

 

[Patrick H]

View attachment 43781
"This steamer, formerly called the "Lord Clyde," running between Dublin and Glasgow, was purchased by the State of North Carolina to carry cotton and other Southern products, and bring in arms and supplies of clothing and medicines for the North Carolina State Troops, and was named the Ad-Vance."

Chief Engineer - James Maglenn

This is a painting by William G. Muller of the Ad-Vance at Wilmington, N.C. in September 1863, loading cotton.

Nice painting. She looks like a fast hull form. How did she perform during the blockade?

 

[USS ALASKA]

How did she perform during the blockade?

A. D. Vance
(SwStr)

A. D. Vance, often written Advance, was the former Clyde packet Lord Clyde, built by Caird & Co., Greenock. She was owned in large part by the State of North Carolina and named in honor of a leading North Carolinian; some portion of her ownership rested in Power, Lord & Co.-a Fayetteville newspaper once stated two-thirds- but she was locally considered a public vessel. A. D. Vance was one of the most successful blockade runners and her loss, after more than 20 voyages and 40-odd hairbreadth escapes, was a blow keenly felt by the State.

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/confederate_ships/a-d-vance.html

Please see the above-mentioned book along with...

Lifeline of the Confederacy : blockade running during the Civil War by Stephen R Wise

Clyde Built: Blockade Runners, Cruisers and Armoured Rams of the American Civil War by Eric J Graham

Paddle Steamer LORD CLYDE built by Caird & Company in 1862 for Dublin & Glasgow Sailing & Steam Packet Company (Joseph Boyce, Thomas Richardson & Alexander Packer), Dublin , Passenger / Cargo

Paddle Steamer LORD CLYDE built by Caird & Company in 1862 for Dublin & Glasgow Sailing & Steam Packet Company (Joseph Boyce, Thomas Richardson & Alexander Packer), Dublin , Passenger / Cargo scrapped 1883?

www.clydeships.co.uk

HTHs,
USS ALASKA