CSS Chicora
1) Abraham Lincoln; A History. Volume Seven. by John G. Nicolay and John Hay.
John G. Nicolay and John Hay, who dedicate the third chapter of the seventh volume of Abraham Lincoln to the time in which Flag-officer Samuel Francis Du Pont was the commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, describes the process by which the Confederate States Navy attempted open its ports to international trade. Fast-sailing steamers, on page 58, are reported to have been able to evade the blockading vessels that sought to interdict the maritime trade that existed between the ports of the Confederate States of America and the international markets. Foreign nations, against the protestations of the government of the Southern Confederacy, are claimed to have recognized the blockade of the secessionist ports. It is reported that the breakaway government argued that the blockade of its ports, perhaps due to the activities of blockade-runners, was ineffective. Extraordinary efforts are claimed to have been made, by the Confederate States Navy, to raise the blockade of the ports of the Confederate Republic. On the 31st of January, 1863, two ironclads are reported to have attempted to raise the blockade of Charleston. It is claimed that the secessionist government, as a result of the sortie, declared that the blockade of the city had been lifted. CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State, on page 59, are reported to have attacked the blockading vessels at four 'o clock in the morning. It is claimed that CSS Chicora, after CSS Palmetto State is reported to have captured USS Mercedita, inflicted significant damage on USS Keystone State and compelled it to strike its colours. CSS Chicora, however, is alleged to have continued to fire at USS Keystone State and the commander of the beleaguered vessel is claimed to have ordered his crew to resume the fight against the ironclad. It is reported that USS Memphis assisted USS Keystone State during the battle while USS Housatonic, via the use of its battery, is reported to have persuaded the ironclads to return to the forts that protected Charleston Harbor.
2) Accounts and Papers: Forty-Three Volumes -(35)- COMMERCIAL REPORTS-continued. Session 5 February - 13 August 1875. VOL. LXXVI. by Various Authors.
Monsieur Maillefert, on page 887 of the seventy-sixth volume of Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons, is reported to have been hired to remove a series of shipwrecks that were impeding the navigation of Charleston Harbor. It is explained that the City Council of Charleston awarded Maillefert, who is described as a submarine engineer, a contract to deepen the entrance of Charleston Harbor and to remove any obstructions from the water. Maillefert, whose statement about the proceedings is included in the article, claims that the government of the United States of America had awarded him several contracts that authorized him to improve the harbour facilities of Charleston. Major-general Q. H. Gilmore, who is reported to have served with the United States Engineer Corps, is claimed to have assisted with the project. Maillefert, beginning in 1872, is reported to have removed twenty-three vessels from Charleston Harbor and six of the water-craft are described as heavy iron-plated gunboats. It is claimed that three of the ironclads, which included USS Keokuk, had served in the United States Navy. USS Patapsco and USS Weehawken, which are named in the report, were monitors of Passaic-class that had been lost in Charleston Harbor during the American Civil War. It is reported that an three ironclads, which are described as Confederate rams, were removed from Charleston Harbor. CSS Charleston, CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State are identified as the iron-cased rams that Maillefert removed from the water. No information is provided, however, about the circumstances in which CSS Chicora was sunk. It is not explained whether CSS Chicora, as a result of a naval engagement during the War of the Rebellion, had been destroyed by the United States Navy or if the Confederate States Navy had scuttled the ironclad. Maillefert is also claimed to have removed the wrecks of USS Housatonic, six blockade-runners and a number of torpedo-boats from the waters of Charleston Harbor.
3) Campfires of the Confederacy: A Volume of Humorous Anecdotes, Reminiscences, Deeds of Heroism, Thrilling Narratives, Campaigns, Hand-to-Hand Fights, Bold Dashes, Terrible Hardships Endured, Imprisonments, Hair-Breadth Escapes, Exploits of Scouts and Spies, Perilous Journeys, Daring Raids, Boarding and Capturing Vessels, Sea Fights, Tragic Events, Etc. Confederate Poems and Selected Songs. [...] Edited by Ben La Bree, Author of "The Pictorial Battles of the Civil War," "The Confederate Soldier in the Civil War" etc., Editor of "The Lost Cause," and former Editor and Publisher of the Confederate War Journal.
