Grant replied: “I have more than 100,000 troops training in upstate New York, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania. If the British give a provocative reply, we can move by railroad quickly. Once gathered our armies can capture the land north of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie & Ontario including Toronto before the onset of winter. As I said previously, the British will have at the most 10,000 – 15,000 regular troops, with another 50,000 militia to oppose us. We will have at the most 60 days before the winter snows will make it difficult to travel.
At the same time, the British will be unable to reinforce or resupply adequately, as the St Lawrence usually ices over by mid-December. Our lines of resupply will be short from both Buffalo and Detroit.”
Secretary of War Stanton cleared his throat; then Grant yielded the floor. Stanton added: “We have French speaking and Fenian agents in Lower Canada ready to take up the appeal of the Montreal Annexation Manifesto. We can stoke the passions and provide them with arms. That should add more difficulties for the British and thin out their forces. I suggest we support them with several regiments of regular soldiers and sufficient armaments. If the supported rebels succeed in driving the British out, we can welcome them into the union.”
Lincoln smiled and said: “Find that ex-union general, I believe it was Sweeney who led the previous Fenian attack. Determine if he is interested in joining our endeavor. If so, provide him the troops he needs to support his uprising.”
Chapter 13
October 1867 – London
The dispatches from Freetown arrived at 10 Downing Street. Earl Derby read the reports and collapsed onto his sofa in disbelief. Alarmed, his personal secretary hurried to his side to see if he was conscious. Earl Derby feebly waved his hand and croaked “water.” After having a glass of water, the Prime Minister said: “Assemble the cabinet, we need to meet quickly.” As Parliament was in session, all of them attended, and the cabinet convened at 8 pm.
When the meeting began, Earl Derby introduced his personal secretary who read the dispatches aloud. Angry murmurs arose as he continued to read. Sir John rose to his feet and began to shake his fist as the secretary read the portions about the battle between HMS Hector, HMS Valiant, and the USS Stonewall. He angrily shouted: “How can one small ironclad defeat two more heavily armed ironclad frigates.” Earl Derby waved him to sit down and said: “Wait, there is more.” The secretary continued to read about the bombardment of Fort Monroe and Fort Clay. Disraeli moved to the edge of his seat as the recounting of the bombardment became more intense, and the signal was sent to the troop ships be to move forward. He clenched his fists in anticipation. Then the report told of the USS Stonewall when she sallied out of the harbor. His mouth went slack when the report described the destruction of HMS Queen and HMS Goliath; and the grounding and capture of HMS Glorious.
When the secretary finished the dispatch, Earl Derby signaled him to sit down. He then looked around the room and said: “We need your comments as to what happened and how do we proceed to a way forward.”
For a moment there was stunned silence. Then Disraeli spoke in anger: “Admiral Symonds needs to be brought back in chains to answer for this folly.” Sir John jumped up to Symonds defense, but he hesitated in mid-sentence by Disraeli’s glare. Earl Derby then motioned for his secretary to open and read another dispatch. This one was a personal observation from Admiral Symonds.
15 September 1867
Sir John Pakington,
First Lord of the Admiralty
Sir John:
I take full responsibility for this defeat. I should have foreseen that a heavily armed turreted ironclad would wreak havoc on wood ships, even battleships. Our broadside cannon balls and shot had no effect, as they bounced off USS Stonewall’s sloped ironclad sides. The turret’s fire was devastating; then it rotated away to re-load. Our shot bounced off the curved turret which then rotated back to deliver another double blow. The Casement gun could fire through ironclad gun ports and be impervious to our fire. The deck Parrot gun was vulnerable, but the low freeboard of USS Stonewall made it difficult to hit. As we struck down one gun crew, another came up as replacements. One after another, three of our battleships were disabled or sunk.
The damage done by the turret guns seems to indicate they must be the new 20 inch Dahlgren cannon. Even our armored frigates could not stand up to those weapons. Seeing the futility of the battle, I ordered a retreat. I was gratified to see that the Americans and Liberians made every effort to rescue our crews. It is my understanding that the Liberians are showing proper hospitality to the surviving crews, and the officers are living in a hostel following their parole.
