THE NAYY.
KEPOST OP SECRETARY WEUES,
Hai't Department, Dec. s, 1861.
Sis : Xa «obni!ttag the animal report of the transac
tions of Ibis Department and of tbe navy, with those of
tbe several bnreane for tbe year, It affords mo ptoiaare
to ass-ore you that the condition of affairs is satisfactory,
and that the discipline and efficiency of tbs service con
tinner to be faJthfnUy maintained. Altar many years of
peace and comparative inactivity, tbe officers and sailors
of onr navy wore suddenly called to tbe performance of
extraordinary and exacting dunes, and during nearer
fgnr years of exhausting civil war JbeThave manifested
their attachment to the Union.and tbetr fidelitj totbc
national flax by riaidiy enforcing a inaantic Woohade of
our coatt. dv vieiuntly pwrolhng the great national
• livers of the interior, and by a succession, of wean and
colStwie© elneS«on?t achievements which have not
only added^fffourn&v* l renown but greatly promoted
-our national integrity and strength.
■When the change of. Administration took place m
March#lS6l, the war had already been virtually began—
Sefork and arsenals, and custom houseß. aad mints.
Sad navy yards, and national property within the rebel
States had been seised without resistance. The retiring
Administration manifested its inability to assert the
national authority, and its disinclination to vindicate
the national supremacy, anu closed its term, and that
or the Thirty* sixth Conarees, without ■ any preparatory
measures for the tremendous convulsion which was
even tbes shaking the Union to its centre and threaten
ing our existence as a nation. ....
Ci six weeks after I had eatered upon the administra
tion of this Department, a blockade, extending over
more than three thom and five hundred miles ol our
coast, was ordered; and jot this stupendous work, pro
nounced to bo impracticable by the highest for&Jgoatt
tboriliss, we bad a feeble navy, reduced to the .lowest
peace establishment, composed largriyofsatiing ves
sels, moat of which were dismantled .ofr dispersed
Abroad. Of the limited number of seamen j
by law. oniv about two hundred were all
UxSInSW& and recsivmjship, Manyof the
officers became demorflized and deserted. In this en
feebled condition, without men, or ships,
or resources placed at 1U disposal, the Department was
called upon to establish and enforce the most extensive
blockade that was ever undertaken to be efieotaaily
maintained by any nation. , , . _
*To make available evtrynaval vessel* to ieM,U our
foreign gquadronMo increase our force by bttildmgnew
vessels, and by procuring for naval purposes, from the
mere l ant service, ovary steamer which could bemade a
fighting vessel, to enlarge as cnee the capacity of the
navy yards, to put in requisition the foundries and
workshops of the country for supplies of ordnance and
■team machinery, to augment the number of seamen,
and to supply the deficiency of officers by selecting ex
perienced and able shipmasters and others from the
commercial marine, were among the Important and re
sponsible duties which were precipitated upon the De
partment at that exciting and interesting period. ,
The measures prompsly and energetically adopted
caused an immense navy to spring into existence-not
*o carry on a maritime war, for the rebels had no navy
to stimulate onr sailors to glorious deeds.nor commerce
to reward their activity; batmen, and
boast, naval expeditious were organized at the earliest
possible period to assert and restore the naiioualan
thority at important'pointa within the insurrectionary
ration. The first of these expeditions was organized
and sailed from Ss mpton Roads in August, under the
command of Rear Admiral sfcringhftex, and resulted in
the capture of fiatteras, and waa the first re*conquest
of a strong position winch was effected on our coast.
TyfiwasfcCowedafew tresis later bythe victory of
Bear Admiml DuPont at, Fort Royalv winch secured a
comnodiousharbor for •he ships ofthe South Atlantic
fiquadrott.f 'DhAAehieyeinents on the lower Mississippi,
where EeduAdmiral F&i .agut dashed open xtne gates of
the passage to New Orleans* and restored to the union
iherbmnftrci&i metropolis of ite South,
pllsheume following spring. Those three important
expediiicus, comprising, in each ease, a larger fleet
than had ever been fitted out on this continent, and two
of them seldom euTpaesad in naval annals, were
planned, organized, and carried into execution, in the
first year of the war, in addition to an immense block
ade. which was at the B&iua time so vigilantly and
rigorously enforced that the rebels even then felt and
complained of its exhausting severity. Other harbors
and places have from time to time been seized and oc
cupied—the last being the bay of Mobile, and the fortifi
cations at its entiance, effected by the same distin
guished officer who had thrown open the lower Missis
sippi to uninterrupted navigation two years before.
Bor have the prowess and skill of our navy in this un
happy contest, involving the integrity of the Union and
onr national supremacy, been felt upon the seaboard
alone. On our fnlan d waters, at Fort Henry, at Done!-
son, at Shiloh, at Island Ho. 10, at Memphis, at Arkan
sas Poet, at Yicfcsburs, at Port Hudson, and at almost
every important place on tbe Mississippi, the Cumber
land, the Tennessee, and other rivers or the Southwest,
the navy has been active in re-establishing the na
tional authority, A fleet of more than one hundred
vessel? has bean put afloat on those waters, and moat of
them are now patrolling, thoae rivers in the national
pause,
It has been the policy of this Department, rigidly ad
hered to under all circumstances, and from which it
has not allowed Use f to be diverted, never to permit
the efficiency of the blockade to be impaired during
these domestic troubles. Hence no large squadrons have
been maintained on foreign stations, uruiaersand men
of-war have been, sent out or ordered to important
points to protect American interests, and capture or de
stroy the few predatory rovers which from time to time
have ventured abroad to depredate on our commerce.
THE DI.OCKADB,
The blockade of a coastline oftkree thousand fire
hundred and forty-nine miles in length, greater in ex
tent than the whole coast of Europe from Cape Trafal
gar to Cape North, is an undertaking without precedent
in history. During onr lait war with Great Britain,
When that Power had eight hundred naval vessels in
commission, not a single port of the United States was
thoroughly dosed. The most serious attempts of the
great maritime Powers have consisted in endeavors to
Interdict trade at a few of the principal ports of a belli
gerent. Immediately after closing the ports of the
States in rebellion, and givingthat act the character of
a blockade* the efforts of this Department were directed
towards securing several harbors at comparatively
equidistant points, aa bases of operations for the several
jsquadrons, where our naval vessels could receive their
supplies, and maintain themselves at their stations
ana on their cruising ground, without return
ing to northern ports for repairs and refit
ments. To have done this would not only have en
dangered the efficiency, but in some instances might
have involved an abandonment of the blockade. To
this end there were set on foot various coast expeditions,
Which have resulted in our taking possession of or
dossing all the ports excepting "Wilmington. From
various causes, Cape Fear river is more difficult to
blockade than any port on the coast of the United States.
The two main entrances are forty miles apart, and these.,
two are subdivided into several others, each of which
Affords an entrance to vessels. The water shoals gradu
ally and regularly to the shore*line, and numerous iso*
lated batteries are erected along the coast, so that a
Blockade* runner of light draught is not under the ne
cessity of making directly for tbe entrance, but can. by
the lead, iun close under the land protected by the bat
teries, and psss in over the bar at leisure. When coming
out, a steamer will se.eot her own time, thus securing
every advantage, and she can pass either up°tor down
the coast before making an ofliing, or she may proceed
straight out to sea, trusting for her escape to the night
and favoring darkness and mists, and the fact that she
is under full speed, whilst the steamers blockading
jnußi have low steam.
Almost every vessel employed in violating the block
ade has been constructed in England with great skill,
regard-ess of cost, and with sole reference to engaging
in this illicit trade, the profits of which are almost as
remunerative as those attending the slave trade, a kin
dred traffic, that all Christendom discountenances, and
the most powerful maritime nations have combined in
measure bus a fraction brtfif
blockade. The cupidity of English merchants, aided
by iheir vast resources, together with the advantages
derived from those triangular depots of blockade-run
ners and of rebel supplies—the ports of Halifax, Ber
muda, and Nassau—poriß which will always he in sym
pathy with the enemies ol this country—has induced
them to engage in this trade. The illicit traffic with
the rebels, who are making war upon our Government,
belongs to that code of commercial morals which
projuptidthe smuggling of opium into China, and the
rule of those who engage in it is to trade, tegallv or
Illegally. If it be illegal, it is the business of the Chi
nese and Americans, not of Englishmen, to prevent it.
Many who have failed to make themselves acquainted
With the facts connected with rite Wilmington blockade
have been free and severe in their censures of the man
ner in which it has been conducted. The intelligent
officers of the naval aud merchant service, who have
labored with untiring Zealand assiduity, and watched
with eleeplesß vigilance through weary months of win
ter and summer, aud in all weathers, stimulated by
the hope of benefiting their country and receiving its
thanks, as well as by every inducement to fame and
pecuniary reward, if do not concur in the
•opinion that the port oi' Wilmington, can be entirely
closed by blockade.
Convinced, as this Department always has been, that
it is necessary to lake nvesession of the entrances, so as
to permit out armed vessels of light draught to go in
aide, no opportunity has been omitted to impress the
necessity or joint naval and military operations for that
purpose. The navy has been at all times ready to per
form Us part in tuch an expedition; but the army has
not yet beeu ahe to unite in a conjoint movement.
Heither branch of the service eaaexpem to be success
ful in an attack upon this position independent of the
•other. Were there deep water at Wilmington, as at
Hew Orleans, Mobile, and Port Royal, either of those
operations could have been repeated at that point, hut
by reason of the shoalnexs of the water, an exclusively
naval epezation cannot be relied upon to be successful.
WESTIA7 GULP SQUADRQX.
An object earnestly cherished by the navy, but which
had been delayed for army co-operation, was the pos
session of the bay of Mobile. In anticipation that tfrig
would receive early attention, Bear Admiral Farragut
rejoined his squadron in January,but the operation was ,
still farther postponed for military demonstrations in-'
Texas and on Bed river.
.Commodore Belli who had been left in charge, ac
tively cooperated with the army In its movements for
the occupation of cei tain points in Texas,
The possession and occupation of Brownsville, briefly
mentioned in my la%t report, was followed by a like
movement at Brazos, .Aransas* and Gabolio passes, in
all of which the laval forces detailed by Commodore
Beil, and placed under command of Commander J, H.
strong, afforded all required assistance.
Prior to the occupation of the left bank of the Rio
Grande, the month of that river had been made the
rendezvous of vessels of various nationalities engaged
In violating, indirectly, the blockade; the demoralized
condition of Mexico, and the mutual rights o! the two
countries on the river and at its entrance, affording un
usual facilities to the illicit traders. Commander Strong
reported some sixty vessels anchored in the Mexican
waters of the Bio Grande, carrying on an extensive
trade, chiefly in cotton, with the rebels through Mata
xneros, which had thus suddenly become a great com
mercial mart. This traffic, which had been prosecuted
With success, in consequence of our inability, under
treaty stipulations, to completely blockade tne Bio
Grande, was effectually stopped by the occupation of
Brownsville, which was followed by the President**
proclamation of February 18,1864, relaxing, condition
ally* the blockade of that port.
But this possession of the several porta of Texas was
deration. After & few months 1 occupation the
lailitaiy forces were withdrawn,and the duty* of guard
ing that extensive coast was thus again devolved ex
clusively upon the navy. Under orders of August 18th.
to Rear Admiral Farragot, the blockade was resumed
t>n the 9th of September, at d has been since maintained.
The bay of Mobile, guarded & t its entrance by two im
posing fortifications, constructed by the Federal Go
vernment in former years, was difficult to blockade,
and was one of the principal ports for illicit trade with
the rebels* It had been the steady purpose of this de
partment to get possession of that bay as soon as opera
tions on the Mississippi would permit the detachment of
a sufficient co operating military force for the expedi
tion. But repeated co-operative movements having
flue purpose in view were commenced, and then aban-
Spned for army operations elsewhere. In the mean-.
the rebels, availing themselves of this delay and
of the advantages of this position, proceeded to the col
lection and construction of a formidable navy, with a
yiew of raising the blockade.
The information received was of such a character that
the Department deemed it important that Rear Admiral
Farragat should resume Ms command, which he did,
and on the 18th of January arrived off Mobile. It was
no part of the plans or intentions of that officer or of the
Department to await thel.offenalve movements of the
yebel commander. To attack, not to defend, was his
policy; and it was with some impatience that he await
ed the means to justify him In putting that policy into
successful operation. Knowing the disadvantage of at
tacking iron-cased vessels with wooden ones, and that,
*2?A. la r 1 * aud underthe guns of heavy fortresses
JtitiKNU a co-operating Una force, he deferred the
nece seary elements of success could
jeacn nim. But in the meantime he stood evsr ready
■■jfSjLy®** ol ® strength with the iron-clad
should it venture to come out Thus
he constantly threatened an attack on Mobile, thereby
B * neral movements elsewhere.
2P*2E?SX?^i W f 1 8 S* eor i* ia the early part of
August, and two iron* ciads from James river, and two
from the Missiseippi haying reached him. Bear Admiral
f«r5 fc tlie of the fitiTof
August, got his fleet under way and entered Mobile
bay, passing between Forts Morgan and Gaines. Bi
lenoing their guns to he PMsed. he encountered the re
bel iquadron, which by 10 o’clock was dispersed, rap
tured, or destroyed. This engagement. f a many re
spects one of the most remarkable on record,and which
added new lustre even to the renown of Bear Admiral
Farragut,.was not without serious losson the part of
his fleet. The most serious of these was the destruc
tion of the iron dad Tecumseh, one of his most formi
dable vessels, by a torpedo, early in the action,and the
loss of her gallant commander, T. A. M. Graven, and
jpearly all of her brave officers and crew. It was from
«he Tecumseh that the first shot was fired at Fort Mor-
SEHI ®*b total casualties, not Including those of the
2*2®SS?h t were fifty-twokilied, and one hundred and
*vyenty wounded.
