The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-12-02
NAVY in the Civil War.
n H. Winslow, Late Acting Master,
,riar Lieutenant, U. S. N, Companion
r,st Class of Loyal Legion, Roxbury,


On Commandery of Massachusetts,
" lad been the policy of the people to
..sr the army and navy of the United
:a,.s weak in men and poor in resources,
.,n foolish fears that the former might
IA { aesar in the White House, or the
.--r blow the ships of some foreign
ave- out of water.
aur military weakness permitted few
Indians to keep the army upon the
IN and made our navy and our nation
aghing stock for the world.
4rother consequence was, that, at the
,-trsak of the Civil War, the govern
-.,r mad herculean task to gather men
raterials for the assertion and main
.ra,ce of its sovereignty. 1t there was
.7a,lity in organizing an army from raw
-.itan1en. with the obsolete and defect
Fl. .~lns in the arsenals of the loyal
bates. how much greater the task of
'a2n.ying a large fleet of naval vessels
rained sailors to maneuvre and fight
.-r
r March, 1861, our navy consisted OF
~a-t vessels. including store-shlps, sail
ecraft, steamers and one floating bat
.r. of these, forty-two were in com
MIS- on; that is, armed, equipped and IN
,.v service, but so widely distributed
r-. they over the world by Southern
'q-srs that there were only three
.-sr.-rs in the North available for i'm
ate use by the government, while
.... were two sailing ships and two
..uers in commission at Pensacola,
-< sail and steam vessels laid up at
<orfolk navy yard. Buchanan's Sec
of the Navy, Isaac Toucey, had
ICED the navy very well--for the
lHa
Hssiies the forty-two vessels in active
.-. there were twenty-seven at the
ards, out of commission, stripped
ing, sails, guns and supplies, re-
s.--- month or two to put them IN
and fighting trim. The remaining
lone of the ninety were unserVlce-
-ome old, decaying hunks; others
lit and shrunken and warped by
ia summers suns.
". had each year been adding to the
Il few steam war vessels OF ad-
aae qualities and types, in recog-
a Of the growing opinion that steam
l.. were far more serviceable for war
taa ssiling vessels; but in 1861, fifty OF
rety l have mentioned were sailing
.... II old style, fine ships in their day,
ss those used in the War of 1872, but
atGtle use for the exigencies that arose
combat with the Confederacy.
Chill. Greece and other small nations
2 arets that could have blown ours out
water. Is it any wonder that Europe
ses.a upon our navy with contempt, ana
England favored the Confederacy almost
tlr point of armed Intervention?
D.. task of developing a navy from
title nucleus of forty steamers,
upon the government by the war,
! a 4idertaken with vigor. 1t was nee
ss,ary to have light draft vessels for the
Shallow waters of the South; large
AlrHer of strong, seagolng vessels 10
S-pkade the Southern ports, and deep
Il Ca cruisers to scour the ocean In search
4. rebel men-of-war, and to protect our
H. feet of merchant ships whose sails
Nhtened every sea.
For these purposes suitable vessels
sRTe purchased by the Navy Depart
S-lt and altered into war vessels Tor
~ particular service in which they were
be used. Tugs and yachts, furnished
slth one or two guns, were employed as
sis1atch, mail and supply boats; ferry
#l1 stern-wheel boats, covered with boil
n ron armed with old 32-pounders, and
IA -nrot rifle, were used upon rivers and
e.. Hassenger steamers, lightly armed,
coupled as fagships and in trans
n nE troops; sailing vessels with broad
II Founders and couple of howltz-
II Parrots, blockaded southern IN
last steamers with howitzers and
IF 2 l., ii
0y-ed men and supplies to the different
Il a.qas, and the crack ships of the navy,
.y armed and with large crews, took
H III important expeditions against the
envy aided in menacing great cities,
G cruised over the world in search OF
reDel corsairs.
ae navy yards and private shipyards
TIE busy altering, repairing and fitting
vessels; partly built vessels were
pushed new ones were commenced,
l after the Monitor and Merrlmac
g0t ironclads were built rapidly. The
unoer of vessels bought during the
1 was 41S, of which 313 were steam,
II the number built was 208, making
pun those Of the old navy total OF 61l
N all classes. Of these, SO were iron
ads of great power and efficiency.
II was not difficult to supply these yes
sS with provisions, war material ane
Us, because they could be procured II
'ft from private establishments, ant