Blockade Runner Mary Celestia

USS ALASKA

Captain
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
To go with thread - https://civilwartalk.com/threads/be...and-the-globe-hotel-st-georges-parish.148899/

Letter from Bermuda: Secrets of a Civil War Shipwreck
Volume 64 Number 6, November/December 2011
by James P. Delgado

The oceangoing sidewheel steamship Mary Celestia offers new insight into the desperate struggle between North and South—and faint echoes of her crew's private aspirations

Mary Celestia was one of hundreds of steamers built to run the blockade. William and James Crenshaw, two brothers from Richmond, Virginia, commissioned the ship to serve their business interests in Great Britain and its colonies, including Bermuda. They depended on regular maritime trade, running the blockade with a variety of goods and returning to Bermuda with cotton. Bermuda was the ideal transshipment point for the blockade runners. Its small port of St. Georges was crowded with ships arriving from Halifax, Liverpool, London, and Nassau carrying coal to fuel the runners. They also brought commodities that steamers could quickly run past the blockaded U.S. coast several hundred miles away. The cotton that the runners landed in Bermuda would then be sent to Great Britain in large, slow ships without fear of interception by the U.S. Navy, which stayed close to the American shore.

Mary Celestia's brief career was dramatic. Chased by a U.S. Navy blockader, the runner escaped when the captain threw 100 bales of cotton (worth some $100,000) overboard to lighten the load. The engineer then held the safety valves down to get the boilers running hot enough to push the steamer's engines to 17 knots— enough to outrun the Yankee ship.


@8thFlorida

Full lengthy article can be found here - https://archive.archaeology.org/1111/letter/mary_celestia_bermuda_civil_war_noaa.html

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
Great story. There are many lost stories like this. Andy Hall knows a lot of them as well. Very cool. Thanks.
 
About a week ago I watched a youtube video about this ship and a second one in deeper water, on the opposite side of the island. Clive Cussler was the Host, and a professional dive team. You know how these videos are commercialized, but they did a very good job for explanation. The one down on the reef they feel was done as an act of sabotage. The pilot had no reason to turn toward the island where he did, being he knew the local waters very well. I can look it up and title it, with a bit of search, but last week's news tonight is with John Oliver. Let me know.
 
" Hundreds " built, which means running the blockade was done successfully, and a lot, no? I mean, cost of a ship would have been huge, to pay off, had to be enormous returns. Had no clue the practice was so successful. We hear a good deal about the comparative thimbleful of smuggled goods a lady could get through, not a huge amount on how massive a business were these runners.

Bleacher seats here, without enough Naval war knowledge to contribute to these threads- generally just lurk but the ' hundreds ' was brand, new information. That's crazy.

Didn't an archeologist eat honey found in an Egyptian tomb? Hoping it was a better experience than the saltwater and gasoline wine. Boy, if sampling old food is a mandatory part of an archeologist's career, glad to not be one.
 
Early on, 80% of runs were successful.. it was a booming business with whole companies founded in both the Confederacy and Britain. Ships were expensive, but just a couple successful runs could pay them off. ALOT of ships were purchased and converted, some pupose built, and not all were steam.. just about anything that could float and even then sometimes barely was put to use. The possibility of profits was enormous. News paper ads for auction sales reveal a HUGE amount of products, from Stockings, hoopskirts, booze, and food and drugs to Pianos and harmoniums.

Profiteering was so bad, and mismanagement of the potential by Richmond so great, that it took until 1864 for regulations to be passed requiring runners to dedicate 50% of cargo space to Government owned goods both in and out of the Confederacy.. here is an example... its a long list


SAVANNAH [GA] REPUBLICAN, June 7, 1862, p. 2, c. 5

Cargo Sale at Auction of

4,731 Packages

English Goods,

Direct from London, and put up expressly for this Market,

By R. A. Pringle,

Jas. H. Taylor, Auctioneer.

On Wednesday morning, June 11, at 187 Meeting Street, commencing at 10 o'clock.

