Glory-Hunting off Havana: Wilkes and the Trent Affair

GLORY-HUNTING OFF HAVANA: WILKES AND THE TRENT AFFAIR John Sherman Long The results and significance of die "Trent Affair," which occurred early in die American Civil War, have been Uioroughly explored by many competent investigators. The intimate motives and justifications of die man who caused this famous international incident, however, remain obscure. Yet, Uiey provide an important insight into this adventure in nineteendi-century "brinksmanship." Charles Wilkes was sixty-two years of age and a captain in die United States Navy when die War Between die States began. Fame had come to him early in his career as a naval scientist and explorer, but he yearned for die glory of naval combat. During die Mexican War he had applied for active duty but had been turned down.1 The Civil War, in which die Union needed every trained officer at her disposal, finally promised die action he sought. His initial assignment of die war, however, was a disappointment. Secretary of die Navy Gideon Welles recognized die immediate necessity of recalling die African Squadron to reinforce die small Federal fleet in home waters. On May 14, 1861, he gave Wilkes orders to proceed to Fernando Po on die west coast of Africa for die purpose of bringing back die U.S.S. San Jacinto. This was hardly a command for an officer diirsty for action against die enemy! A man of massive pride, he told his son he was going to Africa to bring back die entire squadron. The assignment made him unhappy for anodier reason. Fernando Po had die reputation of being a "white man's graveyard." Wilkes bitterly condemned Welles for his lack of "geographic knowledge" and for subjecting him to "almost a sure sacrifice in Uiat deadly climate." While he awaited passage to Africa, Wilkes confided to his son, "My absence will not be more Uian tiiree montiis but I feel as if great events John Sherman Long, whose research interests include the American frontier as well as the Civil War, teaches history at Southern Methodist University. 1 James D. Hill, "Charles Wilkes—Turbulent Scholar of the Old Navy," United States Naval Institute Proceedings, LVII (1913), 867; Daniel Henderson, Hidden Coasts: A Biography of Admiral Charles Wilkes (New York, 1953), pp. 223, 226; 133 134JOHN SHERMAN LONG will take place before diat time. . . G2 No doubt he was thinking about die imminent clash between die Nordi and Soudi, but his statement was soon to prove prophetic for his own career. Wilkes assumed command of die San Jacinto from her executive officer, Lieutenant Daniel M. Fairfax, on August 28, 1861. His orders from Flag Officer William Inman instructed him to proceed to Philadelphia . "You are audiorized," Inman furdier specified, "to stop where it may be necessary for coal or odier supplies." The orders were clear, but Wilkes rebelled at die diought of himself as a mere delivery boy. He was in command of one of die finest warships in die U.S. Navy. At Fernando Po he had heard diat Confederate privateers were utilizing African ports as sanctuaries for dieir captured prizes. He decided to go after some of die raiders. Disobeying at least die spirit of his instructions , he cruised die African coast for nearly a mondi—unfortunately for him, widiout sighting a single Soudiern vessel.3 Late in September, Wilkes learned diat die Sumter, a formidable Confederate cruiser under die command of Raphael Semmes, had slipped through die blockade at New Orleans and had pounced upon Union commerce in die West Indies. It was a challenge he could not resist. He turned die bow of die San Jacinto toward die Caribbean and an event diat was destined to rock Washington and die major capitals of Europe. Wilkes reached St. Thomas Island on October 13, surreptitiously assumed command of two odier Union cruisers in die area, and organized a search for die Sumter. Arriving at Cienfuegos on die soudiern coast of Cuba eleven days later, Wilkes reported to Secretary Welles diat he had obtained no information of hostile vessels in die Caribbean. Conscious of his tardiness in getting on to Philadelphia, he added diat "Our arrival in die United States will not much exceed die time if...