Ben La Bree, who includes the reminiscences of Captain John M. Jolly in Campfires of the Confederacy, provides information about the activities of the Confederate States Navy during the penultimate year of the War of the Rebellion. Jolly, on page 266, claims that he had served onboard CSS Chicora during the time in which Charleston had experienced an outbreak of yellow fever. It is reported that the iron-plated ram, whose crew is claimed to have included three African-Americans, was commanded by Commander Thomas T. Hunter. A dispute is reported to have arisen between Charley Cleaper, who is identified as the servant of the commander of the iron-cased ram, and Joe Egan. It is claimed that Cleaper was one of three African-Americans who had served onboard the man-of-war while Egan, who is described as the coxswain of one of the boats that were carried onboard the ironclad, is reported to have been an Irish immigrant. Charleston, which is claimed to have suffered from an outbreak of yellow fever in 1864, is reported to have been placed under quarantine. Blockade-runners, which facilitated trade between the Confederate States of America and the outside world, are claimed to have introduced the disease to the city. All communication between CSS Chicora and Charleston, during the course of the epidemic, is reported to have been forbidden. It is claimed, on page 267, that the ironclad was required to anchor at a distance of between 600-yards and 800-yards from one of the wharfs that had been established at the port. Tucker, during the course of the quarantine, is reported to have washed his clothes in the city and is claimed to have sent Cleaper to collect his laundry. Cleaper, in violation of his orders, is reported to have remained in the city overnight and Tucker is claimed to have ordered Egan to retrieve him. Egan, after towing Cleaper from the city to the ironclad via a rope that was placed around his neck, is claimed to have his thumbs tied behind his back.
4) History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Infantry, 1863-1865. by Luis F. Emilio.
Luis F. Emilio, whose History of the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Infantry covers the years 1863 through to 1865, details the achievements of one of the African-American regiments that fought in the American Civil War. It is revealed that the Fifty-fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Infantry participated, during the third year of the War of the Rebellion, in the military operations that occurred around the entrance of Charleston Harbor. Emilio, who dedicates the sixth chapter of the publication to the Siege of Wagner, describes the combined operations that were conducted by the United States Army and the United States Navy. CSS Chicora, in the September of 1863, is claimed to have supported the Confederate States Army as it withdrew from Morris Island. It is reported, on page 118, that the Federal batteries bombarded Fort Sumter while the second generation of monitors are claimed to have directed their fire at Fort Wagner. General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, on page 122, is reported to have ordered Colonel Laurence Massillon Keitt to withdraw his troops from Morris Island in September. It is reported, on page 123, that the Charleston rams assisted in the evacuation of Morris Island. CSS Chicora, on pages 124 and 125, is claimed to have sent one of its boats to provide support to the garrison of Fort Wagner. An officer and seven mariners, who formed the crew of the boat, are reported to have been captured by an undisclosed number of Federal patrol-craft. Beauregard, on page 281, is claimed to have ordered General William Joseph Hardee to withdraw from Charleston. On the 18th of February, 1865, the last detachments of the Confederate States Army are reported to have abandoned Charleston. It is claimed that the garrison, before they left the city, was ordered to burn all of the warehouses that contained cotton. CSS Charleston, CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State are reported to have been destroyed with explosives at the same time in which the warehouses were burned by the withdrawing troops.
5) Recollections of a Naval Officer, 1841-1865 by Capt. William Harwar Parker, Author of "Elements of a Steamship," "Harbor Routine and Evolutions," "Naval Tactics," "Naval Light Artillery-Afloat and Ashore," "Remarks on the Navigation of the Coasts between San Francisco and Panama."