Groceries.

500 sacks Liverpool Salt

3000 bags Stoved Salt

250 boxes Crown Mottled Soap

250 boxes Crown Soap

12 boxes Cheshire Cheese

10 boxes North Welsh Cheese

1 box Shelton Cheese

6 chests Congow Tea

10½ chests Young Hyson Tea

20 hhds Claret

5 hhds White Claret

58 casks Ale

20 casks Porter

5 boxes Cochin Ginger.

Drugs.

6 casks Lump Alum

50 barrels Soda Ash

50 barrels Soda Crystals

12 cases Old Brown Windsor Soap

Hardware.

76 kegs Cut Nails—sizes 1 ½ to 3 inches

1 cask Screws

2 casks assorted Bastard Files

4 cases assorted Hinges and Butts

4 casks assorted Tacks

2 cases [or casks] Fords, and Spoons and Scissors

1 case Steel Pens and Pencils.

Stationery.

19 cases Letter, Foolscap and Note assorted Paper

7 bales Letter, foolscap and Note assorted Paper

82000 assorted Envelopes.

Boots, Shoes and Hats.

29 trunks of Ladies' and Gents' fine Boots and Shoes

17 cases of assorted Magpie, Kip and Army Bluchers

1 case Gents' Tweed Hats and Caps

1 case Gents' Brazilian Hats

1 case Gents' Brown Drab and White Brazilian Felt Hats

Clothing and Furnishing.

1 case, 445 pair, Men's Black Alpaca Pants

1 case, 280 pair, Men's Brown Grass Cloth, Merino Jackets

1 case, 534 pair, Men's Brown Drill Trowsers

1 case, 90 pair, Shepherd Plaid Suits

9 pair, Child's Dress Plaid Suits

7 pair, Men's Fancy Melton Melbourne Jackets

1 case assorted Men and Child's Suits

1 case Men's Shirts, Linen Fronts

1 case, Boy's Shirts, Layover Collars

1 case assorted Gloves, Drab, French and Lisle

2 cases Youths' Brown Cotton ½ Hose, and Men's do, assorted

1 case Women's White Cotton Hose

2 cases Men's Gauze and Merino Shirts

2 cases Men's West End, Collars and Regatta Shirts

1 case Drawers and Chemises

3 cases Men's L. Cloth shirts

Dry Goods.

39 cases Fancy and Madder Prints

10 bales Brown Denims

8 cases Brown Linen

1 bale Towels

8 bales Brown Union Drills

1 case Granoville Mixture

8 bales Blue Denims

13 cases Printed Muslin

1 case Crossover Muslin

1 case Fancy Printed Muslin

1 case Twill Checks

8 cases Printed DeLaines

5 bales Indigo Blue Twills

1 cases Printed Cotton Hdkfs

3 bales Bordered F. Tweeds

2 " Fancy Twist do

1 " Angelo Check

1 " Cambroons

1 " Check Tweeds

1 " Striped do

1 " Light Twill

1 case Men's Alpaca Coating

1 " Black Lustre

1 " " Cordroys

1 " Nainsook

2 " Brown Hollands

1 " White Linen

4 bales " Crogdous

4 " " Stouts

1 " Universal Shirting

2 cases Drab Imitation Drills

3 " French Denims

7 bales Grey Domestics

1 case Cambric Prints

2 bales Blue Mottles

2 " Heather Denims

2 " Union Tweeds

1 " Coatings, Union Check Drills and Gambroons

1 " Grey and Fancy Tweeds

1 case colored Dobourgs

1 " Striped Brilliants

1 " Tape [?] Checks

6 bales White Long Cloth

122 bales Stout and Fine English Grey Shirting

40 cases pure English White shirting

7 bales Blue Twill Regattas

4 bales Cotton Ticks

20 bales India Grey Domestic

10 cases Fancy Prints

2 cases Brown Glace Sewing Cotton

2 bales White Cotton Quilts

1 case assorted Needles and Buttons

1 case Mosquito Netting

1 bale Stripe Checks

1 case Mixed Pins

1 bale Towels, Bleached Dowlas, &c.

