In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

39 Waiting July–october 1864 in late July the Savannah lost three of her black crewmen. attorney D. a. Byrne wrote commodore hunter on behalf of William P. ryan, who sought to recover his slaves edward, William, and charles. Byrne said ryan “has never given his consent for these boys to enlist in the navy—nor has he permitted any agent for him to do so.” hunter had to order their return to their owner.1 W. W. Moore’s slave, Billy, a pilot aboard the Isondiga, had been complaining about his needs and a lack of funds. his master’s contract stipulated that a percentage of his wages would be paid directly to him (a common practice for hired slaves), and he wanted an advance on his pay. When Kennard wrote Moore at augusta for permission, the owner grumbled: “in times like the present negroes ought to be satisfied with good eating and clothing as it is in many instances more than their owners can get.” But he gave Kennard permission to “pay Billy twenty ($20) and charge the same against his Wages.”2 Mallory was pushing hunter to get the WaterWitch to savannah, and hunter was just as eager. area residents told him that spring tides and favorable winds would put nine feet of water in skidaway narrows, and all that was necessary to float her to savannah was cutting down two points of land that made for sharp turns in the stream. seventy-five men working fifteen days—or a hundred working six or seven days—could do the job, the locals said. But the army controlled all the labor and couldn’t be prodded to help.3 still, hunter tried, pushing General Mclaws for men to dig out skidaway narrows . Mclaws became so irritated at hunter’s incessant demands that he wrote, 350 / chapter 39 in his own hand, a seething three-and-a-half-page response. he was baffled, he said, by hunter’s continued assertions that skidaway narrows could be deepened in five or six days. it was clearly unfeasible. and he couldn’t understand why the flag officer had stripped the Water Witch of arms and men, leaving her defenseless , and then held the army responsible for protecting her. it looked to General Mclaws, strapped for men as he was, like hunter had plenty of sailors. “i take the liberty of suggesting that you fully man the vessel,” he said, “place on board of her a crew fully armed and equipped, and capable with the assistance of the battery on shore . . . of preventing the enemy from destroying her. . . . her defenceless position & condition at present but invites an attack.” he was miffed, too, that despite requests that the navy keep vessels below fort Jackson to defend her flanks, the Savannah was up the river at the city, from whence she could get down to help repel an attack only at high tide. he cited the July 4 alarm, when the Savannah was caught at the city at half tide and couldn’t move. if hunter insisted on keeping the ironclad at savannah, he could send half the Savannah’s crew to the Water Witch to defend her. if they were needed aboard the ironclad, they’d have six or eight hours to get back before the next tide would allow her to move down the river. and the new gunboat Macon, he couldn’t help but point out, was sitting up the river doing nothing. “her crew or a large portion of it might be sent,” he said. and he had heard of those officers and men from the Chattahoochee, brought to savannah, he was told, “to take charge of the Water Witch. Why cannot these men be sent?” The savannah squadron was fat with personnel, while the army was being bled white to support charleston and atlanta. he also complained—and sent supporting testimony from colonel anderson— that the navy only kept one boat on picket, and that one above the obstructions, leaving the army (and soldiers unskilled in handling small boats) to picket below the obstructions. he summed up with the pointed suggestion that if the Water Witch was so valuable, hunter should take steps to defend her. hunter’s response was professionally cool and precise. he began with the point of primary importance, getting the WaterWitch to savannah. her present condition— unarmed, stripped, and lightly manned—was in preparation for her being moved. his estimate of time and work needed to...

Share