Commandant Samuel F. DuPont to Gustavus V. Fox, December 25, 1861

Private

Wabash Port Royal

Christmas Day 1861

My Dear Mr. Fox

A Merry Christmas to you and Mr. Welles, and may the prodigious energies and labors of the Secy and yourself be crowned with success and peace for their results during the coming New Year.

The Department has kindly omitted heretofore to speak of the entrance of the Fingal into Savannah. My first act after the battle before its reverberations had ceased, was to dispatch the Augusta there, for I could see no ships in the offing the day I entered here. How the Monticello came to leave without orders (for Com^o Goldsboro' had told me to send her to him when I could spare her) I never could learn. But two days after the fight she entered in a dense fog, even our troops on Braddocks point did not see her. This went to my heart I confess and has given me periodical twitches ever since, for she brought the rebels great assistance — to our cost here.

My only comfort is that we have her pretty well sealed up; a contraband informed us she was loading with cotton and going to run out of Wassaw inlet, fearing lest the vessels blockading might be eluded I ordered Seminole and Pembina and Andrews to cross the bar; the former thumped, but they got inside just in time to run Tattnall's barge up a creek ashore¹—the crew escaped, except two who hid themselves and made signals and were taken on board the Andrew. One of them a very intelligent and apparently perfectly reliable person has given us much valuable information — he is from Rochester N. Y. and belonged to Tattnall's ship — the Everglade. He had towed the Fingal round into Wilmington river, and has his other steamers and his hulk with the guns along — but he hitched on the Fingal and towed her back stern foremost, but on the Gunboats moving up after him, he fell back behind the fort at Skiddaway.

I have sent John Rodgers there, for I feel comfortable wherever he is — his boilers are repaired, some men can always overcome difficulties, while others do nothing but call for help, never putting their own shoulders to the wheel — but the Flag is very deep for inlet work and is long in turning owing to some defect in her rudder. If you could give him one of those new side wheel double rudder vessels she could not be in better hands; for there are few such officers in any service. I do not rate him over his cousin, because I have never met such a perfect officer and man as the latter.

Would it not be well in appointing the officers to the new Steamers, to give such men who have made their mark in the inferior vessels a lift, rather than keep down the list and give to some below them?

I have had to withdraw the Savannah from Tybee and send her blockading. She got thumping too hard. Drayton is there now, another prince of an officer, with Stevens in the Ottawa who is also very superior. The Wyandotte is also there, but this force is smaller than it ought to be.

In reference to the latter, I am sorry to tell you that she is no acquisition — her light 32's have no sphere here at all, and her machinery is good for nothing — but for the efficiency of the Chf. Engineer of this ship I should have a hard time with such craft.

But this is not all, her Captain is in a state of mental stupefaction from intemperance. Being one of the “Board victims,” I am moving in the matter with extreme caution and leniency. He was first reported officially through Davis by Parrott, for queer doings off Charleston, carrying Parrott 15 miles off his station and then firing guns, and when brought to an explanation seemed stupid. After getting here one of his Acting Masters reported him for frequent intemperance and bad conduct—then a Pilot I gave him to carry him out to Tybee he abused very much and the former an excellent fellow reported him in writing — then up comes a report from Drayton saying “the Captain of the Wyandotte seems quite stupid and I believe from drinking.” So soon as I can get him up here I will send him all the reports and ask him for his explanations, and will send the papers home. I think it would be well for Congress to authorize Flag Officers to order Courts of Inquiry on the home stations. I believe this poor man, ——, had a blow in his head once and a very small quantity of liquor affects him in a strange way.

The Prisoners taken in Wassaw gave us a good many items — they have 45 guns on Pulaski. The other deserters say the same. The rebels are kept perplexed as to our operations and have placed their forces between Brunswick and Savannah. No intrenchments going up around Savannah. An attack on Tybee just in the manner that Missroon said it would be made and of which he could not persuade our Dutch Col. ashore, was only prevented by Robt Lee telling them the ships would knock them all to pieces if they attempted anything of the kind. Gl. Wright is coming on bravely there and the defences are well through — he has a masked battery of rifled cannon beautifully placed and the support between ships and shore will now be mutual by his very clever engineering.