Recollections of a Naval Officer, 1841-1865 was composed by Captain William Harwar Parker and contains reminiscences of the Mexican-American War as well as the War of the Rebellion. Parker, who describes the battle between the Charleston rams and the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in the twenty-sixth chapter of his memoir, claims that he was transferred from the State of Virginia to the State of South Carolina during the latter part of the second year of the American Civil War. Flag-officer Duncan L. Ingraham, on page 288, is named as the commander of the naval forces that were tasked with the defence of Charleston. CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State, which are described as sister ships, are identified as the ironclads that were under construction in the city. It is reported that CSS Chicora, which is claimed to have been similar to CSS Palmetto State in all respects, was commanded by Captain John R. Tucker. Parker describes Tucker, with who he had served in the James River Squadron, as a comrade. It is reported, on page 292, that the Charleston rams were painted pale-blue or a bluish-grey and it is claimed that the iron-plated sides of the fighting vessels were greased with slush. Blockade-runners that communicated with Charleston, in order to avoid detection, are reported to have been painted with a similar colour arrangement. Ingraham, on pages 293 and 294, is claimed to have made a decision to use his ironclads to attack the gunboats that were blockading Charleston. On the 30th January, 1863, it is reported that the order was given to attack the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron on the following day. It is claimed that the ironclads, at half-past eleven in the evening, proceeded towards their adversaries. CSS Chicora, on page 297, is reported to have captured USS Keystone State after an intense engagement. Lieutenant Bier is named as the executive officer of the ironclad and it is reported, on page 299, that USS Housatonic engaged CSS Chicora at long distance.
6) The National Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Vol. X. April, 1899-September, 1899. by Various Authors.
Charleston Harbor, on page 293 and 294 of the tenth volume of The National Magazine, is reported to have contained three layers of defence. Warships that sought to capture the city, to paraphrase the author, would have to pass through three circles of fire before they arrived at their destination. Battery Beauregard, Battery Bee, Fort Moultrie as well as the eastern, north-eastern and north-western faces of Fort Sumter are claimed to have formed the first circle of fire. It is reported that the second circle of fire was formed by Battery Bee, Castle Pickney, Fort Johnson, Fort Ripley as well as the north-western and western faces of Fort Sumter. Battery Glover and the White Point Battery, alongside whatever guns of the second line of defence could be utilized, are claimed to have formed the third circle of fire. CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State, which are described as powerful ironclad rams, are reported to have been included in the second line of defence. It is explained that the Charleston rams, which are reported to have been equipped with 7-inch rifled guns that fired 125-pound projectiles, were expected to wait by the western wall of Fort Sumter. Square-headed bolts and shells that were filled with molten iron, which were intended to be directed at the turrets of the latest generation of Ericsson batteries that were expected to attack Charleston, are reported to have been assigned to the barbette guns of Fort Sumter. Lieutenant William Thornton Glassell, on page 295, is claimed to have served onboard CSS Chicora before he was transferred to the command of a flotilla of torpedo-boats. CSS Chicora, on page 296, is reported to have damaged two blockading vessels during the engagement of the 31st of January. An exchange of fire, at long range, is claimed to have occurred between the iron-cased ram and the remaining gunboats. It is reported that the Charleston rams, after the gunboats had been driven for a distance of seven-miles from the bar of Charleston Harbor, returned to the Beach Channel.
7) The History of the Civil War in America; Comprising a Full and Impartial Account of the Origin and Progress of the Rebellion, of the Various Naval and Military Engagements, of the Heroic Deeds Performed by Armies and Individuals, and of Touching Scenes in the Field, the Camp, the Hospital, and the Cabin. [...] Vol. II. by John S. C. Abbott, Author of Life of Napoleon," "History of the French Revolution," "Monarchies of Continental Europe," &c.
