Charles Read ( naval officer ) Charles William Read ( May 12 , 1840 – January 25 , 1890 ) , nicknamed " Savvy " , was an officer in the antebellum United States Navy and then in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War . He was nicknamed the " Seawolf of the Confederacy " for his exploits and daring . Early life and career . Charles Read was born in Satartia , Mississippi in 1840 . He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1856 and graduated in 1860 . He served briefly aboard USS " Powhatan " after graduation . Civil War . At the outbreak of the American Civil War Read resigned his commission with the United States Navy and accepted a position with the Confederate States Navy . Read was initially assigned to the at New Orleans , Louisiana as a midshipman and participated in the battle between batteries on Ship Island and the on July 9 , 1861 . On October 12 , 1861 , he participated in the attack on the Union blockading squadron at Head of the Passes on the Mississippi River . When the commander of the CSS " McRae " was wounded on April 24 , 1862 , Read took command of the ship . Read then served as executive officer of the during its actions against a blockading fleet of over 30 ships on the Mississippi River near Vicksburg , Mississippi on 13 July 1862 . Read served as acting commander of the " Arkansas " during her final battle supporting the Confederate Army assaulting Baton Rouge , Louisiana on 6 August 1862 . After the sinking of the " Arkansas " , Read travelled by foot to Port Hudson , Louisiana and assisted with the emplacement of shore guns there . Read was soon ordered to Mobile , Alabama and was assigned to the which set sail on 15 January 1863 . He transferred to the , a captured prize of the " Florida " , and set out on his own . During this raiding mission , which lasted from 6 June 1863 to 27 June 1863 , Read transferred his command to prize vessels twice more , once to the and finally to the . At the end of the raid , Lieutenant Read had captured or destroyed twenty - two United States vessels . He and his crew were captured off Portland , Maine on June 27 , 1863 , while attempting to take the . Read was held at Fort Warren , Massachusetts , until he was exchanged at Cox Wharf , Virginia , on October 18 , 1864 . After his release , Read participated in naval and land operations on the James River , he commanded the and two other torpedo boat s at the Battle of Trent ' s Reach . In January 1865 , he was assigned to the at Shreveport , Louisiana with the intention that she become a raider in the Pacific Ocean . Read did not reach the " Webb " until 22 April 1865 . Read attempted to break out to the Gulf of Mexico but grounded in shallow waters near New Orleans on April 23 , 1865 . Read fired the ship to prevent its capture by Federal forces . Read surrendered to Federal naval authorities in New Orleans and was transported again to Fort Warren . He was released on July 24 , 1865 . After the war . In 1867 , Read was second officer aboard a ship involved in an effort to help Cuban rebels overthrow the Spanish government of the island . Read and others were arrested by the US government but quickly released . Read earned the Confederate Medal of Honor for his service . Read earned his nickname " Savvy " or " Savez " due to his constant use of the term . Charles Read died at Meridian , Mississippi , where he is buried .