Hurricanes during the War

[cmadler]

Re: Hurricanes during the War

I assumed that there would have been at least a storm per year, just like now.

I also thought that the gulf coast was pretty well established, maybe not.
I will still hope to find a letter from a garrison soldier telling about a hurricane.

Actually, it is not uncommon for a year or two to pass with no hurricane making landfall in the US, most recently in 1990, 1994, 2000, 2001, and 2006 (take another look at that NOAA link I posted). There were hurricanes in those years, they just didn't make landfall in the US, and I suspect the same to be true of the Civil War years.

[NM1859]

Re: Hurricanes during the War

Chris,

The ship “Sebene” is misidentified in the dispatch to Gideon Welles. It was the USS Sabine; one of the last two sailing frigates (Brandywine class) commissioned by the US Navy on August 23, 1855. The Sabine was on blockade duty when the November 1st ‘gale’ hit and was providentially blown close to where the transport Governor was foundering. I’ve included an account by Dr. Stephen Wise from the Parris Island Historical and Museum Society newsletter (2006) below:

On November 1, about 10 AM, the fleet encountered a gale off Cape Fear, North Carolina. The warships and some of the transports had no trouble weathering the storm, but some of the smaller vessels, not built for sailing in the open seas, encountered difficulties. Some were sunk, others blown nearly across the Atlantic. The Governor was hit by heavy waves that buckled her hull. Her captain, Charles L. Litchfield was so overcome that he began consuming large quantities of alcohol and had to be relieved by Acting Master John Weidman, USN who tried to rally the vessel’s civilian crew but he found little response. Weidman then called on the Marines for assistance. The Marines quickly manned the pumps and a bucket brigade directed by Second Lieutenant Robert W. Huntington tried to stem the water leaking into the hold while others tried to hold the hog braces in place. By dusk the smokestack broke and fell overboard and shortly afterwards a steam pipe burst depriving the engines and the pumps of power. With the situation rapidly deteriorating Weidman tried to signal any nearby ships by turning the Governor’s ensign upside down, firing distress rockets and having the Marines discharge their muskets.

Throughout the night the conditions became worse, but the Governor stayed afloat. By morning of November 2, the seas had calmed and two vessels, the Isaac Smith and Young Rover, approached the stricken Governor. The Marines watched as a towline to the Isaac Smith snapped. But help was nearby in the form of the USS sailing frigate Sabine. Commanded by Captain Cadwalader Ringgold, the Sabine had left her blockading post off Georgetown, South Carolina, to ride out the storm and only by good fortunate was she in the vicinity of the Governor.

By mid-afternoon the Sabine was alongside the Governor. Two hawsers connected the vessels and throughout the night, as the seas worsened, the Marines were transferred to the Sabine. At first a bosun’s chair on the end of a spar brought the Marines, one by one, to the Sabine, but as the seas became rougher one of the hawsers broke. Ringgold then attached ropes to the Governor and pulled the Sabine closer and the Marines were ordered to jump over to the Sabine as the two vessels rolled back and forth. Nearly forty Marines made the leap, but one failed and was crushed to death when the ships collided. Ringgold, fearing another collision would sink the Governor, drew off the Sabine and maneuvered her astern of the Governor. At this point six Marines, in a panic, jumped into the water and tried to swim to the Sabine. All drowned in the attempt. Below decks on the Governor the Marines in the bucket brigade continued bailing water trying to keep the ship afloat while the transfer of men continued.


By dawn the seas had again gone down and it seemed the Governor might stay afloat. However Ringgold, fearing that the storm could again regain its intensity, put one of his quarter boats in the water and called upon Major Reynolds to abandon ship. The remaining Marines tied ropes around their waists and jumped into the ocean where they threw the end of the rope to the sailors in the quarter boat who hauled them in. Major Reynolds was the last to leave and by 8 AM on November 3, all of the surviving Marines were safely on board the Sabine.

Miraculously the Governor was still afloat and Second Lieutenants John H. Grimes and Huntington were rowed back to the vessel where they managed to salvage about half of the arms and accoutrements before the Governor finally sank. Reynolds was justly proud of his men and wrote in his report that: “All did nobly. The firmness with which they performed their duty is beyond all praise. For forty-eight hours they stood at the ropes and passed water to keep the ship afloat…. It is impossible for troops to have conducted themselves better under such trying circumstances.”

On August 23, 2008-150 years to the day of the commissioning of the USS Sabine- I had the pleasure to participate in the rededication of the last surviving cannon (one of the 100 pounder Parrott rifles) from that venerable ship.

Bill Skillman
Randolf Mess-USSS

[bhutton]

Re: Hurricanes during the War

I' ve just read Eric Wittenburg, David Peruzzi, Micheal Nugent book , 'One Contnuous Fight' . The retreat from Gettysburg and the pursuit particularly Cavalry, The storm description on the night of the 4th ,sounds a lot like the remnants of a tropical storm or possibly hurricane, torrential rain , wind lightning, Ive read other accounts 'Retreat from Gettysburg Kent M. Brown, relating the same description.