8 cases Clark's assorted Black and White Glazed Spool Cotton—2,200 dozen, 100 yards

8 cases Geo. Mosley's 3 Cord Colored, Black and White Glaced Reel—100 and 200 yards

2 cases assorted Black, White, Brown, Drab and Machine Flax

1 case Silver Flax, Imperial Chinese and Dutch Tape

1 case Colored Patent Silk Gloves and Gaiters

2 cases Expansion [or extension] Skirts

61 pieces White Flannel

41 pieces Red Flannel

8 [?] pieces Blue Flannel

2 pieces Dark Twill Flannel

8 pieces Osnaburgs

3 [?] pieces Blue Denims

3 pieces Brown Kersey

1 piece Canton Flannel

46 pair Blankets

100 Coverlids

18 pair White Berlin Gloves

1 lot White and Black Bone Buttons

57 doz. Damask Military Shirts

17 doz. Men's Cork Soles

9 doz. Ladies' Cork Soles

3 pieces Blue Military Cloth

8 pieces Brown Cloth

27 doz. White Tape

39 doz. Linen White Tape

10 great gross Agate Buttons

72 pair Boys' Brogans assorted

64 pair Men's Brogans, assorted

18 Ladies' Lace Belgium Mantillas

50 Ladies' Superior Lace Belgium Hdkfs

1 piece Fine Silk Elastic for Gaiter Gores

12 pieces Swiss Muslin

1 box containing 1 pair Pistols, Flasks &c.

1 pair India Rubber Overalls

4 Superior Cloth Lined Overcoats

1 package Sulphate Quinine

N.B.—Catalogues will be ready for delivery on Friday, June 6th, for any parties desiring to forward to friends in the country. The sale will commence at 10 o'clock, and continue until 2 o'clock each day until finished. The Goods will be sold in order of Catalogue, commencing with the Groceries and concluding with Dry Goods.

There is no impediment to the transportation of Goods per Railroad

Black Doeskin

Grey Blankets

White Blankets

600 pair Blucher Boots, English Army Regulation

Black and Whitney Brown Flax Thread

White Spool Cottons and Needles

A large invoice of India Rubber Goods, consisting of Coats, Pants, Leggings, Blankets, &c.







WOW, what a Cargo!!!


SAVANNAH [GA] REPUBLICAN, June 7, 1862, p. 2, c. 5

Cargo Sale at Auction of

4,731 Packages

English Goods,

Direct from London, and put up expressly for this Market,

By R. A. Pringle,

Jas. H. Taylor, Auctioneer.

On Wednesday morning, June 11, at 187 Meeting Street, commencing at 10 o'clock.

Groceries.

500 sacks Liverpool Salt

3000 bags Stoved Salt

250 boxes Crown Mottled Soap

250 boxes Crown Soap

12 boxes Cheshire Cheese

10 boxes North Welsh Cheese

1 box Shelton Cheese

6 chests Congow Tea

10½ chests Young Hyson Tea

20 hhds Claret

5 hhds White Claret

58 casks Ale

20 casks Porter

5 boxes Cochin Ginger.

Drugs.

6 casks Lump Alum

50 barrels Soda Ash

50 barrels Soda Crystals

12 cases Old Brown Windsor Soap

Hardware.

76 kegs Cut Nails—sizes 1 ½ to 3 inches

1 cask Screws

2 casks assorted Bastard Files

4 cases assorted Hinges and Butts

4 casks assorted Tacks

2 cases [or casks] Fords, and Spoons and Scissors

1 case Steel Pens and Pencils.

Stationery.

19 cases Letter, Foolscap and Note assorted Paper

7 bales Letter, foolscap and Note assorted Paper

82000 assorted Envelopes.

Boots, Shoes and Hats.

