retroelectro
Stillson was reassigned to the Roanoke, which was sitting on the sideline, in viewing distance of the ‘Battle of Hampton Roads’ and the Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack. Soon after that, he was moved to another ship, the Somerset, patrolling the area surrounding Cuba, where he participated in the blockade and capture of Cedar Key, Florida. By August of his first year of service, he had become very ill. Records don’t show what the illness that affected Stillson, but it may have been typhoid fever or dysentery. With this, he resigned from the US Navy to convalesce. Blockade runners There was much action in the regions surrounding the Gulf, Louisiana, Florida, and Mobile, Alabama, which drew in the Union Navy. They regularly engaged in battles with blockade runners. Blockade runners were designed to move very quickly and stealthily. The British traded with the Confederates, supplying weapons, ammunition, clothing, cannons, etc., in exchange for resources like tobacco and cotton. Cutting off this trade route was key to the Union’s strategy. Going into the Civil War, the Navy was split and ill- prepared on either side. Every effort was made to purchase as many steamships as they could. The USS Santiago de Cuba was initially constructed in Cuba to
and engineer aboard a wooden steamship in the open ocean, constantly under the threat of cannon fire. Each shift brought the risk that a single well-aimed cannonball could rupture the coal bunkers or ignite the boiler fires, turning the vessel into an uncontrollable inferno. Under relentless stress, crews worked deep within the ship’s belly – hot, cramped, often in smoky candlelight or utter darkness. Split- second decisions and constant vigilance were not optional; they were survival skills. Picture enduring these conditions not for hours but for weeks at a time, with little hope of rescue if disaster struck. He had just witnessed the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack a year earlier and now he is boarding British privateer ships. A lesser man would let anxiety and fear govern his abilities, but not Daniel Stillson.
Walworth Manufacturing Company Walworth Manufacturing Company was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1842 by James Jones Walworth and Joseph Nason. At that time, steam heating systems represented cutting-edge technology. Joseph Nason traveled to Great Britain to review this new technology and brought some of it back with him. Applying what he learned abroad, J.J. Walworth and Nason established Walworth Manufacturing Co. specifically to sell steam systems. The company initially focused on manufacturing iron pipes for household heating. Retro Electro fun fact: in 1853, Walworth Manufacturing installed the White House’s first steam heating system during President Pierce’s administration.
“The Santiago de Cuba was a converted trade ship. The ship was very fast and was best suited for blockade duty.” First Assistant Engineer on the ship, and Stillson worked directly under him. In June 1863, they captured a British blockade runner named ‘Victory’ after a long chase. The ship broke through the blockade surrounding the port of Wilmington with cargo that included cotton, tobacco, and turpentine, attempting to reach a port in the Gulf, likely Mobile Bay, Alabama. Colonel Green and Stillson boarded the ship and took control of engineering. The vessel was taken to Boston and made fit for Union service. Renamed the USS Queen, it became one of the fastest ships in the Union. Outfitted to serve as a supply ship, it navigated the Gulf while being based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Stillson spent the remainder of his Navy career with Levi Green on the USS Queen.
“The Battle of Hampton Roads, fought in March 1862, marked the first clash between ironclad warships.”
establish trade routes to New York. It was officially launched on April 2, 1861, and the Civil War officially started ten days later, eliminating any hope for proper and safe trade routes to New England. Soon after, it was purchased by the Union Navy and put into service, assigned to blockading duty.
Boarding and commandeering a British vessel After several months of recuperation, Daniel Stillson rejoined the Navy and was assigned to the USS Santiago de Cuba under the command of Commander Robert H Wyman. Here he met Colonel Levi Green, who was the
Now, back to the story.
Suggested thought exercise
“J.J. Walworth and Joseph Nason founded Walworth Manufacturing.”
Imagine the life of a fireman
“Pictures of the USS Queen are unavailable, but here is a description of the ship.”
we get technical
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