The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-13
.TrRRYBoATS IN THE NAVY.
prypERED DEFICIENT SER
G%hS,r,rr ~ THE CIVIL WAR.

h"N.,v which was utilized IN tho war OF
seN ' will ho found in the ~ferryboats
her s,os. The North and East rivers. AT the
vhen ~ tho civil war the United States Gov
su'O'".., forced to make hurried prepare
tn~'n. ,hc national defence. There was no
pon' 10 ,os'. aud in addition to the steam
tne"-h,,h were chartered, n number of
nW' we're seized and transformed
tHR"Naabo,,s. Among tho ferryboats thur
mo ana the Whitehall. which was
uiai''S rho Union Ferry Company In
huI w. r,r ON tho South Ferry line.
1891 ,.i,c Gitcd ont rs n Runboat the White
Awu an onir,t OF great curiosity, and crowds
hhu""I II, tho Wall street ferry slip. whore she
n@Av' ,,oL her over. She had been painted
hh !" "a render her less conspicuous. Her
oh0A ,.hi, had been transformed into an ar.
hru' H. mo storage OF arms and ammunition,
p%' xomru's cabin became tho messroom
'S S .locpinc apartments. She received her
iu The navy yard and left for the
l - undcr The command Of Acting Mas
o William barker. Engineer James Byrncs.
'. fireman. William brown. All OF these
-, had been IN the employ OF the ferry
.-,,ny. The destination of tho whitehall
"" ". ror,rcss Monroe. On March ). 1862, the
,a,yn,c. which had been raised and rchtted by
!" c,ntcderotc,. entered Hampton Roads and
w Tho fri.atca Cumberland and Congress.
~, ,ollowcd the encounter between tho MGR
~, and the Monitor. In this fight one Of the
,..iu,c's shells struck the Whitehall and
~ IN the head OF tho second engineer. The
IN "a, fire to the gunboat and she was entirely
Destroyed.
father fcrryhoat which was active in the
....i,o NJ the Union in tho civil war was the
W,,ndauk, which was built by Bishop Il Simon
-. yow York, in lsl7 and ran on the Fulton
-, line. she was lii feet long and 81 feet
IA, and had a depth OF hold of twelve feet. At
A., h.ginnlng of tho war the Wyandank was
s.,5 mt as "a gunbont. and on Sept. Ia. 1851,
~, ,,iled for hampton Roads in OF
T,,u Philip Sheridan. At tho Washington
Nv Yard the Wyandank took on two
.r,, and was then assigned to the Potomac
,,HI, and nut into commission. At that time
IL. Pensacola was ready for service and was
al, waiting TO leave the Washington Navy
y,no. The enemy were trying to prevent this,
and chance was thus given to the Wyandank
ia p.rtOrm her first service. A cable was passed
tpu the wyandank TO the Pensacola and, on a
s,,s night, the former ferryboat started down
N. river with the Pensacola in tow. Several
iii tunes bDULb NJlO Wv 800"
d.rk and the land batteries. No answer was
mad, to the enemy from tho Pensacola, how
,r,r. for fear of revealing her identity, and she
was taken out to sea in safety.
Then the Wyandank began = brilliant caroer
IA, . vessel of her size. She was only OF 800
ions burden. Her record Of captures during
ths war. as taken from the report of the Secre-
uy Of the Navy. was AS follows:
F.h 9s, 1859. the schooner vesta. with suffers
torsL, Al Piney Point.
ssut S, 1899, tho schooner Rising Sun.
sept 2g, 1852, the steamer Southerner, at Conc
FEB a. 1888. the schooner C. w. worrall.
FtO IS, 1858, the schooner A. W. Thompson. with
nthfs stores, at P!ney Point.
On. OF the proudest achievements Of the
Wyaldank was her capture OF the battery Mt
Cockpit Point. After the capture she took the
Gun, to Warrington. and they now rest. suit
ally inscribed, at the washington Navy Yard.
used As a store ship in Chesapeake Bay, and
lssr, after her engines, had been removed. she
Nsiowed to Florida, whore she was utilized as
aho,pital boat in st. Mary's River.
Atthe outbreak OF the war the New York
Ferry Company, had Just, finished two new
~tsrryboets which were designed to be used be-
boats were secured by tho Government and
transformed into gunbonts. and none Of the
~isryboats uscd in the war had a more brilliant
Commodore Perry, This boat left the New York
Navy Yard under the command of Lieutenant
Commander Charles w. Fiusser. Tho Commo-
tue Perry went directly to the Potomac. where
she PARTICIPATED in the attack on Alexandria.
