CONFEDERATE NAVAL HISTORY
Books and CDs by R. Thomas Campbell| In
1861, as the flames of war
were being fanned throughout the nation, a young midshipman resigned
from the United States Navy and made his way south to Montgomery,
Alabama. There, he offered his services to the new Confederate States
of America. Charles W. Read, in the next four years, compiled a
record of ingenuity and daring unsurpassed in the annals of American
naval history. A native of Mississippi, Read was first assigned
to the CSS McRae at New Orleans where he took command of
the warship after its captain was mortally wounded at the Battle
of New Orleans. He next saw action on the ironclad CSS Arkansas
as it fought its way through two Federal fleets on the Mississippi
River. Later, Read served on the cruiser CSS Florida. Converting one of their captured vessels into a raider, he proceeded to spread fear and consternation along the eastern seaboard of the United States by capturing and burning 21 enemy merchant vessels. Taken prisoner and confined at Fort Warren, from which he escaped but was later recaptured, Read was finally exchanged during the waning days of the war. He then commanded a squadron of torpedo boats on the James River south of Richmond. Refusing to recognize defeat, he next led a daring overland expedition around Grant's army at Petersburg, and then attempted a desperate dash down the Mississippi and to the Gulf of Mexico with the CSS Webb. |
Sea Hawk of
the Confederacy, Chapter 1. The Gathering Storm |
Copyright © 2008 R. Thomas Campbell and his licensors. All rights reserved.