XfaffiXJS? ca Pti»re of <a*e of the’ reberraiboats by the
Ketacomot, aig the retreat of two, others under the
K2Si?i tSL H «F- the iron-clad ram Tennessee,
®fWSSLJ&SS®RSft^Wi2pga:
WlujoßSOf her 16-inch tho“,%° o ke th*on|h%« l a ; Sof
o’clock fihe surrendered. Twenty officers and Shoot''
one hundred and seventy men were captured In tMs
Vessel, and ninety officers and men in the Selma The
capture or these two vessels, and the retreat ot the two
remaining rebel gunboats ander the mns of Fort Mor
gan, terminated the glorious battle ofthe fifh of August
—On the following dayone of the iron-clads shelled
lort Gaines with such effect that Colonel Anderson, the
commander, sent a communication to Bear Admiral
Barragnt, offerirg to surrender. General Granger,
commanding the united states military forces, was sent
.for, and the terms of capitulation were signed by the
xespectivo parties on hoord of tile Hartford.
From this time onward movements were In progress
for dfipturingffort Morgan, and on the ®d of August, at
clay dawn, a bonrbnrdtntatx wins opeued from the shore
J)gitcrlcs, thenlqnltors and slaps inside, and the rassels
outside Hie bay.At6aM of the 23d, a white flag
Was displayedmft®hejß, and at 2 o clock P. M, tha
fort was uccohdiUpnalilytSat jiiiiaercd to the navy and
army of the United blajsH. a naval shore Inliteiy did
good sorvios ottdapssOCOtMjioii.
rortPowollhgboen already attacked on the night of
the 6th and blotfjjup, the guns falling into our hands.
.The capture dfrwts Bowen, Games, and Morgan, and
the destruction of the rebel fleet, gave ns possession of
the bay, and closed the port to all ingress or .egress of
blockade runners.. This was all .that was contem
plated. Possession of the city of Mobile could not make
the blockade more effectual, ftud a sufficient
Cooperating laadwrce, which coaldaot thcttb? spared (
to take and hold tho Place, farther demonstration was
nivai operations, tho bar .had--been
strewn with torpedoes, and ns late as the ISth. of Sep
tember, Bear Admiral Fmra.ut wrote the Department
that he was stiaenpsajredin removins them.- One hnn
dr“d it was reported had boon placed tn the bar br the
rebels.
east arty squadron.
The limits of the Eastern Golf Squadron have been
extended so as to embrace within its cruising grounds
the waters of the Bahamas and the vicinity of Cuba.
On the 7th of Augug Acting Bear Admiral Bailer*
whose health was suffering from the debilitating in
fluence of the elimsto, turned over the command of ( the
Squadron, by permission of the Department, to Captain
Theodore P. Greene, the officer next in rank, aud came
North. Csptern Greene continued in until
the 12th of October* when he was relieved by Acting
Bear Admiral C. E. Stribling. ~ - . , '
Notwithstanding the sanitary precautions adopted
for the health oLthis squadron, many of the vessels
failod fO escape The infection of tbe yellow fever, so
much and eojustlydreaded, and had to seek a Northern
climate during the summer. The system of promptly
ordering vereels to a healthier locality the moment
they became infected has been in its effects salutary,
the ravages of the dtseaee.have, thereby.been checked,
and the ship’s complement eoonrestored to the usual
standardorhealth. 4
Although the squadron was temporarilrreducedby
these withdrawals, no serious interruption took placa
In the disposition of the blockade, which has continued
tobeeffeciwe. Less frequent captures* and other in
dications* demonstrate that the traffic and communica
tion with the Florida coast has pietty much ceased.
The monotony of.blockade Dm has, in repeated in
stances, been broken by boat expeditions and armed
iuenrsious for the destruction of salt manufactories,
•which abound on the Florida shore, many of which
are the public property of the insurgents. These expe
ditions, although apparently unimportant when com
pared with the greas naval achievements which have
given renown to our sailors inneighboringwaters.havo
nevertheless inflicted serious injury upon the rebels,by
exhausting their resources, and have developed the
zeal and energy of our officers and seamen. A number
of such expeditions have been organized during the
year, and conducted to a successful issue with, little
loss of life, and without relaxing or neglecting the spa
del and paramount service of the blockade.
In May an expedition was planned by the rebels for
capturing or destroying one of our blockading steamers
off Apalachicola. Tha organization consisted ofeome
hundred men led by rebel naval officers. Information
of the proposed movement was timely received, and a
joint na-tal and mtiitaiyforce was despatJed agatiwt
the party and succeeded in SJ,
with sit nf their seven boats, their ammunition, flags,
Sid flccomoani n)ents. Demtled report, of tMs affair,
axwellasof otlsr£wMtt are creditable to the officers
in them, form a part of the appendix
to this report.
SOUTH ATLANTIC SQTTADBON.
The coast under blockade by the South. Atlanticsquai
ron is about three hundred miles in extent, and a con
siderable portion of fib is a network of inlets and sounds.
Within the Emits of this command are two of the chief
seaports of tbe ineurgeute—Charleston and Savannah—
cities of wealth and marts of commerce in other days,
but the war which they commenced* ani which-thgy
still continue to wage against the Union, has caused
each of them to be sealed up, and has destroyed their
wealth and*proBpeiity. ~ . , , , .
The cravlngfor commerceand la«irie|A{CharieBtoa, ;
which the Aii-.
creasing hazards of running the blockade at winning
ten* have prompted some reckless adventurers ,to ex
pose their fortunes in efforts to . elude the squadron Of
Admiral Dahlgren. Several valuable steamers having
been lost in these attempts, the efforts were for a time
almost entirely discontinued.-
Charleston and Savannah, besides being among the
best defended points on the Atlantic coast, possess ad
vantages for a navy# on which the insurgent leaders
felt much reliance la the early days of the rebellion.
There they have had armored vessels, and rams,, and
torpedo boats, or * ’Davids ft and *‘ Divers, ’' elements'
with which they threatened to achieve success oyer the
open warfare of the navaLforces of the Union. Charles
ton, disaffected without cause,and aspiring without en
terprite, having, after long and persistent efforts, suc
ceed ed in seducing others to engage with her in assail
ing the National Government, and attempting a dis- .
memberment of the Union, fails to become either a na
val or a commercial emporium- She has dragged down
others without elevating herself, and is fast becoming
a waste.
No formidable independent operations, in the form of
naval conflicts, have neen made by the squadron da
ring the year, A steady, unrelenting blockade has
been rigidly enforced, with no attractive and exciting
incidents, but which has been effective And exhausting
upon the rebels. , • ....
In February a detachment of vessels was sent to the
fit. John’s river to aid a military force intended to be
thrown into Florida. Rear Admiral Dahlgren accom
panied the expedition in person, saw the proper co
operative arrangements made, and assigned an ade
quate naval force, which is holding possession of all
points on the St. John's occupied by our army. In
March a diversion was made at Bail’s Bay. In r May a
force was detailed to co-operate in an effort to sever the
railroad between ChrrUston and Savannah. Adetach
ment of iron-clads crossed Stono bar in July to assist
General Foster in ademonstration upon the rebel works
on Stono river and James Island. Bear Admiral Dahl
gxen conducted the naval force in person; In these and
other military movements the navy has been always
active and ready io extend cordial co-operation to
every army operation.
In February permission was given to Bear Admiral
Dahlgren to leave his squadron in command of Com
modore S. C. Rowan. On resumiac his duties in: May,
he found that General Gilimore had been called, with
the greater part of Ms army, to another field, leaving
behind, however, a sufficient defensive force when sus
tained by the navy. The withdrawal of eo large a
portion of the military force necessarily put a itop to
further serious demonstration against Charleston.
The retention ox the harbor, as well as the entire
safety of that coast, depended thenceforward mainly on
the iron-dads. They were indispensable for Ihe con
tinued possession of Morris Island by our troops, and
they could not have been withdrawn without putting
in jeopardy the blockading fleet which, as well as the
laito force, would have been assailed by the armored
rebel vessels. The capability of the monitors to hold
position off Morris Island had been controverted by
the former intelligent commander of the squadron,
who denied its practicability, and had deemed it his
duty in June, 3563, to enter a protest against it.' His re
presentations, with those of the officers then in com
mand of the iron-clads, that those vessels could not re
main off the harbor, nor neater to that point than North
Bdisto, with other suggested difficulties, caused the
Department to consider well its purpose before carrying
out the original order, that the monitors should remain
inside the bar and off Morris Island as the only effectual'
method of entirely closing the port, and making further
demonstrations.
The views of the Department were sustained by
other naval officers of judgment and ability. Younger
officers also made a voluntary tender of their services,
as well as some of those who had doubted, each offering
to take the risks which the great stake juttfied; while
the sailors, always ready for any service or to encoun
ter any hardship, imitated and emulated their ex
ample.
The result has been that Bear Admiral Dahlgren. has
kept these vessels for seventeen months where it was
insisted they could not remain, to the great injury of
tbe ordinal seat of the rebellion. The work has been
irksome and laborious, unremunerative, and perhaps
not sufficiently appreciated, for it has been quiet and
undemonstrative, without those occasional captures
which, before taxing possession of the harbor, enli
vened and rewarded the officers and crews.
Intelligence that the rebels were strengthening Fogt
lumpter, building bomb proofs and mounting heavy
guns on the channel faces, led Bear Admiral Dahlgren
early in the summer to entertain the thought of attack
ing mat fortification, and attempting the passage with
his iron* clads. It wsb a question of great respbnsibili
ty, for the assault, if made, would draw upon the ves
sels the concentrated fire of many powerful batteries;
he therefore called a council of his officers in command,
and, after a full discussion, a large majority deemed
it, under the circumstances, unadvlsable. It was con
sequently abandoned. , • -— i
ingin the diecomfitureof tne rebels. Details of these,
as of those of tie other squadrons, are appended to this
report. Occasioxal assaults have been made upon our
Vessels off Charleston by torpedo boats, and in one
instance with success, by sinking the steam sloop-of
war Housaioaic, but fortunately with little loss of
life. • .
NORTH ATLANTIC SQUADRON.
The number of vessels and officers ffhd meu employed
in the'North Atlantic Squadron exceeds that of any
other, azd its importance Is certainly not leaf. Iu ad
dition to blockading the only remaining port of com-'
merciaL intercourse iu the rebel States, on this squad
ron lias devolved the duty of guarding and holding pos-‘
sezslos of the great inland waters of North Carolina
and Virginia., and an extensive co-operation with the
armies which are threatening Richmond and its vi
cinity.
In order to secure the most thorough and efficient dis
charge of duty that is possible in every departmentof
this squadron, and especially that of the blockade of
Wilmington, Acting Rear Admiral lee, by direction of
the Department, established fonr divisions of the squad
ron, viz: one cn James river, one in the sounds of
North Carolina, andiwooff Gape Fear river and adja
cent inUts, each of which was placed under an expe
rienced officer, and Acting Bear Admiral Lee removed
bis headquarters in July from Hampton Roads to Beau
fort.
For some months previous to May last the rebels had
been left In quiet possession of James river for a con
siderable distance below Richmond, but the progress of
the Fotomac army towards the rebel capital was the
signal for active operations in another quarter. On the
sth of May Major General Butler moved his army from
Newport News, under convoy of a naval force which
had been assembled for the purpose, up James river,
and made the following night a successful landing: at
Bermuda Hundred and City Feint. The movement wm.
quietly performed, and the landing was promptly ef
fected. The absence of a military or naval force on the
James river had been improved by the rebels to plant in
its bed formidable torpedoes, by wMch two of the light
draught boats were destroyed.
From the landing of the Army of the James in Hay, a
naval force competent to meet the armored vessels and
rams of the insurgents, had they made a demonstration!
has been maintained on the upper waters of the James.
On various occasions sharp but brief engagements have
occurred between our vessels and the rebel batteries
forming the defence of Richmond.
The naval force had anticipated an encounter with
the rebel fleet which had been in the course of prepara
tion for two years, but the military commanders, out
of abundant precaution, ordered obstructions to be
placed iu the channel by sinking vessels for the pro
tection of the large transport fieetthat was in attendance
upon the army, and which it was apprehended might
be disturbed and perhaps endangered in the narrow
waters, were a demonstration to be made by all or any
portion of the rebel navy. The security of the trans
ports was justly deemed of vital importance to the
aimy, and. required to be placed beyond any contin
gency. Hence this obstruction of the river, in addition
to the protection afforded by our iron- clads and other
naval vessels, was doubtless a wise military precau
tion, although it restricted the movements'of the navy.
The, operations in the sounds of North Carolina have
been interesting and important. It had been a cherish
ed idea of the rebel leaders to repossess themselves of
the sounds, and to regain the principal places on them,
which had been wrested from rebel authority early in
the war by the united efforts of the army and navy. Pre
parations were long in progress for the construction of
armored vessels, and others of light draught, on the
Boanoke and Heme rivals, -with intent to descend and'
drive out from the sounds our fleet of slijhtljr-built
wooden boats, recapture Plymouth, Hewbern, aud
oiber points held by our arms, and to- establish, rebel
power In that auarter. These Behemes, though partially
successful at the commencement, soon closed in disaster;
Delays in the completion of the armored vessels or
dered by the Department, aud especially intended for
service in shallow waters, which were Inaccessible to
the monitor veseels already built, jeoparded our posses
«ion of the sounds. There waaadso the want of an ade
quate military force in that quarter.
