William A . Webb William A . Webb was an American sailor and Mexican - American War veteran who resigned his United States Navy commission after more than 20 years of service to join the Confederate States Navy in the American Civil War . Webb was decorated for his service as Captain of the CSS " Teaser " , part of the James River Squadron , during the Battle of Hampton Roads ( 1862 ) . In 1863 , his orders sent him to Savannah , where he commanded a squadron that included the ironclad " CSS " Atlanta " " . He was captured in June 1863 and imprisoned in Boston . He was released as part of a prisoner exchange in October 1864 and returned to action on the " CSS " Richmond " " . Early life and career . William A . Webb grew up in Virginia . He joined the United States Navy at an early age and attained the rank of Midshipman on January 26 , 1838 . His young wife Elizabeth Ann Webb endured the lonely life of a navy spouse . He was the brother - in - law to another naval officer John Randolph Tucker On July 2 , 1845 , Webb was promoted to Passed Midshipman . He served in the Mexican - American War on the 6 - gun storeship USS " Southampton " . Webb departed from Norfolk , Virginia on February 7 , 1847 , traveling to the Pacific Ocean by way of Cape Horn , eventually reaching Japan in 1854 . He was afterwards appointed as Master on October 9 , 1853 and Lieutenant on June 12 , 1854 . Civil War . Webb resigned his commission on May 17 , 1861 , four months after the Secession , enrolling instead in the Confederate Navy as a First Lieutenant in June . He served at Fernandina , Florida ) in mid - 1861 and then Richmond Station from 1861 to 1862 . CSS " Teaser " and the Battle of Hampton Roads . In early 1862 , First Lieutenant Webb was made commander of the armed gunboat CSS " Teaser " ( or " Teazer " . ) Prior to the secession it was the property of the Virginia State Navy ( then called the York River ) . The 64 ton , 80 by 18 foot tugboat was armed with a 32 and a 12 pounder rifled cannon . The CSS " Teaser " was part of the James River Squadron , operating on the homonymous river from Norfolk . The squadron ' s chieftain was Flag - Officer Franklin Buchanan , on the ironclad steamer CSS " Virginia " ( ex - " Merrimack " ) . The squadron consisted of 3 steamers ( 24 guns in all ) and 3 supporting gunboats , each with one gun . On March 8 – 9 , 1862 , at the Battle of Hampton Roads , the Confederate flotilla tried to break a blockade maintained by two wooden Union frigate s , the USS " Cumberland " and the USS " Congress " . The Union ships were escorted by some gunboats and backed by shore batteries . Buchanan wrote later : " The general order under which the gunboat squadron went into action required that , in the absence of all signals , each commanding officer was to exercise his own judgment and discretion in doing all the damage he could to the enemy and to sink before surrendering . " To support the CSS " Virginia " in this action , Capt . John Randolph Tucker , commanding the rest of the James River Squadron , ran past the shore batteries to join the battle , with the CSS " Teaser " " puffing with all the energy of a short - winded tug . " They arrived just as the CSS " Virginia " had managed to sink the USS " Cumberland " . The squadron immediately joined in the battle with the CSS " Virginia " against the Union blockade and shore batteries . One eye witness described the " little " Teaser " . . . pushed her way in between the " Patrick Henry " and " Jamestown " , and advancing close to the shore fired her one gun in face of the battery of sixty guns . Probably her insignificance saved her , for now every shot seemed concentrated upon the [ " Virginia " ] . . . " The Confederate squadron now concentrated their fire on the USS " Congress " and forced its surrender . When the Confederate ships charged with accepting the surrender and escorting the captured officers were fired upon by Union shore batteries , Buchanan then ordered another boat to burn her , with Webb ' s " Teaser " as cover . When they were also fired upon , Buchanan then ordered his men to destroy the USS " Congress " using " hot shot and incendiary shell " . The arrival of the USS " Monitor " on the following day resulted in the " world ' s first battle between ironclads " . Neither the CSS " Virginia " , nor the USS " Monitor " suffered major damage . However , the Monitor ' s arrival forced the Confederate ships eventually to retreat without having broken the blockade . Webb was reported later as " slightly wounded " during the battle . Buchanan took pride in his gunboats : " Their judgment in selecting their positions for attacking the enemy was good ; their constant fire was destructive , and contributed much to the success of the day . " The Confederate Congress also " thanked " Webb . " Special duty " . During 1862 - 1863 , Webb was stationed at Charleston station for " special duty . " This term was typically used for a secret activity . In this case , Webb was made commander of the " Special Expedition " , a squadron of small boats manned by sixty officers and men , on February 19 , 1863 . The squadron was stationed behind Fort Sumter in order to stop any Union ships that made it past the obstructions . What made this flotilla unusual , and hence its appellation of " special " , was that the boats were armed with spar torpedo es , a highly controversial weapon of war that some considered " uncivilized " . Webb assembled this squadron with a few cutters and a lot of canoes and skiffs , all armed with 20 - foot long poles with a 60 - pound torpedo . The only thing the small flotilla was lacking were steamers and Capt . John Randolph Tucker ordered Webb to contact a local merchant and acquire the steamers " quietly and pleasantly if possible " or seize them , if not . While present when Admiral Du Pont ' s fleet crossed the Charleston Bar on April 6 , 1863 , Webb ' s squadron was not called into action that day . Eager to make use of the torpedoes , Tucker , Gen . Beauregard and Webb hatched a plan on April 10 that would " shake Abolitiondom to [ its ] foundation . " They decided to attack each of the seven Union ironclads by three torpedo boats , but in the several days it took to get the extra boats required , the Union ironclads had left Charleston . CSS " Atlanta " . Commodore Josiah Tattnall , Flag Officer commanded the southern region of the