Life of Rear Admiral John Randolph Tucker Part 1

Life of Rear Admiral John Randolph Tucker.

by James Henry Roch.e.l.le.

A SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR.

JAMES HENRY ROCh.e.l.lE, the author of the following pages, and thesubject of this sketch, was of French-English and Celtic, orScotch-Irish, extraction--English through his paternalgreat-grandmother, who was the daughter of Hinchia Gilliam, and hiswife (nee) Harrison; Scotch-Irish through his maternal ancestry. Thename itself proclaims its French (Huguenot) origin.It is well known that when Louis XIV revoked the edict of Nantes manyFrench Protestants, called Huguenots, fled from their homes to escapepersecutions worse than death. About forty thousand took refuge inEngland, and in 1690 William III sent a number of them to America. Aparty of them made their way up the James river and made a settlement,which they called Mannakintown, or "Manacan," because the landsformerly belonged to the Manacan Indians. Feeling that they no longerhad to defend themselves against oppression and cruelty, and that in afree country their religion was no stigma, the characteristics of therace came out. With order and work Manacan became a flouris.h.i.+ng town.Among those who had made a temporary home there was John Roch.e.l.le,who came with the other Huguenot exiles, and, if Pope be right, hesoon enjoyed "All the joys of sense-- _Health, peace and competence._"But in a few years the spirit of discord entered among these exiles,who had found peace, liberty and homes. The three Roch.e.l.le brotherssought other homes; William settled in North Carolina, James went toSouth Carolina, and John bought of William and Jonas Longbottom twohundred and twelve acres of land on the south side of the Nottowayriver in the then parish of Albemarle. Here he lived, and married MaryGilliam, daughter of Hinchia Gilliam and his wife (nee) Harrison. Theyhad issue four sons--John, Levi, Hinchia and Nathaniel. John, theoldest son, married his cousin, Judith Gilliam, famed for her beauty,and they became the parents of nine children--Benjamin, John, Willis,Clements, Elizabeth (who will live in history as the mother of thefamous soldier, George Henry Thomas), James, Lucy, and Mary.

James was born in the year 1786. At an early age he entered theclerk's office of his county as deputy to the then clerk, SamuelKello. In 1815 he was chosen clerk and held the office until hisdeath.On the 19th of April, 1817, he married Martha (Hines) Gray, widow ofDr. Henry Mills Gray. Many children were born unto them, but onlythree lived beyond the early years of infancy--John, Martha and JamesHenry.James Henry Roch.e.l.le was born at his father's home, near theCourthouse, on the 1st day of November, 1826. His boyhood was pa.s.sedin the refining influence of a Virginia home, of the period whenVirginia was the garden spot of America, when her daughters were the"mothers of Presidents" and her sons were statesmen, "_Sans peur etsans reproche_."On the 9th of September, 1841, he was appointed acting mids.h.i.+pman inthe United States Navy; served six months at sea, and then receivedhis warrant as mids.h.i.+pman. During the war with Mexico, young Roch.e.l.leserved on both the _Falmouth_ and _Decatur_, in the gulf.

He was withCommodore Perry, and partic.i.p.ated in all the brilliant exploits of thenaval forces, and remained on the Mexican coast until there was addedto the United States a territory as large as Germany, France andSpain, all three added together.

In September, 1847, he reported at Annapolis, the Naval School, andwas one of the 245 mids.h.i.+pman belonging to the famous "Cla.s.se 41,"which pa.s.sed in 1848. He was at once ordered to the frigate_Const.i.tution_, then in Boston harbor, ready to sail to the bluewaters of the Mediterranean and the sunny coast of Italy. On thiscruise he paid a visit to the beautiful and historical Island ofMalta, and here, in the very cradle of Free Masonry, he became amember of that ancient inst.i.tution. He saw three years' sea servicebefore returning home.In 1852 the United States Government sent a naval force, under thecommand of Perry, to open intercourse with j.a.pan and her then unknownpeople. Roch.e.l.le received orders to report for duty on the s.h.i.+p_Southampton_. Perry sailed from Norfolk on the 24th of November,1852. With great judgment and ability he rendered his mission asuccess, and sailed for home from Linada, in j.a.pan, on the 1st ofOctober, 1854, and after an eventful voyage reached New York in thespring of 1855.

After a home leave of some months, Roch.e.l.le was promoted on the 14thof September to master, and on the next day was commissionedlieutenant and a.s.signed to duty on the Coast Survey Squadron. Hea.s.sisted in the survey of New York harbor, Cas...o...b..y and the Floridareefs.His next cruise was in the expedition to Paraguay. Unfortunately, fewof his many letters home were preserved. We give one written in 1859: U.S. STEAMER _Southern Star_, MONTEVIDEO, REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY, March 11, 1859.

My Dear Mother_: The steamer _Harriet Lane_, one of the vessels of the Paraguay expedition, will sail for New York on tomorrow morning, and as she is very fast I have determined to write by her, although it will not be long before we follow her to the United States. We are preparing for sea now and expect to sail on the 17th of this month for Norfolk, touching at Pernambuco and Barbadoes for coal. We will be at home, I think, by the 20th of May or 1st of June, though it is possible that we may be detained longer than I expect on the way. I sincerely trust that I shall find you all well at home, and that I will have a long leave to spend with you. I wrote you in my letter that we had no difficulty in settling our affairs with Paraguay. Lopez acceded at once to all the demands which were made upon him, and expressed himself gratified at their moderation. The health of the squadron is excellent and the cruise has been a pleasant one. No accident or circ.u.mstances have occurred to mar its efficiency or concord. If another vessel should leave in time to get home much before we do, I will write again, but I doubt if such an opportunity will occur. You must not, of course, write to me again. Give my best love to Sister, Jimmy, Let.i.tia and Mattie, and my affectionate regards to Mr. Edwards and Major Shands. Ever your affectionate son, J.H. ROCh.e.l.lE.To follow Roch.e.l.le through all of his naval life would take more s.p.a.cethan we now have and would be to repeat scenes and events alreadydealt with by him in the following pages. When the war came on he wa.s.serving on the sloop-of-war _c.u.mberland_. Captain Scharf verycorrectly says: "It required no sacrifice and entailed noinconvenience to remain loyal to the Union, but to resign from thatservice involved every consideration which might deter a man notactuated by exalted principles." It was "exalted principles" whichcaused Roch.e.l.le to resign his commission in the Navy, where he hadserved with honor and advancement for twenty years, and to offer hissword to his native State. From the columns of the Richmond _Dispatch_we quote:"All know how hot and furious the war was. The Anglo-Saxon race, thefirst and foremost people on earth, are wise in counsel and fierce inwar. Fighting commenced at once. Captain Roch.e.l.le was placed under thecommand of Captain Tucker, on the James river, on the war steamer_Patrick Henry_, and with the _Merrimac_ fought the _Monitor_ andwooden fleet of the North in Hampton Roads, the first naval battle inwhich armored s.h.i.+ps were used. That engagement covered the new andlittle Confederate Navy with glory. When Norfolk was evacuated, andour little wooden fleet fell back to Richmond after the destruction ofthe _Merrimac_, which could not be carried up the James river onaccount of its great draught of water, the heavy guns of the _PatrickHenry_ were carried by Tucker and Roch.e.l.le with great difficulty up onDrewry's Bluff, and aided very much in repulsing the attack of the_Galena_ and other Northern gunboats, who hoped to carry Richmond by a_coup de main_.

