CSS Tacony was originally a bark captured by the Confederate cruiser CSS Clarence during the American Civil War and converted into a Confederate cruiser for commerce raiding .
31-623: The CSS Clarence , commanded by Lt. Charles W. Read , captured the Tacony on June 12, 1863, and since it was a better ship suited for commerce raiding , the crew and armaments were transferred to it and the Clarence was destroyed. In its brief career as a Confederate cruiser, it captured several ships: The Whistling Ada , Arabella , Byzantium , Elizabeth Ann , Florence , Goodspeed , Isaac Webb , Z.A. Macomber , Marengo , Ripple , Rufus Choate , Shattemuc , Umpire, and Wanderer . Its final capture
62-627: A Navy design by Driggs-Schroeder , and in the whole US Army coast defense system only Fort Warren and Fort Washington in Maryland had this type of gun. Battery Adams was built of low-quality concrete and was disarmed and abandoned due to deterioration in 1914. Fort Warren was the headquarters of the Coast Defenses of Boston in World War I. In 1917–1918 the four 10-inch guns of Battery Bartlett were removed for potential service as railway artillery on
93-518: A reputation for humane treatment of its detainees. When the camp commander's son, Lieutenant Justin E. Dimick, left Fort Warren for active duty in the field with the Second U.S. Artillery, he was given a letter from Confederate officers in the camp urging good care should he be captured. (He was later mortally wounded at Chancellorsville in May, 1863.) On August 19, 1863, six prisoners of war attempted an escape from
124-499: A well-stocked snack bar, water fountains, and a large number of composting toilets. There is also a museum located in the old mine storehouse (the red brick building opposite the ferry dock), a number of picnic tables, and a children's play structure. The tops of several of the walls and several of the casemates and magazines beneath them are open to visitors. The dock side of the fort features two Civil War 3-inch rifled guns converted to breechloaders. 10-inch Rodman guns, projectiles from
155-461: Is reachable by ferry from downtown Boston, Hingham, or Hull to Georges Island. Transfers are then available for those who wish to visit some of the other Harbor Islands. The fort is typically open from early or mid May through Columbus Day weekend. Park rangers offer guided tours, or you may explore on your own. An information booth just outside the sally port (the main entrance to the fort) posts information about available activities. The island offers
186-570: The Arkansas during her final battle supporting the Confederate Army assaulting Baton Rouge, Louisiana on 6 August 1862. After the sinking of the Arkansas , Read travelled by foot to Port Hudson, Louisiana and assisted with the emplacement of shore guns there. Read was soon ordered to Mobile, Alabama and was assigned to the CSS ; Florida which set sail on 15 January 1863. He transferred to
217-541: The CSS Clarence , a captured prize of the Florida , and set out on his own. During this raiding mission, which lasted from 6 June 1863 to 27 June 1863, Read transferred his command to prize vessels twice more, once to the CSS Tacony and finally to the CSS Archer . At the end of the raid, Lieutenant Read had captured or destroyed twenty-two United States vessels. He and his crew were captured off Portland, Maine on June 27, 1863, while attempting to take
248-520: The Peruvian Navy due to their jealousy of a foreigner being hired in a position of command. Read earned his nickname "Savvy" or "Savez" due to his constant use of the term. Charles Read died on January 25, 1890, in Meridian, Mississippi , and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery. Fort Warren (Massachusetts) Fort Warren is a historic fort on the 28-acre (110,000 m ) Georges Island at
279-583: The USRC ; Caleb Cushing . Read was held at Fort Warren, Massachusetts , until he was exchanged at Cox Wharf, Virginia, on October 18, 1864. After his release, Read participated in naval and land operations on the James River , he commanded the CSS Scorpion and two other torpedo boats at the Battle of Trent's Reach . In January 1865, he was assigned to the CSS Webb at Shreveport, Louisiana with
310-563: The Western Front . Contrary to some references, although some 10-inch guns were shipped to France to be mounted as railway guns, none appear to have been used in action in World War I. Different 10-inch M1888 guns, including two from Battery Reilly at Fort Adams in Rhode Island and two from storage, replaced these weapons in 1919. In 1920, with World War I over, several weapon types were withdrawn from Coast Artillery service. These included