I must firmly declare, that the age of wood warships is surely over. Even a broadside ironclad is no match for a turreted warship. We must design and build turreted warships if the Royal Navy is to survive modern naval warfare.
Respectfully Yours
Thomas Symonds, Vice Admiral, RN
Sir John stood up and said: “Admiral Symonds is a competent and imaginative leader. He is the Admiral on the scene, and his report taken seriously. There will not be an arrest. He will have to face an inquiry by the Admiralty, but there must be no prejudgment.”
Earl Derby’s secretary then read the account of the land invasion by the army and its defeat. The Secretary of War General Peel stated: “General Haskins was a fool for dividing his forces. It gave him little chance of success and allowed the Liberians to defeat the columns in detail. Only Haskins death in battle will save him from disgrace.” After a pause, he continued.
“What troubles me is that the Americans not only provided heavy cannons to assist the fortifications; they supplemented the Liberian army with thousands of former US Army soldiers and provided them with Spencer repeating rifles. It is now abundantly clear that American intervention defeated us. If they have fomented war on us, we should do the same to them. We can use our agents in Western Canada to incite and arm their Plains Indian tribes and arm the Mormon dissidents in their Utah territory, which they call Deseret.” The Mormons already have an armed militia called the Nauvoo Legion. Their leader Brigham Young has no love for the United States Government.”
Sir John added: “We can use naval and marine forces to raid the east coast of the United States. We sent seven wood Battleships to Halifax to supplement the Atlantic Squadron’s forces. The convoy from India, under Admiral Williamson, has an additional three 74 gun battleships, plus the ironclad frigate Achilles. There are many coastal harbor towns in New England which should be ripe for attack. We can also sail up the Penobscot River and destroy the shipyards in Bangor and up the Kennebec River to destroy the one in Bath.”
Earl Derby then said: “Cable a message to the Governor of the Bermuda, Sir Frederick Chapman. He should currently be in Halifax with the Atlantic Squadron the cable should find him there. Instruct him to make ready the naval forces and army regiments at his disposal to raid the New England coast from Maine to Boston. Also, send a cable to The Governor General of Canada Viscount Monck and have him make ready for any possible invasion from the United States. The troopships from the India Convoy will sail on to Quebec City, Montreal, and Ottawa. Ensure the Viscount has the information of the American provocation in Liberia.”
Earl Derby then addressed Disraeli. “It is your job to consult with Parliament and encourage them to support us in this endeavor. Impress upon them the perfidy of the United States I will seek an audience with the Queen.”
Earl Derby then turned to Lord Stanley. “Summon Ambassador Adams and present him with our demand for an official apology for the unwarranted destruction of three British Warships and the loss of their crews. Add to the Crown’s displeasure of American intervention in Liberia which has created an aggressive state. They must relinquish the USS Stonewall to our custody and punish the officers for their piracy.” All support for Liberia must cease.
Washington DC
Secretary of State Seward brought President Lincoln the cable from Ambassador Adams, wit
h the British demands. Lincoln read the cable, took off his spectacles and picked up his pen and wrote: “Demands rejected. A. Lincoln.” He then summoned his private secretary and said: “Telegraph General Grant and Admiral Farragut War likely, move forward with all preparations. A. Lincoln.”
London England
Adams requested a meeting with Lord Stanley and arrived by carriage. Stanley’s secretary ushered Adams into the parlor. Stanley walked in, looked at Adam’ face and said: “I surmise the answer is NO. If so, then it means war.”
Adams handed Stanley Lincoln’s note and replied: “Be careful about what you wish, as you might get the unexpected. Your terms are unacceptable. I have instructions to enter into negotiations if possible. The United States is a sovereign nation and will not accept such an ultimatum.” Lord Stanley stood stiffly, shook his head and then turned his back.
