CSS Florida's Jacob Bell Prizes

One of the most well-publicized captures by the cruiser CSS Florida was the giant three-masted clipper ship Jacob Bell. The cruiser sighted, chased, and overtook the New York-based ship off the coast of Puerto Rico on February 12, 1863. Owned by Abiel Abbow Low and Brothers, Jacob Bell was one of four well-designed clipper ships that Low used to import black tea (and occasionally opium) directly from the Chinese port of Foochoo.

Florida's commanding officer, John Maffitt, reported that Jacob Bell had over 17,000 cases of tea in her hold, valued at over $1.5 million (in 1863 dollars). Along with six boxes of coffee, Maffitt kept fifteen cases and had the rest burned. Via the blockade runner Robert E. Lee, he forwarded the captured tea and coffee to Richmond. He expressly requested that the tea and coffee be distributed to soldiers in the Army of Northern Virginia. There are two excellent account of the captures, one from Maffitt's official report and another from Jacob Bell's vantage point in the book A Year in China, by Mrs. H. Dwight Williams.

In the museum's CSS Florida exhibit are two items from this capture, a silver soup ladle and a brass counter-balance arm used in measuring the weight of the ship's tea cargo. The soup ladle has the words "Jacob Bell" written in cursive script on the handle. The counter-balance arm has both Hindu-Arabic and Chinese numerals.

These two items have high value as mid-19th century maritime material culture artifacts about the China tea trade. In the 20th-century, some salvagers attempted to claim that the wreck in Hampton Roads next to the sloop-of-war USS Cumberland was not CSS Florida, but rather a civilian ship simply called Florida. Thus, the salavagers claimed, the U.S. Government could claim the wreck as a prize-of-war and its exclusive property. These two Jacob Bell artifacts, however, proved beyond all reasonable doubt that the wreck is indeed the famous Confederate cruiser.

Fort Wool: Star-Spangled Banner Rising

“The Star Spangled Banner rising in majestic grandeur, through a dense canopy of smoke that o’er hung the island, proclaimed to the world the birthday of another bulwark of liberty.” – From the September 17, 1826, dedication of what would become Fort Wool, as quoted in Fort Wool: Star-Spangled Banner Rising, by J. Michael Cobb.

On Wednesday, April 18, at 11:30 a.m., J. Michael Cobb will speak about the development of Fort Wool during a luncheon lecture hosted by the Hampton Roads Naval Museum at the Crowne Plaza, Norfolk. The cost for lunch is $15 for Hampton Roads Naval Historical Foundation members and $20 for non-members. Reservations are required by April 13. Please call 757-322-3108 to reserve your seat today.

Fort Wool, now a quiet historical landmark, has been witness to some of the most influential figures and events in American history. Originally called Fort Calhoun, this 15-acre artificial island was built in 1817 as a companion to Fort Monroe. Its mission was to guard Hampton Roads against seafaring threats. Despite its modest size, some of America’s most famous 19th-century leaders walked the fort’s ramparts. As president, Andrew Jackson used the fort to escape from the pressures of Washington, D.C. A few decades later, the fort found President Abraham Lincoln on hand to direct the shelling and invasion of Norfolk. Fort Wool remained useful to the defense of our region through World War II.

J. Michael Cobb is the curator at the Hampton History Museum.

For all public questions and inquiries, please contact Laura Orr at laura.l.orr@navy.mil or 757-322-3108, or visit HRNM’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HRNavalMuseum. The event is co-sponsored by the Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial Commemoration.

German Print of USS Monitor

This is an 1862 lithograph of the ironclad warship USS Monitor, currently on display in the museum's gallery. It is significant not just because it is a contemporary print of one of the U.S. Navy's most famous warships. It is also significant because it demonstrates the international attention the warship received.

This lithograph was published by the Berlin-based publishing house of F. Sala and Company. Despite being based both in the heart of the Prussian Empire and in the nation that pioneered lithography, Sala frequently published prints showing Americans at war, at work, and at play.

Like many American prints of Monitor, the print has technical errors. The ship is out of proportion, thus providing a false sense of the ship's true size, and only shows one gun portal. Artistically, it differs from its American counterparts in significant ways. By using deep gray colors, the prints puts the "iron" in ironclad and brings a true feel of technology to the ship. Contrast the ship's metallic nature to the two wooden "90-day" gunboats in the background. Additionally, Monitor is not engaged in combat, but sits motionless.