John Stevens Cabot Abbott, on page 311 of the second volume of The History of the Civil War in America, claims that the United States Navy had planned to attack Charleston with a fleet of iron-cased fighting vessels. It is reported that a detachment of turreted ironclads, which may have answered the description of the Passaic-class monitors that John Ericsson had designed, gathered at Port Royal while the United States Navy planned its attack on the fortified batteries that protected the city. No information is provided about whether or not the intelligence services of the Confederate States of America were aware that a fleet of ironclads, which would prove to be more formidable than the unprotected gunboats that were blockading Charleston, was gathering at Port Royal. CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State, which are described as Rebel iron steam-rams, are reported to have attempted to raise the blockade of Charleston Harbor on the 31st of January. It is claimed that the Charleston rams, while they were shrouded by a thick haze, attacked the blockading vessels at four 'o clock in the morning. Princess Royal, which is described as a valuable blockade-runner, is reported to have been captured on the previous day and it is claimed that the Charleston rams sought to retrieve the merchant ship. CSS Chicora, on page 312, is reported to have joined the fight after CSS Palmetto State had fired the opening shots of the battle. Its claimed that CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State exchanged fire with USS Keystone State, which is reported to have been commanded by William E. Leroy, on at least two occasions. A shell is claimed to have pierced the steam-chimney of the Federal gunboat, which is reported to have been struck on ten occasions, and deprived the fighting vessel of its means of locomotion. USS Augusta, USS Quaker City as well as USS Memphis are claimed to have rescued USS Keystone State and it is implied that they persuaded the Charleston rams to withdraw from the scene.
8) The North American Review. Vol. CXLIII. Edited by Allen Thorndike Rice.
Allen Thorndike Rice, who includes information about the naval engagement of the 31st of January in the one-hundred and forty-third volume of The North American Review, published a series of articles that highlighted an ongoing disagreement that Rear-admiral William Rodgers Taylor had with General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard. Taylor, on page 96, disputes an account of the naval engagement that Beauregard had published in a previous installment of the journal. Charleston, on the day that CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State had attempted to open the port to international trade, is claimed to have been blockaded by ten fighting vessels. Taylor, in response to a claim that Beauregard had made about the willingness of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron to fight, denies the assertion that CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State had caused the blockade of Charleston Harbor to be lifted for a duration of twenty-four hours. USS Keystone State, USS Memphis, USS Mercedita and USS Quaker City are identified as the four blockading vessels that were available to fight the Charleston rams. It is reported that USS Keystone State and CSS Mercedita were captured by the Charleston rams while a pair blockading vessels, on page 97, are claimed to have attempted to engage the ironclads. CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State, for reasons that are not disclosed, are reported to have taken position at Moffitt's Channel. Beauregard, whose reply to Taylor was published in the August of 1886, defends some of the points that he had made in his previous article. CSS Chicora and CSS Palmetto State, on page 413, are claimed to have attacked the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron due to a suggestion that Beauregard had made. Beauregard, on page 414, maintains that the ironclads had lifted the blockade of the city but asserts that the relief had been temporary. It is claimed, on page 418, that the actions of the Charleston rams had permitted blockade-runners to enter the city without opposition.Joseph Theodore Ridgway, whose obituary appears on page 1092 of the eighteenth volume of Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, is reported to have been wounded in the battle that occurred between the Charleston rams and the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. No information is provided about the ship that Ridgway, who is reported to have participated in the hunt for CSS Nashville and CSS Sumter, was serving onboard during the engagement with the iron-cased ram. It is claimed that Ridgway, during the March of 1862, had been promoted to the rank of Acting Master's Mate. Charleston, which is referred to as Charlestown, is identified as the location in which Ridgeway was wounded while CSS Chicora is named as the fighting vessel that inflicted the injury. Ridgway, who is claimed to have been promoted to the rank of Acting Ensign in the August of 1864, held the rank of Acting Master's Mate during the engagement of the 31st of January. It appears, therefore, that Ridgway was able to make a full recovery from the wounds that he received during the battle with the ironclad. Ridgway, at the time in which he was injured, may have been serving onboard USS Keystone State but it is also possible that he had been onboard one of the fighting vessels that assisted the stricken gunboat during the closing phases of the battle. CSS Chicora, which arrived at the scene of battle after CSS Palmetto State had compelled USS Mercedita to strike its colours, was a latecomer to the engagement. It has been established that USS Keystone State, which also surrendered during the battle, was engaged by the Charleston rams and it can be inferred that CSS Chicora contributed to the near destruction of the Federal gunboat. Ridgway may have become a prisoner-of-war if USS Augusta, USS Quaker City and USS Memphis had not arrived at the end of the battle. It is reported that Ridgway, in the May of 1887, became a member of the Society of American Engineers.
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