The Sea Wolf of the Confederacy Slips into Portland, Maine.

   Naval activities during the war are stories that capture the attention of many. Often-repeated stories include the battle between the CSS Virginia and USS Monitor in March 1862, the CSS H. L. Hunley sinking the USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor in February 1864, the cruises of the CSS Alabama, and the CSS Shenandoah. Another interesting naval event that is not mentioned as frequently involves the crew of the CSS Archer sailing into the port at Portland, Maine, and capturing the USS Caleb Cushing.

   Lt. Charles W. Read has been referred to as the “Sea Wolf of the Confederacy.” Born not far from Yazoo County, Mississippi, in 1840, he graduated last in his class from the U.S. Naval Academy and served on board the USS Powhatan as a midshipman before resigning on February 4, 1861. Joining the Confederate navy, he was appointed acting midshipman on April 13, 1861. Read saw much of the war. He commanded batteries on Ship Island, Mississippi, dueling with the USS Massachusetts; and he was executive officer on board the CSS McRae and assumed command when the captain was wounded at the battles of Fort Jackson and St. Phillip. In February 1862, Read was promoted to lieutenant and served on board the CSS Arkansas, then commanded a shore battery at Port Hudson, Louisiana. In October 1862, he joined the crew of the CSS Florida, and after the brig Clarence was captured, was given independent command. He then went on to capture the barks Tacony on June 12 and later the Archer. The latter was captured on June 24, 1863, off the coast of Portland, Maine.[1] 

Charles W. Reed

   Between June 12 and June 26, Read captured at least nineteen vessels, including the Tacony and the Archer. Five of these ships were bonded. The Archer was re-captured, and the others were burned. While the North’s attention was mostly diverted by the disappearance of the Army of Northern Virginia from the front at Fredericksburg, many in the North were watching the reports of “pirates” in newspapers. One New York newspaper reported on June 15 that six merchant vessels had recently been captured, three of which were captured forty-fives miles off Cape Charles. The New York Tribune editor taunted the Navy with “This Rebel cruiser Tacony in a few hours makes her appearance under the very nose of the Yankees and frightens them half to death.”[2]

   The New York Chamber of Commerce asked the U.S. Navy to provide convoys for American ships heading out to sea. The Mayor of New York wanted the frigate Roanoke sent to New Your City to be used in the defense of the town. Others wanted a price put onto the heads of Read and his crew and privateer licenses granted to individuals  would seek out Read. In Boston, an insurance company offered a price of $10,000 for the capture of the Tacony.[3]

   Read mounted one cannon, a howitzer, on the Tacony, and continued moving north. With the Federal navy in pursuit, Read transferred his crew and cannon to the captured Archer. On June 26, the Archer was in the Gulf of Maine. With the assistance of two captured fisherman, Read sailed into the Portland Harbor. In Portland Harbor, Read found the Caleb Cushing. Built in 1853 in Somerset, Massachusetts, the cutter was one 100 feet in length and had a single 32-pound cannon. Read and his crew captured the cutter in the dark. It took thirty minutes to haul the anchor up using the windlass. Due to the tide being out, the Caleb Cushing had to be towed out of the harbor. As dawn broke, it was discovered that the Caleb Cushing was missing. By 11:00 am, the Forest City, Casco, and the Chesapeake set out to pursue the Caleb Cushing. Later that day, the Federals caught up with the Confederates. Read’s men had found only five shots (one account says eight) for the 32-pounder. After firing his fifth shot and realizing that he could not out-run the smaller ships, Read set the Caleb Cushing on fire and abandoned ship, taking the Caleb Cushing’s small boats. A white flag was produced, and the Confederates were captured.[4]

   Read was incarcerated at Fort Warren, in Massachusetts, then paroled and exchanged in September or October 1864. He went on to command two James River batteries, then the torpedo boat squadron on the James River. In April 1865, he took command of the William H. Webb which moved from Shreveport, Louisiana to the Mississippi River. As he went, he cut telegraph lines and slipped through three Union fleet districts before being disabled and captured. He was again imprisoned at Fort Warren where he took the Oath of Allegiance and was released. After the war, he captained a fruit schooner in the Caribbean and became a pilot in New Orleans. He died in Meridian, Mississippi, in January 1890. A marker at his grave proclaims him a “Naval Hero of the Confederacy.”  The monument, dedicated in 2000, goes on to state that the raid up the coast to Portland, Maine, and the capture of the Caleb Cushing, was “the most brilliant, daredevil naval action of the war.”[5]

 

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[1] Foster, “Charles W. Read,” Encyclopedia of the Confederacy, 4:1308-10.

[2] New York Times, June 15, 1863. Articles also appeared in the Buffalo Weekly Express, New York Daily Herald, New York Tribune, Boston Evening Transcript, etc.

[3] Jones, Confederate Corsair, 119.

[4] Jones, Confederate Corsair, 4-14; Mirza, Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks, 77.

[5] Clarion-Ledger, July 13, 2000.