With a deep sigh, Adams said: “my staff and I will be leaving as soon as we can pack the embassy.” Adams turned and walked out, boarded his carriage and instructed his driver: “Take me back to the embassy.” Two days later under the guard of British troops, Ambassador Adams, his staff, American residents who wished to leave and their baggage train were escorted to the harbor in London. There they boarded ships back to the United States. Before leaving, Adams requested that the Prussian Ambassador handle diplomatic communication between the United States and the British government.
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Robert Treat was working with his father cataloging cargo in the warehouse. Yankee was in dry dock having barnacles scraped off her hull, rotted wood replaced and the hull re-caulked. A fresh coat of paint was bring applied, and the rigging replaced before her next scheduled voyage in one month.
A carriage drove up to the warehouse, and a Navy ensign climbed off and ascended the stairs to the office, inquiring of the where-a-bouts of Captain Robert Treat. Joanna who was working in the office looked at the uniform, gave the ensign a leisurely up and down look and then told him her brother was downstairs in the warehouse.
Totally flustered the Ensign hurried down the stairs. He walked in and asked to see Captain Treat. Robert walked over and introduced himself, asking the officer his name and who sent him. The Ensign said he was John Porter and had a dispatch from Admiral David Farragut. Robert asked, are you related to Admiral David Porter. The Ensign revealed he was the admiral’s nephew. Robert smiled and reached for the pouch, signed the document registry and bid Ensign Porter a good day.
Robert took the dispatch bag upstairs, followed by his father. Breaking the seal, Robert removed two sealed letters. Reading the first document carefully, he looked up and told his father that the United States and Great Britain were at war. Robert also opened the second sealed envelope which contained a notarized document offering him a naval commission with the rank of Commodore. The posting was Searsport, Maine; where he would command a flotilla of ironclad monitors. A naval courier ship was standing by to take him to his command.
William, at first incredulous, was then concerned. “Why accept a commission to command a flotilla, when I will make you Admiral of our fleet. All our ships were built stoutly to be able to carry cannons. Our privateers will ravage British commerce. Yankee will be your flagship; she can mount 20 guns. She will be outfitted with the guns while in dry dock. Our second warehouse has our stockpile of over 100 cannons including 24 and 32 pound long guns and 32-pound carronades. I can have our Letters of Marque from the Commonwealth within a week. The Navy has plenty of qualified officers. Your responsibility lies here.”
Robert replied, “I understand my responsibility to the family. However, my duty is to my country. I took an Oath to Protect and defend the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That oath is still binding. I am sorry, but because we are at war, I must take my leave of you. My duty lies elsewhere.”
Momentary angry, William looked into his son’s eyes and the stern countenance on his face. He knew he had lost. His respect and love for his son would not allow a breach. “Well then, it is settled. Let us break the news to your mother and grandmother.”
PART TWO – THE FIRST COUSINS WAR
Chapter 14
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Governor Sir Frederick Chapman who commanded the Atlantic Squadron welcomed Admiral Williamson and the fleet from India to Halifax. Chapman invited Williamson to a meeting at Government House. There he produced the cable from Whitehall which placed him in overall command. Together they planned the raids on the New England coast. The first task was to designate a portion of the force to reinforce Viscount Monck. One Battleship the HMS Hermes, three frigates, six sloops of war and ten troopships containing 7,500 soldiers sailed up the St Lawrence River to Ottawa. Their instructions were to use the Royal Navy and Royal Marine forces to clear the Great Lakes of American shipping and to raid the coastal communities.
The Minimal opposition was anticipated on the Great Lakes, as the Americans were known to have only the gunboat USS Michigan patrolling the lakes. USS Michigan was an all steel, 174 foot long, paddle wheel steam-powered warship. Her armament consisted of one 30-pounder Parrott rifle, five 20-pounder Parrott rifles, six 24-pounder smoothbores and two 12-pounder boat howitzers. The British anticipated she would be quickly overwhelmed by the Royal Navy flotilla.
