University of Virginia Library

OPERATIONS ON THE JAMES IN 1864-5.

Two ironclads were added to the James River squadron before operations
opened in 1864. One was a second ironclad Virginia, built in part
like her namesake, and in part like the Richmond, not having submerged

ends. She was plated with six inches of armor on the sides of
her casements, and eight inches on the ends. Her armament was two
six-inch and two eight-inch Brooke rifled guns, so placed that three
could be fired at a broadside. The other ironclad was the Fredericksburg,
having four inches of armor, and carrying four six-inch guns.
Commander John K. Mitchell had succeeded Captain Forrest in command
of the squadron.

General B. F. Butler, after establishing his army at Bermuda
Hundred, detailed gunboats to drag the James river for torpedoes.
On May 6th the Commodore Jones, so engaged, rested near Four and a
Half Mile Creek, directly over one of Lieutenant Davidson's tank
machines, containing four hundred pounds of powder. The torpedo
was connected with a galvanic battery secreted in a pit on shore, with
a detail of three men from the submarine battery service to operate it.
The spark was transmitted, the machine exploded, and the Commodore
Jones was blown into fragments, losing in killed and wounded, seventy-five
out of a crew of one hundred and twenty; fifty were killed outright.
The next day the gunboat Shawsheen was destroyed near Turkey
Bend, and all her crew killed or captured.

When the Commodore Jones was destroyed a boat from an accompanying
gunboat was sent to the shore, and the men operating the galvanic
battery were captured. One of these, placed in the forward boat
searching for the torpedoes, rendered his own position as safe as possible
by communicating to his captors all the information he possessed
relative to the position of the torpedoes. In this way the Federal
boats were able to locate and remove twenty torpedoes. One contained
a charge of 1,900 pounds of powder.

Drewry's Bluff was now threatened with an attack from Butler on
the land side, and was strongly reinforced. The obstructions were
removed from the river opposite the fort, and the James River fleet
passed down to Chapin's Bluff. The Federal fleet below responded by
sinking hulks at Trent's Reach to prevent the Confederate vessels coming
down any further. The river was further closed by stretching
booms and cables between the hulks. When this had been completed,
Commander Mitchell, understanding that the Federal fleet declined to
meet him, took his vessels back to Fort Drewry.

The commander of the James River squadron did not, however,
remain inactive in the summer of 1864, but contrived to keep the
Federal fleet in the James, and away from Southern Ports, by a naval
battery on the hill at Howlett House, from which he shelled the fleet at
long range, and by sending one and another of his boats to harass
that part of Butler's army working on his purposeless canal at Dutch
Gap.

A more serious engagement occurred on October 22d. After the
Federals captured Fort Harrison (September 19th) they erected a
new battery on the left bank of the James, about two miles below
Chapin's Bluff, and fortifications on Signal Hill. These were masked
until the morning of October 22d, when the trees in front of them were
cut away, and they were uncovered with range on the Virginia, Richmond,
Fredericksburg, Hampton and Drewry, then lying near Cox
Landing. The two last moved out of range, the Drewry receiving one
shell which struck one of her gun carriages wounding five men. Commander
Mitchell with the flag ship, Virginia, bore down toward the
battery, signaling Captain Maury to follow with the Richmond, and
Captain Roots with the Fredericksburg. The three gunboats kept up
the duel with the battery until it was silenced, then returned to Drewry's
Bluff. The Fredericksburg had her casement damaged, and six of her
crew wounded. The Richmond had her smoke-stack shot away, but
sustained no other injury. The Virginia was not damaged at all,
though hit by seven 100-pound conical bolts from the enemy's rifles,
not one of which more than dented her iron plating. The four Federal
monitors made no move to come up and participate in the engagement,
although Admiral Lee, commanding the Federal fleet, had assured the
Federal authorities that in putting down the obstructions the work
had been so done the obstructions could be removed quickly at any
time it was desirable for the fleet to go up the river. On December 7th,
the Virginia, Richmond and Fredericksburg came down to Fort Brady,
a Federal fortification on the right bank of the James, and exchanged
a few shots with its garrison.

In December, five boats of the Federal fleet were sent into Roanoke
river, and on December 9th anchored near Jamesville. The gunboat
Otsego, searching for torpedoes, passed over two of them, which
exploded, destroying her. The next day the gunboat Bazely
and Launch No. 5 met the same fate, and the expedition was abandoned.