After the evacuation of Norfolk and the peninsulabetween the York and James rivers, the siege of Charleston, S.C.,having commenced, he was sent there and soon after placed in commandof one of the largest iron-clad steamers in the Confederate Navy. Herehe remained during the remainder of the siege and until the advance ofSherman through South Carolina and in the rear of Charleston forcedthe evacuation of that vital point in the Confederacy. His s.h.i.+p, alongwith others, was destroyed, and he returned to Richmond with a smallbody of seamen, where the Southerners made their last stand aroundRichmond and Petersburg _pro ara et pro forcis_. On reaching Richmondhe, along with Captain Parker, distinguished alike in arms andletters, were placed in command of the Naval Academy and cadets whichthe Confederates had established there--an arduous, important anddistinguished position. He remained in that position until theevacuation of Richmond, when he marched the cadets in a body toWas.h.i.+ngton, in Georgia, where they were disbanded after the capture ofPresident Davis and the dissolution of the Confederacy."The war being ended, he returned to his ancestral home inSouthampton. His old comrade-in-arms, Tucker, who had been at one timeAdmiral in the Peruvian Navy, and was then about to make a survey ofthe upper Amazon river for the Peruvians, sent for him, and heaccepted a position under that Government to make a hydrographicsurvey of that vast fluvial system in the mountains of Peru east ofthe Andes. He remained in Iquitos three years and then returned home,where he devoted his time to reading, letters, and the society of hisfriends. He was a doughty warrior and soldier, and from the beginningloved a career of arms. He sorrowed over the rupture of theGovernment, but when his State went out he n.o.bly stood by her; went tothe front, and never grounded his arms until there was nothing leftto fight for.

He knew to win would bring honor and safety, and failurewould make him a rebel, and while success on the Northern side gave tomany of his old comrades in arms on that side marble and bronzestatues in the new Pantheon at Was.h.i.+ngton, yet with the courage of hisconvictions, in disaster his only regret was that he did not win. Ofsuch stern stuff are the cavaliers of Virginia made, and such as theseare yet to lift her from the dust and crown their old mother againwith glory.""DEATH OF CAPT. JAMES H. ROCh.e.l.lE. "COURTLAND, SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, "April 3, 1889."On the morning of the 31st of March, after an illness of only oneday, this county, and his many friends, met with a heavy loss in thedeath of Capt. James Henry Roch.e.l.le. This distinguished soldier was aveteran of two wars.

Euripides, I think it was, said no man should becalled fortunate or happy until he had been placed with his good nameby death beyond the reach of accident or change. Then, indeed, is thisn.o.ble soldier happy, for he lived without reproach and died withoutfear. Another n.o.ble son of Virginia has gone down below the horizon oftime, but his name will be held in sweet remembrance by his oldcomrades and his memory cherished and honored by his kinsmen."Life of Rear Admiral John Randolph TuckerBY JAMES HENRY ROCh.e.l.lE.PREFATORY NOTE.In writing this biographical sketch I have performed not a task, but alabor of love, for I was, during many years, both in times of peaceand of war, intimately a.s.sociated with the distinguished sailor whosecareer I have attempted to trace.The appendix was added in consequence of letters I received asking forinformation in regard to the navigation of the upper Amazon river andits tributaries, a highway for commerce destined to be much betterknown in the near future than it is at present. J.H.R.COURTLAND, VIRGINIA, _July 1, 1888.

PART I.

THE TUCKERS--BIRTH OF JOHN RANDOLPH TUCKER.

BOYHOOD--APPOINTED A MIDs.h.i.+PMAN IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY--FIRST CRUISE--"THE ROARING LADS OF THE BRANDYWINE"--Pa.s.sES EXAMINATION FOR PROMOTION--APPOINTED A PAST MIDs.h.i.+PMAN--PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT--MARRIAGE--MEXICAN WAR. CAPTURE OF TOBASCO--COMMANDS UNITED STATES BOMB-BRIG _Stromboli_--MADE A COMMANDER--COMMANDS UNITED STATES RECEIVING s.h.i.+P _Pennsylvania_--ORDNANCE OFFICER AT THE NORFOLK NAVY YARD--RESIGNS ON THE SECESSION OF VIRGINIADuring the first years of the present century John Tucker, of theIsland of Bermuda, came to Virginia, where resided many of hiskinsmen, a branch of the Tucker family having settled in Virginiaprior to the War of the Revolution. The family has produced a numberof gifted men who have been honorably prominent in the political andsocial life of the State, but no member of it has been moredistinguished or more esteemed than the subject of the present sketch.John Randolph Tucker was born on the 31st day of January, 1812, atAlexandria, near Was.h.i.+ngton, on the Virginia side of the Potomacriver, in which city his father had made his home and had theremarried Miss Susan Douglas, the daughter of Dr. Charles Douglas, anEnglish physician, who emigrated to America soon after the Revolution.Young Tucker received his early education in the good private schoolsof his native city, which he continued to attend until he entered theUnited States Navy as a mids.h.i.+pman on the 1st of June, 1826, beingthen in the fifteenth year of his age.The profession upon which he entered was one for which he was bynature peculiarly adapted, and to the end of his days he loved the seaand all that was connected with the life of a sailor. It has been saidof a great admiral that he could perform with his own hands the dutiesof every station on board a s.h.i.+p-of-war, from seaman-gunner toadmiral, and the same may be, without exaggeration, said of Tucker.He was fortunate in beginning his naval career on the MediterraneanStation, where he made his first cruise in the frigate _Brandywine_.

Before the establishment of the Naval Academy at Annapolis the bestschool for training a cadet in the etiquette, spirit and, perhaps,even in the seamans.h.i.+p of the service, was a smart frigate of theMediterranean Squadron. If we may trust the traditions which have beenhanded down to us in song and story about "the roaring lads of the_Brandywine_," the training on board the s.h.i.+p in which Tucker firstserved was well calculated to develop all that was das.h.i.+ng and daringin the young gentlemen of her steerage mess.After six years' service as a mids.h.i.+pman, Tucker pa.s.sed the requisiteexamination for promotion, but he had to wait for his turn to fill avacancy, and, consequently, was not promoted to the rank of lieutenantuntil the 20th of December, 1837.

As a lieutenant, he made a good deckofficer and a very excellent executive or first-lieutenant. In thelatter capacity he served on board the bomb-brig _Stromboli_, in theGulf of Mexico, during the war between Mexico and the United States.The _Stromboli_ was actively employed, and Tucker partic.i.p.ated in thecapture of Tobasco and other naval operations against the enemy.During the latter part of the war Tucker succeeded to the command ofthe _Stromboli_ as Lieutenant-Commanding, retaining the command untilthe cessation of hostilities.His last cruise whilst belonging to the United States Navy was made as.e.xecutive officer of the frigate _c.u.mberland_, the flag-s.h.i.+p ofFlag-Officer Stringham, on the Mediterranean Station, thus ending hisactive service in the United States Navy where it began, after aninterval of thirty years.Soon after his promotion to a lieutenancy Tucker was married, atNorfolk, Virginia, on the 7th of June, 1838, to Virginia, daughter ofCaptain Thomas Tarleton Webb, of the United States Navy.

This unionwas, uninterruptedly, most happy and harmonious until it was dissolvedby the death of Mrs. Tucker in 1858. She left several children, threeof whom--Randolph Tucker, of Richmond, Virginia; Tarleton Webb Tucker,of Memphis, Tennessee; and Virginius Tucker, of Norfolk,Virginia--are now living and prospering.On September 14th, 1855, Tucker received his commission as aCommander, and at the same time was ordered to command the_Pennsylvania_, an old three-decker s.h.i.+p-of-the-line which was incommission as receiving-s.h.i.+p at Norfolk. His next duty was as OrdnanceOfficer of the Norfolk Navy Yard, and it was whilst he was employed onthis duty that the secession of Virginia caused him to forward hisresignation to the Secretary of the Navy.There is no intention of discussing in this biographical sketch thequestions which were in controversy between the Northern and SouthernStates until they were finally settled by the arbitrament of arms; itis sufficient to say that nothing but the sincerest conviction thatthe highest duty required the sacrifice could have induced an officerin Tucker's position to leave an established and an ill.u.s.trious navyto enter the service of a people who had neither s.h.i.+ps nor sailors.