The result is two very different interpretations of what Monitor meant. American prints typically portray Monitor as an armored knight, charging into combat against Virginia. The Sala print, however, presents Monitor as a technological war machine from the future.

Ship Model-G.W.P. Custis

This is a model of G.W.P. Custis, a balloon barge used on the Potomac and James Rivers in 1861 and 1862. It is currently on display in the museum's Civil War gallery. Prolific ship model builder Floyd Houston fabricated the model and the Naval Historical Foundation gifted it to the museum in the 1980s. The vessel is named for George Washington Parke Custis, George Washington's step-grandson and Robert E. Lee's father-in-law. Many authors give the barge the commissioning title "USS," but it does not appear that the U.S. Navy actually granted the barge such an honor.

By 1861, the concept of ballooning was not new. The first balloons often used hot air as their means of getting off the ground. "Professor" Thaddeus S.C. Lowe, self-taught chemist, engineer, and balloon aeronaut, invented a machine that would produce lighter-than-air hydrogen gas and pump it into the balloon. His invention poured sulfuric acid over pieces of iron. The resulting chemical reaction produced liberated hydrogen atoms and ferrous sulfate. His research into the properties of hydrogen and subsequent inventions from his research made him a multi-millionaire after the war (which he lost building a scenic railroad).

Lowe (who frequently signed his letters "T.S.C. Lowe, Aeronaut" or "Chief Aeronaut") worked mostly with the Army to provide balloons for reconnaissance work. John Dahlgren also worked closely with Lowe at the Washington Navy Yard. Lowe referred to the barge in his writings as a "lighter (formerly the G.W.P. Custis)" and first made an ascent in a balloon from the barge in July 1861. He wrote, "I have the pleasure of reporting the complete success of the first balloon expedition by water ever attempted." While the event was historic, Lowe was not correct, as his chief rival, John La Mountain, had pulled off the feat three months before.

USS Minnesota Letterhead and the Navy's First Media Specialist

In our collection is official letterhead from the steam frigate USS Minnesota. This letterhead was produced by one of the first printing presses ever placed onboard a U.S. Naval warship. When Minnesota arrived at the seat of war in Hampton Roads in late 1861, the U.S. Navy designated her to be the flagship of the local blockading squadron. Flag officer Silas Stringham correctly assumed that as flagship, Minnesota would be flooded with correspondence from other ships in the blockading squadron, civilian ships' masters, politicians, and official mail from the Navy Department. To help produce the mail and reproduce general orders to the squadron, Stringham purchased the printing press and placed it onboard the frigate in his work area.

Minnesota's printer, Charles L. Newhall

Stringham then recruited veteran sailor Charles L. Newhall to manage the newly established printing office of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron.

Newhall later wrote that he had all of three weeks' training as a printer in the 1840s, and found the work so dull that he left the job to sign on as a landsman aboard a New Bedford whaling ship. After ten years of travelling the world (read more about his many journeys here), he volunteered to serve on Minnesota right after the attack on Fort Sumter in 1861. Not only did he produce the letterhead shown above, but it is also believed that he designed the image used on the letterhead (and the eagle shown below).

Newhall commented that anytime a VIP came on board Minnesota, including President Abraham Lincoln, members of Lincoln's Cabinet, Congressmen, and U.S. Senators, Stringham and later Flag Officer Goldsborough would introduce Newhall and his printing press to them. Newhall served on the ship during the Battle of Hampton Roads and stay on until 1864. He then served on USS San Jacinto and Kearsarge until he left the Navy in 1868.

Mk 7 16-inch gun barrels-A Correction!

Pictured at left are three views of a Mark 7, 16-inch/50 gun barrel at St. Juliens Creek Naval Annex. The Navy used the weapon on all four of the Iowa-class battleships. The U.S. Navy's NAVSEA Inactive Fleet division recently found permanent homes for this barrel and two others just like it (read more about the donation and the move at the Daily Press' website here).

