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 Como 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
_______________
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
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