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27 The aftermath June–august 1863 Joel Kennard gave the department a thorough report of the Atlanta disaster. he stated the time the Atlanta opened the action—five minutes until five—and laid out Webb’s plan of battle: torpedo one monitor, then shoot it out with the other. he described the ironclad getting aground, afloat, then aground again, and the monitors closing in on her. he could only speculate on the reason for Webb’s surrender. But it was hardly reasonable, he said, “to suppose that one who could conceive and attempt so daring a scheme would have so soon struck his colors without some cause entirely beyond his control—such, for instance, as the entire loss of locomotion, or, which i think more probable, the mutiny of his crew.”1 Kennard’s report appeared in the newspapers, and the suggestion of mutiny became fact in savannah.2 Tattnall derided the rumor. he wrote Mallory that he knew that crew: some of them had served under him aboard the old Savannah. The idea of mutiny was preposterous, he said. a debate flared in the city newspapers between several anonymous letter writers , all claiming intimate knowledge of the squadron. one, writing to the Morning News, had proof of the mutiny—to his mind. he’d heard it reported that one of the ram’s sailors had told someone that “if the ship goes out it will be worse for her and her officers.” another believed there had been a battle within the ship over efforts to surrender, citing a report that the national flag had been lowered and a white flag raised then hauled down and the national flag raised once again; then it was hauled down a second time and the white flag again run up. “These are facts witnessed by several,” he claimed, “and the opinion is general that it indicated something wrong going on aboard the ill fated vessel.”3 all this brought a rejoinder in the rival Republican, stating that the charge of 232 / chapter 27 an ominous warning by one—or even several of the crew—even if true, could not support the harsh charge of mutiny, if we take into consideration the peculiar characteristics of seamen and their inalienable, always exercised privilege of grumbling . The JackTar is a queer fellow. Patriotism he doubtless had, in a degree, but this is not so absorbing a sentiment with him as self love, a thorough belief in his own individual physical superiority and pluck, and a comical pride in his ship even though she be as ugly as sin or sail like a haystack. his ship, indeed, is his veritable dulcinea [sic] in whose behalf he is ready to run a tilt against all comers. * * * The assumption of mutiny and disloyalty in our navy is a far greater disgrace to the nation than the frank admission of the defeat of a single and inferior ship by a superior and better appointed force of an enemy in battle; and besides, in this case, it is not warranted by the opinion of commander Webb, who expressed himself quite gratified the evening before the action, with the morale of his men.4 four days after the Atlanta’s capture, a savannah woman wrote virginia McBlair . “With a sad heart i take up my pen, having waited a few days until i supposed the news of the capture of the atlanta shall have reached you, for i could not bear to be the one to communicate sad tidings. We are still in a state of anxious suspense about the fate of our friends on board, having only heard thro’ those who witnessed it of the fate of the vessel.” she passed on the rumor of the crew’s mutiny. But another story making the rounds was that the vessel had run aground, “& thus disabling her guns, was compelled to surrender or have all on board destroyed .” she put her hope in that explanation, and offered her opinions on captain Webb, his predecessors, and the navy Department. The only good it has done, is to place in their proper position those senior officers who have expressed long since their opinions of the vessel—yet have not been heeded—and have been superseded by this [illegible] gentleman who went out expecting to excite every one by his exploits, & has accomplished nothing but to lead himself into captivity & those also under his command. We hope the secretary and Mr Tift are now satisfied. she related that when...

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