On the 17th of April the rebeia besieged Plymouth, and
two days after the rebel ram Albemarle descended the
Boanoke river end attacked the wooden gunboats lying
on that town. On thelQlti the defences were carried, the
garrison became prisoners, and the rebels obtained pos
session of the upper sound. Li consequence of army re
verses, vigorous measures were immediately taken by
this Department to prevent further disaster. Captain
Melnncton Smith, an officer of much naval experience, -
was sent to the spnnds with vessels of heavier arma
ment,.and instructed to take command, attack the ar
mored ram at all hazards, and use all means to destroy
her, On the sth of May the ram came ont of Boanoke
river, and Capt. Smith engaged her with his gunboats.
The action continued from 4 49 to 7.30 P. M , when
darkness intervened, and the Albemarle retreated up
the river. Shot fell from her armor apparently without
effect, and the efforts to run her down were unsuccess
ful. Her consort, a-email army steamer which had
been captured and converted into a naval vessel, was
recaptured.
On but one subsequent occasion did the Albemarle
make her appearance, and then she qnickly retired on
{2“« fl *ed at As there was no known cause to prevent
her making another demonstration, a competent naval
£ l 3F e «* rM /* wa^S s*adinesa to meet her. But the in
activity of awaiting her movements was irksome and
and her destruction by other means became
an object.
Lieutenant W. B. Cushing, a young officer who had
on previous occasions sained toe admiration of tho Dei
partment table daring and adyentuiona heroism, was
relected to destroy the JUbemarla by a torpedo, properly
arrsigsd in a Ugbt picket-boat, to be placed af Ms dis-
Egsali torpedo is tho invention of Chief Engineer
W. W. Wood, and possesses extraordinary power. It
was arranged and applied to the pick, t-boat at the eng-
Seation and under the direction of Brer Admiral F H
Iregor, and Ms abl# assistants. Lieutenant Cashing
wasdireeted to have the means for carrying ont the
views of the Department prepared, .and, whan these
wereroMideted, It was quickly and brilliantly exe
cuted. With fourteen brave officers and men, who vo
lunteered for the service, he, on the night of October 27,
ascended the Boanoke to Plymouth, assailed the ram at
her wharf,though guarded by mmllitaiy force on shore,
as well as by her crew, and »unk her. Only himself
ai la “neof his party escaped death or capture.
»Kma d ? rln * andbuccesefui exploit removed the reli-
of Plymouth. Commander Macomb, se
m the sound., promptly availed himself of
wlth 4 H,e a «l MS , sfj‘lenJe^la,lt5 f j‘ len J e^ la,lt Cushing’s achievement.
f<n se at his command he pressed on to
from their rifle-pits and
fbanicea of October took; possession of
a few prisoners, thirty-two can
¥n“nnltlon, thus re-establishing
**sB. sounds of Soith Carolina.
.From inly, 1663, when the rebels were driven from
Morris Island by the combined forces of Bear Admiral
Dahliren and Major General Gillmore, and the navy
thereby gained command of the entrance to, and pos
session of, Charleston harbor, so that monitor vessels
could remain inside, blockade running cessed almost
entirely in that quarter, and was transferred to. and
vigorously proseented at, Wilmington.
This locality possesses singular natural advantages to
resist a blockade, to which the rebels bars added others
in the way of earthworks, with powerful guns, to cover
tne blockade-runnoTs and to open on onr vessels when
ever they come within range. These shore batteries
y*™ “UU* to'Ototoanfl the several channels and the
numerouslnlets m that quarter.
»ofiii e re. i ? CTdtle * this port entirely, while
110I 10 c f??uf ,a A and which none of
bv t rsl2Sy} t .% heavy broadside batteries can approach
bB of toe water, can
With^heTnramw 4^!, 4 only who are familiar
tion Win?™, ?* and have had experience on that sta
nsS'ed thiV wi a 00, operating land force, It is not ex
ffire tofbif,*? 4 close the port of Wilmington.
blockadeat that win?hre°bein'%£&
ness by foreign capitalize, aeweli tir «£ °LB3B
Suck has been and is the of
that articles of coipaerce command WbolaSs pAees
throngkoat tie whole Insurrectionary reSoo? theiebv
stimulating tho cupidity of reckless neutrals* BtS
while a succesefol trip begets large profits, the block
ade bas not hem violated with impunity- Hravv
iweekftve
THE PRESS.—PHILADELPHIA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, J 864.
ffurAd in the Illicit trade. Sixty-five steamers, the ag-
IrflatG value of which* withthelroargoes, willscarcely
foJUskortof thirteen millions of dollars, have been cap
tured or destroyed In endeavoring to enter or escape
froxa Wilmington* Over fifty euch results have oc
curred since Bear Admifal Dahlgren anchored his mo
nitor fleet inside of Charleston bar and closed that port
the difficulty of closing the. main en
trances to Cape FearriveT, which are nearly forty miles
apart, can be formed when it Is considered that with
fifty of our steamers, some of them the fastest m the
service, stationed and distributed by naval officers of
intelligence and experience, off those entrants, block
ade- runners, watching their opportunity, and availing
themselves of dark nights, good Pitots, and extraordi
nary gpeed, succeed in getting into and oi.t of Wll
mAc?talr Bear Admiral 8. P. tea, who for two years
has baen io sommsnd of tills sonadron. discharging his
ardoooa dnttas with intelligence and fldellty, was re
lieved by Bear Admiral Porter, who took command of
t); 8 north Atlantic Baoaaron on the 12th of October.
MISSISSIPPI SQUADRON.
The events', of the year have famished additional
proof of the wisdom cf the policy which dictated the
organization of a powerful ana efficient squadron on the
rivers of the interior. Its usefulness has been demon
strated on many occasions and in various ways.
Whether in convoying transports laden with soldiers or
supplies destined for tie army* or merchandise and
, produce forjfce people; in assisting in repelling attacks
upon weak military posts; in rendering more safe the
navigation of the streams fo commerce and travel; in
independent naval expeditions, or co-operating in
extensive military movements* its importance has been
,rt Q | ffl of. 4 ~
To obtain possession of the Mississippi, and constant
ly patrol that great stream from Cairo to New Orleans,
ifin itself a work of vast magnitude. By it the rebel
combinations have been broken, and theirorgauizatlon.
severed, os it were, by an impassable gulf. The Ohio,
Tennessee, and Cumberland rivers haye likewise been
patrolled. Thus loyal citizens in their vicinity have
been protected, refuge has been afforded to those
escaping from anarchy and oppression, and partisan
bands have been dispersed.
To insure a systematic and vigorous execution of the
duties devolving on the squadron, the waters trarersed
by it have been divided into ten naval distrlcts»e&eh
under the command-of an experienced officer. While
the vessels in each district have their appropriate field
of duty, they are held ready to support each other when
occasion requires, and can be readily concentrated when
an emergency demands it.
The squadron is composed, to a great extent, of boats
that had been employed in the carrying trade, but
which have been purchased, strengthened, and fitted
for war. purposes They are necessarily inferior to
naval bnfit veatele in atreneth; they are lightly armed,
and consequently jmora liable to disaster. But their
-'cost is greatly inferor -to that of iron-clad vessels, or
those of heavy structure for ocean service. The most
extensive operations of the Mississippi squadron during
the year have been in connection with the military ex
pedition on the Bed river, which* .with the. attending in
cidents, form ad interesting page in the annals of the
war. The failure of this conjoint expedition to acoom
pli&h the important results desired and anticipated, are
attributable to causes beyond human control, and to the
want of success on the part of the military arm of the
service. So far as the navy was concerned, the expedi
tion was chiefly one of co-operation with the army. It
possessed, however, within itself tho elements or suc
cess under ordinary circumstances, and had not natural
lte Mstoiy might have been not
'less?teimanc thuh tho •recdr<hof .othecytcMexei&ents of
this rquadron. ''
On tWS th.of Match Bear Admiral Porter had assem-
Wed &6 Ore month of Bod river a formidable Beet of
Iron-clad ,688*18 asd of Ught-dranaht wooden boats for
co-operation with' the army, and waa there joined bya
poition of Major General Sherman’s force -in trasl*
ports, nndertlie command of General A. J. Smith,
Tbe joint forces moved up tho river on the 12sh of
March to form a inaction with Major General Banks, at
Alexandria. In their progress some of the vessels
branched qff into the Atchafslaya, while the main per
tton continnedjp Bed river. The rebels were driven in
; tjtrh from Simlßsport and Fort DeKussy, the latter fell
ing again into, onr possession, with its gnns and muni
tions of war and a few prisoners. Soma of the fleetest
vostels were despatched to Alexandria, with the hope
of cutting off the rebels in their retreat, but without
success. That place was occupied by our forces, aud
about the firßt of April both army and navy commenced
io move up the river towards Shreveport. A part only
of the naval fores could proceed further up the river
than Alexandria* and it was with difficulty they reached
that point. Butthe assistance of the gunboats was so
essential to success that some risks bad to* be taken,
and 1 extraordinary exertions'wcrS made to pass the
vessels over the falls, so as to give the required 00-ope
rat ion. Main force had to be used to haul the sun boats.
But Grand Score was reached without accident, and
occupied without opposition. There were at this time
Indications of the usual rise of the season in the river,
and everything promised success. Twenty-throe heavy
guns had been captured from the rebels since the entry
into that river. Springfield lauding was designated as
the point for the next junction of the co-operating
forces, and it was reached at the appointed time, three
days after leaving Score, by six gunboat* and twenty
heavy transports. Here they learned that the army
under General Banks had met a reverse, and was fall
ing back to Pleasant Hill some distance below. Bear
Admiral Porter was therefore compelled to turn back,
with the full knowledge .that in.Tetracing his steps he
would be interrupted at every assailable point. The
rebels, flushed with their success against the army,
availed themselves of every opportunity which offered
forharassing.the.gqnboateand tramports.
. Their cavalry and artillery, taking advantage of the
Winding ttream, moved rapidly from point to point, at
tacking on every available occasion. But the gunboats
successfully fought their way, and from time to time
repelled their assailants with terrible slaughter.
On tbe 14th of April Bear Admiral Porter got back to
Grand Score, where he found the vessels whichhe had
left at that point still detained above the bar. The river.
Instead of rising as customary at this seasoa, had
fallen during his absence. The army was preparing to
move back upon Alexandria; the water having so re
ceded, there was little hope of getting the vessels out,
and destruction apparently awaited the beat portion of
the squadron. But In the words cf the Admiral,
“Providence provided a man for the occasion. ’ * Lieut.
Col. Joseph Bailey, acting engineer of the Idth Amy
Corps, an intelligent and efficient officer, devised a
plan for the' construction of a series of dams across the
rocks at the falls; thus by artificial means to supply
that which nature withheld—Mfficient depth of water
for the passage of the vessels. Extraordinary as was
tie project, and received with incredulity, the rated
that conceived It was enabled to .carry it into successful
execution. Men were set to work; woodcutters col
lected ; quarries opened; and, after some weeks, the
undertaking was accomplished. The dams were built,
the vessels passed safely over the falls to the delight of
the assembled army and navy, who had mutually parti
cipated in the work* asd on the ) 6th of May Bear Ad
miral, Porter had the satisfaction of announcing that
the fleet was relieved from danger. There is probably
in naval history no other Instance of such peril and dif
ficulty so successfully and skilfully surmounted. 1
Congress very appropriately acknowledged the meri
torious services of Lieutenant Colonel Bailey on this oc
casion, and they have been still farther recognized by
his promotion. '
Interesting details of this and minor expeditions on
the Washita, Arkansas, Black, and Yazoo rivers, will
be found in the official appendix to this report.
Bear Admiral Porter, having been for nearly two
years on ardnous and exhausting duty in this command,
received leave to return East in the summer, and was
subsequently detached in order to take command of the
North Atlantic Squadron. Captain A. M. Penuock,
senior officer on tbe station, was left in charge. On the
Ist* of November Acting Rear Admiral S. P. Lee .as
sumed command of the Mississippi Squadron, and en
tered on the discharge of his duties,
POTOMAC FLOTILLA:
The limits of the Potomac Flotilla embrace also the
waters of the Rappahannock, and at present and daring
tho 5 ear have been under the command of Commander
Foxhall A. Parker. Upon the flotilla has devolved the
duty of arresting the contraband trade attempted to be
carried on across the Potomac; from VlrginiawitiLthe
lower counties of itself.
pahannock. The small craft, which are the vehicles of
this traffic, and adapted to it, are well calculated to
elude detection. Those engaged in U are reckless, un
scrupulous, and unprincipled, so that on no- station are
greater vigilance and more-unceasing watchfulness re
quired than on the part of the officers and room of the
flotilla. It is scarcely possible to wholly prevent' this
species of illicit traffic and blockade running. With, so
long a line of communication to be patrolled, opportu
nities will sometimes be found by the contrabandists,
who ere ever on the watch, and Who are aided by sym
pathizing associates on either shore, to elude detection
and capture. .Numbers, have, however, been captured
during the year while in transit; others have been fer
reted out and their boats have been’destroyed.
Atall timesaid onall occasions the flotilla has given’
its active and willing co-operation to the military
movements. While the army was in the vicinity Of
Fredericksburg last spring and summer, the services of
the smaller steamers on the Rappahannock were effi
cient and invaluable*. They opened communication
with the military forces; cleared* large numbers of
torpedoes from the river; drove the rebels from its
banks; convoyed transports with troops and supplies
going to the army, and returning with the wounded
and sick from the battle-field. The vessels which are
employed in this service are of light draught, and their
construction Is necessarily alight, consequently those
who serve on board of them in a hostile country are ex
posed to more than ordinary peril. Bat whether in
clearing .the banks of the Rappahannock of sharp
shooters, or removing from its bed dangerous torpedoes,
no less daring and energy have been exhibited than by
others in vessels of larger proportions and with greater
protection.