These pictures were taken as part of an initial historic preservation survey of St. Juliens Creek. Museum staff identified the barrels as being surplus equipment left over from the cancelled battleship Kentucky. Built by Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Kentucky was to be the fifth Iowa-class battleship. The Navy cancelled the order halfway through construction in 1943 to shift Yard resources over to more pressing ship needs such as amphibious assault ships.

Inactive Fleet staff, however, recently did some research into these gun barrels and discovered that these barrels never were intended for Kentucky. Rather, research shows that the Navy removed the barrels from exisiting commissioned battleships, and they were to serve as spare parts for Iowa-class ships.

USS Cumberland-Defeated, but Not Conquered

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the first day of the Battle of Hampton Roads. It began with the attack by the ironclad CSS Virginia on the sail sloop-of-war USS Cumberland at 1 p.m. With no means of getting out of the way because the winds were calm, Virginia rammed Cumberland. Commodore Franklin Buchanan demanded that Cumberland's acting commanding officer, Lieutenant George U. Morris, surrender his ship. After consulting with another officer (Acting Master William P. Randall), Morris gave his legendary response: "Damn you, I will never strike." By 3:30 p.m., the fighting was over and the sloop-of-war sank. Her flag continued to fly at the highest mast.

Morris, the younger son of the War of 1812 hero Commodore Charles Morris, never received the coveted "Thanks of Congress" resolution or the Medal of Honor for his act. In letters to his fiancé, Morris admitted he had trouble coping with the loss. While serving on blockade duty off the coast of Florida in 1864, he wrote, "Sometimes I think of those one hundred twenty men now lying so quietly at the bottom of the James River. I think of my friends there. I find as if with my own hand I could be with them."

However, Morris' defiance received an honor equal to any formal award. The act was remembered by Union and Confederate sources as the ship that refused to surrender. "No ship fought more gallantly," one Confederate historian wrote. Literary giants such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Longfellow, and Herman Melville all wrote essays in Cumberland's honor.

Buchanan is to have said to his crew before attacking the U.S. Naval squadron, "sink before surrender." Little did he know, it was his first opponent who had to make that choice. "Don't Give Up the Ship" is an expression uttered by Captain James Lawrence during the 1813 Chesapeake-Shannon battle and informally still used by the U.S. Navy today. Morris and his company upheld that saying and the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

One hundred and twenty-one of Cumberland's sailors and officers died that day. Some rest peacefully with their brother sailors from USS Congress at the cemetery behind Portsmouth Naval Medical Center. But most are still with their ship in Hampton Roads. If you are ever out on your boat in Hampton Roads near Newport News, be sure to stand up, look towards shore, and salute their bravery.

(Learn more about USS Cumberland, her history, and artifacts at the museum's USS Cumberland Center)

The Calm Before the Storm, March 7, 1862

This calm and pleasant scene of the Union shore batteries at Newport News is brought to you by the fine folks at Harper's Weekly. An artist sketched this on March 7, 1862, the day before CSS Virginia and friends rained havoc upon the Union squadron. At left is the sail frigate USS Congress and at right is the sail sloop-of-war USS Cumberland. In between is the gunboat USS Louisiana. The Navy had placed the ships there as the first line of defense against anything that would come out of the Elizabeth River. Upon seeing the ships at anchor, Virginia's executive officer Catesby ap Roger Jones later remarked, "Cumberland and Congress were tempting targets."

The engraving illustrates just how calm the weather was (on this day at least). Union soldiers and sailors had had to suffer through a major rain and sleet storm the week before. Captain John Martson, the senior U.S. Naval officer in charge, even had the sailors deck all the ships out in ceremonial bunting during the storm in honor of George Washington's birthday.

To be sure, everyone knew the Confederates were building a new weapon. Union officers debated how capable this new weapon would be. Virginia's commanding officer Commodore Franklin Buchanan wanted to find out sooner rather than later. Due to the bad weather, his pilots and junior officers advised against it. He agreed to wait until March 8.

CSS Patrick Henry Model and Spyglass

In the museum's Civil War gallery is a model of the Confederate steamer CSS Patrick Henry (ex-CSS Yorktown) and a spyglass from the ship. The model was built by Bill Altice and acquired by the museum in 1986.

