Flag Officer Samuel F. Dupont to Gustavus V. Fox, July 7, 1862

Flag Ship 'Wabash'         

Port Royal Harbor S.C.     

July 7, 1862 

My Dear Sir, 

My official letter will explain my views as to sending this ship North. I have always had a great dislike at running willing horses to death and the devotion and absence of all grumbling on the part of this crew, after their long and continuous service never having landed but to fight and doing the work they do for the whole squadron, with no chance at prize money &c have brought me to this determination; though it deprives me of my base of operations as it were, and like McClellan I feel like changing front in the face of an enemy, to say nothing of great personal discomfort, but it gratifies and raises the morale of seven hundred men.

You will appreciate all this, and at the same time will understand the earnest requests I am about to make in connection therewith.

First. Will you please send an order to Pendergrast to permit the crew to go on shore under the direction of her Captain, as soon as she arrives? Will you also ask him to have a berth ready for her wherever he may deem best? If vessels are moved in time for this, we shall start by gaining 24 hours.

As I state in my official letter there must be no pulling to pieces. I would rather run the risk of losing my mainmast next winter, than have it taken out now and I did not therefore send her to New York, where I hear they are giving fifty ($50).dollars to seamen for a voyage to Liverpool.

I beg you further in the most earnest manner not to detach a living being from her, Officer or man—if any applications come, tell them to apply through their flag officer.

You have here and there taken a Lieutenant out of returning ships or retained such as go in prizes such as the Executive Officers of the Alabama, Huron &c. I have thought this very hard for the outside appointments are getting lower and lower.

I hardly know how I can spare Rodgers for a few brief weeks even: he will go to Washington and see you and tell you many things I would like to write about but I have not the time to write them nor you to read them if I did.

Rodgers did not wish to go North but I insisted upon carrying out my view of the case.

From a letter from Grimes I infer the Admiral bill is very doubtful—that the Senate should be behind the House in such a matter seems strange.

We are in deep anxiety lest we have not heard the worst about Richmond—dates to July 2.

These midshipmen here will be applying to get in gun boats &c—they are of more service here, to themselves also than any where else—belong to our boats and infantry companies and are thoroughly disciplined. I beg you not to let one go. In this matter if you do as I did on arriving out here, put yr foot down, you will have no trouble. I put my face against all leaves of absence and now every one is glad that I did not permit a man to leave, even those who applied are glad I refused them.

Faithfully Yrs 

S. F. DUPONT. 

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. 131-2