PACIFIC SQUADRON.
There has been no material change m the strength of
this squadron within the past year. The new steamer
Wateree joined it. and orders have been given detach
ing the. Namgansett and ordering her to the Atlantic
States.
Acting Bear Admiral Charles H. Bell, having bad
command of the squadron for three years, has been re
cently relieved by Acting Bear Admiral George F. Fear
son ; the transfer took place at Panama on the 25th. of
October.
No hostile craft has made Us appearance in the Pacific,
and our commerce has been carried on iu its usual
'channels without interruption, other than, .that ne
cessarily caused by the measures of foreign Powers in
an attitude of hostllily.towards.each other.
The blockade of Mexican ports on the Pacific by the
French fleet rendered it important for Acting Rear Ad
miral Bell to remain several months in that quarter
with his flag-ship, in order to look after the interests of
the Unit ed States. An exception in favor of the steamers
oi the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, made in the de
claration of blockade, gave them the continued use of
theharborof Acapulco as an intermediate depot, and
the presence of the flag-ship, or some other one of the
vessels at that port, has aided in giving protection to
the property of the company against the acts of lawless
persons, and inspired those on board the steamers with
a feeling of security from assaults of insurgent cruisers
from seaward.
About the middle of April, Acting Rear Admiral Bell
proceeded from Acapulco to Panama* and 1 hence to Cal
lao, at which port he arrived on the 25th of May, 1861
Difficulties had arisen between Fern and Spain,
which resulted In the seizure, by the naval squadron of
the latter, of iheChincha Islands, and it was Essential
that onr extensive fleet of guano vessels frequenting
that quarter should have within reach an armed vessel
of their own conn try to give aid and security in the event
intemiption oLtheir The
Reax t Td^fal^lSi 0 to ll ramain 0 With'tbe^flalihlp
Callao from May until the 6th of October. The remain
ing vessels of the squadron have visited the Mexican
and Central American ports, and it is not known that
they have foiled in any respect to respond to all proper
appeals of onr country men for aid and encouragement.
or to observe and scrupulously regard the rights of, and
courtesies due to, irlendly nations.
Bumors or reports of a rebel privateer fitting out at
Victoria* Vancouver's Island, drew to that quarter the
United States steamer Narragansett, from San Fran
cisco. The probability of such a scheme being carried
into effect was ascertained to be not greater than that
which had but a short time previously drawn the
United States steamer Saginaw to that locality. After
.crowing, therefore, a short time in the Straits of Fuca
and Fuaet’s Sound, and receiving the friendly assu
rances of her Britannic Majecty’s authorities that every
effort would he made to discountenance and arrest any'
proposed violation of neutrality, the Narragansett re
turned to San Francico.
WEST INDIA SQUADRON.
The West India squadron, as an organization, has
been discontinued. Acting Bear Admiral James L.
Lardner, who had command of it at the date of my last
annual report, arrived at Hampton Roads, in the
Powhatan, on the Sd of October, in pursuance of orders
of the Department
The principal objects for which this squadron was
created had ceased to he prominent, and the chief duties
originally assigned to it have been transferred to the
East Gulf squadron. There have been no depredations
committed in that quarter during the past year.. The
vessels of the squadron have, in turn* given safe con
voy to the California steamers over the most exposed
section of their route. This convoy has been since,
when expedient, extended over the entire route, by de
tailiagan.armed vessel to accompany each steamer.
PIBATICAb CRUISERS.
The three English built piratical cruisers which, un
der the rebel flag, have, during the the last two years,
roamed the seas, robbing and destroying our merchant
men, shunnieg all armed antagonists, and have found
refuge and protection, and too often supplies and other
assistance in neutral ports, have terminated their pre
datory career. Their unrestrained warfare has un
doubtedly bad the effect of diminiehing American ton
nage, and caused a transfer of American shipping to
English and other flags. Whether the maritime nations
of the world will be ultimately benefited by this policy
of fostering rebel belligerents may well be doubted.
We have been compellei to encounter it as one of tha
incidents of this extraordinary and unnatural conflict.
While notoriously engaged in plunder and in the wan
ton destruction of our merchant sailing ships, these
EngUsh-hutiij&Bd almost exclusively English-manned,
rovers have never, during their entire piratical career,
and of all their many captures on various seas, sent in
for adjudication and condemnation a single ship or car
go. The lees bulky and more valuable portions of their
robberies were taken on board the corsairs to be sold or
covertly transferred in neutral ports, while the stolen
chronometers and a few mementoes were retained as
memorials of their achievements. All else was de*
& Alabama, eluding our naval vessels at the (fape
of Good Hope and Straits of Sunda, after committing
sundry devastations, returned west ward and proceeded
to the French port of Cherbourg. Information of her
arrival was communicated to Captain Winslow, of the
Keamrge, then at Flushing, who at once proceeded off
the harbor, and at 10.20,A. m., on Sunday, June 19, the
Alabama was discovered standing out, accompanied by
a French iron-clad steamer and the English yacht Deer
hound. When the Alanams was descried the Kearsarge
wesahout three miles from the entrance of the harbor,
and to avoid any question as to the tine of jurisdiction,
as well as to draw the Alabama off shore, so that if dis
abled she could not flee in for protection, the Kearaarge
stood to seaward until she had attained the distance of
about seven miles from the shore. . At 10.50 toe came
quick about and approached the Alabama, and at 10.67
the Alabama commenced the actlon with her starboard
broadside at one thousand yards range. At 11 the fixe
was returned by the Kearsarge, and the vessels came
fairly into action at about nine hundred yards distance.
Captain Winslow says it was -soon apparent that
Sesames did not seek close action, and fears were enter
tained that after some fighting he would make for the
shore. To defeat this Captain. Winslow determined to
keep full steam on, run under the stern of the Alabama
and rake: but the Alabama, by sheering and keeping
her broadside to the Kearearge, was forced with a full
head of steam into a circular track-
Onthe seventh rotation the Alabama headed for the
shore, disabled and at the mercy of the, Kearearge. A
few wfill’diseote* shots brought down her flag, a white
one was displayed,and the fire of the Kearsarge was re
served. hi about two minutes the Alabama again
opened fire. The Kearsarge replied, steamed ahead
and laid across the bows oi the Alabama for raking.
The fire of the Kearsarge being agate reserved, boats
were lowered and an offioer in one.of them came along
telde at 12.10 and surrendered the Alabama, which he
said was in a ginktejc waditieut ftad at 12, Si she went
•dOWIh '• -.4 I
Tbe lausch and second cutter of the Kearsarge* the
only boats act d isahiod, were seat to receive tko officers
ssdcrewof (be oinking v«n»at, ard Capt, Winslow re
quj&tedt.ia Deerbousd. which came alongside,to assist
in toe rescue Two pitot.boats were ako eoeased ia
picking np th® crew. Six officers and witty-fonT rasa
were brought on board the Keaoarge. At 3 lOtheKear
sarfie let go her anchor inasvea fathom* water. .
The Alabama is reported to have discharged thro®
hundred and seventy or more shot and shell iu tel* en
gagement, but Inflicted nusericm<s damage on the Koar
p.arge. Thirteen orfonrteentocif effect in end about the
bull, and sixteen or seventeen about .ha .aid rig
ging.
The t^ artf % r Ss 6red one hundred and
proiectiles, of which one alone killed aad wounded
eishtof n of the crew of the Alabama, and disabled one
Of her guns.
Three wibmis wen; wonoflei on the Koarearte. The
number of killi-d and wounded on tba Alabama ia un
known. Seventeen of the wounded, two of them in a
dying condition, were brought on board the Kearaarge.
One hundred and fifteen officers and men of the Ala
bama’a crew retched the ehores of England and. Franco.
Thebattery of the Kearearge coneieted of seiTOn tana,
via: Two 11. inch, one ao-pouuder rifle, and f*nr light
S2-potinders. That of the Alabama eonalaled of eight
ganMneheavy 68 pounder, of 9,000 pounds weigh!;
one lOt-ponnder rifle,fand six heavy 82-ponnders. In
the entagement the Alabama fought eeven gnus, and
the Kearearge five, ,
■This hae been the only fair and open eea-fight which
Onr naval men have been able to secure, at yeti daring
the war-, and it occurred in the English ch»anel. In
eight of the two great maritime Powere of Europe. In
size, armament, and complement of men, the combat
antswereas near canal perhaps as could have been
arranged. Mott of the crew of the Alabama: were Eng
lishmen, and the gunners admitted to have been picked
men of her Majesty ’s gunnery ship, the Excellent! .
Some latent remains ol .pride which belong to ths pro
fmion.and which animated his earlier and mora honcr
able iife while eailing under the American flag, un
doubtedly had an Inilaento in Inducing the pirate com
mander to meet, a naval antagonist, after his long
careerof robbery and.plunder or unarmed vessels. In
ge vain hope that it might, lfcnccesefnl. restore to
him some portion of the respect he had forfeited, and at
the same time relieve him of eome of th„ debasement he
has never ceased to feel, even when applaudedby those
foreign part leans who hated the country he had desert
ea. But the same dishonor marked Mb conduct on (Ms
occasion ae dnringjiis whole-ignoble eareerJ Before
leaving Cherbouixhe deposited the chronometers and
other troph ee oi his robberies on shore. WheSTbeaton
and compelled to surrender, he threw overhEard the
sword that was no longer Me owe, amLab using the
generous confidence orhis brave antagonist, be stole
away.in the English tender, whose owner
self, by bis conduct, a fit companion for the dlibonorod
and beaten, corsair. >
Having surrendered, ha cannot relieve himsilf of bis
obligations as & prisoner of war until ho shall be regu
larly exchanged. He, and cadi of his surviving officers
and *rew, whether received upon the Keartaiße or the
Deerhound, are. and will be, held to be prisoners of
war and amenable to the laws which govern civilized
communities. A predatory rover may sot the Jaws of
nations, as well as thoaeof Mb osm country, atdeflance,
but in doing so he mnft abide the eoaaeqacneo&r -
The Florida originaUr sailed from England’ander the
name of Oreio, and under that name she roach*
ing Kassau, brought before the court through-fho efforts
of the American consul, who was satisfied that she was
in the rebel interest and intended as a rob&i-cruiser.
The neutral authorities decided in favor of the vessel,
Which, was pernutttd to proceed. Leaving Tfassau she
•MSy* ?reen Cay, where she recPiveTonfboard the
ftnrmment sent out for her from England! ran into
Mobile,-changed her name to Florida, aharnhs since,
fleeing from all naval vessels, carried on predatory war
on American commerce, eapturteg: and destroyingxun
armed merchantmen, without ever sending la a vessel
for adjudication.
In February last, availing herself ©f a dark night, she
escaped from Brest* eluding the Kearearge, which was
off that port. In Tune she visited the neutralport of St.
George’s, and remained there nine day e, re
ceiving jul the coal and euppliea necessary for a long
piratical cruise. Leaving St/Georgeteonthe 27th of
that month, she remained outside, bhfr in sight, for
three or four days, boarding.all vessel* that approached
the island, cm the 10th of : July she captured»the Elec
tric hpark, near our coast; While several vessels were
craietnrfor her, eecsped. and was next, heard
from at Toneriffe, August. Subsequently,
entering the bay of San Salvador, Brazil, sbe ; encoun-
the steamer Wachusefct, commanded by Com
mander Collins* to Whom she'surrendered*, and by
whom she was brought in a leaky and dilapidated' con
dition to Hampton Beads. Here, White.ut anchor, an
army transport came in collision with the shattered
vessel, which sunk a few days after near the wreck oL
theuumbeiland. ~~ ...•*»!. ,
The Georgia, another Engltsb-bullt navaTvesiel
which ernised under the rebel flag, -MMlred to Cher
bourg in February, and thence proceededtethe Mersey,
where she changed owners. Her Armament was re
moved from her, and she left Liverpool for Lisboa. On
the 16th of Angust Commodore T. T. Craven* *of the
Niagara. fell in with her in latitude 39 deg. £6 min?
north, longitude 9 deg. 3D min. west, sailing under the
English flag. CommodoreSCraven took possession of the
vessels® a lawful prize, and potting a prize crew on
board of bsr, he sent her to the United States. /
The Tallahassee, an English- built blockade-runner
from Liverpool, which port she left in the early part of
the spring under the name of the Atlanta, wae-engaged
in. violating the blockade, rtxaning between Bermuda
and Wilmington. lam not aware that any valid trans
fer of ownership of this vessel has overtaken place, bat
am inouced to believe she is now* 1 while depreda
ting on our commerce, registered a? a British vessel in
the custom house at Liverpool Whatever may be the
fact in that particular, this English-built neutral ves
sel, which had been previously engaged in. the unneu
tral employment of carrying supplies to the rebels who
are waging war upouour Government, came out of Wil
mington early in August armed, officered, and manned
for predatory warfare, anebunder the command of J. T.
Wood* formerly of our navy, commenced the piratical
work of destroying peaceful merchant ships; robbing
them of money andother valuables, asdjetainiugas tro
phies of his heroism the stolen chronometers/ Informa
tion of the operations of this vessel reac&edth* Depart
ment on the 12th of August,-and orders vntye immedi
ately sent for all the available vessels withixrconvenient
distance to start at once iu pursuit. Several vesselspro
ceeded to sea that evening, and within forty-eight hours
sixteen vessels from New York, Boston, Philadelphia,
Newport* and Hampton. Beads were in search of her.
But she reached Halifax in safety. Instead' of remain
ing there nine days, getting supplies, as did the Florida
at Bermuda, the authorities would permithor to receive
only a limited quantity of coals.and she was therefore
but a short time in that port. The Fontoosuc arrived
in pursuit of her a few hours after her departure. She
was, at last accounts; in Wilmington.