PART II.

APPOINTED A COMMANDER IN THE VIRGINIA NAVY--IN CHARGE OF THE

DEFENSES OF JAMES RIVER--TRANSFERRED TO THE CONFEDERATE STATES NAVY--PLACED IN COMMAND OF THE _Patrick Henry_--FITTING OUT UNDER DIFFICULTIES--FIRST PARTIALLY ARMORED AMERICAN VESSEL. LIEUTENANT POWELL'S PLAN FOR ARMORED GUNBOATS--OFFICERS OF THE _Patrick Henry_--GUARDING JAMES RIVER--SCALING THE GUNS--"NAVAL SKIRMISH"--A FLAG WHICH WAS NOT PRESENTED--BATTLE OF HAMPTON ROADS. SINKING OF THE _c.u.mberland_; AN AMERICAN _Vengeur_--BURNING OF THE _Congress_--COMBAT BETWEEN THE _Virginia_ AND THE _Monitor_--FLAG-OFFICER TATNALL TAKES COMMAND OF THE CONFEDERATE SQUADRON--SALLY INTO HAMPTON ROADS--PLAN FOR CARRYING THE _Monitor_ BY BOARDING--EVACUATION OF NORFOLK--TOWING UNFINISHED GUNBOATS TO RICHMOND--FEDERAL SQUADRON ENTERS JAMES RIVER--CREWS OF THE _Patrick Henry_, _Jamestown_ AND _Virginia_ MAN THE NAVAL BATTERIES AT DREWRY'S BLUFF--ACTION AT DREWRY'S BLUFF--THE _Galena_; A WELL-FOUGHT VESSEL. REPULSE OF THE FEDERAL SQUADRON--TUCKER ORDERED TO COMMAND THE IRON-CLAD STEAMER _Chicora_ AT CHARLESTON--SUCCESSFUL ATTACK ON THE BLOCKADING SQUADRON--TUCKER POSTED AND APPOINTED FLAG-OFFICER OF THE CHARLESTON SQUADRON--COMMANDING OFFICERS OF THE CHARLESTON SQUADRON--DUPONT'S ATTACK ON CHARLESTON--CONFEDERATE TORPEDO-BOATS AT CHARLESTON; DAMAGE DONE BY THEM--CHARLESTON NAVAL BATTALION SERVING WITH THE ARMY--EVACUATION OF CHARLESTON--ONE BATTALION OF THE CHARLESTON SQUADRON SERVES WITH THE ARMY AT WILMINGTON--TUCKER, WITH THE CHARLESTON SQUADRON BRIGADE, MARCHES THROUGH NORTH CAROLINA AND ARRIVES AT RICHMOND--TUCKER ORDERED TO COMMAND AT DREWRY'S BLUFF--CONFEDERACY AT ITS LAST GASP--EVACUATION OF RICHMOND--TUCKER NOT INFORMED OF THE INTENTION TO EVACUATE RICHMOND--SUCCEEDS IN JOINING HIS BRIGADE OF SAILORS TO MAJOR-GEN. CUSTIS LEE'S DIVISION--ACTION AT SAYLOR'S CREEK; DIDN'T KNOW THEY WERE WHIPPED, THOUGHT THE FIGHT HAD JUST BEGUN--SURRENDER--PRISONER OF WAR--RELEASED ON PAROLE--EMPLOYED BY THE SOUTHERN EXPRESS COMPANYTucker was appointed a Commander in the Virginia Navy, with rank fromthe date of the commission in the United States Navy which he hadresigned. He was at first a.s.signed by the Governor to the defense ofJames river, but in a short time was ordered to a.s.sume command of thesteamer _Patrick Henry_.When Virginia became one of the Confederate States, all the officersof the Virginia Navy were transferred to the Confederate States Navy,with the same rank they had held in the United States Navy. The_Patrick Henry_ was also transferred by the State of Virginia to theConfederate States. This vessel was a paddle-wheel steamer of about1,400 tons burthen; she was called the _Yorktown_ before the war, andwas one of a line of steamers running between Richmond and New York;she was reputed to be a fast boat, and deserved the reputation.When Virginia seceded this vessel was in James river, and, togetherwith her sister steamer _Jamestown_, of the same line, was seized bythe authorities of the State, taken up to the Rockett's wharf, atRichmond, and the command conferred, as has been said, upon CommanderTucker; this a.s.signment of duty being afterwards confirmed by theSecretary of the Confederate States Navy. Naval Constructor JosephPea.r.s.e, with a number of mechanics from the Norfolk Navy Yard, who hadbeen brought to Richmond for the purpose, commenced the necessaryalterations, which had previously been determined upon, and in a shorttime the pa.s.senger steamer _Yorktown_ was converted into the verycreditable man-of-war _Patrick Henry_, of 12 guns and one hundred andfifty officers and men. Lieutenant William Llewellyn Powell, who soonafterwards resigned from the Navy, entered the Army as Colonel ofArtillery, and died a Brigadier-General at Fort Morgan before itsfall, was her executive officer while she was being fitted out, and tohim, as well as to Constructor Joseph Pea.r.s.e, much credit is due forhaving made her as serviceable as she was for purposes of war. Herspar-deck cabins were removed, and her deck strengthened so as toenable it to bear a battery. Her boilers were slightly protected byiron plates one inch in thickness. V-shaped iron s.h.i.+elds on thespar-deck, forward and aft of her engines, afforded some protection tothe machinery, but none to the walking beams, which rose far above thehurricane-deck. It is probable that Lieutenant Powell suggested thefirst American attempt to protect steamers with iron armor, unless theStevens floating-battery, which was so long building at Hoboken forthe United States, was such an attempt. It is known that Powellforwarded, during the summer of 1861, plans to the Confederate NavyDepartment for converting river craft and ca.n.a.l boats into iron-cladgunboats.The armament of the _Patrick Henry_ consisted of ten medium32-pounders in broadside, one ten-inch sh.e.l.l gun pivoted forward, andone eight-inch solid-shot gun pivoted aft. The eight-inch solid-shotgun was the most effective gun on board, and did good service both atthe battle of Hampton Roads and the repulse of the Federal squadron atDrewry's Bluff. The captain of this gun was an excellent seaman-gunnernamed Smith, who was afterwards promoted to be a boatswain in theC.S. Navy. A few weeks before the battle of Hampton Roads two of themedium 32-pounders were exchanged for two six-inch guns, banded andrifled, a gun much used in the Confederate Navy, and effective, thoughfar inferior to the six-inch rifled guns of the present day.The _Patrick Henry_ was rigged as a brigantine, square yards to theforemast and fore-and-aft sails alone to the mainmast. At Norfolk,when she was about to be employed in running by the batteries ofNewport News at night, it was thought best to take both of her mastsout in order to make her less liable to be discovered by the enemy.Signal poles, carrying no sails, were subst.i.tuted in their place.No list of the officers of the _Patrick Henry_ at the time she wentinto commission can now be given, but the following is a list of thoseon board at the battle of Hampton Roads, so far as can be ascertained:Commander John Randolph Tucker, commander; Lieutenant James HenryRoch.e.l.le, executive officer; Lieutenants William Sharp and FrancisLyell Hoge; Surgeon John T. Mason; Paymaster Thomas Richmond Ware;Pa.s.sed a.s.sistant Surgeon Frederick Garretson; Acting Master LewisParrish; Chief Engineer Hugh Clark; Lieutenant of Marines Richard T.Henderson; Mids.h.i.+pmen John Tyler Walker, Alexander McComb Mason, andM.P. Goodwyn.The vessel, being properly equipped, so far as the limited resourcesat hand could be used, proceeded down James river and took a positionoff Mulberry Island, on which point rested the right of the Army ofthe Peninsula, under Magruder. The time pa.s.sed wearily and drearilyenough whilst the _Patrick Henry_ lay at anchor off Mulberry Island.The officers and crew very rarely went on sh.o.r.e, the steamer beingkept always with banked fires, prepared to repel an attack, whichmight have been made at any moment, the Federal batteries at NewportNews and the vessels stationed there, the frigate _Savannah_, sloop_c.u.mberland_, and steamer _Louisiana_, being about fourteen milesdistant.To relieve the monotony of the irksome duty on which the _PatrickHenry_ was employed, Tucker determined to take her down the river,feel of the enemy, and warn him of what might be expected if boatexpeditions should attempt to ascend the river. On the afternoon ofFriday, September 13th, 1861, the _Patrick Henry_ weighed her anchorat Mulberry Island, and steamed down James river towards Newport News.Choosing her distance from that point, she opened fire upon theFederal squadron, which was promptly returned, princ.i.p.ally by the_Savannah_, _Louisiana_, and a battery of light artillery, which hadbeen moved up the left bank of the river. After giving the crew a goodexercise at their guns, the _Patrick Henry_ was steamed back to heranchorage off Mulberry Island.About the last of November, Tucker received information that one ortwo of the Federal gunboats came up the river every night and anch.o.r.edabout a mile and a half above their squadron at Newport News. Hopingto be able to surprise and capture these boats, the commander of the_Patrick Henry_ got her underway at 4 o'clock A.M. on December 2d,1861. The morning was dark and suitable for the enterprise, and alllights on board the _Patrick Henry_ were either extinguished orcarefully concealed. No vessel of the enemy was met with in the river,but at daylight four steamers were discovered, lying at anchor nearthe frigate _Congress_ and sloop _c.u.mberland_, off the batteries ofNewport News. As the _Patrick Henry_ could not have returned unseen,Tucker took a position about a mile distant from the batteries, andopened on the Federal vessels with his port battery and pivot guns.The fire was promptly returned, many of the shots from the rifled gunspa.s.sing over the _Patrick Henry_, and one, going through herpilot-house and lodging in the starboard hammock-netting, did someinjury to the vessel, besides wounding slightly one of the pilots anda seaman by the splinters it caused. The skirmish, if such a term canbe applied to a naval operation, lasted about two hours, during whichtime the _Patrick Henry_ fired twenty-eight sh.e.l.ls and thirteen solidshots, but with what effect on the enemy is not known. From this bestkind