29 trunks of Ladies' and Gents' fine Boots and Shoes

17 cases of assorted Magpie, Kip and Army Bluchers

1 case Gents' Tweed Hats and Caps

1 case Gents' Brazilian Hats

1 case Gents' Brown Drab and White Brazilian Felt Hats

Clothing and Furnishing.

1 case, 445 pair, Men's Black Alpaca Pants

1 case, 280 pair, Men's Brown Grass Cloth, Merino Jackets

1 case, 534 pair, Men's Brown Drill Trowsers

1 case, 90 pair, Shepherd Plaid Suits

9 pair, Child's Dress Plaid Suits

7 pair, Men's Fancy Melton Melbourne Jackets

1 case assorted Men and Child's Suits

1 case Men's Shirts, Linen Fronts

1 case, Boy's Shirts, Layover Collars

1 case assorted Gloves, Drab, French and Lisle

2 cases Youths' Brown Cotton ½ Hose, and Men's do, assorted

1 case Women's White Cotton Hose

2 cases Men's Gauze and Merino Shirts

2 cases Men's West End, Collars and Regatta Shirts

1 case Drawers and Chemises

3 cases Men's L. Cloth shirts

Dry Goods.

39 cases Fancy and Madder Prints

10 bales Brown Denims

8 cases Brown Linen

1 bale Towels

8 bales Brown Union Drills

1 case Granoville Mixture

8 bales Blue Denims

13 cases Printed Muslin

1 case Crossover Muslin

1 case Fancy Printed Muslin

1 case Twill Checks

8 cases Printed DeLaines

5 bales Indigo Blue Twills

1 cases Printed Cotton Hdkfs

3 bales Bordered F. Tweeds

2 " Fancy Twist do

1 " Angelo Check

1 " Cambroons

1 " Check Tweeds

1 " Striped do

1 " Light Twill

1 case Men's Alpaca Coating

1 " Black Lustre

1 " " Cordroys

1 " Nainsook

2 " Brown Hollands

1 " White Linen

4 bales " Crogdous

4 " " Stouts

1 " Universal Shirting

2 cases Drab Imitation Drills

3 " French Denims

7 bales Grey Domestics

1 case Cambric Prints

2 bales Blue Mottles

2 " Heather Denims

2 " Union Tweeds

1 " Coatings, Union Check Drills and Gambroons

1 " Grey and Fancy Tweeds

1 case colored Dobourgs

1 " Striped Brilliants

1 " Tape [?] Checks

6 bales White Long Cloth

122 bales Stout and Fine English Grey Shirting

40 cases pure English White shirting

7 bales Blue Twill Regattas

4 bales Cotton Ticks

20 bales India Grey Domestic

10 cases Fancy Prints

2 cases Brown Glace Sewing Cotton

2 bales White Cotton Quilts

1 case assorted Needles and Buttons

1 case Mosquito Netting

1 bale Stripe Checks

1 case Mixed Pins

1 bale Towels, Bleached Dowlas, &c.

8 cases Clark's assorted Black and White Glazed Spool Cotton—2,200 dozen, 100 yards

8 cases Geo. Mosley's 3 Cord Colored, Black and White Glaced Reel—100 and 200 yards

2 cases assorted Black, White, Brown, Drab and Machine Flax

1 case Silver Flax, Imperial Chinese and Dutch Tape

1 case Colored Patent Silk Gloves and Gaiters

2 cases Expansion [or extension] Skirts

61 pieces White Flannel

41 pieces Red Flannel

8 [?] pieces Blue Flannel

2 pieces Dark Twill Flannel

8 pieces Osnaburgs

3 [?] pieces Blue Denims

3 pieces Brown Kersey

1 piece Canton Flannel

46 pair Blankets

100 Coverlids

18 pair White Berlin Gloves

1 lot White and Black Bone Buttons

57 doz. Damask Military Shirts

17 doz. Men's Cork Soles

9 doz. Ladies' Cork Soles

3 pieces Blue Military Cloth

8 pieces Brown Cloth

27 doz. White Tape

39 doz. Linen White Tape

10 great gross Agate Buttons

72 pair Boys' Brogans assorted

64 pair Men's Brogans, assorted

18 Ladies' Lace Belgium Mantillas

50 Ladies' Superior Lace Belgium Hdkfs

1 piece Fine Silk Elastic for Gaiter Gores

12 pieces Swiss Muslin

1 box containing 1 pair Pistols, Flasks &c.

