Confederate Navy

[3D]

Any good resources history of the CSA Navy and its privateers?

[Dead I]

Any good resources history of the CSA Navy and its privateers?

Many books on the CSS Alabama.  Also on the Virginia and the Hunley.  Just google them.  Capt. Semmes was quite a guy.

[River City John]

History of the Confederate States Navy: From It's Organization to the Surrender of Its Last Vessel by J. Thomas Scharf, A.M., LL.D. Reprint by The Fairfax Press, 1977 (Crown Publishers)
This is a fairly comprehensive single volume telling of the Confederate Navy by a former officer of the Confederate Navy, published in the mid 1880's originally.

Best source material:
Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion Government Office Print
Series I, 27 Volumes; published 1895-1917
Series II, 3 Volumes; published 1921-1922

Cornell University has even digitized them and they are available online:
http://digital.library.cornell.edu/m/moawar/ofre.html


As you may be able to tell from my avatar, one of the personas I shoot under in both the GAF and NCOWS is a U.S. Navy Ensign,- ca. 1865-67. I also have worked together a uniform and shooting persona of a Confederate Navy Secretary, ca. 1865.


Happy researching!
I have some more sources and sites to offer if you're interested in the Confederate Navy Regulations, the uniforms, ship images and drawings, and similar subjects.

RCJ

[3D]

Here's the scoop I am after. Couple of local boys from my county were in Ga Volunteer Infantry. I have two conflicting resources as to the company. Though each enlisted at separate dates (less than 3 months apart), they both served in this unit til spring of '63. They then transferred to the CSA Navy to a ship I have yet to identify. All records say the Merrimac (obviously not the Yankee steam ship). They both  later transferred to a privateer ship called the Tallahassee. This is an interesting ship. Then they transferred to the Ironclad Richmond til its surrender.

My thoughts?
1)What an all encompassing adventure these two had! Or so it would seem.
2)How and why did these transfers come about?
3)Great book or movie in the making. Not that I am a writer.

I really want to hear their story.

I will do my best, as time permits to unravel this tale.

[River City John]

Just checked the master ship list compiled from the Official Record-Navies, and both a CSS Merrimack and CSS Richmond are listed.

The CSS Tallahassee is well known. Built in England, she was originally named Atlanta. Name was changed to CSS Tallahassee when commissioned into the Confederate Navy. She was a twin-screw capable of 14 knots, with a crew of 110 and armed with a 32-pounder rifle, another lighter rifled piece, and a brass howitzer (most likely a 12-pounder?). Her notoriety rests on a single cruise from August 6th, 1864 until October 29th, 1864. On that latter date her name was changed to the Olustee, and received a different commander. During her brief cruise she burned 16 vessels, scuttled 10, bonded 5 and released 2. Area of operation was off the northern Atlantic coast, and many of the ships captured were of the schooner type.*

The first three volumes of the O.R.-Navies deal exclusively with the operations of the cruisers.
I would do a search based on the names of those other ships on the Cornell library site given earlier in this thread and see what hits you get.

http://www.csnavy.org/
Above is a nice site for general info.

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/uniform_confed.htm
Above gives the official regulations for uniform dress of the Confederate Navy.

http://users.wowway.com/~jenkins/ironclads/ironclad.htm
Nice site for info on Ironclads and Blockade Runners.


Sorry if I've gotten carried away, 3D. Obviously, subject fascinates me. (I've even got my oldest nephew trained to buy me a volume of the O.R.-Navies whenever he can find one secondhand for my birthday each year. One of these days I'm sure I'll just break down and buy the series on disc, and set my nephew free to pursue other gifts suitable.   )
RCJ

* Gleaned from History of the Confederate States Navy: From Its Organization To The Surrender Of Its Last Vessel by J. Thomas Scharf, Reprint copyright 1977 by The Fairfax Press, distributed by Crown Publishers, Inc., pps. 806-808

[TheGLOV]

Just checked the master ship list compiled from the Official Record-Navies, and both a CSS Merrimack and CSS Richmond are listed.

The CSS Tallahassee is well known. Built in England, she was originally named Atlanta. Name was changed to CSS Tallahassee when commissioned into the Confederate Navy. She was a twin-screw capable of 14 knots, with a crew of 110 and armed with a 32-pounder rifle, another lighter rifled piece, and a brass howitzer (most likely a 12-pounder?). Her notoriety rests on a single cruise from August 6th, 1864 until October 29th, 1864. On that latter date her name was changed to the Olustee, and received a different commander. During her brief cruise she burned 16 vessels, scuttled 10, bonded 5 and released 2. Area of operation was off the northern Atlantic coast, and many of the ships captured were of the schooner type.*

The first three volumes of the O.R.-Navies deal exclusively with the operations of the cruisers.
I would do a search based on the names of those other ships on the Cornell library site given earlier in this thread and see what hits you get.

http://www.csnavy.org/
Above is a nice site for general info.