THE NAVAI FORCE.
The subjoined statements present a general exhibit of
the navy, including vessels under construction on the
Ist of December, 1864* with a comparative statement of
the navy in December, ISB3 and 1864. • r
a tabular statement is appended of the number of
naval v« ssels, of every class, that have been constructed,
or are iu the course of construction, since March*, 1861:
GENERAL EXHIBIT OF THE SAVY, INCLUDING VESSELS
UK DEB CONSTRUCTION, DECEMBER, 1864.
:le*oripaoa.
113 Screwsteamersespecialy.constrtefe- ' x .*.
ed for naval purposes.. i 1,438 10y,231
62 Paddle-wheel steamers especially * •
constructed for naval purposes.. 6M 61,878
71 Iron-clad vessels...*... ■ 276 80,693
149 Screw steamers purchasedjcaptut- . .
ed, &c.; fitted for naval pur- , , - „
p05e5...'60,380
174 Fad£ le*wheel steamers purchased.
captured, &c. , fitted for nava\ . •
921 79,“52
m Sailng vessels of aH - <B5O ■ 69,649
UT-, ry .j ■ « ayiLg»ft.On<t
COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OP TUB KATT, - DECEMBER,
- AlBBB ANO 1864.
51 •
.. ' I
671 Total navy. December, 1851.. 4,810 810,398
6tB Total navy, December; 4»443 467,967
S 3 Actual increase for the year... . t.. 167 42,429
23 Total losses by shipwreck,in battle;
capture, &c,, during the year-...» 146 13*084
Actual addition to the navy from
109 . December, 1883, to December, 18641 313 66,613
TE3£EELc CONSTRUCTED FOEJ’HE NAVY SINCE H ABC II
No, description } - tox’ge
7 Screw sloops, Ammonoosttc class, 17
tol9gutis,3,2l3to3,7i3ton3each.; 121 23,637
1 Screw sloop Idaho, S guns and 2,€38 L _
t0n5.*....... 8 2,638
8 Screw sloops, spar deck, Java class, _
25 guns and 3,177 tons each.. 800 25,416
2 Screw sloops, spar deck, Hassalo
class, 25 gas s and 3,365 tons each.. SO 8,730
10 Screw sloops, clippers, single deck,
Confcoocoofc class, 13 gansand22B» ■■
tons each...... 130 23,480
4 Screw sloops, Kearsarge class, Bto 12
A guns, and averaging 1,043 tons eaeh 40 4,692
8 Screw sloops. Shenandoah class, Bto
16 guns, and 1.387 to 1,533 tons each 74 \ 8,584
2 Screw sloops, Ossipee class; 10 to 13 _ -•
, • 'guns, and-1,240 tons each. 23 2,480
8 Screw sloops, Serapis class, 12 .guns M
and 1,320t0ns each... 86 11,040
4 Screw sloops, Bes&ca class, 8 guns _ _
and 831 to 900 tons each..;,. 32 3,462
8 Screw sloops, Bipsic 'class',' 7 to
. guns and 693 tons each..7l 4»7«
. 23 Screw gunboats, TJnadUla class, 4 _
to 7 guns and'so7 toss each.**.....» 123 .11,651
9 Screw tugs, Pinta class, 2 guns and
„ 360 tons each...... *•**. 18 '3,1
2 Screw tugs, Pilgrim class, 2' guns
and IK)ton* each.... *•••;,»««. *4 _• o*9
13 Paddle*wleel steamers, double-eua- *
eis, Ociorara class, 7to II guns and - „ , rt ,
730t0955t0ns each 98 .11,024
* 28 Paddle-wheel steamers, double-end
ere. Saeracns class, 10 to 14 gaits • „
and 874 tons each.................... . 272 25,324
7 Paddle-wheel steamers, of iron,
doable- enders, Mohongo class, 10 -
, guns and 1 5 030 tons each.*.......... 70 7,210
1 Paddle-wheel steamer, of iron, dou
ble-ender, Wateree, 12 guns and . ....
974 tons. «.*«***..«.* 12 974
J 42 IS 175,986
. IRONCLAD VESSELS.. _ ~
2 Sea-going casemated vessels, Pun- .
| derfaergand Bew 1r0n5ide5........ 28 8.576
3 Sea-going turret vessels, Puritan, .
f Dictator. andHoanoke...... ~ 12 9,733
4 Double turret vessels, Kalamazoo
1 class, 4gu&6and3»2Cotonseach.... 16 12,830
4 Doable turret- vessels, Monadnock
I class, 4 guns and 1.664 toss each... 18 6,256
1 Double turret vessel, Onondaga, 4 „ -
I gun5and1,280i0n5.».»»*••.*........ 4 1,250
4 Double turret vessels, Winnebago
f class, 4 guns and 970 tons each.*... 16 3,830
5 Single turret vessels, Caaonicus ’
class, 2gunBandl,o34tonarea«hi4..*' 18 8,272
9 Single turret vessels. Passaic class, - '
2to 4 guns and 844 tonveach..♦.«, 3J 7,598
M Single turret vessels, Yazoo class, ■
1 to 2 guns and 614 tons each....;.. 85 12,280
2 Single tnrret vessels, Sandusky and
Marietta, 2 guns each. ........ 4 953
3 Single turret vessels, Ozark,Keosho,
. and Osage, 2tq7gunseach........ IS 1,624
2 Casemated vessels, Tuscumbia and
Chillicotio, 6 and 8 guns reap ac
tively* ......mm 8 788
~82 ~ ~ 189 73,988
203 I*B3l,
The foregoing tabular state meni exhibits the number
and description of vessels that bays been constructed,
or put in the course of\construetiou« for the »avy since
the institution of active measures for the suppression of
the rebellions Some of them have ? been built by con
tract; others by the Government, in the several navy
yards. If we add to the-number those constructed un
der similar circumstances, and within the same period,
that have been lost by snipwreck, in battle, ate., viz;
the sloops Hous atonic ana Adirondack, and the Iron
~clads Monitor, Weehauken, Keokuk, Indlanola. and
Tecumseh, the aggregate would be 210 vessels, K 676
emus, and 256.755 ions, . . • - •
Picket-boats, and small craft built for especial pur
poses, are not embraced in this statement.
coxsruuoTzox ox XAVAL VESSELS,
At the commencement of the rebellion the navy con
sisted of sailing vessels, a few paddle-wheel steamers,
and screw vessels with auxiliary steam-power. Among
the latter, the principal and most important were the
Bteam frigates, which, on account of their great draught
of wafer; were unsuitable for any other purpose than
that of cruisers on foreign stations as nag ships, for
which- indeed, they were is tended. These vowels had
been, built to meet the conditions of their day ; some of
them, the Mississippi, for instance, had been in service
more than twenty years. When constructed the prin
cipal object in view was armament, not speed, and
they were equal, if not superior, to the vessels of other
naval powers. ' For attacks on forts, when accessible to
naval attacks, or to protect troops in landing .they can
still render service/ Time was required to repair and
place in proper condition such of these vessels as were
dismantled, and also those which were recalled from
service abroad. The sailing men-of-war had become
useless for fighting purposes. In the emergency that
devolved upon It at the beginning of hostilities, the
Department resorted to the commercial marine, an d
purchased every available merchant steamer that
could advantageously be converted into a naval vessel,
and be used to enforce the blockade. • •'; '
» The want of a class of small, heavily armed, propeller
vessels was felt, 1 and the Department immediately pro*
ceeded, on its own responsibility, and without any ap
propriation or authorization by Congress, to contract
for the construction of twenty* three gunboats, of which
the Unadilla, Pinola. and wissahickon* may be taken
as the type* Some of these vesseU were afloat, armed,
and manned within four months from the date of con
tract, and participated in the attack on Fort Royal;
others took part on the lower Mississippi in passing the
forts and in capturing New Orleans. These gunboats con*
tinneto maintain a good reputation, and their steam
machinery givts satisfaction. Well adapted as they are
for guarding our coast, a larger descriptienwas needed
for ocean service, and four vessels of the class of the
Oesipee, mounting each two guns of eleven inches,
were built. There were also four vessels of slightly
less tonnage constructed, carrying the same#rmament,
of which the Kearsarge is the type. The Shenandoah
is the type of six vessels, mounting each three eleven
inch guns, all of which sustain a high reputation; The
heavy gnne mentioned constitute the principal arma
ment of the several classes named, but they each have
in addition from two to six guns of less calibre. All of
these vessels are screw steamers, suitable for sea crais
ingibut for the shallow sounds and bays, the rivers
and bayous, often narrow and tortuous, another and
different class, drawing less water, was found to be
necessary, and for them competition was invited- To
turn in these frequently,restricted channels te difficult,
and sometimes impossible, and the necessities of the
case suggested the principle of a fighting vessel with a
double how and rudder at each end. Twelve paddle
wheel steamers constructed on this principle were
built. somelathe navyy.rtiß and ot'aersUycontract.
The Port Royal and Sonoma are types of this class. An
additional number, -amounting to twenty-seven, or
these donble-bowed- paddle-wheel vessels have been
built, almost all of them by contract.! The Sassaoas,
Which was distinguished In the attack on the rebel ram
in Albemarle sound, tlio Metacomet, conepicuoas in
Mobile bay, and the Eutaw, are types of these vessels.
Eight of this class are built or, building of Iron. ani.wiil
have etwsgilx eufflelentfw se» wivlee wmU ae (or itt-
One of them, the Wateree, sent round
* re^c \t d .gan Francisco iu September last,
and is on duty m the Pacific.
2 rdtl ‘ l£ fi \s? armed vessels suitable for naval ope
°* n tbe Mjsßifsippi and its tributaries, the Dq
parlment invited plans and propositions from ship
builders and others acquainted with those waters, and
the vessels buiit on those rivers have been chiefly from
L.® jp lanfi cnbmUted by parties thus invited. Two of
at b i* houis, participated iu the ac
“rovSt Mobrte “ d *•*. dune g«d
Tiro entire class of monitor or tnrretod vessel, lias
Dten brouaht into existence during this war, and the
coast and harbor iron-dads have been serviceable in
James river, at Charleston, and at Mobile. Modifica
improvements have been made In this slate of
armored vessels.
TOf prownre for iron-clads of Ught draught, which
TOOid ascend the rivers and penetrate the sounds aad
«£?Jl?'- ioiJg< l ur coagt , was fmt to be a necessity. The
operations of our armte® in the vicinity of the inland
and adjacent to the rivers required the constant
gunbdats. Bat the men thus employed, as
yffl-l as the maßazines and machinery of the vessels are
exposed, eßpeclally in the narrow streams with high
Some vessels, and not a few vate-
exposures, and in
®5?® r I®, afford all possible protection to the gallant men
D ?f« , j? r *«* t ? eeo the Department oon-
it n duty to provide armored vessels of light
it was ascertained, however, when the first two ap
proached completion, that their draught of water was
more than was intended. The heavy armor and the
Gle * en fuch guns, with the machinery to give
them proper speed, involved the necessity of enlarging
the capacity of each of them. When making these
cfstory alterations it was deemed advisable, under ap
plications from gome of the commanders of squadrons
ror boats that should present but a small rise above the
sumceof the water, to dispense with the turrets in five
SL t i e *;Li igb iu dratlgbfc , v ? 88e L 8 J wit i a view to special
Th . e . r «“ai?lflf ordered to be
* T their decks* thereby giving them
additional tonnage and greater draugtt, and making
a l ?*. m^JL e ®t C l n i? other respects carrying
out the original design. This work is now being po£
most of the yesßels are near completion.
The exigencies of the times and the necessities of the
war have stimulated the inventive faculties of our coun
trymen to vast improvements in vessels, in engines, in
ordnance, und projectiles. That in some instances they
ato not at first entirely snccesslui is not surprising.
Mistakes and even failures will occur. In nearly every
cless of vessels that have been bnUt, and especially
those that are armored,, more or less alterations have
been found necessary while they were being constructed.
Only twooftne monitor class of vessels—the Dictator
and Puritan—are proposed for sea service. Their suc
cess, of which the inventor and builder is sanguine,
is among the experiments that the period and:the
exigencies of the country have imposed upon the De
partment.
Four turreted vessels have been built in the navy
y&rds of wood and cased with iron, differing therein
from the original monitors, which ate exclusively of
iron. One of them, the Monadnock, now in commis
sion* has performed her trps from Boston to Hampton
Hoads with entire satisfaction, giving assurance that
this experiment, deviating in essential respects from
others, is Jifeely to be succeseful. The draught of water
of the Monadnock is twelve feet, and with two inde
pendent screws she ha® aspeed of ten knots. Four other
similar vesßela, of a still more formidable and in vulne*
rable character, are building.
The only sea- going iron-clad ships, besides the two
turreted vessels already mentioned, are the Hew Iron
sides* built in 1862; the Boanoke, one of the old frigates
Which has been armored, and the Dunderberg, a cate
mate vessel. For this vessel the contractor has promised
a speed of fifteen knots at sea.
lbo Department has, on several occasions, invited
propositions for iron, sea-going, armored shins, but Con
gress having declined to make the necessary appropria
tions, no measures have been taken for their construc
tion.