Early in 1862 the Burnside expedition started
trlhe coast OF North Carolina, where the enemy
Tie squadron at that time consisted of seven
teen vessels. On Feb. 5 two more gunboats
were added to this squadron. These were the
Y NS 'G Felrr tce oEnSnT belonging ess ammo 10 the p Sew
tudhe sister. the Commodore Barney. Both
Of iAs.e ggnboats Participated in the attaok
s SnSp a Teiu ~ hin IN the capture sEPt t of Roanoks Il Isl,
captured the steamer Seabird. After the en-
gastment the commander OF the Perry made
le following report to the commander of the
|A L. S. S. COMMODORE PERRY
ROANOKE ISLAND. Feb. -, 1892.
Dir In the action Of the 10th inst. at Cobbs Point.
ItSiRry. schooner. and steamers opened fire on us
(.'ai About s:l5 we commenced TO return
III lhhs al tue battery and Seab.rd alone. We ran
let Gown and took her officers aud crew prisoners.
m,ae gollision Tie ring stopper OF the anchor was
ueHsni anu ne anchor went TO the bottom. which
vlt,ias on board tn prisoners. prevented US from
@.Eahs another capture. While engaged in receiving
.,oand very close 10 firing at US with musketry. by
s sSa5t. tTo o. my mon were killed ana an ofictr
r y, we fired iifteen shells, the greater number at
W oi'tefy. ! have the honor to be. &C..
c {. W: FIl'SSER, Lieutenant Commanding.
saei SavaI FlOtilla, &c.
: %A;eordinG 10 official reports. the record of the
t,Sspsures made by the Commodore Perry during
Tue war is as follows:
hAySl 1851, the schooner H. VI. johnson, with rs.
i i cargo near Cape Lookout.
&C, '' ''''oH'F oa'ahnan' Nhariestoh'
R Ne ~ ls6l, the sloop Ellen Jane. Alexandria. Va.
trli, Va 'oop H'ooh''ng iou'h' Aie1ah'
ts9 10, is62. a schooner, Elizabeth City, y. C.
TsyLoe i, .n"<. WIN others, the schooner Nathaniel
';,o, fasqHrtauk River, sc.
L crrSSt'. ( (; 1909 the s!oop America. near Newtogan
Agfi 10, IsGg, with others. the schooner J. J. Crit.
I Irru nssr NrwtogHn Greek. NJ C.
II nea, yerS, ~, VITA others. the schooner Comet.
n L@nI, ~, leos. win lockwood aud Ceres, the steam
\ ipir a I'm cargo ~ bacon. Roanoke River.
Hanihnmr' Hos with otherS, the steamship Wilson,
w Z iSO3. a schooner. with salt. Rich Inlet.
M ',oi, q schooner Alma. ass ,Tted cargo.
y1y i, : ,u3 'NNnty.'.I small beats. Turkey Creek.
NJ, ~ lAba, one large hOat
r"' 10 I7Cd. ,rvera' boats building.
y Conmo lore - ,rney, which left New York
4 y Stiie time MS the Perry, also had a good
Cblnnua ahl rendered valuable assistance to the
u Wa USealsc, WAcn sac left for the South she
4 Grscs nmnHnded by Acting Master James X.
ytaera y, alleF me capture Of Roanoke Island
.T " was a combined attack BY the army and
MI On New Borne al the junction OF he Trent
paniIhoooa s5 river. The Ncuse emptics into
uts nounl, and vas filled with sunkcn
NM H. "'sr''"r n" n,iSr. and torpelocs To pre-
bQr y az y l',ns OK the Union Vessels. Twenty
bal riy,S,Ivn1s my DGrh sunk in IA line with spars
lJ fssS'hs ihlerlocked and up In tho Trent
IN, Inte rait OF cotton ready to DO lo0sei and
y Stems" upon the Federal hOtilla should they
I thAnnSSiS ano passage. In addition to this TN,
Two gn,s "H3 comm tndcd by Fort Dixie with
Fort EIiItiso' roFl hpinpton With thirteen guns
II spitSc" " ChlOn Point Battery with two guns.
IN spfftc OF The distractions and the hal tcrins