Fleets of the State
iNorlli Carolina had a navy
о
I’ its own in
nioro Ilian oih> war. Mr. Lawrence, in llio
accompanying arlicle. tells of some of I In»
onlslandin»’ aelii«kvenienls of these vessels.
FOK loug years Carolina was noted
for its production of "naval stores”
-tar. pitch and turpentine -which
finally denuded our eastern counties
of their giant forest» of stately long
leaf pines. But it i» not generally
known that our State had it» own navy
in more than one war.
Carolina has been connected with
the navy more intimately than with
any other department of tin- Federal
government, as all her cabinet officers
— those who lived in the State when
appointed — were Secretaries of the
Navv - a tribute, no doubt, to the
tunny deep t rater Hapli/tls, so numer¬
ous in the State. Our See tel ary dailies
C. Dobbin change-1 it» motive |*ower
from sail to steam; our Secretary Jo-
sephu* Daniels ably handled the helm
during the (Jreat War, and hi* broth¬
er-in-law. Worth Bagiev, was the tir-t
naval officer to full in the war with
Spain.
Father of the Navy
The father of the American navy —
JOHN PAUL JONES ones hit
fame to Joseph Howe- of Kdeiitou.
llcwc» was not only a signer of the
Declaration of Inde|M*mloneo. but was
Secretary of the Commit . . . Naval
Affairs in the Continental Congress,
and secured for .lone* hi- commis¬
sion. This duties never forgot, for he
wrote 1 1 ewes : “You are the angel of
my happiness; since to your friend¬
ship I owe my preseut enjoyment as
well a- mv future prospect*."
During the Revolution, l-'tli the
State and private persons fitted out
vessels, and Carolina port- hummed
with -hipbuildiug activity. It i- true
the privateers ran the ri-k of being
hanged as pirates if captured, hut the
profit* wore so enormott- that many
look the chance. They not only har¬
ries! British shipping, but brought in
from abroad supplie» that were vital
to the American armies. Three -hips
alone, the Lydia.
Хансу
and (imeral
Xaelt . captured prizes worth more
than one hundred and fifty eltou sand
pounds.
In the war of 1812. the famous
Carolinian. Johnston Blakely, com¬
manded the
1Г<мр.
which fought a
pitched battle with the British Rein¬
deer. captured and destroyed her.
By R. C. LWVREM'E
Blakely's fate is unknown; hi- vessel
may have been sunk by the enemy, or
may have foundered in a storm. In
14»;
tlie legislature enacted that hi*
child *liollld lie educated at tin* cost
of the State.
In thi- war Otway Burn- took time
off from hi- duties in the legislature
a- a iiiemlter from C'artet'Ol to coin-
inniid the privateer Snapdragon . which
so sucre— fully harried British ‘hip¬
ping. and whose memory i* preserves!
in our mountain county seat of Burns¬
ville.
An Improvised Navy
When the Civil War broke out, the
Confedciney had to improvise a navy.
Carolina was peculiarly vulnerable to
attack been use of her long coast, and
because of her two great inland sounds,
into whieli empty many navigable
rivers which |ienetrate into the very
heart of the .State. It was necessary
that an effort be made by the State
to defend itself. The key position wtt*
Roanoke Island, from which point
access could he had into the sounds.
It was attacked hv land and sea in
February, Is'!-’. ami was captured.
The State had there a- it» naval force
pun.. *o that .me of the -hip* mu*t
have l-.;..t..| 'CM gun-. They l—k |K.-
-sition Udtind protection of piling and
other obstructions and actively en¬
gaged the vastly superior Federal licet
until forced to retire with the loss of
one ship. The Confederate couiinnnd-
cr. Couiliindoip Lynch, could have
withdtavvn hi» “pasteboard" lli«ct
!«•
Norfolk, but being under order* to
.. ... | .,r •• 1 _ ,if ... :
only as far a» Elizabeth Citv where
he wa* pur-tted by the enemy’ and all
Ills v upturn! or dc-troyed. Dur¬
ing the lighting, Commander .1. W.
Cooke. Inter to command the . I
//>«■-
marie, wa- twice
wounded
—by
ШШ*
ket ball in the am
in the leg.
Naval warfare
tlolii/ed. 1 lie tir-t
|,v |,nv,
was heit
irouelad
•net tlirtist
ig revolu-
till* ( llll*
federate Merriuuii
1 11
P • 1 " *
tavoc with
Roads, until one morning a “choose-
box on a raft" appeared, the Monitor,
iron clad and with revolving turret,
product of the engineer John Krio-
-on. who-e genius a No gave to the
world the screw propeller. After a
neree aiMl *;iiijruiiinr
i# — j _
v encounter the
1 to retire. and
•II rn-ipl of
If
л Г /
{ fit Iff \\ ’I • I |
• Am— iL.
■ tli< | 1 I V ( >T III*» \ IMHII
The State purchn
gunboats and later a
Before thi» "tnosiptit
stroyed, it captured -
vessels. Then the Stal
st ruction of the iro
Mil three small
tided six other»,
o" Iht-t was do*
ixteen merchant
e began the con-
tielad ram, the
famous Albemarle. It was built
corn field, of unseasoned timber; her
machinery was a patchwork, her back
turtle shaped ami covered with im¬
provised two inch plating. Tool» used
ill construction were largely portable
forges. Although not completed, she
engaged the Federal fleet invest itig
Plymouth, and rammed and sank the
gunboat Southfield, breaking off her
ram into that vessel. A few davs later
-attk the
И
It
. ar..l.my roop. wert
auv other Soutle-ru -tat
foresight of ( lo'eritur Y
•no
л
we iimri e, amt alter niaKing sev¬
eral efforts -he wa» finally torpedoed
hv a party under Ll. W. I!. Cushing
•one of the most gallant exploits of
the entire war.
•Iter fed.
those of
lie to the
p. first in
cooperating with privateers, and later
in operating State owned blockade
runner», t ’otion was cheap tit home
but very dear abroad, and private ves¬
sels ran the blockade out of Wilming¬
ton and made fabulous profits. Ber¬
muda was blit o“0 miles di-tout and
Nassau but inn uiil. - further. Sixty-
five of these runner* were captured
or stink, but the profits were so large
a* to jn-tify tin* ri-k, and more than
# t!
,*«
, tt n n , it n n .
о
n jn supplies wore
brought in. without which l.cc\ army
could not have I . . maintained. The
State fit. i purchased supplie- from
private blockade runners, but finally
went into businc-n on its own account.
The -hip. Advance, bought in London,
(Continued on oaae eiah!een\
■ i