The vessels recently built, and at present constructing
In the navy yards, are of wood, the smaller clans of
them being gunboats, eight of which are of the class of
the Bipsic* of 600 tons, mounting one heavy pivot and
four broadside guns. There are four of the class of the
Bantncketj of SCO tons, mountingone heavy pivot, with
six broadside guns. In addition to these there are four
vessels of the class of the Algona, with a tonnage of
1,360 tons, and proportionate armament. All of these
vessels have very considerable steam-power, and will,
as some of them have already proved, be efficient crui
sers at sea. -
The immediate wants of the blockade having been
supplied by the vessels built and altered in the navy
yards, and by purchase of the best merchant steamers
capable of bearing heavy armament, the attention of
the Department has been bestowed on larger and more
imposing rhips, such as would be formidable not only
for home defence but for foreign service. The position
and Influence of a nation among the great commercial
and maritime powers of the world are to a great extent
dependent on its naval ability. Limited appropriations
have already been made by Congress for vessels of thfs
ebaraster. Bach succeeding year of this war has pro
duced from foreign ship yards steamers of greater speed
to run the blockade, ana the reliable preventive of this
Illicit trade must be found in vessels of increased steam
power. By making them of sufficient size they will be
formidable, not only to neutral violators of our laws,
but to an enemW Of the vessels os which some sacri
fice of armament has been made to obtain speed there
are. seven buildinr, three of which are already
launched, and the others will soon be ready. Two of
these vessels are being built by contract, and five in the
navy yards. This class of vessels is represented by the
Ammonoosue ana the Chattanooga. There are also In
progress of construction twenty vessels with steam ma
chinery of rather less power, but which are to be much
more heavily armed. -Ten of these, of the class of the
Illinois, the Guerriero, and the Java, have covered
gun-decks* and will carry twenty heavy guns. Two
will have a plating of thin iron as a protection from
shells. The remaining ten, of the class of the Gontoo
cook and Manitou, building in the navy yards, are of
less size but with equal machinery and intended for
speed. As all of them will be provided with
'masts and sails, they can be .cruising vessels and used
on foreign stations.
STBAjr JUCiriXERT.
As our navy has become not only exclusively a steam
navy, but a very large one, with an enormous consump
tion of coal and great expenditure for the construction
and repair of machinery, it becomes a matter of the
fi c st consequence that only the best machinery be ob
tained fox it. This problem is one of very difficult, cost
ly, and alow solution. The great maritime countries of
England and France have not yet solved it. either iu the
commercial or war marine, and at tins hour the best
authorities do not agree upon it. So many conditions
enter into the problem that, as promin enc 9 is given more
or less to one or the other,'different conclusions are
reached. It is evident that as the question is purely a
practical one, it can only be answered by extensive ex
perience and accurate observations. Mindful of the im
portance of this matter, the Department, notwithstand
ing the great pressure upon its* resources by the war,
has kept it in view, and promoted hy every means the
acquisition of ihe necessary information. The propor
tions of hulls have been varied with a view to deter
mined the relative development of speed in proportion
to given power; machinery haß been constructed upon
different types and systems, and the Department has
encouraged all offers from citizens, as well as from its
own officers, to build sew machinery that gaTe promise
of improvement. The navy at this moment contains
marine machine? on an extensive scale- of every kind;
their results are in its log-books, from which can be
determined their various merits, both, for general ser
vice and for particnlsrapplicaiions. •
In the new screw gunboats machinery has been used
-designed by Gorless, of I.; J, Ericsson,
of Slew York; William Wright, ol Woodruff & Beach’s
establishment at Hartford; Merrick & Sons, of Phila
delphia* and the Bureau of Steam Engineering of the
Department. This was competitive machinery to be of
equal power propelling the same hull.
In the double-bowed paddle-wheel steamers ma
chinery has been employed designed by Merrick &
. of piiiiadpiphfrt,»Tvr , B r Pfckerson. and by the
In thejaree .loops-of-war, of tire* tkrasandiioaT
and over, competitive machinery Is being placed ly the
Ahompaitiee, and.by J. Ericsson. - t
.ln I*? frigates, an,d floow of tha old naxy, jand in
some of those fcmlt daring the early part of the present
Administration, machinery was employed designed hy
hm® l “f the principal establishments in the country.
The Felton Iron Works, and Morgan Iron Works, of
Hew York! Messrs. - Woodruff & Beach, of- Hartford,
Connecticut; Harrison Loring, and the Atlantic Worke,
of Boston: Merrick & Sons, of Philadelphia; the Tnl
can Works, of Baltimore, and the Bureau of Steam
Engineering.. .
In these vessds nearly every variety and type of en
gine, of valve gea% of rate of expansion, of surface
condenser, of screw 4 propeller, and of boilers, have
been thoroughly tested; but the results thus far show
that the machinery designed by the Steam-Engineering
Bureau of the Department has not been surpassed,
• perhaps not equalled, by any of its competitors, while
In many cases theur results have been gratly below it.
. Ik its iron-clads the Department has experimented
by the construction of different classes and sizes, both
in wood and iron, propelled by one screw and by two
screws, working independently of f ach other. In its
most recent constructions, of the Miantonomah class,
a wooden vessel designed by the naval constructors
and built at the navy yards, with Ericsson turrets, and
machinery designed by the Bureau of Steam Engineer
ing, a high rate of speed, perfect ventilation, impregna
bility, and the enonneus battery of four fifteenTnch
guns, have been combined in a vessel of the moderate
size of 1,664 tons, drawing only twelve feet of water.
These vessels are free from the disadvantage of foul
ing, which so greatly reduces the speed of Iron ones.
Others of this type, but of increased tonnage, are in
process of construction, to have still higher speed and
ve adapted to coast service.
0 In the steamers bought from the commercial marine
t the country, and in the captured blockade runners,
now adapted for naval service, are to be found event
variety of machinery, both screw and paddle-wheel?
constructed eitherin this country or Great Britain. So
far as the exigencies of the war would permit, the dif
ferent types of machinery have been submitted to care
ful experiment to ascertain their relative merits. Near
ly every variety of boiler and of expansive gear,, of
rate of expansion, and of-saturated and superheated
steam, has been made the subject of accurate experi
ment. and ills believed that the files of tbe Department
contain the latest and most reliable information on
these subjects. A chief engineer of the navy has been.
sent to Europe to collect information on these topics in
addition to the published accounts and official reports.
Nearly all the kinds of coals of the seaboard States
have been the subject of careful experiment, with a
view to ascertain their comparative value for naval
“purposes. A board of engineers has also experimented
with petroleum as a substitute for coal in naval
steamers.
As opinion appears to have settled upon the horizontal
and the vertical tubular boilers as the only ones proper
for naval service, the Department has had one of each
kind manufactured, according to designs furnished by
a board of nine engineers, employed in the principal
private steam-engine manufacturing establishments of
the country, and by the Bureau of Steam Engineering,
for the purpose of accurate experiments to determine
their respective merits. These experiments will be of
the most elaborate nature, and will, it is presumed,
enable a choice to be made. They are now in progress.
A commission of nine, on practical engineering, has
been appointed by the Department, consisting or three
from the Academy of Science, three from the franklin.
Institute, and three on the pari of the Department—all
eminent m physical science—to devise the proper ap
paratus, and make the necessary experiments there
with, to ascertain by practical results the economv of
using steam with different degrees of expansion- These
experiments, which are now In progress, will be as
elaborate and as complete as it ispossible to make them.
And under-the practical conditions of steam engineer
ing, it is believed they will indisputably set at rest the
amount of gain to be obtained from using steam with
different measures of expansion, and also determine
the relative merits of different kinds of valve gear,
steam-pressure, &c., besides settling many incidental
questions of great importance.
Nothicghas been left undone in the way of ascertain
ing and putting in use all valuable improvements in
steam machinery, and no ociasion neglected of experi
mentally determining the data necessary for correct
opinion. - ,
togiaeSMid boilers mow under con
wi&beofgreatpobiicttlillt7. rIUSII »»**
XAVY YARD FOR 1E027 VESSELS AND MACHINERY. "
The introduction of steam as a motive power for naval
vessels, is causing a revoiutton in maritime warfare,
Which the ablest minds have longfpredicted would be
the result of this agency, but which is not yet to its
fulleit extent appreciated It changes the whole cha
racterofblockade, and in future wars it win be found
that a few fast privateers by steam will harass or anni
hilate the commerce of the most powerful belligerent
nations.
Our country has been compelled by this civil war to
take the initiative in organizing avast steam navy with
which to establish ana enforce the blockade of our
whole eoast'f rom the Chesapeakeßay to the Bio Grande;
and also to suppress the depredations of serai-piratical
privateers, bout by skilled English mechanics in Eng
lish ship-yards, and manned by Englishmen, which,
under the rebel flag, have roved the ocean, destroying
onr merchant shipping, and have found refuge and sup
plies in English and neutral ports.
'When hostilities commenced, our Government had
provided no suitable navy yard with machine shops
and foundries to manufacture the necessary machinery
for our rapidly increaeiogi&nd expanding navy; but the
Department wasoompeired to rely on the_few private
establishments which it could divert from other en
gagements, for the immense work that was calling out
the resources of the nation.
Great embankment was experienced in consequence
of this neglect of the Government at the very com- ■
meneement of the war, and although the naval service
end the country are suffering constantly from this ne
glect,fmeasures for the establishment or a suitable navy
yard for the construction and repair of iron vessels, their
armature ana steam machinery, are-still delayed.
As early as March, 1862, and on several occasions
since, 1 have had the honor to present my views to Con
gress on this subject. The earnestness and frequency
with which it has been brought forward must find an
apology in its great importance.
It has never boon the purpose of the Department, in
any of life suggestions or recommendations, to increase
the number of our navy yards, nor to alter their local t
distribution. The yard which we now have at Phila
delphia Is altogether inadequate to our pretent or future
wants. It was proposed, therefore, to substitute a new
one on the Delaware, in the vicinity of Philadelphia.
League Island, within the limits of that city, if adopted
as a site, must gradually absorb the works at the pre
sent yard, which would then be-discontinued.
All of our present navy yards,it will be remembered,
were established for the construction and repair of
wooden sailing vessels. Steam and armored vessels
have superseded these, and the inability of our present
eitabllsnments for the work imposed by this war has
been the source of inexpressible anxiety, and often of
great disappointment and public injury. To relieve the
navy yards from work which they have bat limited
means to'execute, and to secure necessary repairs, the
Department has been compelled to establish stations
for machinery, and means of refitment at Mound City,
Memphis, New Orleans, Ship Island, Pensacola, Key
Weit, Pori Royal, Beaufort, Norfolk, and Baltimore.
But these and all the private establishment of the
country, Insides other calls upon them, have been in
sufficient to keep the present navy In necessary order,
so that, if to the duty of biockadingtoere were added
ocean conflict* with a naval power by which our ships
would be often disabled, the sad spectacle would be
presented of our naval vessels laid up in. time of war
for want of a proper establishment with the shops and
means to repair them.
Onr country, whose strength and power among na
tions must ever he identified with and maintained by its
of creating and außtalningono, has not, in all the navy
yards combined, the appliances possessed by single es
tablishments in England and Prance. Were there out
side of our navy-yards establishments to perforin
promptly the requisite work in time of war, I should
not at this time again press the subject of a navy yard
for Iron work for the construction of vessels upon the
consideration of our authorities. But although the Da- -
partment has generally been ably and zealously second- “
ed in its efforts by private contractors, yet the fact that
there is no customer butthe Government for.much of*
this heavy class ot iron work, forbids ua to expect that ;
ia«ivi<in4 enterprise wWf* prepared- ty sweats it
ration. * Besides this,.nnliimted time is
for the completion of the work. It may
mention, as an instance of thedmav to WBicns-ttw w
vprnmGnfc ia subiectcd* that in October* 1962* centrac*-
we?e made with a manufacturer of reputation and
ability for making and. setting urn the
Tonawanda and Sliantonomah- which ware to haTe
been completed in February, 1863,
My not be flniehed until Febraary,lB6s, two years arror
the expiration, of the time specified in theconiiract. At
the commencement of hostilities this Depart™
equipped, and at itsimmediate disposal, throe VMSrta
of war. Those which were laid »P and those which
were recalled from abroad had to undergo cate nsiye re
pairs, for which noprorision had been made. The Qo
veramenfc kas not'even st this time an establishment
where a shaft can be made for our steamers or a plate for
our lron-clads. The frontage or wharfage at all our
navy yards, so important for repairs, is leas thsn ia re
quired at each of them. ~ ,
_Our next contest may be with a naval power which
Will attempt to direct upon our shores a course of opera
tions Bimtla r to those which we have applied to the
Bonthern coast for suppressingthe rebellion. One yard,
at toast, where iron vessels, iron armor, and iron
shafting can be manufactured, is now imperatively
necesi axy. Among tbe considerations that should con
trol the selection of a site for such a yard and establish
ment, which shall beoome the depot for the material*
collected In yearn of Deace with which to build and re
pair our naval vessels, and where will be aggregated
machinery and tools such as at present am not to be
found in this country, and which, when once procured,
could net, if destroyed* be easily or readily replaced,
will be Sts absolute safety from attack by sea or land.
So far as Is possible we should avail ourselves of
natural advantages in obtaining the indispensable se
curity for such an establishment, without depending
entirely on fortifications and artificial means* which
would be more costly than thejiavy yard Itself.
The additional military defences of Portsmouth,
England, rendered necessary by the proximity of that
p®** naval station to the ocean, and its consequent
*£? . j by modern, ordnance* are now being con
structed at an expense of $50,000,000.
.A® V **■“. if we, have one for naval iron work,
should be established on fresh water, for this is essen
tial to the preservation of iron vessels, which cannot be
Ul> 4,1 Sait water during peace. Heady access to
timber ig also important, for these es
be always available on the !u
- exposure to an enemy by coast
3L«? f ,P o:rta *ion..The vicinity of a large city where
fiflSoimS 8 * 1 !? can be obtained w ithonf difficulty, and.
ice faculties of markets and tenements are abundant,
««^ Blder p A foundation of gravel would,
a« wPfifposes of machinery, be preferablO-to stone.
m “ Bt fteo be secured. For
such a depot and establishment, where costly machine
ry and- material would accumulate during year® of
location are moat
manifest These favorable conditions are to be obtained
nowhere etoe so completely as on tbe Delaware river:
and the position of League Island, witbin the limits iof
the city of Philadelphia, presents probably a stronger
combination of the points that are necessary than any
other location.
