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

37 securing the Prize June–october 1864 The yankees already knew they’d lost her. around nine thirty friday morning, as the rebels were trying to get the Water Witch into the vernon, the blockader Fernandina saw a man signaling furiously from ossabaw island. it was Peter Mcintosh , the black sailor who had slipped overboard and escaped.1 When the Fernandina heard his story she steamed full speed for fort Pulaski and the telegraph. union gunboats were soon on their way to ossabaw. The next day the Winona found a body floating in the sound. it was Jeremiah sills, the black sailor who had fought so desperately. They buried him on raccoon Key. The captain of the Flag said the rebels had contemptuously thrown his body overboard. But no one aboard the WaterWitch, either rebel or yankee, mentioned that. among the Water Witch’s officers and crew, no one save Dr. Pierson even mentioned sills. it was left to the savannah Republican to praise his valor, reporting that sills “stood his ground firing revolver after revolver, until he finally fell under a concentrated fire, six or eight balls having penetrated his body” (this after mentioning that among the rebels, “their sabres were almost the only weapons used”).2 army officers inundated commodore hunter with reports of union vessels searching for the WaterWitch. General lafayette Mclaws sent two concerned telegrams . captain hanleiter reported a “tug or ironclad and one gunboat have come in through hell Gate.” colonel anderson sent a sheaf of dispatches, suggesting it might be well “to send an additional force of Marines” for her protection.3 Dr. Pierson was paroled to work with the wounded. in his off hours, he strolled about savannah. But when commodore hunter saw him, he ordered him confined to the hospital grounds. Pierson messed with the doctors, and over six weeks securing the Prize / 335 at the hospital saw that they had coffee no more than five or six times, butter about as often, and tea never (it was $30 to $40 per pound), although they provided it to the patients.4 for members of the assault party, the aftermath brought mixed results. lieutenant Price would be promoted to commander (Provisional navy) for “gallant conduct in action,” and would soon get his own command, the ironclad Neuse in north carolina.5 Marine Private Thomas veitch’s remaining sentence was commuted . first class fireman George J. Granger of the Sampson was promoted to third assistant engineer. But for acting Master’s Mate John rosler, the Virginia veteran whose men had been unable to board the Water Witch, it was difficult to keep his head up within the squadron, where word of his failure spread rapidly.6 Bosun seymour had also failed to get aboard, but he had been wounded, and he was a popular figure aboard the Savannah, while rosler on the Sampson was not. Within just a few weeks rosler was involved in a small boat incident with an army lieutenant at the fort Jackson wharf. casting off a cutter filled with sailors returning from liberty, he fell into a right-of-way dispute and collided with lieutenant crowley’s boat. an argument developed and escalated to schoolyard insults . “he called me a damned big-headed irishman,” rosler complained, and admitted calling lieutenant crowley the same. crowley wanted to bring charges.7 nothing came of the incident. But in september, rosler suddenly died. his funeral was at christ church. The parish registry listed his age as twenty-seven, the same age as lieutenant Pelot.8 in the confederate navy Department, a question arose over lieutenant Pendergrast ’s status. During the battle in hampton roads he had surrendered the Congress to lieutenant William h. Parker of the gunboat Beaufort. Gunfire from shore drove the Beaufort off before she could take the prisoners aboard, so Pendergrast, and the crew, escaped. The navy Department contended that Pendergrast had surrendered and had never been exchanged. Therefore, he had violated his parole. Parker wrote Josiah Tattnall his account of the action and justified Pendergrast’s escape and return to duty as legal, ethical, and entirely within the rights and responsibilities of a fighting man. lieutenant Pendergrast, said Parker, was guilty of nothing but doing his duty. With that, any consideration of sanctions against the Water Witch’s captain ended.9 The squadron’s officers began coming down to Beaulieu to look at the prize. lieutenant carnes and his few remaining officers played generous hosts with the yankee ’s...

Share