Hello Gentlemen,
Apparently the above photograph depicts the McRae coaling off Baton Rouge sometime in 1861. This was Hollins flagship and had a distinguished career on the Mississippi. Recognized up and down the river she was one of the Confederates'
most effective and well handled gunboats. As noted above she served at the Head of the Passes, Columbus, Island No. 10 and the Battle of the Forts. There she would be badly damaged by both Federal and friendly fire. Her last duty was to transport Confederate casualties under a flag of truce, back to New Orleans for further care. Shortly thereafter on 28th of April, she succumbed to her damage and sank off Algiers. She deserved to go down with her flag.
Her antebellum history is just as interesting. The McRae (her 5th name) was originally built as the Colon at the Montreal Marine Works by Agustin Cantin. She was launched on 9th of November 1858 for Don Pedro Acosta of Havana and intended for scheduled mail and coastal trade between Cuba and Mexico. There is a water color of her as built in the Canadian Archives and it shows a light colored hull, a prominent fore cabin and extended aft cabin. She sailed for Cardenas on 24th of November 1858 and assumed her intended trade. In January 1860, now known as the Marques de la Habana, she was purchased for 50,000 pesos from Captain C. Iglesias of armador Ibana and fitted out for the Marin expedition under Captain Victor Suarez N. Campos. Her cabins were probably removed at that time and she was armed with one bronze 24 pounder and two old Spanish 32 pdrs.
She was renamed a third time to Santa Ana for the expedition. As noted above, she was subsequently captured along with the General Miramon (former Paquete Correo No. 1) by USN forces operating in cooperation with Juarez in March 1860. Held for months in legal limbo in New Orleans, she would be declared a United States prize and redocumented as Marquis del Habana before being seized by the Confederates in 1861. She displaced 688 34/95ths tons, and her hull measured 184'oa, 176' deck x 29'6" x 14'. She was brigantine rigged with 3 masts, with the fore square, and the main and mizzen fore and aft, later altered. She was fitted with two LP engines 30" x 36" stroke of 60 hp each, and two LP return flue boilers with 6 furnaces. She was propelled by one screw.
A fine looking and potent gunboat.
All the best,
Bil