Confederate States , especially Savannah , Georgia . He was expected to repeat his success commanding the CSS " Virginia " in crushing the wooden Union ships in the James River . Tattnall was handicapped in bringing this to fruition because of the blockade . In May 1863 , Webb replaced Tatnall as commander of the CSS " Atlanta " ironclad , launched in 1862 , and flag officer of the Savannah Squadron , with " the implied condition of his appointment being that he should ' do something ' with her . . . " Webb proclaimed that " the whole abolition fleet " had " no terror " for him . Considered by the citizens of Georgia to be the most powerful Confederate warship because of its fast speed of 7 knots , as well as its armament of four Brooke rifles , the " Atlanta " was difficult to maneuver . Special difficulties were caused by its 16 - feet draft in the shallow waters surrounding Savannah . Another problem was the scarce airflow of its tight , armored roof , which caused profound heat and humidity . The " Atlanta " suffered profuse leaking . The ship ' s helm was already difficult to steer because it was simply unwieldy : the ship frequently stalled into sand banks along the side of the river . Webb marshaled the CSS " Atlanta " , though , removing the boat of unnecessary comfort - including sanitation and ventilation , as well as fully outfitting it with weaponry . Webb also had to deal with inexperienced sailors , most of whom were recruited from the Confederate Army around the mountainous regions of Georgia . For instance , his pilots arrived just two weeks before the ship engaged in the Battle of Wassaw Sound . Although beset by problems , Webb was still excited about his prospects . He formulated ambitiously elaborate plans for the CSS " Atlanta " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s first mission to clear the region of nearby Union forces . Webb was supposed to await reinforcement : the Confederate Congress voted to reinforce his squad with another ship still under construction : the CSS " Savannah " ironclad . Webb , however , waged action in Wassaw Sound against orders on June 17 , 1863 . He was escorted by two wooden steamers , the CSS " Isondiga " and the CSS " Resolute " . A percussion torpedo was attached to a large , projecting ram , which Webb later described : " I knew [ it ] should do its work to my entire satisfaction , should I but be able to touch the Weehawken . " The Union noticed Webb ' s bold move and dispatched Captain John Rodgers in the USS " Weehawken " , escorted by the USS " Nahant " . The " Atlanta " suddenly ran aground and swayed at an angle which made it difficult to shoot . The USS " Weehawken " held fire until it was at 300 yards and then pounded the immobile ship , basically turning into target practice for the Union ship . After receiving five of the " Weehawken " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > s 350 - pound shots , which knocked a hole in her casemate , crushed the pilot house and port shutter and severely wounded its pilots and several helmsmen , Webb was compelled to surrender immediately . The " battle " lasted only a few minutes , and the " Atlanta " became the first Confederate ironclad to surrender to the Union . He told his crew : " I most earnestly wish that it had happened otherwise , but Providence , for some good reason , has interfered with our plans . . . " Meanwhile , the two boats escorting the " Atlanta " scurried upriver for safety . The USS " Nahant " had watched the action without firing a shot . However , the news stunned the South and Webb faced criticism even after the war from experienced naval officers . He was brave , yes , but lacked good sense . Criticism also fell on Secretary of the Navy , Stephen R . Mallory for his policy of replacing older officers with younger ones and for not firmly opposing Webb in his decision . The CSS " Atlanta " suffered the sole fatality of the battle , as well as 16 wounded . From 136 to 165 men were taken captive and moved to the ships USS " Cimarron " and USS " Oleander " . These travelled to Fort Lafayette , in New York harbor , and arrived in late June at Fort Warren on Georges Island in Boston Harbor . Fort Warren was a relatively modern jail where the prisoners were registered and photographed . However , they were deprived of blankets , food , and clothing . Among the captive sailors , there were 12 deaths due to injuries , as well as death by pneumonia and dysentery , caused by the poor conditions in which they were held . Three healthy crew members escaped . Webb was the first to gain parole , in September 1864 , and was later exchanged in October of the same year . CSS " Richmond " . Webb was paroled on September 28 , 1864 , and exchanged at Cox ' s Wharf , Virginia on October 18 , 1864 . He was then again fighting on the James River , as Commander of the CSS " Richmond " from October through November 1864 . Webb was in command of the " Richmond " , when the James River Squadron , of which Richmond was a member , during a routine patrol of the James River , were surprised on the morning of October 22 , 1864 , when the Union Army revealed their new battery at Boulware House , two miles from Chaffin ' s Bluff . To cover the retreat of the wooden vessels of the fleet , the flagship " Virginia II " approached the battery , followed by the " Richmond " and " Fredericksburg " , and effected the retreat upstream to Chaffin ' s Bluff . Though they were caught by surprise , this small action helped determine the effectiveness of the ironclads ' casemates against close rifled fire , and in the case of the " Richmond " the results were favorable : her armor withstood the fire , though her smokestack was shot off . Retirement . William A . Webb subsequently relinquished command of the CSS RICHMOND , because of declining health . For this reason , as well as unspecified business matters , he left the Confederacy , in December , 1864 , for England . While in London , he took the Oath of Allegiance before Francis A . Adams , the U . S . Consul in that city , on 31 May 1865 , and left England the next month , to return home to his native state of Virginia . By mid - 1865 , after the close of the war , he was already back in Richmond , Virginia , and requested a pardon from President Andrew Johnson , which was approved shortly afterwards . [ Pardon application papers of William A . Webb . ]