Combined Chapman and Williamson had a remaining fleet of fourteen, 74 and 80 gun wood battleships and thirty support ships including HMS Achilles, ten other frigates and twenty sloops of war. The naval ships had a combined force of 3,000 Royal Marines. The remaining reinforcements from India, plus the local garrison constituted 10,000 British regulars. With this formidable force, they planned what would be devastating raids on New England. They divided the fleet with Admiral Williamson to raid the coast of Maine and Governor Chapman to raid Boston. Two of the battleships were designated to stay in Halifax.
Penobscot Bay, October 1867
The Royal Navy fleet, commanded by Admiral Williamson consisting of 3 battleships, four frigates, eight sloops of war and two troop ships conveying a regiment of soldiers sailed into Penobscot Bay. Their ultimate objective was to capture Bangor, the largest city in Maine and a major industrial and shipbuilding center. Preliminary objectives were to raid the harbor towns causing as much damage as possible.
Later that day, raiding parties landed at the fishing communities of Vinalhaven, Center Haven, Camden, Rockport, and Stonington. Observing the approach of the warships and longboats containing Royal Marines, the populace fled inland. The militia stayed long enough to set fire to the fishing boats before withdrawing inland.
The Marines pillaged the warehouses, taking tons of dried fish, canned foods and hundreds of sacks of flour back to the fleet. Upon leaving they set fire to the warehouses and storefronts. The structures constructed of wood burned fiercely. Quickly spreading the fires jumped from street to street leaving smoldering wreckage behind them.
The next day the Royal Navy was sighted sailing up Penobscot Bay towards the seaport city of Belfast, which was a significant ship building and mercantile center. Belfast had been occupied and burned by the British during the war of 1812. The local militia burned the ships under construction in the shipyards, then most of the population was evacuated across the bridge and up the Post Road towards Searsport, or up the Augusta Road to the State Capitol. Many of the merchant ships steamed up the Penobscot River to avoid capture. Others, too late in their escape attempt by sea, were intercepted by the British. Prize crews took over the ships and sailed them to Halifax.
The British occupied the city, to use it as a base of operations. The remaining population learned that martial law was in effect. Three companies of soldiers took over homes where the owners had escaped.
One day later, after securing Belfast, the fleet was divided, with two Frigates, four sloops of war and 300 Royal Marines sailing towards Searsport, with the balance of the fleet sailing up the Penobscot towards Bangor. Searsport was important as it contained seventeen shipyards and was
the second largest deepwater port in Maine.
Unknown to the Royal Navy, five of the shipyards at Searsport were being utilized to build Neosho ironclads. Two of them the USS Abenaki and the USS Biddeford had recently finished sea trials in Penobscot Bay. USS Abenaki turret contained twin 20 inch Dahlgren smoothbore cannons and the USS Biddeford was equipped with twin 15 inch Parrot rifles. Both also had Gatling guns on either side of the casement.
Additional defense of the port consisted of four shallow draft Casco monitors. The USS Chimo, USS Modoc, USS Napa and USS Naubuc. These ironclad harbor monitors did not have a turret but had a 15-inch Parrot rifle on a pivoting 360-degree track. A Gatling gun dominated the top of the pilot house. Two fortifications dominated on the headlands on either side of the harbor entrance. A battery of six, 15-inch Parrot rifles, on pivoting tracks protected each fortification. The militia from Belfast had joined the local militia, and now the defenders numbered 1000 men.
The British squadron was sighted steaming towards Searsport from the south. Commodore Treat, who had assumed command of this fleet one week earlier, telegraphed General Chamberlain and Admiral Farragut of the previous attacks by the Royal Navy and of the impending battle. When the Royal Navy ships were three miles away, the guns at the southern fort opened fire; soon to be followed by the northern fort’s guns. The British warships cleared for action with the two 40 gun frigates in the lead and the sloops of war following.
Their plan was to steam across the mouth of the harbor, pounding the fortifications with broadsides, then come about and repeat the process until the forts surrendered. Then they would steam into the port and burn it to the ground. After the third pass, one of the frigates and one of the sloops had been seriously damaged and fell to the back of the line. Each of the forts only had one Parrot Rile operating. The signals from the lead frigate ordered a forced passage into the harbor.
Lincoln Sneezed Page 11