1 pair India Rubber Overalls

4 Superior Cloth Lined Overcoats

1 package Sulphate Quinine

N.B.—Catalogues will be ready for delivery on Friday, June 6th, for any parties desiring to forward to friends in the country. The sale will commence at 10 o'clock, and continue until 2 o'clock each day until finished. The Goods will be sold in order of Catalogue, commencing with the Groceries and concluding with Dry Goods.

There is no impediment to the transportation of Goods per Railroad
 
Sometimes wine is just not wine. I remember reading years back they had a process for removing seawater from alcohol. They did it when a bunch of scotch was found at a shipwreck site. I know they sold the bottles of scotch later. I was on some TV show about salvaging cargo from wrecks. I think it was an older than WWI wreck, maybe closer to the 1860's. I used to watch a lot of strange shows on TV. It may have been the Search for Amazing Treasure.
 
" Hundreds " built, which means running the blockade was done successfully, and a lot, no? I mean, cost of a ship would have been huge, to pay off, had to be enormous returns. Had no clue the practice was so successful. We hear a good deal about the comparative thimbleful of smuggled goods a lady could get through, not a huge amount on how massive a business were these runners.

Bleacher seats here, without enough Naval war knowledge to contribute to these threads- generally just lurk but the ' hundreds ' was brand, new information. That's crazy.

Didn't an archeologist eat honey found in an Egyptian tomb? Hoping it was a better experience than the saltwater and gasoline wine. Boy, if sampling old food is a mandatory part of an archeologist's career, glad to not be one.

Numbers are funny things, like the 5000 successful runs that a poster cited once; but when we break it down, that's about four per day over four years, two in, two out, over nine coastal Confederate states. Of course they weren't evenly distributed, runners were most successful early in the war, but the drop in tonnage moving in and out of southern ports, about 90%, happened almost immediately since most ships, especially the most capacious ones, did not risk the blockade.

As Mark noted, the Confederate government only began demanding 50% of cargo space in 1864, when the blockade was reaching its peak of efficiency.
 
" Hundreds " built, which means running the blockade was done successfully, and a lot, no? I mean, cost of a ship would have been huge, to pay off, had to be enormous returns. Had no clue the practice was so successful. We hear a good deal about the comparative thimbleful of smuggled goods a lady could get through, not a huge amount on how massive a business were these runners.

Bleacher seats here, without enough Naval war knowledge to contribute to these threads- generally just lurk but the ' hundreds ' was brand, new information. That's crazy.

Didn't an archeologist eat honey found in an Egyptian tomb? Hoping it was a better experience than the saltwater and gasoline wine. Boy, if sampling old food is a mandatory part of an archeologist's career, glad to not be one.

78702709_360W.png
VIEW PAGE IN TIMESMACHINE

May 23, 1863, Page 2The New York Times Archives
From the Glasgow Journal.

The extent of the transactions in the sale of steamers at the Clyde, during the last year and a half, for the purpose of running the Southern blockade, is, perhaps, unknown to many of our readers. The first steamer sold here was the screw steamer Fingal, employed in the West Highland trade, which left this toward the end of 1861 with a cargo of Enfield rifles and ammunition. It was followed by the Leopard, a paddle-steamer, on the Belfast station, and others, of which the following are among the list:

Of well-known river steamers, there were the

Kelpie, Arran.....Lost. Ruby, Rothesay..Running.

Iona, Ardrishaig..Lost. Neptune, Roth'ay.Running.