With the opening of 1865 the one hope that remained of relieving
Lee's beleaguered and enfeebled army rested in the James River squadron.
This was "a forlorn hope," indeed, but the gallant naval force
that had never yet faltered was ready to make the most of it. If the
squadron could get down the James, and disperse the Federal fleet at
City Point, Grant's base of supplies would be destroyed, and Lee might
gain some advantage thereby.

Circumstances favored the attempt. Believing the Confederate boats
would not try to pass the obstructions, all the Federal monitors
except the Onondaga had been sent to Fort Fisher. High water came
on January 22d, carrying great blocks of ice down the river. It was

hoped that the freshet and the ice blocks would carry out the obstructions
at Trent's Reach, so as to let the Confederate ironclads through.
As soon as night fell a reconnoitering party was sent down to examine
the obstructions. The report was that the passage was feasible. Lieutenant
C. W. Read hastened with the intelligence to General Lee at
Petersburg, and was by him sent to Secretary Mallory at Richmond
with it, and to ask for an order that the ironclads be sent down that
night. At three o'clock on the morning of the 23d, such order was
delivered by Lieutenant Read to Commander Mitchell.

The expedition moved as soon as night fell on the 23d, the ironclads
Virginia, Richmond and Fredericksburg; the gunboat Drewry; the
torpedo boat Torpedo, and three torpedo launches under command of
Lieutenant Read, the Wasp, Hornet and Scorpion, which were to be
used against Federal boats. These all passed the upper Federal batteries
undiscovered, and anchored just above the obstructions. Captain
Mitchell then went on board the Scorpion and sounded through the
obstructions, finding a spar lying across the opening, which was
removed. While the sounding was going on a Federal picket boat discovered
the Confederates and a heavy fire was opened from both banks.
Captain Mitchell returned to his fleet and went on board the Fredericksburg,
lightest draft of the ironclads, and himself took her through the
obstructions. Returning on the Scorpion, he found both the Virginia
and Richmond aground. The launches were pulling on them but could
not move them. The Federal batteries had opened all along the line.
This put an end to any possibility of surprising the Federal fleet. The
Fredericksburg was ordered to return. The James River boats would
have to fight for it to get back up the river.

Daybreak disclosed them lying directly under the guns of Fort Parsons,
which opened fire on them. The Drewry was destroyed by a shell;
the Wasp by a solid shot; the other wooden boats went into shelter
under a bank. At nine o'clock the Onondaga came up and began to
fire on the Virginia and Richmond, still grounded. None of the
guns of the Confederate ironclads could be effectually worked. With
the rising tide the grounded ships got afloat, but not until the Virginia
had received a 15-inch solid shot knocking a hole through her
armor and wood backing, killing six and wounding fourteen. After a
council on board the Virginia, Captain Mitchell decided to resume
hostilities after dark, and at nine in the evening again headed down
stream. A blazing calcium light was thrown on his boats from a Federal
battery and firing resumed from all the ports. Reluctantly the
expedition was abandoned and the fleet returned to Chapin's Bluff.
The Federals strengthened the obstructions, and added two monitors
to the guarding fleet.

COMMODORE MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY

The aggressive work of the James River squadron was now ended.
On February 18, 1865, Rear Admiral Raphael Semmes, of Alabama
fame, was appointed its commander. Many of the officers and crew of
the squadron had been detached to the naval brigade, which under
command of Capt. J. R. Tucker, was manning Fort Drewry, and
Batteries Brooke, Wood and Semmes. These were joined by three
hundred officers and men from the vessels destroyed at Charleston and
Wilmington, when those cities were abandoned, making a formidable
force, specially well trained for accurate firing of heavy guns. The only
work left for the fleet was yet a worthy one. Richmond was secure
from approach by water while the three ironclads remained on guard at
Drewry's Bluff.

On the afternoon of April 2d Admiral Semmes received official notice
from Secretary Mallory that Richmond would be evacuated that
night. He was further instructed to arm and equip his men for duty in
the field, and report with his force to General Lee after destroying his
vessels. Between two and three o'clock on the morning of the 3d, the
naval troops were on their way up the James in the wooden boats, and
the ironclads of the James river squadron were on fire. The explosion
of the Virginia, it was said, "shook the houses in Richmond, and waked
the echoes of the night for forty miles around."