Charleston Cigar Transports

[georgew]

Does anyone know if either of the large "cigar" transports at Charleston were actually completed or put to sea. If so, what kind of sea boat were they?

 

[JohnDLittlefield]

Preston was "famous", even though there seem to be no stories or records of her. She was completed and sea-going, but no Confederate record of her use have come to my attention. The Union used her for less than one month before retiring the vessel due to leakage and other mechanical problems. Ebaugh's large boat (from the well-known picture) was never completed. I have a short chapter on these vessels in my manuscript.

 

[georgew]

Preston was "famous", even though there seem to be no stories or records of her. She was completed and sea-going, but no Confederate record of her use have come to my attention. The Union used her for less than one month before retiring the vessel due to leakage and other mechanical problems. Ebaugh's large boat (from the well-known picture) was never completed. I have a short chapter on these vessels in my manuscript.

Was the Ebaugh vessel intended to be military or civilian? I look forward to the publication of your manuscript.

 

[JohnDLittlefield]

Was the Ebaugh vessel intended to be military or civilian? I look forward to the publication of your manuscript.

Charleston was a strange environment during the war. The lines between civilian and military interests and activities is blurry at best. My assumption is that, even though Ebaugh was a volunteer militia-man that ran a nitre works from Dec 1962 through the duration of the war, and he sold timber to the Confederate Army and Navy, his interests were monetary. My presumption is that the vessel would have been civilian, as it was intended as a blockade runner (his words) and blockade running was not (officially) state-sponsored.