William A. Webb
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William A. Webb was an American sailor and Mexican American War veteran who resigned his U.S. Navy commission after more than 20 years of service to join the Confederate States Navy in the American Civil War. Webb was decorated for his service as Captain of the CSS Teaser, part of the James River Squadron, during the Battle of Hampton Roads (1862).
In 1863 his orders sent him to Savannah, where he commanded a squadron that included the ironclad CSS Atlanta. He was captured in June 1863 and imprisoned in Boston. He was released as part of a prisoner exchange in October 1864 and returned to action on the CSS Richmond.
Military Beginnings (US Navy)
William A. Webb grew up in Virginia. He joined the United States Navy and attained the rank of Midshipman on January 26 1838.On July 2 1845, he was promoted to Passed Midshipman. He served in the Mexican-American War on the 6-gun storeship USS Southampton. Webb departed from Norfolk, Virginia on February 7, 1847, traveling to the Pacific Ocean by way of Cape Horn, eventually reaching Japan in 1854. He was afterwards appointed as Master on October 9, 1853 and Lieutenant on June 12, 1854.
He resigned from his commission on May 17, 1861, four months after the Secession, enrolling instead in the Confederate Navy as a First Lieutenant in June. He served at Fernandina, (Florida) in 1861 and then Richmond Station from 1861 to 1862.
American Civil War service
CSS Teaser Gunboat and the Battle of Hampton Roads
Sometime in early 1862, First Lieutenant Webb was made commander of the armed gunboat CSS Teaser, or, "Teazer." Prior to the secession it was the property of the Virginia State Navy (then called the York River). The 64 ton, 80 by 18 foot tugboat was armed with a 32 and a 12 pounder rifled cannon.
The CSS Teaser was part of the James River Squadron, operating on the homonymous river from Norfolk. The squadron's chieftain was Flag-Officer Franklin Buchanan, on the CSS Virginia steamer ironclad (also known as the CSS Merrimac). The squadron consisted of 3 steamers (24 guns in all) and 3 supporting gunboats, each with one gun.
On March 8-9, 1862 at the Battle of Hampton Roads, the Confederate flotilla tried to break a blockade maintained by two wooden Union frigates, the USS Cumberland and the USS Congress. The Union ships were escorted by some gunboats and backed by shore batteries. Buchanan wrote later: "The general order under which the gunboat squadron went into action required that, in the absence of all signals, each commanding officer was to exercise his own judgment and discretion in doing all the damage he could to the enemy and to sink before surrendering."
To support the CSS Virginia in this action, Capt. John Randolph Tucker, commanding the rest of the James River Squadron, ran past the shore batteries to join the battle, with the CSS Teaser "puffing with all the energy of a short-winded tug." They arrived just as the CSS Virginia had managed to sink the USS Cumberland.
- Their escape was miraculous, as they were under a galling fire of solid shot, shell, grape and canister, a number of which passed through the vessels without doing any serious injury, except to the Patrick Henry...
The Confederate squadron now concentrated their fire on the USS Congress and forced its surrender. When the Confederate ships charged with accepting the surrender and escorting the captured officers were fired upon by Union shore batteries, Buchanan then ordered another boat to burn her, with Webb's Teaser as cover. When they were also fired upon, Buchanan then ordered his men to destroy the USS Congress using "hot shot and incendiary shell".
The arrival of the USS Monitor on the following day resulted in the "world's first battle between ironclads". Neither the CSS Virginia nor the USS Monitor suffered major damage. However, the Monitor's arrival forced the Confederate ships eventually to retreat without having broken the blockade.
Webb was reported later as "slightly wounded" during the battle. Buchanan took pride in his gunboats: "Their judgment in selecting their positions for attacking the enemy was good; their constant fire was destructive, and contributed much to the success of the day." The Confederate Congress also "thanked" Webb.
\"Special duty\"
During 1862-1863, Webb was stationed at Charleston station for "special duty." This term was typically used to denote activity that was of a secret nature. In this case, Webb was made commander of the "Special Expedition", a squadron of small boats manned by sixty officers and men, on February 19, 1863. The squadron was stationed behind Fort Sumter in order to stop any Union ships that made it past the obstructions. What made this flotilla unusual, and hence its appelation of "special", was that the boats were armed with spar torpedoes, a highly controversial weapon of war that some considered "uncivilized".
