Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-06-26
THE SOUTH'S NAVY
IN THE CIVIL WAR
Nothing TO Be Said That is
Mt to Its Glory.
Savannah Press

"The mistress of the sea has been
the master of the shore The trident
of Neptune is the scepter of the
world"
These are the words of an interest
ing pamphlet about naval matters pre-
pared by Perry NJ. de Leon, formerly
an officer in the Confederate States
navy. 1t is published by order of the
Confederate veterans of Washington,
D. c., before whom it was read. The
article on the Confederate navy is pre-
ceded by an address on the nayies Of
the world. He concludes that from the
victory of Salamis. when Greece tri-
ump1red over Persia, to the battle Of
the Sea of Japan, period of twenty
five centuries, the navies have detern-
ined the wars of history. In the War
Between the States the Federal navy
won most of the strategic pc nts. The
blockade was so stringent that the
South was starved and strangled THE
Federal navy was the sword and the
shteld of the Federal army" More
than once Grant and Sheridan were
saved from capture by Federal gum
boats.
OF the Confederate navy but little
is to be said, but that little laudatory.
The war found the South without a
4 ship and with but one navy yard.
Hence the story of our gallant little
navy is a sad but a glorious one. We
revolutionized naval warfare in the
construction of the Merr mac The
| fight with the Monitor made wooden
warships junk. We developed the
method of rifling smooth bore guns
and made big guns proof against ex-
plosion by shrinking bands over the
breechl9s We first used torpedOes as
effective methods of attack Mr. lie
Leon paid a high compliment to the
personnel of the naval officers, who
loving the old flag with the devotion
which sailors only know, nevertheless
exhibited their loyalty to the South. Of
Southern born line officers, one hun
dred and tenty-six resigned and one
hundred and twes y-seven remained il
the Federal navy.
Sad was the fate of the older
Confederate States naval officers;
bred on the deep, unfamiliar with
affairs, knowing naught but their
profession, separated thereby
from the world, its fluctuations
and its vast concerns; the end
found them broken in fortune,
W thout a profession, bowed down
in despair, utterly untitled to
fight the battle of life, and in the
Southern cataclysm of disaster
their countrymen too poor to aid
them or reward their services.
He then proceeds to give a list Of
those who illustrated our navy. On
the sea were Semmes and Kell
Maury, Waddell and Wood and Whit
tie. Raphael Semmes did most in
jury 70 tie enemy. WiIkerson did most
good for the Confederacy" In Confed-
crate waters were Buchanan, Ingra-
ham, Catesby Jones, Mcintosh john
ston and others. OF Catesby Jones
who fought the second days fight wish
THE Monitor, Mr.. de Leon alludes 10
him as "a splendid sailor and gentle
man, sans peur and sans reproche."
Mr. De Leon gives an account Of
the unfortunate fight between the
Confederate iron clad Atlanta, which
went out to fight the Weehawaken on
Warsaw Sound. She met them to
her sorrow" The disaster, however
was avenged by the capture of the
| famous steamer Water Witch, carry
ing four guns and eighty men by the
Confederate, June 3, 1864. ct was one
of the most gallant of the many ex-
ploits of our brave and officers and
men," These are the only fights men
toned as taking place in Georg a
waters.