of drill practice, the Confederate steamer returned to heranchorage off Mulberry Island, continued her guard of the river, andwaited for some opportunity for more active employment.In February, 1862, the ladies of Charles City, a county bordering onJames river, desired to present to the _Patrick Henry_ a flag whichthey had made for her as an evidence of their appreciation of herservices in keeping boat expeditions and the enemy's small steamersfrom ascending the river. But the presentation of this flag did nottake place; the C.S. steamers _Jamestown_, 2, and _Teaser_, v, hadreinforced the _Patrick Henry_, and such incessant preparations weregoing on that no time could be spared for the ceremony. The occasionof these preparations was the expectation of being soon engaged in theattack which it was understood that the Confederate iron-clad_Virginia_ was about to make on the Federal batteries and men-of-warat Newport News. No care or preparation could make the _Patrick Henry_as well fitted for war as a vessel of the same size built especiallyfor the military marine service; but the best that could be done tomake her efficient was done, and not without success, as the part thevessel took in the closely following battle of Hampton Roadsconclusively demonstrates.On the 7th of March, 1862, the James river squadron, consisting of the_Patrick Henry_, 12, Commander J.R. Tucker; _Jamestown_, 2, LieutenantCommanding J.N. Barney, and _Teaser_, 1, Lieutenant Commanding W.A.Webb, proceeded down the river, and anch.o.r.ed at nightfall off Day'sNeck Point, some six miles distant from Newport News. This movementwas effected in order to be near at hand when the _Virginia_ made herexpected attack on the Federal forces.The 8th of March, 1862, was a bright, placid, beautiful day--more likea May than a March day. About 1 o'clock in the afternoon, the_Virginia_ came steaming out from behind Craney Island, attended bythe gunboats _Beaufort_ and _Raleigh_. As soon as the _Virginia_ wa.s.seen, the James river squadron got underway under all the steam theboilers would bear, and proceeded to join her in her attack on theenemy. As Tucker's small squadron approached the Newport Newsbatteries he formed it in line ahead, the _Patrick Henry_, 12,leading; next the _Jamestown_, 2, and lastly the _Teaser_, 1; thisorder being maintained until the batteries were pa.s.sed. The batterieswere run with less loss than was antic.i.p.ated; the enemy probablyexpected the Confederate vessels to pa.s.s in the usual channel, abouteight hundred yards from the guns of the Federal works, but byTucker's directions the _Patrick Henry_ was run by much nearer thebatteries, and the _Jamestown_ and _Teaser_ followed her closely.Probably in consequence of this deviation from the middle of thechannel the Federal guns were not well aimed, and most of the shotfrom the batteries pa.s.sed over the Confederate vessels. As the Jamesriver squadron ranged up abreast of the first battery, the vesselsdelivered their fire, and the flash from their guns had scarcelyvanished when the Federal works were wrapped in smoke, and theirprojectiles came hissing through the air. The _Patrick Henry_ wa.s.struck several times during the pa.s.sage; one shot pa.s.sing through thecrew of No. 3 gun, wounding two men and killing one, a volunteer fromthe army, who had come on board to serve only for the fight. His lastwords as he fell were, "Never mind me, boys!"Whilst the James river squadron was pa.s.sing the batteries, the_Virginia_ had rammed and sunk the _c.u.mberland_, a s.h.i.+p which wasfought most gallantly to the bitter end, going down with her colorsflying and her guns firing, like the celebrated French s.h.i.+p _Vengeur_.Having run by the batteries with no material damage, the James riversquadron joined the _Virginia_ and afforded her valuable aid in thebattle she was waging. Whilst the forward guns of the _Patrick Henry_were engaging one enemy, the after guns were firing at another, andthe situation of the Confederate wooden vessels at this time seemedwell nigh desperate. The Newport News batteries were on one side, onthe other the frigates _Minnesota_, _St. Lawrence_ and _Roanoke_ werecoming up from Old Point Comfort, and in front the beach was linedwith field batteries and sharpshooters. Fortunately for the woodenvessels, both Confederate and Federal, the _Minnesota_, _St. Lawrence_and _Roanoke_ grounded, and the smaller vessels which accompanied themreturned to Old Point Comfort. The _Minnesota_, though aground, wasnear enough to take part in the action, and opened a heavy fire onthe Confederate squadron.The frigate _Congress_, early in the action, had been run aground,with a white flag flying. Tucker, as soon as he saw that the_Congress_ had shown a white flag, gave orders that no shot should befired at her from the _Patrick Henry_, and he steadily refused to letany gun be aimed at her, notwithstanding that the Confederate gunboats_Raleigh_, _Teaser_ and _Beaufort_ had attempted to take possession ofthe surrendered vessel, and had been driven off by a heavy artilleryand infantry fire from the Federal troops on the beach. After theConfederate gunboats had been forced to retire from the _Congress_,Flag-Officer Buchanan hailed the _Patrick Henry_ and directedCommander Tucker to burn that frigate. The pilots of the _PatrickHenry_ declared they could not take her alongside of the _Congress_ onaccount of an intervening shoal, which determined Tucker to approachas near as the shoal would permit and then send his boats to burn theFederal frigate. The boats were prepared for the service, and theboats' crews and officers held ready whilst the _Patrick Henry_steamed in towards the _Congress_.This movement of the _Patrick Henry_ placed her in the most imminentperil; she was brought under the continuous and concentrated fire ofthree points; on her port quarters were the batteries of Newport News,on her port bow the field batteries and sharpshooters on the beach,and on her starboard bow the _Minnesota_. It soon became evident thatno wooden vessel could long float under such a fire; several shotsstruck the hull, and a piece of the walking-beam was shot away. As thesponge of the after pivot gun was being inserted in the muzzle of thepiece, the handle was cut in two by a shot from the enemy; half inprayer and half in despair at being unable to perform his duty, thesponger exclaimed, "Oh, Lord! how is the gun to be sponged?" He wasmuch relieved when the quarter-gunner of his division handed him aspare sponge. This state of things could not last long; a shot from arifled gun of one of the field batteries on the beach penetrated thesteam-chest, the engine-room and fire-room were filled with steam,four of the firemen were scalded to death and several others severelyinjured; the engineers and firemen were driven up on deck, and theengines stopped working: the vessel was enveloped in a cloud ofescaped steam, and the enemy, seeing that some disaster to the boilerhad occurred, increased his fire. At the moment, until the chiefengineer made his report, no one on the spar-deck knew exactly whathad happened, the general impression being that the boilers hadexploded. It is an unmistakable evidence of the courage and disciplineof the crew that the fire from the _Patrick Henry_ did not slacken,but went on as regularly as if nothing unusual had occurred. As thevessel was drifting towards the enemy in her disabled condition, thejib was hoisted to pay her head around, and the _Jamestown_,Lieutenant Commanding Barney, gallantly and promptly came to hera.s.sistance and towed her out of action.The engineers soon got one boiler in working order. The other was sobadly damaged that they were unable to repair it for immediate use,and with steam on one boiler alone the _Patrick Henry_ was again takeninto action. The closing in of night put an end to the conflict, as inthe dark it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe. The victoryremained without dispute with the Confederate squadron, and waswitnessed, as was the combat between the _Virginia_ and the _Monitor_on the day following, by mult.i.tudes of spectators from Norfolk and theneighboring camps of the Confederate troops, as well as by many on theFederal side of the Roads.It has been stated that the total Federal loss in this battle wasnearly four hundred. The numerical strength of the Confederate forceengaged was about six hundred, of which the total loss was aboutsixty. The loss on board the _Patrick Henry_ being five killed andnine wounded.The part taken by the _Patrick Henry_ in this battle--it was a battleand not a combat--seems to have been lost sight of in consequence ofthe great power, as a new force in naval warfare, displayed by the_Virginia_, but the Federal commanders bear witness to the efficientservice done by the Confederate wooden vessels. Lieutenant CommandingPendergrast, of the _Congress_, reported that "the _Patrick Henry_ and_Thomas Jefferson_ (_Jamestown_), rebel steamers, approached us fromup the James river, firing with precision and doing us great damage,"and Captain Van Brunt, of the _Minnesota_, reported that the _PatrickHenry_ and _Jamestown_ "took their positions on my port bow and sternand their fire did most damage in killing and wounding men, insomuchas they fired with rifled guns."The closing in of night having put an end to hostilities