Webb assembled this squadron with a few cutters and a lot of canoes and skiffs, all armed with 20-foot long poles with a 60-pound torpedo.
- It was not at all uncommon to see a sailor rolling down to his boat, when they were called for exercise, with a quid of tobacco in his cheek and a torpedo slung over his back; and when it is recollected that each torpedo had seven sensitive fuses which a tap with a stick or blow with a stone was sufficient to explode and blow half the street down, it can readily be believed that we gave them a wide berth.
While present when Admiral Du Pont's fleet crossed the Charleston bar on April 6, 1863, Webb's squadron was not called into action that day. Eager to make use of the torpedoes, Tucker, Gen. Beauregard and Webb hatched a plan on April 10 that would "shake Abolitiondom to [its] foundation." They decided to attack each of the seven Union ironclads by three torpedo boats, but in the several days it took to get the extra boats required, the Union ironclads had left Charleston.
CSS Atlanta ironclad
Commodore Josiah Tattnall, Flag Officer commanded the southern region of the Confederate States, especially Savannah, Georgia. He was expected to repeat his success commanding the CSS Virginia in crushing the wooden Union ships in the James River. Tattnall was handicapped in bringing this to fruition because of the blockade. In May of 1863, Webb replaced Tatnall as commander of the CSS Atlanta ironclad, launched in 1862, and flag officer of the Savannah Squadron, with "the implied condition of his appointment being that he should 'do something' with her..." Webb proclaimed that "the whole abolition fleet" had "no terror" for him.
Considered by the citizens of Georgia to be the most powerful Confederate warship because of its fast speed of 7 knots, as well as its armament of four Brooke rifles, the Atlanta was difficult to maneuver. Special difficulties were caused by its 16-feet draft in the shallow waters surrounding Savannah. Another problem was the scarce airflow of its tight, armored roof, which caused profound heat and humidity. The Atlanta suffered profuse leaking. The ship's helm was already difficult to steer because it was simply unwieldy: the ship frequently stalled into sand banks along the side of the river. Webb marshaled the CSS Atlanta, though, removing the boat of unnecessary comfort - including sanitation and ventilation, as well as fully outfitting it with weaponry.
Webb also had to deal with inexperienced sailors, most of whom were recruited from the Confederate Army around the mountainous regions of Georgia.Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 14, 291 For instance, his pilots arrived just two weeks before the ship engaged in battle in Wassaw Sound.
Although beset by problems, Webb was still excited about his prospects. He formulated ambitiously elaborate plans for the CSS Atlanta
Webb, however, waged action in Wassaw Sound against orders on June 17, 1863. He was escorted by two wooden steamers, the CSS Isondiga and the CSS Resolute. A percussion torpedo was attached to a large, projecting ram, which Webb later described: "I knew [it] should do its work to my entire satisfaction, should I but be able to touch the Weehawken."#redirect
The Union noticed Webb's bold move and dispatched Captain John Rodgers in the USS Weehawken, escorted by the USS Nahant.
In the battle, the Atlanta was the first to shoot at about 4:45 am.#redirect But the poorly maneuverable ship suddenly ran aground and swayed at an angle which made it difficult to shoot. The USS Weehawken held fire until it was at 300 yards. After receiving five of the Weehawken
- ...his behavior on this occasion was as gallant and seamenlike as when he carried the cockleshell gunboat Teaser into action on the James River. His stranded ship would have become a slaughter-pen under a few more of the Weehawken's shots...
Ft. Warren was a relatively modern jail where the prisoners were registered and photographed. However, they were deprived of blankets, food, and clothing. Among the captive sailors, there were 12 deaths due to injuries, as well as death by pneumonia and dysentery, caused by the poor conditions in which they were held. Three healthy crew members escaped. Webb was the first to gain parole in September, 1864 and was later exchanged in October of the same year.
CSS Richmond
Webb was paroled on September 28, 1864, and exchanged at Cox's Wharf, Virginia on October 18, 1864. He was then again fighting on the James River, as Commander of the CSS Richmond.
Trivia
- Webb's widow, Elizabeth Ann Webb, received a pension for his service in Mexican War.
- Webb's brother-in-law was John Randolph Tucker
Notes and references
- http://cssvirginia.org/vacsn3/crew/teaser/
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