Beschreibung:

2 diaries, 7 letters. At the start of the Civil War, Charles Washburn went down to the proverbial sea in ships, entering the US Navy in June 1861 and serving as Acting Master aboard the US Sloop Preble before being transferred to the renowned gunboat Albatross from August 1862 through November 1863. A downeast seaman from Maine, Washburn served deep down south, primarily under Admiral David Farragut in the lower Mississippi Valley when the balance of power in the war was shifting dramatically. Washburn’s surviving diaries include a standard pocket diary for 1863 (one day per page) and oblong pocket diary for 1864 (3 days per page), with nearly daily entries for the entire period he served in the river war. Although the day-to-day actions of the river fleet are of considerable interest to naval historians, the clear highlights of Washburn’s diaries stem from the late spring and early summer of 1863, when the Albatross played a critical role in Farragut’s plans to open the Mississippi River to union ships and tighten the stranglehold on Confederate strongholds at Vicksburg and Port Hudson. One of the most dramatic naval engagements of war took place in March 1863 when Farragut had grown tired of the slow pace of Nathaniel Banks’ infantry and decided to take initiative to attack Port Hudson from the river without ground support. Farragut’s flotilla consisted of the sloops of war Hartford, Richmond, and Monongahela, the steam frigate Mississippi and gunboats Albatross (Washburn’s command), Genesee, and Kineo. The Confederates were well prepared for Farragut’s daring plan to pass by Port Hudson from the south, and set fires along shore to light the scene. They shelled the ships mercilessly, and in the darkness and smoke, four of Farragut’s vessels ran aground, two of which were disabled and floated down river, and a third, the Mississippi, was struck and exploded in spectacular fashion. In the end, only the Hartford and Albatross succeeded in getting past Port Hudson and setting up a blockade of the Red River, but the loss was heavy. Washburn’s accounts of this singular engagement are irreplaceable evidence of what transpired that night (and the nights that followed), and they add extraordinary personal detail to the official historical record: Mar. 14: At anchor 3 mile before Port Hudson batteries enemy did not attack us last night. At 7 AM this morning Admiral Farragut arrived with his fleet. At 2.40 PM bombardment commenced on Port Hudson by the mortar fleet. At dark we have got underweigh, went along side the Hartford and made fast. At 10 PM got underweigh and steered up river followed by the Richmond, Mississippi, Monongahela, Genesee, & Kineo. At 11 the Confederates opened fire on us from Port Hudson batteries which was warmly returned. One man killed. At 12 midnight right abreast of the batteries bombardment going on on all sides with great vigour. Rest of our fleet astern coming up. So ends this day. Mar. 15: Commenced with terrific bombardment off Port Hudson. At 12.30 AM passed the last battery. Cast off from the Hartford, stood up river out of reach of their guns and came to anchor. Hartford also came to anchor at the same time. None of the rest of the fleet in sight. Saw what we took to be a ship on fire below. At 5.15 AM a terrific explosion took place at the burning ship. At daylight none of our ships in sight. We along (Hartford & us) succeeded in getting past. At 10 AM we both got underweigh and stood up river. At 6 PM we both came to anchor about 8 miles below the mouth of the Red River. We are both in rather of a tight place. So ends. The following entries in Washburn’s diaries are no less a valuable evocation of the conduct of the river war, describing numerous incidents of exchanging fire with Confederate positions at Grand Gulf, communicating with federal force besieging Vicksburg, and the all-out warfare inflaming the region. Many of these were small and seemingly innocuous incidents, but with larger implicati