untilmorning, the Confederate squadrons anch.o.r.ed under Sewell's Point, atthe mouth of the harbor of Norfolk. The crews were kept busy until alate hour of the night, making such repairs and preparations as werenecessary for resuming operations in the morning. Soon after midnighta column of fire ascended in the darkness, followed by a terrificexplosion--the Federal frigate _Congress_, which had been on fire allthe evening, had blown up, the fire having reached her magazine.Flag Officer Buchanan, having been wounded in the action, was sent tothe Naval Hospital at Norfolk on the morning of the 9th, just prior tothe getting under way of the squadron. The command ought, inconformity with military and naval usage, to have been formallytransferred to the next senior officer of the squadron, who wasCommander J.R. Tucker, of the _Patrick Henry_; but this obviouslyproper course was not followed, and Flag Officer Buchanan's flag waskept flying on board the _Virginia_, though he himself, in point offact, was not and could not be in command of that vessel, or theConfederate squadron, since he was not within signal distance ofeither, being laid up in bed at the Norfolk Naval Hospital. Tuckerdid not a.s.sume command of the squadron, but simply continued tocommand the _Patrick Henry_.At the first peep of dawn, on the morning of the 9th of March, theConfederate squadron was under way, having in view for its firstobject the destruction of the _Minnesota_, that frigate being stillaground near Newport News. As the daylight increased, the _Minnesota_was discovered in her old position, but no longer alone andunsupported. Close alongside of her there lay such a craft as the eyesof a seaman does not delight to look upon; no masts, no smokestack, noguns--at least nothing of the sort could be seen about her. And yetthe thing had a grim, pugnacious look, as if there was tremendouspower of some sort inherent in her, and ready to be manifestedwhenever the occasion required it. The _Monitor_ (for it was thatfamous vessel) promptly steamed out to meet the _Virginia_, as thelatter vessel bore down on the _Minnesota_, and the celebrated combatbetween these iron-clads was joined immediately. It was the firstaction that had ever been fought between armored vessels, and as suchwill ever be remembered and commented upon. The combat resulted in adrawn fight as far as the _Virginia_ and _Monitor_ was concerned, but.i.t established the power of iron-clad steamers as engines of war, andcompletely revolutionized the construction of the navies of the world.That the combat between the _Virginia_ and the _Monitor_ was anindecisive action is clear. The _Monitor_ received the most damage inthe fight, and was the first to retire from it into shoal water,though the fight was afterwards renewed. On the other hand, the_Virginia_ did not accomplish her object, which was the destruction ofthe _Minnesota_, and she did not accomplish it in consequence of theresistance offered by the _Monitor_. The two vessels held each otherin check, the _Virginia_ protecting Norfolk, and the _Monitor_ doingthe same for the Federal wooden fleet in Hampton Roads and theChesapeake waters. The injuries received by the _Virginia_ in rammingthe _c.u.mberland_, on the previous day, were probably greater thanthose inflicted on her by the _Monitor_; in neither case were theysevere enough to disable or force her to withdraw from action.On her return to Norfolk harbor, the _Virginia_ was accompanied by the_Patrick Henry_ and the other vessels of the Confederate squadron. TheConfederate wooden steamers had taken no part in the action betweenthe _Virginia_ and the _Monitor_, except to fire an occasional shot atthe _Monitor_, as she pa.s.sed, at very long range; no wooden vesselcould have floated a quarter of an hour in an engagement at closequarters with either of the two iron-clads.Flag Officer Tatnall having relieved Flag Officer Buchanan, who wasincapacitated from command on account of severe wounds received in thefirst day's fight in Hampton Roads, and all the vessels of thesquadron having been refitted, on the 13th of April the squadron againsallied out to attack the enemy. It was expected that the _Monitor_would be eager to renew the combat with the _Virginia_, and it wasagreed upon that, in case the _Virginia_ failed to capture or destroythe Federal iron-clad, an attempt should be made to carry the latterby boarding. This duty was a.s.signed to the gunboats _Beaufort_ and_Raleigh_ and two other small steamers. One of these small steamerswas the tender of the Norfolk Navy Yard; she was manned for theoccasion by officers and men from the _Patrick Henry_, under thecommand of the executive-officer of that vessel, and was christened bythe men _Patrick Henry, Junior_.The Confederate squadron steamed about in Hampton Roads for two days,but the _Monitor_ did not leave her anchorage at Fortress Monroe, herpa.s.siveness being due, it seems, to orders from Was.h.i.+ngton not toengage the _Virginia_ unless she attempted to pa.s.s Old Point Comfort.General J. Bankhead Magruder, commanding the Confederate Army of thePeninsula, was urgent in demanding the return of the James riversquadron, and consequently the _Patrick Henry_ and _Jamestown_ wereordered to run by the Newport News batteries at night, and resumetheir old duty in James river. The _Jamestown_ ran up the river on the19th and the _Patrick Henry_ on the 20th of April; the _Beaufort_,_Raleigh_ and _Teaser_ were also sent up the river; the headquartersof this detached squadron, of which Tucker was the senior officer, wasat Mulberry Island, on which point rested the right flank of theConfederate Army of the Peninsula.Up to this time the _Patrick Henry_ was brigantine rigged, but to fither better for running by batteries without being discovered, both ofher masts were now taken out and short signal poles subst.i.tuted forthem.When the Confederate authorities determined upon the evacuation ofNorfolk, the James river squadron was employed to remove what publicproperty could be saved from the Navy Yard to Richmond. The hulls ofseveral uncompleted vessels were towed past the Federal batteries atNewport News. The running past the batteries was always done at night,moonless nights being chosen whenever it was practicable to select thetime of making the trip. So far as known, the vessels employed on thisservice were never detected by the enemy; at least they were neverfired upon.Soon after the evacuation of Norfolk, whilst the Confederate forceswere retiring from the Peninsula to the lines around Richmond, aFederal squadron, consisting of the _Monitor_, _Galena_, _Naugatuck_,_Aroostook_ and _Port Royal_, entered James river. The _Monitor_ alonecould with ease and without serious injury to herself have destroyedin fight all the Confederate vessels in James river, and no course wasopen to Tucker but to take his squadron up the river and make a standat the place below Richmond best adapted for defense. The place mostwisely selected was Drewry's Bluff, where the river had been.o.bstructed by rows of piles, and the piles defended by four army gunsmounted in a breastwork on the crest of the bluff, about two hundredfeet above the river. When the Confederate squadron arrived atDrewry's Bluff, the defenses which had been constructed at the placewere not in a condition to have prevented the Federal squadron frompa.s.sing on to Richmond; but in the day which the Federal vesselswasted in silencing the fire of the half-deserted Confederatebatteries on the lower river, the works at Drewry's Bluff werematerially strengthened. The _Jamestown_ and several smaller vesselswere sunk in the river channel, the two rifled guns of the _Jamestown_having been previously landed and mounted in pits dug in the brow ofthe bluff. The eight-inch solid-shot gun of the _Patrick Henry_ andher two six-inch rifles were also landed, thus forming a formidablenaval battery countersunk on the brow of the hill, consisting of oneeight-inch solid-shot gun and four six-inch rifles. Besides the navalbattery, there were several army guns mounted in a breastwork andserved by a battalion of Artillery, under the command of Major A.Drewry, who was the owner of the bluff, and from whom the place tookits name.The naval guns were manned by the crews of the _Patrick Henry_,_Jamestown_ and _Virginia_--the crew of the _Virginia_ arriving at thebluff soon after she had been destroyed by Flag Officer Tatnall, toprevent her from falling into the hands of the enemy. It is not alwayspossible for a sea captain to preserve the vessel he commands; but itis always possible to act with firmness, skill and judgment undertrying and adverse circ.u.mstances, and this Flag Officer Tatnall seemsto have done. A court-martial, composed of officers of highprofessional attainments and acknowledged personal merit, acquittedhim of all blame for the loss of the _Virginia_.The following naval officers may be named as partic.i.p.ating in theengagement of Drewry's Bluff, though there were others whose names arenot at this time procurable: Of the _Patrick Henry_, Commander JohnRandolph Tucker, Lieutenant James Henry Roch.e.l.le, Lieutenant FrancisLyell Hoge, and others; of the _Jamestown_, Lieutenant Commanding J.Nicholas Barney, Acting Master Samuel Barron, Jr., and others; of the_Virginia_, Lieutenant Catesby Roger Jones, Lieutenant