Compendium of U.S. Marine Actions in the Civil War

Borderruffian

1st Lieutenant
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Aug 4, 2007
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Marshfield Missouri
September 13, 1861: The officers of the fleet at Pensacola decided to make another attempt at attacking the rebels. They tried to convince Colonel Brown, commander of the army forces at Fort Pickens to join in a night time attack on Fort McRee. Brown was constantly in fear of an attack on his fort, and would not allow his troops to join in the attack. The Naval officers then decided to make another attempt at destroying the Judah and the largest gun the Confederates had at the Navy Yard, a 10-inch Columbiad. Four boat loads of Marines and sailors under the command of Lt. John Russell USN, and 1st Lt. Edward Reynolds USM set off on the night of September 13th. Silently they rowed past the encampment of Braxton Bragg’s 6,000 man army.
The force split up with two boat loads going towards the Judah, while the other two made for the big gun. The boats approaching the Judah were just yards from the ship when the alarm was raised. Men on board the ship and shore sprang to life, as the first shot was fired from the six-pounder in the lead boat. The attackers threw flaming tar balls onto the deck of the ship and fought their way on board. In the ensuing close combat, they drove off the defenders. Under heavy fire from the wharf, the raiders spread turpentine-soaked wood shavings around the ship and set it ablaze.
Meanwhile the other two boat crews found their objective virtually unguarded. One defender was killed as they landed. The attackers spiked the Columbiad, removed its tompion as a trophy and shoved off into the night. As they withdrew under heavy fire from the Navy Yard, they kept up a spirited return fire from the boat guns, cutting into the defenders with grape shot. Two sailors died and a total of twenty sailors and Marines were wounded. An undetermined amount of Confederates were killed and wounded. The raid was a success, and the Judah was totally destroyed. This also was one of the times that Marines of both sides fought each other.


http://www.navyandmarine.org/historicalref/Compendium_USMC.htm
 
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