It to to beregretted that competition for supposed local
benefit® ehouid interfere with, retard, and perhaps en
tirely defm the Government intis efforts to secure *o
important a national establishment. If In such a con
lUct for sectional favor the country should lore forever
the best situation for such a navy yard and establish
ment, the result would be always deplored. The De
partment has studiously avoided the controversy which
has arisen in consequence of the efforts to secure a navy
yard at New London, which is foreign te the question
or enlarging or substituting a more commodious es
tablishment at Philadelphia. A multiplicity of small
yards, simiU r in character, crowded into one section of
the country, was not the object or purpose of the De
partmeat lathe suggestions and recommendations which
It has from time to time urged upon Congress. There
are already three navy yards east of the Hudson, and
should CoEkress deem it advisable to add another to
that section or elsewhere, it to to be hoped that each de
termination will not interfere with or prevent the Go
vernment from harißg a proper establishment for the
construction of iron vessels, iron armor, and iron work
of every description for naval purposes in the immedi
ate vicinity of the iron and coal region of the more cen
tral portions of the Union* Such an establishment as
the Department has advised oh tbe Da!aware would
not add to the number of yards,-but woold be a mere
substitution, without one dollar’s expense to the Go
vernment for land, of the more commodious and exten
sive grounds and water front of League Island, in place
of the present limited and restricted sice at Philadel
phia* which is wholly inadequate and insufficient for
the purposes of a yard for even wooden ships.
Among the reasons whichimpelme agatu to introduce
this subject and earnestly press it upon the immediate
attention of Congress, to the fact that the great Penn-
Bjdvania Central Bail road has moved with a view of
obtaining a portion of the least valuable part of League
island for a depot. The objections urged against that
position for a navy yard, with its workshops* have no
weight with this company, which requires shoos and
heavy work, and knows its own interest. Unless,
therefore* this free gift of over six hundred acres of
land, with a water front of twenty three feet depth ex
tending for more than two miles, within the limits of
Philadelphia, should be accepted daring the present
session of Congress, it will probably pass info private
hands, and the most desirable and available position
in this country for such a yard will be diverted to other
purposes, and lost forever to the Government As a
measure of ordinary prudence it is most earnestly re
commended that tbe offer of League Island be without
delay accepted. When plans for its improvement shall
be submitted, and an appropriation asked, with a view
of transferring the works at the present yard to the new
location, Congress can then exerciße Its discretion in
determining the amount of expenditure proper for this
purpose.
By an set of Congress, approved June SO, 1864, the
Secretary of the Navy was * and empower
ed to appoint a commission, consisting of one naval offi
cer, one officer of the engineer corps,' and one civilian,
to select the most approved site for a navy yard or na
val station on the Mississippi river, or upon one of its
tributaries, and to report to the next session of Con
gress.” In pursuance of the authority conferred ou
me.by this act, a commission has been constituted.and
is now engaged in making the required examinations.
Hear Admiral Charles H. Davis, who has had experi
ence as commanding officer of the Mississippi squadron,
was appointed senior member of the commission The
Secretary of War having been requested to name a-suit
ableofficeTOf the engineer corps to be associated on
this commission, and having named and detailed Lieu
tenant Colonel A. H. Bowman for the purpose, that
officer was appointed. George W. Blunt, a civilian of
nautical and ability, of the city of New
York* is the third gentleman of the commission.
KAYAL RAKE.
There is in the naval branch of the public service no
rank corresponding with that of lieutenant general.
Congress has established the grade of rear admiral.
Which corresponds with that of major general, and it
would be an act of recognition eminently deserved,
and which would he fully appreciated by gallant men
of the navy, were Congress to authorize the appoint
ment of a vice admiral. Such honors and preferments
stimulate heroes.
Among eminent commanders in our naval service, of
whom the nation may wellbe proud, we have one who,
all will acknowledge, merits by his 'achievements as
high rank as that of any naval officer in any country.
On the occasion of the'recent brilliant victory in the
bay of Mobile, more glorious, perhaps, in some of its
incidents, even, than the memorable conflict that gave
us the possession and ultimately restored the free navi
gation of the Mississippi, it was, beyond question, the
spontaneous sentiment of the country, that the veteran
hero who had. illustrated out naval annals by these
grand successes was worthy of the highest honors*
and should be promoted to the highest naval rank. In
recomnwnaiag, therefore, that the office of vice ad
miral should be created,; and the appointment con
ferred on Bear Admiral David G. Farragut, I but re
spond , as I believe, to the voice and wishes of the na
val service and of the whole country.
. The attention of Congress, through the Naval Com
mittee, has heretofore been called to the fact that the
number of officers on- the active list In the grades of
different rates required by law to be commandecLbir
omcez&of these grades. A small increase was recom
mended, as well as an alteration in the law relative to
: filling vacauciesinthe grade of admiral in time of peace.
My totter on this subject, with the accompanying draft
or a mil, making provision also for the incorporation
into the regular service of a few volunteer officers who,
ttero&TS
this report.
ENLISTMENT,
The enactments of the last session of Congress in re-
Sard to enlistments have been in their operation beue
cial to the naval service, and in-a great degree have
corrected the unfortunate legislation of the preceding
session,, Not only the full complement of men required
has entered the service, hut a surplus of many thou
sands of landsmen have offered who could not be re
ceived. Butthe want of seamen is still felt. • Large
numbers of that valuable class were induced to enter
the army when high bounties were given to the soldiers
and withheld from the sailors. Many thousand trained
seamen, under those extraordinary inducements, en-.
Dated in the army before the legislation for the two
-branches of the public service was equalized. Although
the law now authorizes their transfer to the navy, a
very considerable portion of them still remain in the
army, where landsmen would he of equal service. Sea
men are experts, and cannot be procured by draft, or
secured for an emergency like the present, any more
than engineers or accomplished gunnery officers.
Stimulated by patriotic impulse, men may volunteer
to serve their country in any capacity, but they cannot
be made available as seamen without training and ex
perience at sea.
- The organization of a man-of-war is very different
from that of a merchant vessel A first* rate sailor wiH
coon make himself at home on board of any ship; but
the division of duties—the system of natty officers—the
exercise at quarters and in boats—the discipline, the
observances, and the thorough and complete system of
a man-of- war, are unknown out of naval ships. There
are no means by which to teach landsmen to become
sailors except on shipboard, and there is difficulty in
in tracing native Americans to enter either the naval or
merchant service. In other countries the field of ad
venture is restricted; here the avenues are* many,
besides ocean life. lam not aware that any State but
Massachusetts has a nautical school; Encouragement
is given to the young in ©very other calling; but the
naval §nd merchant service, in time of peace, depend
almost entirely upon the foreigners and the homeless
for manners to sail their ships. These men, who hard
ly touch the shores without finding themselves the vic
tims of land- sharks, and who scarcely receive a thought
In the vast and generous sanitary operations, put in
motion by Wealth and beneficent patriotism, have en
riched qut country by their labors in commercial em
ployments; and fn danger; privation, and hardship,
nave adhered with unwavering fidelity to the flag—
never disappointing us, and never giving us defeat.
With a view of doing some measure of justice to this
meritorious hut too much neglected class, and as a pre
liminary step towards their elevation and usefulness,
the Sabine has been fitted up for the purpose of a school
. dup tar boys. This is, in fact, a revival, with some
modifications,- of the apprentice system, which, while
it was continued, worked beneficially for the sailor and
the country. Some measures are requisite to elevate
the condition and the character of this class now, when
the sailor Is neither flogged nor taught to become a
drunkard—two important steps in the right-direction
towards making him a man to be trusted on shore as
well as afloat
Commencing as apprentices on the school-ship, it
would be well to open to the sailor boy the way to pro
motion by giving him an opportunity,if he shell deserve
it, of entering the Naval Academy. From among the
apprentices on the school-ship a selection of one-half
or the midshipmen annually appointed might be made
with great advantage to the service and the! country.
training on tis
aptitude for the profession, and in transferring them to
the academy there will not be the manifold errors which
attend so large a portion of those who are appointed tm.
der the preient Bystem. Were each Congressional dis
trust authorized to place two or more apprentices on tha
school-ship, and the annual selection of midshipmen,
or one-half of the midshipmen, directed to he madefrom
these apprentices, its effect would he most henafleient
of, tie sailor, as well as the schools and the service. It
wooli popularize i'OJ navy, and open to thoso who may
have emitted the highest positions and boners of the
service. 1
NAVAJi ACADEMY.
Congress having, by the act approved May 3b ISfSI,
directed that ‘ * the United States Naval Academy shall
he relumed to, and established at, the Naval Academy
grounds in Annapolis, in the State of Maryland, before
the commencement of the academic year eighteen hun
dred and sixtyv five, ’ * it will be necessary that prepa
rations should be commenced for putting the buudings
and grounds in i order ae early in the ensuingrspring as
toe War Department can, leave them. The school and
the service will be benefitted by having the institution
permanently established, and when this is effected it
will be eu abled to pursue its career under clrcumßtancss
more favorable to the efficient training of the midship
*?&?• . *
The able superintendent,Commodore GeorgeS.Blake,
has preserved his connection with toe school during its
unsettled state, and its management, under many dis
has been creditable to Mm and his asao-
CADET ENGINEERS,
Prelhnlnary measures have been taken to carry Into
effect the law of the last session of Congress authorizing
the education at the Naval Academy ol cadet engineers,
to be selected from youths not over eighteen years of
age, who shall have been engaged at least two years in
the fabrication of steam machinery. A,circular has
been issued and printed in toe papers of the great ma
nufacturing cities, inviting applications in conformity
to toe law. \ ■
Before this plan shall be put In operation, it is re
spectfully submitted, in view of the radical changes
which have been wrought by steam as a motive power
for naval vessels, whether steam-engineering should
not be made to constitute hereafter a necessary part of
toe education of all midshipmen, so that In our future
«very Uae officer will be a steam-engineer, and
qualified to have complete command and direction of
hla ship. every vessel of-war must be a
steam-vessel. Those designed for oceau service will he
funished with sails in order to economize fuel while
ciuiring; toe present and future navy.wili therefore
combine sails and steam as motive fpower*. aud sea
manship and steam-enclne driving will each bonecet
sary to make toe finished professional officer. The
officers to sail and. nayigate a ship and toe officers to run
toeeteam- engine are about equal in number.
The Department is not aware that any line officer,
Whatever attentionm&y have been given by him to the
theoretic study ©f steam, is yet capable of taking
charge of an. engine, nor are steam-engine drivers capa
ble?/ taking charge of a man-of-war, navigatingher,
fighting her guns, and preserving her
vesselb were propelled exclusively by sails, there were
buttwo officers, excepting in flag-ships, the'surgeon
and paymaster, who were not line-officers. Bat under
the present naval system a new and additional corps ie
introduced, as many steam-engineers being required
for a vessel as there areline*officers; and, while cruis
ing under sail, or lying in port, or performing any
duty when toe engine is at rest, one-half of the officers
are, by existing regulations, idle and incapable of yar
ticipatinffin duties that are often laborious and oppres
sive on the officers of the line, comparatively speaking.
The engineers Would willingly share these duties were
they acquainted with them. But half the officers of a
steamship cannot keep watch, cannot navigate heivcan- *
not exercise the great guns or small arms* nor,, except
as volunteers under a line-officer, take part in any ex
pedition against the enemy. On the other hand, the
other half of toe officers axe incapable of managing the
steam motive power, or of taking chart© of the> engine
room in an emergency, nor can toe commander of a
vessel, though carefully taught every duty of a sailor
and drill-officer, understand, tof his own -knowledge,
whether the engineers and firemen are competent or
The remedy for all this is very simple, provided the
principle were once recognized and adopted of making
our o fficers engine drivers as w ell as Bailors. It woald
not be expedient to interfere with the .present status of
line officers or engineers-the cbange would be too radi
cal; but we should begin by teaching each midshipman
to be able to discharge the duties of line officers and
steam-engneerp. To combine the - two in one proto*.
Sion, Bothatofficereio educatedtoan take their \rS
alternately in the engine room and on deck. * •
[ ‘Objection mt to Siato that toe duties wredi^iiaUar,
and that driving is & specialty. The du
des are r ot mow dissimtiartnan Mamaush*pattd gun
nery. “When seamanship was the only education frtvert
to an officer, it was not believed he oouM ever team .to
teach sailors to drill, and a eerreantofjaarittes per
formed the duty which is now so admirably aiacuarged
by the graduates of the Naval Academy. When gunnery
became a specialty, it was inconsiderately anaaawise
ly proposed to have a corps of ordnance officers engrafted
upon the naval service, a Beparate organization, which
should draw to itself the knowledge so necessary to
€ avh, and therefore proper to be distributed amongst all
the officers. ' M t
Fortunately, our .naval officers are taught seaman
ship, gunnery, and the Infantry drill, service
thereby saved from distinct organizations jut these re
spects, which would Inevitably hava Unpaired its effi
ciency. It only remains to commence* at this time, and
as preparatory to the future of the navy, to teach the
midshipmen steam -engineering, as applied to making
the engine. This would be incUmmdent ©f the art of
designing and constructing, which is purely especial
ly, wad nowise necessary in the management anddi
rectioE of the ship. M And to this specialty, ae a highly
scientific body 01 officers, would the present corps of
engineer be always reqnlred.aa inspectors and con
structors of machinery* the adoption of the sug
gestions here made we shall, indue time, have a ho*
IfSVppoLtments or expense- tonmereble other
advantages com mend the Plan as worthy oftn&l, and it
is presented for favorable The work ewi
be commenced and carried forward a £
demy without any additional appropriation, ami the
authority of Congress is invoked in behalf ot the sug
gestion here submitted.