341-474: The third system of US fortifications . The Army engineer in charge during the bulk of the fort's construction was Colonel Sylvanus Thayer , who is best known for his tenure as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point , New York. It was the fifth largest of the 42 third system forts. The overall plan was pentagonal in shape, slightly irregular to make the best use of
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#1732847799913372-562: The "John Brown" song and became one of the best remembered songs of the Civil War era. In the 1870s Fort Warren was upgraded with new barbette batteries on the parapets along with a six-gun external battery; these were armed with Rodman guns . A plaque at the fort states that the southeast bastion was roofed over at this time to create a rare (possibly unique) casemated 15-inch Rodman gun battery. The massive brick arches built to enclose this bastion are impressive. From 1892 to 1903 Fort Warren
403-433: The 4-inch Driggs-Schroeder guns of Battery Plunkett and the 3-inch Driggs-Seabury guns of Battery Lowell. None of these were replaced. The 4-inch guns at Fort Warren remained as display pieces at least through 1941. During World War II, the fort served as a control center for Boston Harbor's south mine field , a precaution taken in anticipation of potential attacks by Kriegsmarine U-boats . At that time, Fort Warren
434-620: The Civil War. James M. Mason and John Slidell , the Confederate diplomats seized in the Trent affair , were among those held at the fort. Confederate military officers held at Fort Warren included Richard S. Ewell , Isaac R. Trimble , John Gregg , Adam "Stovepipe" Johnson , Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr. , and Lloyd Tilghman . High-ranking civilians held at Fort Warren include Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens and Confederate Postmaster General John Henninger Reagan . The prison camp had
465-464: The Endicott era, and two World War II 40 mm Bofors guns are also at the fort. The museum includes a demonstration model of a disappearing gun and a Nike-Ajax missile. The Commonwealth's only Confederate memorial, a headstone which commemorates 13 southern soldiers who died while imprisoned during the Civil War at the fort was housed on the island until 2017. The headstone marker was installed in 1963 by
496-646: The attack on the Union blockading squadron at Head of the Passes on the Mississippi River . When the commander of the CSS McRae was wounded on April 24, 1862, Read took command of the ship. Read then served as executive officer of the CSS Arkansas during its actions against a blockading fleet of over 30 ships on the Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Mississippi on 13 July 1862. Read served as acting commander of
527-408: The entrance to Boston Harbor . The fort is named for Revolutionary War hero Dr. Joseph Warren , who sent Paul Revere on his famous ride, and was later killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill . The name was transferred in 1833 from the first Fort Warren – built in 1808 – which was renamed Fort Winthrop . Fort Warren is a pentagonal bastion fort , made with stone and granite , and
558-605: The intention that she become a raider in the Pacific Ocean . Read did not reach the Webb until 22 April 1865. Read attempted to break out to the Gulf of Mexico but grounded in shallow waters near New Orleans on April 23, 1865. Read fired the ship to prevent its capture by Federal forces. Read surrendered to Federal naval authorities in New Orleans and was transported again to Fort Warren. He
589-526: The island's terrain. The fort features excellent granite work. A demilune (half-moon) battery protecting the north sally port is a rare feature in US forts. The fort was originally designed for over 200 guns, including some mortars and flank howitzers. During the Civil War it was armed with 15-inch and 10-inch Rodman smoothbore guns . During the Civil War, the island fort served as a prison for captured Confederate army and navy personnel, elected civil officials from
620-656: The outbreak of the American Civil War Read resigned his commission with the United States Navy and accepted a position with the Confederate States Navy . Read was initially assigned to the CSS McRae at New Orleans, Louisiana as a midshipman and participated in the battle between batteries on Ship Island and the USS ; Massachusetts on July 9, 1861. On October 12, 1861, he participated in
