Battle of Hampton Roads March 8-9, 1862 Before, During, After
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Welcome: To The Battle of Hampton Roads Be sure you are on Zoom Audio Mute and Stop Video Questions: please utilize the chat box to type in your questions during the presentation—I will try to answer them at the Break/End of Class At the bottom (or top) of your Zoom screen is a Menu Bar Click on the Chat icon to bring up the chat box Hit “Enter” on your keyboard to send your Chat message Recommend click on “show small active speaker video” Michael W. Collier, Ph.D. Docent, Mariners’ Museum Newport News, Virginia Source: Mariners’ Museum Meet the Instructor Education High School: Lafayette County C-1, Higginsville, Missouri BS, U.S. Coast Guard Academy MS, U.S. Defense Intelligence College (now National Intelligence University) Ph.D., International Relations, Florida International University Professional Career U.S. Coast Guard Officer (cutter operations/training & intelligence) Professor at FIU and Eastern Kentucky University In Retirement Osher Institute Instructor, College of William & Mary Docent, Mariners’ Museum, Newport News, Virginia Start of the U.S. Civil War Late-1700s & early-1800s’ politics surrounding slavery led to the war Abraham Lincoln (R) elected President on November 6, 1860 South Carolina seceded from the United States December 20, 1860 Seven total States in deep-south seceded by Lincoln’s inauguration March 4, 1961 Fort Sumter attacked April 12-13, 1861 Virginia seceded April 17, 1861, Source: Britannica followed by Tennessee, North Carolina, & Arkansas Anaconda Plan Union Early War Strategy: Blockade Confederate ports from Virginia to Florida, around Gulf of Mexico, and in Mississippi River System Seize Confederate capital in Richmond, Virginia—first attempt was Union Peninsula Campaign March-July 1862, commanded by MGen George McClellan Source: Library of Congress Building the Confederate Navy Confederate Secretary of the Navy Mallory faced building a Confederate Former U.S. Senator (D-FL) Navy from almost nothing Stephen R. Mallory From his work on U.S. Senate Committee on Naval Affairs, he knew the future of naval warfare was Ironclads Sent unsuccessful Confederate Navy mission to Britain and France with $2 million to buy an Ironclad He then looked for ways Confederate Navy could build their own Ironclads Source: Blogspot.com Comparing Navies (1861-1865) Confederate Navy Union Navy War Start: War Start: 30 total ships, 14 seaworthy—no frigates 42 sail/steam frigates. sloops-of-war or sloops-of-war, mainly seized Union 48 in ordinary (moth-balled), mainly sail, steamers, tugs, revenue cutters needed crews & re-outfitting No ironclads Dozens of gunboats, tugs, revenue cutters War End: No ironclads 101 ships total War End: 22 coastal ironclads (28 in construction) 671 ships total 10-15 river ironclads New frigates/sloops-of-war Remainder gunboats, torpedo boats, tugs Large effort building ironclads Commerce raiders/blockade runners 60 coastal ironclads 19 armed commerce raiders: CSS Sumter (5 40-50 river ironclads guns), CSS Alabama (8 guns), & more More gunboats, tugs, auxiliaries 200 fast blockade runners (CSS Banshee) Various Sources, Often Conflicting Evolution of Early Ironclads French Battery Lave (1855) British HMS Warrior (1860) USS Carondelet (1861) River Gunboat Source: premiershipmodels.co.uk Source: military wikia.com Source: Wikipedia U.S. Stevens’ Battery Project French Navy Gloire (1859) USS Galena (1862) Started 1844, 1st Ship 1861 Source: Wikipedia Source: Pinterest Source: Wikipedia Confederates Seize Gosport Naval Shipyard April 20, 1861 Located in Portsmouth, Virginia Union forces destroyed: 74 gun 3rd rate ships-of- the-line--Pennsylvania, Delaware, Columbus; 44- 45 gun frigates—Merrimack, Raritan, Columbia; 22 gun sloops-of-war--Germantown, Plymouth; 8 gun brig-rigged gunboat Dolphin, and abandoned frigate United States (built 1797). The 24 gun sloop-of-war Cumberland was towed to safety by tug Yankee and 10 gun sloop-of-war Pawnee. Merrimack, Germantown, and Plymouth were Photo Sources: Mariners’ Museum ready for sea, but had no crews. Confederates Decide to Build Their First Ironclad from Sunken Hull of ex-USS Merrimack in Gosport Confederate Ironclad Built in Gosport Drydock USS Merrimack in 1855 on hull of ex-USS Merrimack Source: Mariners’ Museum Source: Wikipedia CSS Virginia is Commissioned Speed: 5-6 knots planned, 4 knots at best Ordered: July 11, 1861 Completed: March 7, 1862 Cost: $175,523 2 blade propeller Took 9 months to build, with much time awaiting iron Armament: armor plating 2 X 7 inch Brooke rifles (pivot guns) 2 X 6.4 inch Brooke rifles (Worn-out) 2 X 2 inch iron plates, 6 X 9 inch Dahlgren 24 inches wood smoothbore guns (“hot shot” furnace) Source: Pinterest