PHIZES AND PENSIONS.
The number of vessels captured by the sauadwns
since the last annual report, and reported to the DepMj
ment prior to November 1, is 5 24, classified asfollows,
schooners, 106; steamers, 83; sloops, 40; brigs, S; barks*-
S: small boats, 66, The total number of captures since
the commencement of the rebellionis 1/879, vs*: schoon
ers, 652; steamers, 267; sloops, 171; brigs, 83; barks, 29;
ships, 16 5 yachts and small boats, 117. . ■
The gross proceeds arising from the sale of condemned
prize property amounts to $14,888,260.51; expenses,
5L2&7,153.96; leaving for distribution, one half to the
captors and one half to the United States as a naval
pension fund, $13,190,8*1. 46. . #
Annexed to this report is a table giving the names of
vessels captured* date of capture, name of ssuturing
vessel, &c. Also, a list of cases already adjudicated,
showing the gross proceeds of sale, theexpense of con
demnation* and the net amount for distribution. ~ m
Ajointresolutionof Congress, approved ohthe Ist of
July last, authorized the Secretary of the Navy to in
vest so much of the naval pension fond as was not re
quired for the immediate payment of the
registered securitise of the united States. Under the
authority conferred upon me I have invested five mil
lion dollar?, as provided in the resolution, and on the
Ist of January next there will be the further sum of
SSMXO.OCO, which can be invested without interfering
with the prompt payment of pensions. This amount
will yield an annual income of $429,009, sufficient for
the payment of the entire pension roll, ft affords me no
little gratification to be able to state, that our brave offi
cers and seamen, besides realizing handsome sums for.
themselves,bave created a f and,the income from which
wiU. doubtless, be ample for the payment of the autho
rized pension to those who have been wounded, and to
the widows and orphans of those who have been killed
in the service, or died from disease contracted in the
line of duty, without calling upon the national trea-
St ?he pension roll on the Ist of November, 1864, was as
follows;
769 invalids, with pensions amounting to • **; *550,40110
810,widows and orphans, amounting t0.*... 139.268 00
I,6o9persons, receiving a total amount 0f.*,., 189,659 10
In this connection I ask attention to the suggestions of
the chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery relative
to naval pensions. The act of Congress approved July
11,1562, reiulating pensions, makes no provision for the
new' grades of the navy-rear admiral, commodore,
lieutenant commander, &c, —authorized by act of Con
gress on the 16th of July of the same year. The act
ahould be so revised as to include these grades, and it is
suggested that a bette r adaptation of the a mount of pen
sion tothe responsibility of the officer might be advan
tageously made. The highest pay now authorized is
thirty dollars per month, the family of a captain receiv
ing no more than the family of a master commanding,
and is a reduction of twenty dollars per month from the
amount formerly paid. The act of Congress approved
on the. 4th of July last provides that a person iu the
“military service 0 who shall-losa both feet shall re
ceive a pension of $29 per month, and those who shall
lose both hands $25 permonth. Aa law is construed
not to include persons in the naval service, those who
hare suffered a similar loss in the navy continue to re •
ceive but eight or ten dollars per month—an inequality
Which it is believed was not intended. 1 suggest such
changes in the law as will place the sailor upon the
same footing as the soldier.
FBIZE LAW.
The seventh section of the act in relation to aban
doned and captured property, approved July % 1351,
revertes the law of prize as it stood prior to the present
rebellion, and also as adjudged and applied since the
commencement of the rebellion by the courts in their
exercise of prize jurisdiction. It reverses also for'the
future the public policy of the country upon the subject’,
as manifested in the legislation of Congress both before
the rebellion and since its commencement up tothe date
of this act.
This abrupt reversal of settled law and of public
policy In regard to * ‘ property seized or taken upon any
inland waters of the United States, by the naval forces
thereof,*’ was not, I apprehend, wall considered, and
does not appear to nave undergone discussion in either
branch of Congress. Whether the words ‘‘ no property
seized or taken upon any inland waters of the United
States, by the naval forces thereof, ’ ’ comprehend not
only cargoes, but vessels, may be quesvioned: but it
can hardly be supposed that Congress intended to deny
that naval vessels captured in naval conflict, as at New
Orleans, or Memphis, or in Mobile bay, are the legiti
mate Buhject of prize. The same is true also of trans
ports, armed or unarmed, conveying the troops or mu
nitions of an enemy, which may be captured. It
sef ids Improbable that to deprive such captures of the
character of prize could have baea deliberately intended.
Uo the words “any inland waters of the United
States” embrace the Cheep peaks and Delaware bays,
the Bay of Mobile, and Bake Foachartrain?
By the terms of this section, the naval officer seizing or
taking property has the option either to send it into
the courts or to turn it over under the act of March 12,
1863, to the Treasury agent. No one hut the naval seizer
has this option. AIL other persons mast turn over their
seizures to the Treasury agent. It is difficult to perceive
the purpose for which this distinction is made. The
property-seized is either liable to capture and condem
nation as prize, or it is hot. If it be so liable, he is
bound to send it to the prize court. Why, then, should
he have authority to turn it over to the Treasury agent ?
and if It be not so liable, why should the naval seizer
alone be relieved from the obligation of sending it to
the Treasury agent?
If it be the object of the section to take away the cha
racter of prize of war from all property which mav be
captpred by naval forces on the inland waters of the
United States, it is .respectfully submitted whether its
repeal is not demanded by the highest considerations of
public policy. The inland waters of the UnitedtStatea
ccsstUute cruising stations of va>t extent, and are so
situated as to be or supreme importance in the prosecu
tion of this, or, indeed, of any maritime war. These
waters offer the readiest naval access to vast amounts
of commercial property belonging to those who are now
waging war against the Government. The properly,
both public and private, frond upon these waters and
along their shores belonging to the enemy is. under the
public law of war, liable to capture by naval bellige
i Tents, and, when so captured, to condemnation as prize
of war. By the exercise of this right, a naval force
can iezch and capture property which should be taken
from an enemy- and which is yet left uo touch ed by our
statutes.
Upon the inland waters within the insurrectionary
region, j&r affording access to or egress from it, our na«
operations. Why should the law inter reiie»ini'&o-p*iroi_.
that part of the my of one of its primary belligerent
rights? It Certainly could not have been intended to
cripple the power of the navy, to cripple the enemy, or
by law to hedge round and protect from capture and
condemnation an enemy’s property. The service on
inland waters is not less difficult, perilous, and harass
ing than that on the sea. that there should be this dia-.
crimination against it, nor has it been less useful
country.
Under the operation of this act no more of the pro
ceeds of any capture go into the treasury than under
the law of war, because the sixth section authorizes
the allowance of a moiety to “ informers, collectors
of the customs, and other person?,” as an incentive
to “ vigilance in protecting the public interest.” In
taking this moiety Jrom the officers and crews who
make the captures, and conferring it on the informer or
custom- house officer, the treasury and country are not
benefited. Thr right to make capture or prize of war,
in all places and upon all property, subject to the law
of war, is one of the encouragements which maritime
nations have extended to their navies in all time, and
cure has been no exception until this enactment. The
exercise 01 this right, in cutting off the resources of an
enemy, is one of the chief methods by which nations
seek to bring war to a close.
There is no reason why is this war‘against the rebel
lion an an cient and rightful proceeding should be aban
doned, and a rule adopted' that must operate to our na
tional Injury in all wars. I can see no reason upon
which to conclude that in fighting down this rebellion
we should reverse all previous usage and law, either as
against the rebels themselves, or their abettors, or the
property upon which they rely for their resources, or
why, indeed, we should relinquish any one belligerent
right. On the contrary. It will be well to preserve to
our navy upon all the waters where it can float or fight
all its rights of war unimpaired.
With these views the expediency of a repeal of the 7th
section of the act alluded to is recommended, and the
substitution in its place of some proviaionof like effect
to that which is found in the last section of the act upon
the same subject approved March 12, 1583,
CONTRACTS.
.The present contract system is open to many and se
rious objections. "Whatever may have teen its merits
when established* the condition of the coun
try anaof trade has so changed as to render essential
modifications necessary, if not the abrogation of the
system Itself. The instability of prices, and a rising
marketduring the progress of the war, have inadefl
difficulty and, in someinatances, almost impossible to
procure offers for contracts to furnish yearly supplies
for the navy from honest and reliable contractors at a
rate 'which does not contemplate the highest market
price of gold, as well as long delay in the time of pay
ment. Any change for the better in the condition of the
country or the market will be a gain to the contractor
who has an annual contract, and a corresponding loss
to the Government.
A ipropppal made the present year for the annual
supply of flax canvas, which is mostly imported, illus
trates this point. The bids were received when ex
change wasat nearly the highest rate it has attained,
and from an honorable and reliable contractor who has
for years supplied the Government faithfully. The ag-
IgegJwoffer was, for payment in currency,
or for payment in gold, or its equivalent,
R t the time each bill was paid, $586,923. There was no
alternative under the. law other than to accept the-cur
rency bid, and as the rate of exchange has fallen, there
J»as Been a corresponding: incroass of profits to tne con
tractor. _
In this case.and others ol like character, tie true in
terest of the Government would undoubtedly be pro
moted -were tie Department permitted to assume the
litk, and omit making annual contracts, relyine anon
purchases as wanted, under the direction of the Depart
ment, at the current market price. The Government Is
seldom henefitted By a rise m pricas; for while: the laws
compel its agents to purane a definite course of action,
the contractor general* finds little diScnliy in evading
penajties, and a losing contract is therefore abandoned.
It is worthy of serious consideration whether, for the
present at least, it. would not be for the true interest of
the Government to relinquish the system of annual con
tracts altogether, and authorize purchases to be made
by agents prprobitv, whose fidelity and integriiy have
been tested through years of faithful service, and who
have a life• long commission as well as a character to
lose as a penalty for malfeasance. *'
Another source of embarrassment in procuring naval
supplies has been the delay and uncertainty of pay
ment Unless a definite time for payment is fixed, and
bills are promptly met, or unless interest be allowed
during the delay of payment, the Government will in
evitably become a large sufferer. Many of; the best
merchants in our principal cities, who have heretofore
sought dealings with the Government, now decline ac
cepting an order on any term*. _ „ . t ,
lthae never been the policy of this Department do ad
vance money to its agents, and they cannot for this
reason make each payments. Beqnisitions are drawn
on the Secretary of the Treasury only for matured bibs,
and every day s delay in the .payment,of a’fulfilled
contract is a wrong and a loss to the holder, and of ulti
mate serious injury to the Government As a conse
quence, the Government is driven to other, and often
less honest dealers, and is compelled to pay for subse
quent purchases higher rates. Government, Instead of
being shunned and distrusted for neglecting to make
prompt pajment for value received, should, for its
prompt pa* meats, be a favored Purchaser in any mar
ket-enabled to deal with the manufacturer, or pro
ducer at first prices, instead of with second and third
hands. *, v
If supplies are procured when wanted and as wanted,
at the market price, either in open purchase, by an
honest agent, or upon bids received for immediate de- -
livery, withpromptpayment, immensesums would be
saved to the Department and the Government. 1
I have heretofore referred toAs.e 'defects and abuses
practiced under the existing laws of awarding annual
contracts for naval supplies to the loweßt bidder.
Whatever may be the character or reputation of the
udder for fair and honest dealing, no discretion is
given to any officer of the Government in the premises,
nor can any officer decline the contract though it may
be obviouß the bidder cannot furnish good articles at
the prices which he proposes. - 1
Contracts are made under the operation of existing
laws, uhleh eanndt be honestly fulfilled; and under
the practice that has prevailed, the whole system has
become tainted with demoralization and fraud, by
which the honest ana fair dealer is too often driven
lrom the market. Articles inferior in quality and defi
cient in quantity are delivered and passed. Bribery
and other improper practices are resorted to, to indace
persons in the employment of the Government to aid in
these frauds.
Malfeasance on the part of officials in connection with
the purchase and delivery of supplies was alleged to
exist, snd with the purpose of investigating and bring
ing such fraudulent practices to light, application was
made to the War Department, which detailed ah officer
to prosecute these inquiries. The result is that many
and great frauds have been discovered. Proceedings
have accordingly been instituted, and are now in pro
gress against some of the parties implicated before mili
tary tribunals under the statute, and against others in
the civil courts.
XSCRBASn OP SALARIES.
In comequence of the greatly increased prices that"
preveil, many who are in the clerical employment of
the Government, at a compensation established prior to
the a remuneration wholly insuffi
cient. The state of the currency, with other causes,
has so affected prices that these men are receiving rela
iivelybnfcabout one-half the pay of former years, and
the effect has been such as to compel many of the best
clerfcß in this Department to leave the .Government
ferries. This is a public injury, especially in a crisis
like the present. The place of an experienced and ac
complished clerk is at no time easily supplied; but
when such place is vacated for the reason ihafcitis not
remunerative* or that the pay is, below corresponding
positions in private establishments, the difficulty is in
creased. It Is, therefore, suggested that the salaries of
the clerical force, or a portion of the clerical force, be
increased until the close of the war, or until the cur
rency shall return to a specie standard.
This recommendation is made with some reluctance,
and only under ft sense ofrits absolute necessity at this
time. * - . -
MASTER’S MATES.
Whwithorftto of pay for mates was esta
blished it was thought to correspond with that of other
grades--but the changes in. currency and values which
have since taken place rendertt difficult to retain in ser
vice a sufficient number of this highly serviceable and