Pearl, Rothesay...Captured. Dolphin, Lochfyne Captured.

Eagle, Rothesay..Running. Craignish Castle, Rothesay.

Of deep-sea steamers there were the

Fingal (ss), West Highland trade......Now an iron-clad.

Antonia (ss), Bristol trade.............Captured.

Adela (ps), Ardrossan and Belfast trade...............................Captured.

Tubal Cain (ss), London trade.........Captured.

Thistle (ss), Londonderry trade.......Running.

Leopard (ps) Liverpool trade..........Burned.

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Continue reading the main story

Herald (ps), Dublin trade............Running.

Havelock (ps), Dublin trade...........Running.

Princess Royal, (ss), Liverpool trade..Captured.

Giraffe (ps), Belfast trade..............Running.

Of new steamers sold while building there were the

Steamships. Steamships.

Memphis....Captured. Georgina....Run ashore.

Minho.......Run ashore. Emma.......Running.

Corinth..... Gertrude....Captured.

Amelia......Captured. Japan.......On her way out.

Granite City.Captured.

Of vessels purchased but not away, and said to be for the South, there are Lord Clyde, (ps), Dublin station; Mail, Kilmun station; Juno, Largs station; Jupiter, Largs station; Venus, Largs station; Cardiff Castle, Rothesay station; Eagle, now building; Victory, now building; a large paddle-steamer now building; a screw-steamer fitting up.

From the above it will be seen that thirty-eight vessels have been bought here, but this does not include the whole, as many left the Clyde professedly for other ports, and on getting clear out changed their names, while several new steamers left without any name, and proceeded to London and Liverpool for cargoes. Although many of those mentioned have been captured, still most of them have more than doubly cleared themselves and cargoes; the Leopard, in particular, or Stonewall Jackson as she was named, which has made many runs, is said to have cleared for her owners nearly 500 per cent; even the Granite City, which only made one successful run, is said to have doubled herself and cargo in that single trip, and the builders and parties for whom she was built are said to have cleared £3,000 each by her sale. Of the steamers sold lately here, so urgent has been the demand, it is said one large steamer cleared to her owners a profit of £16,000 more than her original cost, and a new river paddle-steamer is said to have brought over £3,000 more than her contract price; and another, two years old, to have brought £2,500 more than the original cost. These wholesale dealings, with no regard to costs, are the consequence of the famine prices being paid for clothing, food, and luxuries within the range of the Confederate States. To such an extent do prices range for ordinary food, it is said, that one vessel which ran lately with tea, coffee, hams, clothing, &c., to the value of £12,000, had her cargo valued of Charleston, according to the current prices, at £50,000, thus realizing an enormous profit to the speculators. -- Glasgow Morning Journal.

From the Glasgow Herald, May 2.

We learn that another batch of our swift river steamers have been purchased during the past week on account of the Confederate Government. We believe the steamer Mail, plying on the Kilmun station, will shortly be withdrawn, having been sold for £7,000. The favorite steamer Jupiter, so long known on the Largs, Millport and Arran route, has also been purchased for something like £6,000. We have also been informed that the steamer Eagle, which was being built for our coast traffic, has likewise been sold to the Confederate Government for £8,000. The Largs steamer Vesta is reported to have been purchased by parties in Glasgow for our river traffic. Other vessels, now being built in several of our shipyards, are reported as being pushed rapidly forward to meet the growing wants of the South.

From the Liverpool Journal of Commerce.

This fine little steamer, that left this port on the 10th of January, has successfully run the blockade of Wilmington, N.C., arriving there on the 16th ult. She left Nassau in company with the steamer Flora, keeping company during the voyage, and running the blockade together. The Flora is the screw-steamer with double screws, whose trial trips on the Thames, some months ago, were so much spoken of by scientific men. She has been very successful so far in running the blockade -- principally at Charleston, the present being, we believe, the first trip she has made to Wilmington. This is the first time the Pet has succeeded in running the blockade -- Wilmington being tried after an unsuccessful attempt to enter Charleston. She is a screw-steamer, of 171 tons, steams very fast, having been built expressly for blockade running purposes. She is under the command of Capt. DAVIS. Some misunderstanding was created by her arrival, having been reported as the Pell -- later accounts, however, brought the correction.