We still have many stories about my quondam Commodore and friend Tattnall — it seems he landed with his Marines on the day of the fight, (I saw him disappear) to help Fort Walker, but arrived to see only the disastrous flight, and then from excitement, he became senseless and was carried back. Maffitt was drunk when he approached near enough for Ammen to let him have the shell — and Tattnall turned him ashore and that is the last of that gentleman. I communicate through Scull creek with Tybee. Mather (smart fellow) made it the other day in 2½ hours in the Andrew. He went to St. Helena Sound in 5 h. We are waiting anxiously for the ferry boats, anything small to send inland. Please hurry the Forbes and give her to an active officer. Please think of a dispatch vessel. Now I ought to draw off a little from Charleston and increase further South, but I have nothing to send. Please tell Wise I will answer his friendly and sprightly letter very soon. It made me laugh heartily.

Faithfully Yrs

S. F. DuPONT

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¹ They had come to see if the course was clear.

SOURCE: Robert Means Thompson & Richard Wainwright, Editors, Publications of the Naval Historical Society, Volume 9: Confidential Correspondence of Gustavus Vasa Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 1861-1865, Volume 1, p. 82-6

Diary of Gideon Welles: Tuesday, November 4, 1862

Further news of the depredations by the Alabama. Ordered Dacotah, Ino, Augusta, etc., on her track. The President read in Cabinet to-day his sensible letter of the 13th of October to General McClellan, ordering him to move and to pass down on the east side of the Blue Ridge. McClellan did not wish to move at all. Was ordered by Halleck, and when he found he must move, said he would go down the west side of the mountains, but when he finally started went on the east side without advising H. or the President. Stanton, whose dislike of McC. increases, says that Halleck does not consider himself responsible for army movements or deficiencies this side of the mountains, of which he has had no notice from General McClellan, who neither reports to him nor to the Secretary of War. All his official correspondence is with the President direct and no one else. The President did not assent to the last remarks of Stanton, which were more sneering in manner than words, but said Halleck should be, and would be, considered responsible, for he (the President) had told him (Halleck) that he would at any time remove McC. when H. required it, and that he (the President) would take the entire responsibility of the removal. Mr. Bates quietly suggested that Halleck should take command of the army in person. But the President said, and all the Cabinet concurred in the opinion, that H. would be an indifferent general in the field, that he shirked responsibility in his present position, that he, in short, is a moral coward, worth but little except as a critic and director of operations, though intelligent and educated. Congress wisely ordered a transfer of all war vessels on the Mississippi to the Navy. It was not by my suggestion or procurement that this law was passed, but it was proper. It has, however, greatly disturbed Stanton, who, supported by Halleck and Ellet, opposes a transfer of the ram fleet as not strictly within the letter, though it is undoubtedly the intent of the law. That Ellet should wish a distinct command is not surprising. It is characteristic. He is full of zeal to overflowing; is not, however, a naval man, but is, very naturally, delighted with an independent naval command in this adventurous ram service. It is, however, a pitiful business on the part of Stanton and Halleck, who should take an administrative view and who should be aware there cannot be two distinct commands on the river under different orders from different Departments without endangering collision.

Seward sent me a day or two since a singular note, supercilious in tone, in relation to mails captured on blockade-runners, telling me it is deemed expedient that instructions be given to our naval officers that such mails should not be opened, but that as speedily as possible they be forwarded. Who deems it expedient to give these instructions, which would be illegal, abject, and an unauthorized and unwarranted surrender of our maritime rights? No man the least conversant with admiralty or statute law, usage, or the law of prize, or who knowingly maintains national rights can deem it expedient to give such instructions, and I have declined doing so. The President must give the order, which he will never do if he looks into the subject. This is another exhibition of the weakness and the loose and inconsiderate administrative management of the Secretary of State, who really seems to suppose himself the Government and his whims supreme law. We had this subject up last August, and I then pointed out the impropriety of any attempt to depart from law and usage, but so shaped a set of instructions as to relieve him; but this proceeding is worse than the former. I shall make no farther effort to relieve him, and have told him I cannot go beyond my instructions of the 18th of August last. He professes to believe something more is necessary to keep the English authorities quiet. The truth is he then and now undertook, in a spirit of self-conceit, to do more than he is authorized. Stuart, the English Chargé, knows it; has, I have no doubt, pressed Seward to have instructions issued to our officers which shall come up to the promises he ostentatiously made. He is conscious, I think, that he has been bamboozled, but he will not be able to extricate himself by bamboozling me. His course is sometimes very annoying, and exhibits an indifference which is astonishing in one of his long experience and intellectual capacity.

SOURCE: Gideon Welles, Diary of Gideon Welles, Secretary of the Navy Under Lincoln and Johnson, Vol. 1: 1861 – March 30, 1864, p. 179-81