HunterDavidson, Lieutenant John Taylor Wood, Lieutenant Walter Raleigh b.u.t.t,and others. Commander E. Farrand was the ranking and commandingofficer present, having been sent down from Richmond to command thestation.It was on the 15th of May, 1862, that the Federal vessels _Galena_,_Monitor_, _Naugatuck_, _Aroostook_, and _Port Royal_ made thewell-known attack on the Confederate batteries at Drewry's Bluff,which was the only obstacle barring the way to Richmond, the capitalof the Confederate States.The _Galena_ and _Monitor_ engaged the batteries at short distance,the other three Federal vessels keeping just within long range of theConfederate guns. The _Monitor_, after the action commenced, findingthat her position was too near the bluff to allow of her guns beingelevated sufficiently to throw their shot to the crest of the cliff,retired to a more favorable position. The Confederates wasted but fewshot on her, knowing they would not pierce her armor.The _Galena_ was managed and fought with great skill and daring.Approaching to within about six hundred yards of the Confederatebatteries, she was deliberately moored, her battery sprung and awell-directed fire opened upon the Confederate works. From half pastsix o'clock in the morning until about eleven, when the action ceased,she kept this position, receiving nearly the whole of the Confederatefire. The most effective gun on the Bluff was the eight-inch solidshot gun of the _Patrick Henry_. Knowing by previous experience thepower of the gun, Tucker gave it his personal supervision. At 11o'clock A.M. a shot from this gun pa.s.sed into one of the bow posts ofthe _Galena_, and was followed by an immediate gus.h.i.+ng forth of smoke,showing that the vessel was on fire or had sustained some seriousdamage, a conclusion confirmed by her moving off down the river,accompanied by the other four vessels of the Federal squadron. It wasat Drewry's Bluff that Mids.h.i.+pman Carroll, of Maryland, was killed. Hewas struck by a projectile whilst standing by Tucker's side, whoseaide he was.For some days it was expected that another attack on the Confederateposition would be made, but no other effort to capture Richmond withiron-clads was attempted. A half a dozen armored vessels, builtexpressly for being forced through obstructions and by batteries,could have pa.s.sed Drewry's Bluff and captured Richmond, but the forcewith which the attempt was actually made was neither well adapted forthe undertaking nor sufficiently strong for success.The _Galena's_ loss was thirteen killed and eleven wounded, and oneofficer and two men were wounded on board the other Federal vessels.On the Confederate side the loss, including the battalion ofArtillery, as well as the force of sailors, was eleven killed and ninewounded.After the Federal repulse at Drewry's Bluff, the officers and crew ofthe _Patrick Henry_, _Virginia_ and _Jamestown_ were permanentlyattached to the naval batteries at that place, Tucker continuing tocommand his men on sh.o.r.e.In August, 1862, Tucker was ordered to command the iron-clad steamer_Chicora_, which vessel had just been launched at Charleston. She wasa casemate iron-clad, with armor four inches in thickness, and carrieda battery of two nine-inch smooth-bore sh.e.l.l guns, and two six-inchBrooks rifles, throwing a projectile weighing sixty pounds. FlagOfficer Duncan N. Ingraham commanded the Charleston squadron, and flewhis flag on board the _Palmetto State_, Lieutenant Commanding JohnRutledge. The _Palmetto State_ was an iron-clad, similar to the_Chicora_ in build and armor, carrying a battery of one seven-inchrifled gun forward, one six-inch rifled gun aft, and one eight-inchsh.e.l.l gun on each broadside.On the night of January 31st, 1863, the two Confederate iron-cladsmade a successful attack on the Federal blockading squadron offCharleston. Pa.s.sing the bar of Charleston harbor at early dawn, theConfederate iron-clads quickly drove the blockading vessels out tosea, and the blockade was broken, at least for some hours. In hisofficial report of this action Flag Officer Ingraham says, "I cannotspeak in too high terms of the conduct of Commander Tucker andLieutenant Commanding Rutledge; the former handled his vessel in abeautiful manner and did the enemy much damage. I refer you to hisofficial report."The official report to which Flag Officer Ingraham refers theConfederate Secretary of the Navy is as follows:"CONFEDERATE STATES STEAMER _Chicora_, "January 31st, 1863. "_Sir_--In obedience to your order, I got under way at 11.30 P.M. yesterday, and stood down the harbor in company with the Confederate States steamer _Palmetto State_, bearing your flag. We crossed the bar at 4.40 A.M., and commenced the action at 5.20 A.M. by firing into a schooner-rigged propeller, which we set on fire and have every reason to believe sunk, as she was nowhere to be seen at daylight. We then engaged a large sidewheel steamer, twice our length from us on the port bow, firing three shots into her with telling effect, when she made a run for it. This vessel was supposed to be the _Quaker City_. We then engaged a schooner-rigged propeller and a large sidewheel steamer, partially crippling both, and setting the latter on fire, causing her to strike her flag; at this time the latter vessel, supposed to be the _Keystone State_, was completely at my mercy, I having taken position astern, distant some two hundred yards. I at once gave the order to cease firing upon her, and directed Lieutenant Bier, First Lieutenant of the _Chicora_, to man a boat and take charge of the prize, if possible to save her; if that was not possible, to rescue her crew. While the boat was in the act of being manned, I discovered that she was endeavoring to make her escape by working her starboard wheel, the other being disabled, her colors being down. I at once started in pursuit and renewed the engagement. Owing to her superior steaming qualities she soon widened the distance to some two hundred yards. She then hoisted her flag and commenced firing her rifled guns; her commander, by this faithless act, placing himself beyond the pale of civilized and honorable warfare.[1] We next engaged two schooners, one brig, and one bark-rigged propeller, but not having the requisite speed were unable to bring them to close quarters. We pursued them six or seven miles seaward. During the latter part of the combat, I was engaged at long range with a bark-rigged steam sloop-of-war; but in spite of all our efforts, was unable to bring her to close quarters, owing to her superior steaming qualities. At 7.30 A.M., in obedience to your orders, we stood in sh.o.r.e, leaving the partially crippled and fleeing enemy about _seven miles clear of the bar_, standing to the southward and eastward. At 8 A.M., in obedience to signal, we anch.o.r.ed in four fathoms waters off the Beach Channel." "It gives me pleasure to testify to the good conduct and efficiency of the officers and crew of the _Chicora_. I am particularly indebted to the pilots, Messrs. Payne and Aldert, for the skillful pilotage of the vessel." "It gives me pleasure to report that I have no injuries or casualties." "Very respectfully, your obedient servant, "J.R. TUCKER, _Commander, C.S.N._ "_Flag Officer_ D.N. INGRAHAM, C.S.N., "_Commanding Station, Charleston, S.C._"The result of this engagement was a complete demonstration of thefutility of any attempt on the part of wooden vessels to contend withiron-clads. The Federal squadron consisted of the _Housatonic_,_Meresdita_, _Keystone State_, _Quaker City_, _Augusta_, _Flag_,_Memphis_, _Stettin_, _Ottawa_, and _Unadilla_, ten vessels, all ofthem unarmored, and three, the _Housatonic_, _Ottawa_ and _Unadilla_,built for war service, the other seven being merchant steamersconverted into men-of-war. The Confederate squadron consisted of onlytwo vessels, both iron-clads, the _Palmetto State_ and _Chicora_,which received no damage whatever during the engagement, either totheir hulls, machinery, or crew, whilst several of the ten Federalwooden vessels were seriously injured, though none of them were sunk,their escape from capture or destruction being due to the swiftness oftheir flight. Their loss was twenty-five killed and twenty-twowounded.The blockade of Charleston harbor was soon, indeed immediately,re-established, and kept up by the armored frigate _New Ironsides_ anda number of heavy "Monitors." There was, from the end of this battleto the evacuation of Charleston by the Confederates, no time whenthere would have been the least probability of the success of anotherdash by the Confederate vessels in the harbor upon the Federalsquadron blockading.In the month of February, 1863, Tucker was promoted to the rank ofCaptain in the Provisional Navy of the Confederate States, and inMarch following was appointed Flag Officer of the Confederate ForcesAfloat at Charleston, the _Chicora_ bearing his flag.On the 7th of April, 1863, Admiral Dupont made his attack onCharleston, with a squadron consisting of the armored frigate _NewIronsides_ and eight "Monitors." Tucker, with his usual good judgment,held the _Chicora_ and _Palmetto State_, aided by a number of rowboatsarmed with torpedoes, ready to make a desperate and final a.s.sault uponthe Federal squadron if it should succeed in pa.s.sing the Confederateforts guarding the entrance to the harbor. Admiral Dupont's