Patrick Henry was formerly a passenger steamer that ran between New York and Hampton Roads before being acquired by the Confederate States Navy. She displaced 1300 tons and carried 12 guns, making her one of the better early war ships in the C.S.N. Originally named Yorktown, her captain, the indomitable Commander Randolph Tucker, renamed her Patrick Henry in honor of the Virginia Revolutionary War patriot. With Tucker at the helm, Patrick Henry sortied with CSS Virginia on March 8, 1862 and attacked USS Congress and Minnesota. After the Battle of Hampton Roads, Patrick Henry evacuated up the James River and became the Confederacy's naval academy for the remainder of the war.

The ship's spyglass is one of the few remaining artifacts from the vessel. Made of brass and wood, the spy glass has two mirrors that allow the user to see far off objects more clearly. The smaller section on the right would be put up to the user's eye. That section retracts into the large section when not in use. On the wooden barrel is a hand-painted anchor, a white star, a blue commissioning pennant, and the words "CSS Patrick Henry." Spyglasses are simply hand-held telescopes and a common item aboard any ship.

New Daybook-Civil War Naval Technology

The newest issue of The Daybook is now online.  This issue is our second special edition on the Civil War Navies.  Specifically, it focuses on the many innovations created during the war. Topics covered include new weapons, new ship designs, and the application of steam technology during the war. 

Click here to download!

1857 Print of USS Minnesota

This is a print of the steam frigate USS Minnesota that is currently on display in the museum’s Civil War gallery.  The print shows the warship underway with Chinese junks in the background.  Minnesota’s historic journey to China in the 1850s more than likely inspired the print maker to put the Chinese ships in the picture. In 1857, Minnesota served as a diplomatic transport, delivering William Reed from Norfolk to Hong Kong to represent the United States in the five power negotiations with the Chinese Emperor.    Minnesota then travelled to several different Far East ports, where her magnificent design made an impression upon both Chinese and European naval officers.  During the Civil War, Minnesota served as the flagship of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and participated in the Battle of Hampton Roads and the Fort Fisher Campaign.

The New York-based print and map shop of William Endicott & Company produced this print.  It is notable for its vibrant use of color and detail that make the ship seem alive.  Started in the early 1800s by William's brother George, the company stayed in business well into the 1880s under a new generation of Endicotts.  The company gained a reputation for hiring and fostering young and talented artists, many of whom went on to make a name for themselves.   The Minnesota print was signed by an unknown artist with the last name of Lozier. Any information on Mr. Lozier would be welcomed!

 Despite their commercial success, art critics have had mixed reviews of the Endicott family’s body of work.  Critics acknowledged that the Endicotts had talent based on their ability to make a color image come alive.  However, as one modern art historian wrote, “Their work lacks real individuality.”  After looking at the print of USS Merrimack (see March 1 entry) produced by the print shop of L.H. Bradford, one could take the critic’s comment a step further and accuse the company of plagiarism. Notice, for example, that all the gun portals are open with guns deployed, just like Bradford’s Merrimack print.   

1855 Print of USS Merrimack

As we approach the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads, it is well worth remembering some of the roots of the participants. In the museum's gallery is this 1855 print of the steam frigate USS Merrimack.

This print is a sepia tone reproduction of a color print. The man in charge of printing and marketing the work, New York City print maker L.H. Bradford, apparently decided that the original drawing (see a black and white version below) was too boring to sell and decided to put some life into the print. He added sailors on Merrimack's main deck, put all the ship's forty-eight gun portals open with guns deployed, civilian merchant ships in the background, and placed a bigger typeface for the print's name.


Naval architect George G. Pook drew the original drawing. Judges at a ship model contest noted Pook's ability as an artist when they commented that, "These plans, in their designs, correctness, execution, and neatness are not surpassed by any thing of their kind which the Committee have ever witnessed." "G.G.", as he signed his art, was the older brother of naval architect Samuel Pook. Samuel is most famous for the original design of USS Merrimack and the Civil War river ironclads affectionately known as "Pook's Turtles."

Named for the Merrimack River in New England, Merrimack was the lead ship in a series of magnificently-designed capital warships. The frigate conducted only one cruise. She travelled to South America and then to the Pacific before returning to Gosport Navy Yard in 1859. The Navy decommissioned her due to her expense and unreliable engines. The Confederate Navy captured and converted her into the famous CSS Virginia.