- Joined
- Mar 31, 2012
- Location
- Central Ohio
One of the best overviews of that topic, I think, is The Confederate Navy in Europe, by Warren F. Spencer.
Mark, I'm sure you know of this. Henry Walke is a favorite. He, very early on, demonstrates he is a free thinker, independent in feeling, and devoted to Country. Here he disobeys orders from two superior officers (can you "imaginate" that) resulting in a court-marshal, yet he is not dishonored.
Would you be happy to post a couple of pictures of your Naval objects? I would be interested to see them.I have studied the Civil War all my life, but 6 to 8 years ago I began to focus intently on the Naval aspect of the war, from the Union side. My favorite aspect is the "Brown Water Navy" in the Western Theatre. Western River operations are fascinating to study. I became a "Cairo" fanatic the first time I seen her at Vicksburg. I am also a Union Navy artifacts collector, and have been able to acquire some rare Naval objects...
Would you be happy to post a couple of pictures of your Naval objects? I would be interested to see them.
You are quite welcome! I will share a few other items as time permits. You are quite right in the extreme scarcity of Naval artifacts. My recollection is that there were some 40,000 (someone correct me if you know) that served in the Union Navy during the course of the War, as compared to over a million in the infantry, artillery and cavalry. A typical navy artifact can be a hundred times more rare than infantry items, but because of such little interest in the Navy, that item can sell much for the same or even much cheaper than its Army counterpart. Union Naval officer's uniforms are scarce in the EXTREME, and an enlisted uniform such as the wool pants and Navy jumper shirt are impossible to find. The only reason why I have been able to acquire many items of my collection is the fact that they came from someone else's collection, individuals who have spent 40 or 50 years in search of these rare items, and have either passed away or auctioned their collection off for retirement. The cap with the white summer cover, is an example. Sailor's caps are almost impossible to find by themselves, but the summer cover is almost non-existent. One CW dealer I talked with estimated that there are probably less than 10 known in existence. I have no idea, but the ONLY way I obtained this one was from a lifelong collector who auctioned everything off.Michael W
Many thanks for sharing your pictures. I'm impressed that the sailors cap still has its summer cover, the lining within the cap also looks like its in good condition. Most of the pictures that I have seen of period headwear normally have the lining missing or they are quite tattered. The Frock coat is impressive, I was looking at a drawing of that coat in Jack Coggins book. I'm not sure how many men served in the union navy but I suspect that their uniforms are extremely difficult to find.
I think that there will be a lot of people on this forum who will appreciate seeing your pictures.
Regards
Waterloo
I have just put online three brief naval reminiscences of Frank B. Butts (“late Paymaster’s Clerk, USN”). These were originally printed as pamphlets by the Rhode Island Soldiers and Sailors Historical Society.
Frank Butts had recently been discharged from a hitch in a Rhode Island artillery regiment when he enlisted in the Navy early in September, 1862, for a term of one year.
In My First Cruise at Sea: the loss of the Monitor, (1878), Butts tells of his service aboard the famous ironclad. He joined the crew at the end of October, 1862. “At first I thought myself quite fortunate to secure such a vessel, but I soon changed my mind and joined in the opinion of the rest of the crew, that a Monitor was the worst craft for a man to live aboard that ever floated upon water.” His time there would be brief, however, for Monitor sank while under in hard weather on New Years night. Butts gives a detailed and harrowing account of the ship’s final hours. He was one of the last two men off, following the Captain.
Gunboat Service on the Nansemond, (1884) tells of Butts’ eight months aboard the “ferry gunboat” Stepping Stones, mostly on the Nansemond River of Southeastern Virginia, and largely in connection with the Confederate siege of Suffolk. Butts saw a great deal of combat, both afloat and ashore during that period, and his memoir shows just how hazardous gunboat duty could be.
After discharge early in September from his one-year enlistment, Butts decided to enlist once more (his third), and reported on board the “full barque-rigged screw steamer” Flag, in Boston on December 4. In Cruise along the Blockade (1881), Butts relates his experiences during the final months of the war in and about Charleston Harbor. He again describes a great deal of action both in shore parties and on picket duty in small boats. “I have been accused of attacking Fort Sumter with seven men, but the truth of the affair was this: We attempted to get a brick or some relic from this immortal structure, and while we were feeling our way in the shoal water near the fort, we were hailed from Sumter, and before we could get a start the sentry sent a bullet whistling over our heads. In less than a minute the whole heavens was ablaze with bursting shell from Fort Wagner, and a heavy cannonading was kept up between the two forts for nearly an hour, and no one except those in my boat knew what caused the rumpus.” It was a boat party from USS Flag that made first contact with the advance scouts of Sherman's army, and Butts himself carried the news overland to Wassaw Sound, thence to be sent North. "This, my friends, is the means by which the first news from General Sherman, after he left Chattanooga, reached your ears."
Butts’ three memoirs give a whole new meaning to his position of “Paymaster’s Clerk,” in which occupation he seems to have spent very little time indeed.
The recollections of Frank B. Butts can be found as Documents Nos. 12, 13, and 14, of my Civil War Miscellany.
I have permission from Edwin Bearss to post a video of the actual raising of the USS Cairo in the very early 60's. If anyone has not seen it, they should. If one person requests it, I'll embed it here.I have studied the Civil War all my life, but 6 to 8 years ago I began to focus intently on the Naval aspect of the war, from the Union side. My favorite aspect is the "Brown Water Navy" in the Western Theatre. Western River operations are fascinating to study. I became a "Cairo" fanatic the first time I seen her at Vicksburg. I am also a Union Navy artifacts collector, and have been able to acquire some rare Naval objects...