The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-06
OUReHERoES OF THE SEA
BLOODY EXPEDITIONS AND CON-
FLICTs OF AMERICAN SAILORS.
Lieut.. Woods "Navy on Wheels" and
During the Civil War.

federate States navy had at its disposal
a small number of trained officers, but it
had nothing in the shape of navy. 1t had
not a single ship of war, no seamen, no
large force of skilled mechanics, no raw
materials, except the timber that was
standing in the forests, no foundry or roll
ing MILL in fact none Of the essentials Of
a. navy which a great war required. Under
these circumstances great many officers
from the old navy, of extraordinary pro-
fessional qualities, sought service in the
army, commanded forts and batteries, es-
tablished arsenals, laboratories, powder
mills, ordnance works, foundries, rolling
mills, smelling and chemical works, and
some pursued a species of partisan des-
ultory warfare
Among the latter was Lieut.. John Taylor
Wood, whose mother a daughter of
Gen. Zachary Taylor and sister of the
first wife of Jefferson Davis. Lieutenant
Wood served in the Mexican war and when
the civil war began was assistant professor
of seamanship and gunnery at the United
States Naval Academy. Soon after the
secession of his native State, Louisiana,
from the Union Lieutenant Wood resigned
his commission from the United States
navy proceeded to Virginia. and in Oc-
federate States navy. His brother, who was
graduate of West Point, Joined General
Morgan in the cavalry service, with the
rank of colonel, while his father, DR.. Rob
ert c. Wood, continued his service in the
United States army for two years as sur
geon general.
Subsequently Lieutenant Wood assisted in
the blockade of the Potomac by the Evans
port batteries, participated in the great
naval battle between the Merrimac and
Monitor in Hampton Roads, on board of the
Merrimac; assisted in erecting the batteries
at Drewry's Bluff that defeated the Monitor
and Galena and other United States vessels
that attempted to pass UP James river to
capture Richmond after the destruction of
the Merrimac, and was then assigned to
duty on the staff of his uncle, Jefferson
Davis. with the rank of colonel of cavalry.
ORGANIZING A BOAT SQUADRON.
While stationed at the Confederate bait
teries on the Potomac, Colonel Wood OBJ
served the opportunities of operating with
armed boats against the small gunboats and
vessels of the Federals, and recommended
! to the secretary of the Confederate navy
the construction of number Of whaleboats
capable of carrying twenty-seven men each
and weeks supplies. In a short time
transported to various points of operation
in army wagons, and from that time until
the close of the war it was always said
of Colonel Wood that he commanded the
Confederate States navy on wheels" In
October, 1862 Colonel Wood, with a crew
of twenty-seven men, made his first essay
against the federals in the Chesapeake bay,
and boarded and captured and burnt off the
mouth of the Rappahannock river the clip
per ship Alleghanian, laden with guano,
and her crew of twenty-five men We're
taken to Richmond as prisoners.
After several exploits with his land
squadron in the Chesapeake bay and Poto-
mac river, in which several small sailing
vessels and one steamer were captured and
burned, and in one of these encounters
Captain Hotchkiss, of the United States
navy, was killed, Colonel Wood returned
to Richmond in August, 1868, to organize
an expedition for the mouth of the Kappa
hammock, where the federal gunboats Sat
elite and Reliance were doing duty The
Satellite carried one thirty-two FOUNDER
smooth-bore gun, one twelve-pounder how
itzer, and small arms for the officers and
crew, numbering about forty men. The
Reliance mounted one thirty two FOUNDER
ri1ed Parrot gun, one twenty four-pounder
about the same number as the Satellite
AS they usually laid off Stingray Point. at
the mouth of the Rappahannock, they Of
fered temptation which, to the courage
dash and enterprise of Colonel Wood, was
too invitinglto be resisted.
TWO GUNBOATS CAPTURED.
On the 18th of August, 1863, his land
squadron, consisting of four large whale
boats and about seventy men, started from
Richmond in Zine ahead" and in several
days arrived at the lower end of Middle
sex county Virginia, when they embarked
and about midnight on dark night pulled
steadily and swiftly for the two gunboats
Colonel Wood commanded the two boats
that boarded the Satellite and Lieut.
Francis Il. Hege commanded the two that
boarded the Reliance. The challenges of the
watches on board the two gunboats had
scarcely died away before the boarders
were cl2mbering up the sides of the two
vessels with cutlasses and pistols in hand
cutting their way through the hammock
nettings, which had been triced up in an
ticipation of attack. When the attacking
party forced their way on deck the fight
ing in some instances was entirely hand to
hand until the crews were driven below
and the prizes mastered. The assault was
so quickly made the gunboats had no OPP
portunity to use their heavy guns. Three
minutes finished the work. during which
Lieutenant Hoge, Midshpman Henry S.
Cooke and three men of the Ccnfederates
were severely wounded, and Captain
Waters, of the Reliance, with eight other
federals, were wounded and two killed.
Colonel Wood landed the wounded and pris-
oners at Urbana, Va, and them hosting
the Confederate rag over the two gunboats,
proceeded on a cruise over the waters of
the Chesapeake, during which he over
hauled and captured the schooners Golden
Rule, Two Brothers and the Coquette and
brought them safely into port at Port Roy
al, Va, where all the prizes were disman-
tied and finally destroyed. After his three
weeks cruise Colonel Wood again mounted
his boats on wheels and returned to Rich
mond.
a NORTH CAROLINA EXPEDITION
Early in the winter of 1863 Colonel Wood
visited General r. E. Lees headquarters
and induced him to make an attack upon
an attempt 10 board and capture one or
more of the Federal gunboats at Newberne
with his squadron on wheels. To enable
him to carry out his plans. in the latter part
of January, 1864, the Confederate naval
commanders at the ports of Richmond
Wilmington and Charleston received orders
from the Confederate Navy Department at