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/uniform_confed.htm
Above gives the official regulations for uniform dress of the Confederate Navy.

http://users.wowway.com/~jenkins/ironclads/ironclad.htm
Nice site for info on Ironclads and Blockade Runners.


Sorry if I've gotten carried away, 3D. Obviously, subject fascinates me. (I've even got my oldest nephew trained to buy me a volume of the O.R.-Navies whenever he can find one secondhand for my birthday each year. One of these days I'm sure I'll just break down and buy the series on disc, and set my nephew free to pursue other gifts suitable.   )
RCJ

* Gleaned from History of the Confederate States Navy: From Its Organization To The Surrender Of Its Last Vessel by J. Thomas Scharf, Reprint copyright 1977 by The Fairfax Press, distributed by Crown Publishers, Inc., pps. 806-808

Is it true that shortly before the war ended, the last of the newly built southern navy had glass bottoms so that they could see the old southern navy??

Just asking.

Way to go North! 

[River City John]

At only two posts, it's obvious that TheGlov is a troll.

PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE TROLL.

[3D]

Thanks so much RCJ. Internet research of CS Navy is limited other than the well known or inaccurate Wikipedia entries..

I will try to head to town next week (Monticello Ga) and find the tombs of these two troops. From what I've found they did come back home and are buried locally. Maybe the county and church records will help.

More I found on the Ga 14th Volunteer regiment as involved with Army of N. Virginia:
"The 14th Georgia Infantry Regiment was organized by Colonel A.V. Brumby during the spring of 1861 with men recruited in Jasper, Johnson, Pierce, Dougherty, and Worth counties. Ordered to Virginia the unit served under General Floyd in the Kanawha Valley, then was assigned to General Wade Hampton's, J.R. Anderson's, and E.L. Thomas's Brigade, Army of Northern Virginia. It was active from Seven Pines to Cold Harbor, endured the battles and hardships of the Petersburg siege south of the James River, and ended the war at Appomattox. The regiment had 379 effectives in April, 1862, and sustained 138 casualties during the Seven Days' Battles, 28 at Cedar Mountain, and 52 at Second Manassas. It lost 8 killed and 67 wounded at Chancellorsville and twelve percent of the 331 engaged at Gettysburg. On April 9, 1865, there were 20 officers and 147 men present. The field officers were Colonels A.V. Brumby, Robert W. Folsom, Richard P. Lester, and Felix Price; Lieutenant Colonels James M. Fielder, Washington L. Goldsmith, William A. Harris, and W.S. Ramsey; and Major Charles C. Kelley."


Mr. Penn I have seen listed only in Ga 4th Volunteer Regiment Company G-The Glover Guards.
Mr. Holsenbeck I have seen listed under Ga 4th Volunteer Regiment Company G -The Glover Guards as well as listed under Ga 14th Volunteer Regiment Company C- Jasper Light Infantry.

Hopefully I can sort this out. Being a lifelong resident of this county, neither name is familiar. Its a small population here. With so many Scotch-Irish, Holsenbeck would stand out. Other info on Holsenbeck states he was originally from South Carolina originally.

Again, thanks and kindest regards.

Daniel

[River City John]

3D

Searching county, church, Confederate records etc., tells me that you're hooked and your heart is on a personal quest.

We seek this connection with the past for our own sakes. Something speaks to us, dimly in muted tones from the past. Our search is for  clarity that completes the translation.




RCJ

[Dead I]

I have been to Charleston, SC many times and walking along the battery is one of my very favorite strolls on the planet.  In the park there, where the Confederate troops set up some guns to shell Fort Sumpter there is a small cemetery.  It is made of headstones for the men who went down in the CSS Hunley, the little submarine.

Since then they have found the little vessel and removed the bodies and I think they bured them in the battery there in Charleston.  Those men, to my mind, are some of the most brave to ever enter onto and into the sea in time of war.  Not only that, they completed their mission and with luck would have returned alive.  Their luck however ran out and they went to the bottom and stayed there, only to be found just a few years ago.  One of the men carried a good luck charm that he had carried since Shiloh.  It was a 20 dollar gold piece that had taken a bullet meant for him.  He had it engraved, and carried it to his death in the boat. I think his name was "Dixon". They found the coin dinged by a bullet underneath a skeleton in the little boat.  I spoke with a man who was there when they removed the plates of the boat.  He said they were very difficult to remove and the men were surprised  how well the little sub was made.

Somehow brave men never die.  We feel their courage and we honor it. So the crew of the Hunley.