From the Liverpool Journal of Commerce.

The newspaper Press of this country is unanimous in their decision that this steamer is an illegal prize, and as such ought to be given up at once to the owners. We were informed, yesterday, on the best authority, that this fast-sailing steamer is being fitted up as a gunboat by the Federals. If the Government of the United States have determined to have this vessel as a gunboat by illegal means, it is, in our opinion, high time that Her Majesty's Government should interfere, as no amount of compensation can justify such an outrageous proceeding. It appears that the United States Government, seeing that they cannot build fast sailing steamers, are determined to appropriate to their own use whatever vessels they may capture, without the slightest regard to nationality, so as to enable them to commit further depredations upon our commerce, and seize other steamers engaged in a legitimate trade.
 
Savannah Daily Herald March 21, 1865

A despatch from Nassau of Jan 26th says

The following vessels, Flamingo, Falcon, Hansen, Banshee (II), Stag, Emily, Dream, Secret,
Night Hawk, Wild Rover, Susan Bierne, Badger, Star, Rothsay Castle, Ellen Denma, Kenitworth,
Marimon, Mars, Little Hattie, Mory and Ella, Colonel Lamb, Watson, Alice, and General Clinch are all
lying here idle, part of them having never made a run. The Vulture and Evelyn have gone to Havana for repairs, It is
reported that Will of The Wisp has been captured off Galveston.
 
The newspaper Press of this country is unanimous in their decision that this steamer is an illegal prize, and as such ought to be given up at once to the owners. We were informed, yesterday, on the best authority, that this fast-sailing steamer is being fitted up as a gunboat by the Federals. If the Government of the United States have determined to have this vessel as a gunboat by illegal means, it is, in our opinion, high time that Her Majesty's Government should interfere, as no amount of compensation can justify such an outrageous proceeding. It appears that the United States Government, seeing that they cannot build fast sailing steamers, are determined to appropriate to their own use whatever vessels they may capture, without the slightest regard to nationality, so as to enable them to commit further depredations upon our commerce, and seize other steamers engaged in a legitimate trade.


This is really, really funny, sorry. There's this crazy good explanation of how many ships were dedicated to running the Blockade ( and had no idea it was a few fleets' worth ), and the massive amount of money to be picked up. One part even seems a tad smug over making so much- and it's at the cost of Southern civilians. This last article whining because one of the ships was captured is so arrogant it's hysterical.

Note no national security was involved for England, profits sure didn't find their was to citizens of the UK, and getting cotton back to those horrendous industrial towns of the era meant workers in that country could be exploited, too. Win-win, for rich folks. Little hard to feel their pain.

Thanks very much for all this, it's eye opening. There was a big scandal Leslie's broke ( think it was Leslie's, may be Harpers ), a soldier's wife was found dead in her squalid apartment, kids just shattered. His pay had been held up for months, she died of starvation. The story had just broken about how much money a ship broker had made from the government, buying ships for the Navy (American- Morgan? ). Papers and magazines did a terrific job comparing the two. What a brutal war in so many ways.
 
The Savannah Republican for May 25, 1863 also carries no less than three advertisements for auction sales in Charleston for the cargos of the Margret and Jesse, Norsman, Antonica, Emma, Britannia, and Calypso. All of the auctions occuring about the same time,


Profit & Patriotism- Running the Union Blockade

From a lesson plan, starting on page 5, a snapshot of prices in Richmond in 1864 and a cargo auction in Wilmington in 1863. Also cargoes of military goods brought in from 1862 - 1864

https://civilwarexperience.ncdcr.gov/fisher/lesson-plan_fisher1.pdf
203

Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 

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