squadronwas repulsed by the forts, and the Confederate squadron was notengaged.The Confederate naval forces afloat at Charleston did not possesseither the strength or swiftness necessary for an attack on theFederal blockading squadron with any reasonable prospect of success,and Tucker therefore turned his attention to attacks by means oftorpedo-boats fitted out from his squadron. On the 5th of October,1863, Lieutenant W.T. Gla.s.sell, with a small double-ender steamtorpedo-boat, made an attempt to sink the _New Ironsides_, lying offMorris' Island. The _New Ironsides_ was not sunk, but she wa.s.seriously damaged and was sent North for repairs. The torpedo-boat wasfilled with water, and her commander, pilot, and engineer, all thatwere on board of her, were thrown overboard by the shock of thestriking and exploding of the torpedo against the bottom of theiron-clad. The torpedo-boat was finally taken back into Charlestonharbor by the pilot and engineer, but Lieutenant Gla.s.sell was madeprisoner after having been in the water about an hour. A torpedo-boatcommanded by Lieutenant Dixon of the Confederate Army, and manned bysix volunteers from Tucker's squadron and one from the army, attackedand sunk, on the night of February 17th, 1864, the United Statessteamer _Housatonic_ lying in the North Channel. The torpedo-boat withall on board went to the bottom, but most of the crew of the_Housatonic_ were saved by taking refuge in the rigging, which was notsubmerged when the vessel rested on the bottom.The boat attack on Fort Sumter, made by the Federals on September 8th,1863, was easily repulsed, and the Charleston squadron materiallyaided in the repulse.A battalion of sailors from the recruits on board the receiving-s.h.i.+p_Indian Chief_, under the command of Lieutenant Commanding WilliamGalliard Dozier, was detached by Tucker to co-operate with the army onJames' Island in August, 1864. This battalion rendered good service,and upon its return to the squadron was kept organized and ready torespond whenever a call for a.s.sistance was made upon the Navy by theArmy.Early in 1864 some changes were made in the commanding officers of thesquadron; Commander Isaac Newton Brown was ordered to the_Charleston_, Commander Thomas T. Hunter to the _Chicora_, andLieutenant Commanding James Henry Roch.e.l.le to the _Palmetto State_. Noother changes were made in the commands of the squadron while itexisted.The three iron-clads under Tucker's command at Charleston were allslow vessels, with imperfect engines, which required frequentrepairing; for that day, and considering the paucity of navalresources in the South, they were fairly officered, manned and armed.All of them were clad with armor four inches thick, and they were allof the type of the _Virginia_, or _Merrimac_, as that vessel isfrequently but erroneously called. The commander of the vessels wereall formerly officers of the United States Navy, who were citizens ofthe Southern States and had resigned their commissions in the Federalservice when their States seceded from the Union. The lieutenants andother officers were appointed from civil life, but they were competentto perform the duties required of them, and conducted themselves wellat all times and under all circ.u.mstances. The crews of each vesselnumbered from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and sixty men,some of them able-seamen, and most of them efficient and reliable men.Each vessel carried a torpedo, fitted to the end of a spar somefifteen or twenty feet long projecting from the bows in a line withthe keel, and so arranged that it could be carried either triced upclear of the water or submerged five or six feet below the surface.The squadron was in a good state of discipline and drill, and, so faras the personnel was concerned, in a very efficient condition.Every night one or two of the iron-clads anch.o.r.ed in the channel nearFort Sumter for the purpose of resisting a night attack on that placeor a dash into the harbor by the Federal squadron.Not long before the evacuation of Charleston an iron-clad named the_Columbia_ was launched there. She had a thickness of six inches ofiron on her casemate, and was otherwise superior to the other threeiron-clads of the squadron. Unfortunately, she was run aground whilstcoming out of dock, and so much injured as not to be able to renderany service whatever.Charleston was evacuated by the Confederate forces on the 18th ofFebruary, 1865. Several days previous to the evacuation a detachmentfrom the squadron of about three hundred men, under the command ofLieutenant Commanding James Henry Roch.e.l.le, consisting of the officersand crews of the _Palmetto State_, _Columbia_, and the recruits fromthe receiving-s.h.i.+p _Indian Chief_, were dispatched by rail toWilmington, which the detachment reached only a few days before itwas, in turn, abandoned by the Confederate Army. The Charleston navaldetachment was ordered to co-operate with the Army as a body ofinfantry, and was a.s.signed to duty with General Hoke's division, ofwhich it formed the extreme right, resting on Cape Fear river. Theposition was exposed to an annoying fire from the Federal gunboats inthe river, to which no reply could be made, but from which some losswas suffered. The evacuation of Wilmington took place on the 22d ofFebruary, 1865, and the Charleston squadron's naval battalion marchedout with Hoke's division, to which it remained attached untilsomewhere in the interior of North Carolina it reunited with Tucker'scommand.With the officers and crews of the _Charleston_ and _Chicora_, Tuckerleft Charleston on the 18th of February, 1865, the day of theevacuation of the city by the Confederate Army. As far as Florence inSouth Carolina the Charleston naval brigade traveled by rail, but atthat point Tucker received a telegram informing him that the Federalforces were about cutting the railway communication between Florenceand Wilmington. This was the last message that came over the wires,and Tucker, knowing that the enemy had succeeded in seizing therailroad, abandoned his intention of making for Wilmington, andmarched his command across the country to Fayetteville, where hereceived orders from the Navy Department to bring his force toRichmond. On the way from Fayetteville to Richmond the detachedCharleston naval battalion was reunited to the main body underTucker, and the whole brigade proceeded together to Richmond, and fromRichmond it was sent to garrison the Confederate batteries at Drewry'sBluff, of which place Tucker was ordered to a.s.sume command, the navalforces afloat in James river being under the command of Rear AdmiralRaphael Semmes.When Tucker took command at Drewry's Bluff the Confederate cause wasat its last gasp. Richmond was evacuated by the Confederate Army andGovernment on the night of the 2d of April, 1865. Strange to relate,Tucker received no orders to retire with his command, and he held hispost steadily until, early on the morning of the 3d, the Confederateiron-clads in James river were burnt by their own commanders. When heknew the troops were marching out of Richmond and saw the Confederateiron-clads burning in the river, Tucker thought it was not onlyjustifiable but necessary for him to act without orders, and heretired with his command from Drewry's Bluff. General R.E. Lee toldTucker, when they met, that of all the mistakes committed by theRichmond authorities he regretted none more than the neglect toapprise the naval force at Drewry's Bluff of the intended evacuationof the city.The naval brigade from Drewry's Bluff, under Flag Officer Tucker,joined the rear guard of the Confederate Army, and was attached toGeneral Custis Lee's division of General Ewell's corps, with which itmarched until the battle of Saylor's Creek on the 16th of April, 1865.The naval brigade held the right of the line at that battle, andeasily repulsed all the a.s.saults made upon it. A flag of truce wa.s.sent by the Federal General commanding at that point to inform Tuckerthat the Confederate troops on his right and left had surrendered, andthat further resistance was useless and could only end in thedestruction of the sailors. Tucker, believing that the battle had onlycommenced, refused to surrender, and held his position until reliableinformation, which he could not doubt, reached him of the surrender ofGeneral Ewell and his army corps. The naval brigade surrendered byTucker numbered some three hundred sailors, who, the opposing forcesaid, did not know when they were whipped. Tucker's sword, which herendered to General Keifer, was returned to him some years after thewar by that gentleman, then a prominent member of Congress.Tucker was sent North and confined as a prisoner of war until theentire cessation of hostilities, when he was released on parole. Onhis return to Virginia he found that both the Confederate and StateGovernments were things of the past, and that he would have to mendhis broken fortunes, if mend them he could, by engaging in thebusiness pursuits of civil life. He succeeded, not without difficulty,in obtaining employment as an agent of the Southern Express Company,and was stationed at Raleigh, North Carolina, to take charge of thebusiness matters of the Company in that city.[1] The _Keystone State_ did not surrender, rescue or no rescue, andher escape ought probably to be regarded as a rescue.