Union Now Needed Ironclads August 1861, U.S. Navy appointed Ironclad Board and John Ericsson issued requests for designs for commercially built Ironclads, gave only 100 days to build Cornelius Bushnell, builder of USS Galena, took his plans for a stability review to John Ericsson of New York, well known naval architect Ericsson, who did not submit original plans, unveiled old plans and a working model of his own that were eventually approved for construction by U.S. Navy Secretary Gideon Welles and President Lincoln Source: lenovo.com Source: Library of Congress Ericsson Had Contentious Past with U.S. Navy Source: Wikipedia During Princeton VIP cruise on the Potomac on Source: navsource.org February 28, 1844, a test firing of a new 12 inch Ericsson designed USS Princeton—first gun “The Peacemaker,” saw the breech explode, propeller-driven U.S. warship, launched killing 6 and injuring 16-20, including killing 1843—at end relations were tense with CO Secretary of State and Secretary of the Navy. Captain Robert Stockton who tried to take Ericsson had nothing to do with gun’s design or credit for the ship’s design testing, but was blamed for the accident. USS Monitor Original Plans Turret Pilothouse Coal Bunkers Storage Main Engine Captain’s Office Boilers Marine Heads Crews’ & Stateroom Galley Officers’ Quarters Staterooms Source: Mariners’ Museum Ericsson modified other inventors’ patent for the turret, but rest of the ship was his design—included over 40 patents he later gave to the U.S. Navy Ericsson’s 1st Ironclad Armament: 2 X 11 inch Dahlgren smoothbore guns Wardroom Boiler Exhausts Used 15 lb. powder charges as tests not Air Intakes completed on full 30 lb. charges Took 101 days to build (Officers) Ordered: October 4, 1861 Keel Laid: October 25, 1861 Speed: 6 knots Launched: January 30, 1862 Cost: $275,000 Underwater Hull 4 blades ½ inch of iron Source: nhgallery.org The Commanders USS Monitor CSS Virginia CO: Captain Franklin Buchanan CO: Lieutenant John Worden Born Maryland, 1815 U.S. Navy midshipman, Born New York, 1834 U.S. Navy 1825 commissioned LT, extensive sea duty, 1845 midshipman, 1844 commissioned LT, 1st U.S. Naval Academy Superintendent, 1861 sea duty, naval observatory duty, 1861 joined Confederate Navy, 1862 Commander Confederate prisoner of war, Jan. 1862 Confederate James River Forces assigned as CO USS Monitor XO: Lieutenant Catesby ap R. Jones XO: Lieutenant Samuel Greene Born Virginia, 1836 U.S. Navy midshipman, Born Maryland, 1855 U.S. Naval Academy, 1849 commissioned LT, sea duty, ordnance 1859-1861 sea duty as midshipman, 1861 specialist, 1861 joined Confederate Navy, commissioned LT, Dec. 1861 assigned as 1861-1862 assigned to CSS Virginia XO of USS Monitor construction team and later as XO Photo Sources: Multiple Hampton Roads Union Blockading Squadron: USS Roanoke, steam frigate (flagship) USS St. Lawrence, sail frigate USS Minnesota, steam frigate USS Congress, sail frigate USS Cumberland, sail sloop-of-war Several gunboats & tugboats CSS Virginia & Escorts CSS Beaufort CSS Raleigh SS Harmony Source: Wikipedia USS Cumberland Sunk CSS Virginia attacked USS Cumberland first because it had a 60 lb. (5.3 inch) Parrott rifle Buchanan saw as his main threat, CSS Virginia rammed USS Cumberland and the two ships exchanged intense broadsides, estimated 120 USS Cumberland officers and crew killed Source: artfactorygallerres.com Source: Pinterest Attack on Union Transports After sinking USS Cumberland, CSS Virginia proceeded up the James River to turn around (3/4 mile turning circle) As it made the turn, it bombarded Union transports moored off Newport News Union Damage: SS Whilden burned & sunk Unknown schooner burned SS Reindeer captured Confederate James River Squadron joined CSS Virginia at turn: gunboats CSS Patrick Henry, CSS Jamestown, & CSS Teaser Source: Wikipedia USS Congress Surrenders, Burns, Later Explodes As CSS Virginia passed anchored USS Congress CSS Virginia returned and began shelling USS heading for USS Cumberland, CSS Virginia and Congress, the Union frigate surrendered, but when USS Congress exchanged broadsides—CSS CSS Patrick Henry started to board, Camp Butler Virginia “hot shot” left USS Congress in flames, riflemen and shore batteries fired on the Confederate leading to its self-grounding off Camp Butler ships and they pulled away, leaving USS Congress in flames, estimated 150 officers and crew killed. USS Congress Source: ibiblio Source: Pinterest USS Minnesota Damaged With Captain Buchanan shot in the leg, Lieutenant Catesby ap R. Jones took command of CSS Virginia On leaving USS Congress in flames, CSS Virginia joined Confederate gunboats in bombarding grounded USS Minnesota, several Minnesota officers & crew killed or injured (exact number unknown) CSS Virginia Pilot convinced Jones