651-443: The prison. Two were caught while still on the island, two were caught while sailing toward Canada and the prison authorities claimed to believe that the other two drowned, no trace of them after swimming toward shore apparently having been found. The famous Union marching song John Brown's Body was written at the fort using a tune from an old Methodist camp song, and was performed at a flag-raising there on 12 May 1861. The song
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#1732847799913682-464: The state of Maryland, and Northern political prisoners. The fort was commanded by Colonel Justin Dimick from 1861 to 1864. Dimick was noted for his humane and compassionate treatment of the Confederate prisoners held at the fort. Of over 1,000 Confederate prisoners at the fort, only 13 died there, giving Fort Warren a much lower mortality rate than any other prisoner of war camp (Union or Confederate) during
713-713: Was an officer in the antebellum United States Navy and then in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War . He was nicknamed the "Seawolf of the Confederacy" for his exploits and daring. Charles William Read was born in Satartia, Mississippi in 1840. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1856 and graduated in 1860. He served briefly aboard USS Powhatan after graduation. At
744-547: Was carried to the Army of the Potomac by the men of the "Webster Regiment" ( 12th Massachusetts Infantry ), who had mustered in at Fort Warren. Julia Ward Howe heard this song while visiting Washington, DC. At the suggestion of her minister, Howe was encouraged to write new words. The Battle Hymn of the Republic , which was initially published as a poem, was later matched with the melody of
775-554: Was constructed from 1833 to 1861, completed shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War . Fort Warren defended the harbor in Boston, Massachusetts , from 1861 through the end of World War II, and during the Civil War served as a prison for Confederate officers and government officials, including Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens . The fort remained active through the Spanish–American War and World War I , and
806-673: Was demolished for an access road. Fort Warren was owned by the U.S. federal government until 1958, when the state obtained it from the General Services Administration . In 1961, the fort was reopened to the public after initial restoration . Today, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation maintains and administers the fort, which is the centerpiece of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area . The fort
837-544: Was garrisoned by the 241st Coast Artillery Regiment (Harbor Defense), a Massachusetts National Guard unit that was federalized in September, 1940. As new 16-inch batteries were built, particularly Battery Murphy at the East Point Military Reservation , Fort Warren's remaining guns were scrapped in 1942–1944. Fort Warren was permanently decommissioned after 1950. At some point an emplacement of Battery Bartlett
868-399: Was re-activated during World War II . It was permanently decommissioned in 1947, and is now a tourist site. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970 as a masterpiece of coastal engineering of the pre-Civil War period, and for its role in the Civil War. Fort Warren was built from 1833 to 1861 and was completed shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War as part of
899-562: Was rebuilt to accommodate modern breech-loading rifled guns under the Endicott program . Five batteries were added to the fort, replacing some of the older gun positions, as follows: The two 12-inch (305 mm) and five 10-inch (254 mm) guns were the fort's main armament against enemy battleships. For defense against smaller vessels, particularly to defend nearby mine fields against minesweepers , two 4-inch (102 mm) and three 3-inch (76 mm) guns were included. The 4-inch guns were
930-610: Was released on July 24, 1865. In 1867, Read was second officer aboard a ship involved in an effort to help Cuban rebels overthrow the Spanish government of the island. Read and others were arrested by the US government but were quickly released. He was later hired by Charles Flynt to train Peru in the use of torpedoes . Read was commissioned as an Commander in the Peruvian Navy and much like John Randolph Tucker , received disdain from within
961-441: Was the schooner Archer on June 25, 1863, which is a better ship suited for commerce raiding , the crew and armaments were transferred to it and the Tacony was destroyed. This article about a specific ship related to the American Civil War is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Charles Read (naval officer) Charles William Read (May 12, 1840 – January 25, 1890), known commonly as " Savez ",