PART III.

TUCKER OFFERED THE COMMAND OF THE PERUVIAN FLEET, WITH THE

RANK OF REAR ADMIRAL--ARRIVES IN LIMA--NO PRECEDENT FOR THE RETURN OF MONEY--COMMISSIONED A REAR ADMIRAL IN THE NAVY OF PERU--COMMANDS THE ALLIED FLEETS OF PERU AND CHILE--SPANISH WAR--TUCKER'S PLAN FOR A NAVAL CAMPAIGN; PROJECTED EXPEDITION AGAINST MANILA--CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES--TUCKER RETIRES FROM THE COMMAND OF THE FLEET, AND IS APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF THE PERUVIAN HYDROGRAPHICAL COMMISSION OF THE AMAZON--CROSSES THE ANDES AND REACHES THE AMAZON--EXPLORES THE YAVARI RIVER--ORDERED TO THE UNITED STATES TO SUPERINTEND THE BUILDING OF AN EXPLORING STEAMER--RETURNS TO THE AMAZON WITH STEAMER _Tambo_. EXPEDITION UP THE UCAYALI AND EXPLORATION OF THE TAMBO RIVER--ORDERED TO THE UNITED STATES TO PROCURE A STEAMER OF LIGHT DRAUGHT OF WATER--RETURNS TO THE AMAZON WITH STEAMER _Mairo_--SECOND EXPEDITION UP THE UCAYALI--CANOE EXPEDITION UP THE PACHITEA AND EXPLORATION OF