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Tag Archives: James Waddell
Shellbacks, Polliwogs, and Crossing the Equator Amid Civil War
Anyone watching a movie about sailing ships can quickly become confused with the overwhelming distinct terminology. There are much more than words that signify a sailor, however. Spending months at a time at sea, sailors have developed their own vocabulary, … Continue reading
From the ECW Archives: Queen of Delphine, Part II
(Continuing the story from Part I of Lillias Nichols as prisoner of war and her captors aboard the CSS Shenandoah.) New Year’s Day 1865 continued clear and balmy. All sails were set with just enough breeze to fill them, the … Continue reading
Posted in Civil War Events, Civilian, Holidays, Navies
Tagged CSS Alabama, CSS Shenandoah, James Waddell, Women's History Month
3 Comments
From the ECW Archives: Queen of the Delphine, Part I
A warship at sea was an exclusively male domain and sailors were a superstitious lot. Having a woman on board was unlucky as well as a confounded nuisance. In December 1864, one New England lady found herself a prisoner of … Continue reading
Posted in Civil War Events, Civilian, Navies
Tagged Captain George Nichols, Charles Lining, CSS Shenandoah, Delphine, James Waddell, Women's History Month
2 Comments
Confederates Invade San Francisco?
Shortly before his death in 1886, James I. Waddell, former captain of the CSS Shenandoah, wrote in his memoirs: “I had matured plans for entering the harbor of San Francisco and laying that city under contribution.”[i] Waddell never did pass … Continue reading
My Favorite Historical Person: Eugene Matthew O’Brien
Eugene Matthew O’Brien is among those obscure Civil War multitudes whose collective stories inspire for their courage, dedication, and sacrifice even if we know little about them individually—although his story is a bit unusual. O’Brien was a steam engineer who … Continue reading
Failed Ironclads: CSS Mississippi and CSS Louisiana at New Orleans
In October 1861, the skeletons of two strange iron monsters began to emerge from the Mississippi bank at Jefferson City, just north of New Orleans. They would become the CSS Mississippi and CSS Louisiana. Confederate Navy Secretary Stephen Mallory had … Continue reading
Modern Photography: No Monuments on the Ocean
There are no monuments on the ocean, no crossroads in the great waters, no places echoing in heart and mind—Gettysburg, Shiloh, Chickamauga. But our Civil War ancestors were out there too and some of them still are. Names that resonate … Continue reading
Having Done My Duty
Today, we are pleased to welcome back guest author Dwight Hughes Dawn, 6 November 1865: The CSS Shenandoah steamed up the Mersey River through heavy morning haze with the Confederate flag flying at the peak and dropped anchor near Liverpool … Continue reading
The Last Act II
150 years ago today, the last act of the Civil War played out. Here is that story. Shenandoah arrived at the Mersey Bar shortly before midnight on November 5. The next morning she entered Liverpool Harbor and anchored near the … Continue reading
The Last Act I
150 years ago today, the last act of the Civil War got underway off Liverpool. Here is Part I of that story. Day after day, a lonely light shone at the southern end of St. George’s Channel, running between Britain … Continue reading
