on their starboard side. Acting Ensign Charles W. Howard leapt to the gangway hailing, “Boat ahoy! Boat ahoy!” Not receiving a response Howard warned, “Keep off or I will fire into you.”
Now in range, Glassell responded with his shotgun, mortally wounding Howard. The David rushed forward, slamming the torpedo into the wrought iron hull at the waterline. The torpedo exploded with a deafening roar. “The huge ship trembled in every plate and spar throughout her length; rigging crashed to the deck; cannon leaped from their moorings; shot and shell scattered across the decks, rolling as the vessel heeled violently to port.”
The blast threw an enormous plume of water into the air, falling on both boats and down the David’s smokestack extinguishing her engine fire. Both sides thought their vessel might sink. Glassell ordered his men to abandon ship. The crew leapt overboard wearing their cork vests. The Ironsides’ Marines rushed to fire their rifles and pistols at their fleeing foe.
Glassell and Tomb swam away. Sullivan would be captured while clinging to the Ironsides’ rudder chains. Cannon, unable to swim, climbed back into the David as it drifted away. The Ironsides fired Civil War Catalog Featuring a large assortment of Civil War and Indian War autographs, accoutrements, memorabilia, medals,
insignia, buttons, GAR, documents, photos, & books. two 11-inch shells at the vanishing craft. Cannon plucked Tomb out of the water. Tomb restarted the engine and the David steamed back to Charleston.
Glassell, swiftly swimming out of firing range, found himself alone in the cold water. He was picked up by a schooner and transferred to the guard ship USS Ottawa. Glassell and the Ottawa’s captain, Lt. William D. Whiting, knew each other from the “old” Navy. Glassell would be grateful for the connection. Whiting arranged for him to give his word not to escape instead of transporting him in chains. U.S. Adm. John Dahlgren considered, “It is desirable that this Officer should not be allowed to return here until some time has elapsed, as he could not fail to be of great service to the enemy in future operations of the same kind.” P.O.W. Glassell was returned to Fort Warren and promoted by the Confederates for “gallant and meritorious service.”
Dahlgren joined the Ironsides’ crew to inspect the damage. The torpedo had struck under number six starboard gun where the coal bunker gave her additional support. Aside from the “stores thrown in confusion,” the ship suffered minor damage overall. Her assistant engineer, William S. Wells, speculated that, “If the torpedo had struck the ship on the port side we would certainly have gone down,” since the main condenser overboard discharge was “just on a line with the point where the torpedo struck on the starboard side.”
Dahlgren, the inventor of the Dahlgren gun, was impressed. “Among the many inventions with which I have been familiar, I have seen none which have acted so perfectly at first trial. The secrecy, rapidity of movement, control of direction, and precise explosion indicate, I think, the introduction of the torpedo element as a means of certain warfare. It can be ignored no longer. If 60 pounds of powder, why not 600 pounds?”
Engineer Tomb, James H. in Gray: Memoirs of Chief Engineer James H. Tomb, CSN Glassell, William T. “Reminiscences of Torpedo Service in Charleston Harbor”, Southern Historical Society Papers Luraghi, Raimondo. A History of the Confederate Navy Roberts, William H. USS New Ironsides in the Civil War Infernal Perry, Milton F., Machines: The Story of Confederate Submarine and Mine Warfare By Bradley M. Gottfried, Ph.D.
I prepare detailed map atlases of Civil War campaigns—six are in print and a couple are on the way. I visit battlefields multiple times as I work on each volume. Sometimes I am pleased by what I see and sometimes not. Gettysburg is a prime example, where virtually the entire battlefield is preserved. Then there is Fredericksburg, where development has engulfed the sacred ground traversed by wave after wave of Union troops attempting to capture Marye’s Heights on December 13, 1862. The Wilderness is another example of development destroying pivotal parts of a battlefield. In this case, it is a gated high-end housing development that does not permit visitors to even walk the sacred ground—at least, what is left of it. Much of the fighting on May 6, 1864 occurred within its boundaries, including the unfinished railroad cut which General Longstreet’s men used to roll up the Union flank on May 6, 1864. Salem Church is still another example of unbridled and unregulated growth almost completely destroying an important battlefield, leaving only its namesake untouched.
That’s why when invited to join the Board of Directors of the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust (CVBT), I jumped at the opportunity. Like a growing number of regional preservation groups, the CVBT concentrates on a specific area. All of the examples above are areas of CVBT’s focus. Because of their efforts, a major portion of the Chancellorsville battlefield is now preserved. They were also instrumental in protecting Willis’ Hill and other important portions of the Fredericksburg battlefield, such as Pelham’s Corner. More recently, they have purchased important parcels on the Wilderness battlefield.
I am most excited about their recent work at Spotsylvania. Large portions of this battlefield remain undeveloped, but the building trend will soon overtake any unprotected portion. The CVBT moved quickly to purchase over fourteen acres along Brock Road that was pivotal during the opening phases of this battle. When the owner of Myer’s Hill indicated a willingness to work with the CVBT to purchase the 73-plus acres, the organization worked with him on a financial agreement that will preserve this important battlefield. This parcel contains a pristine battlefield where General Emery Upton and his brigade were pushed off the top of the hill by a coordinated Confederate attack. General George Meade watched the action here and was almost captured by the surging Confederates. Because of the CVBT, this important battleground will be protected in perpetuity.
I especially appreciate the fact that the organization can and does move quickly to secure property as it comes on the market. The U. S. Park Service may have the funds to purchase land, but is usually not able to move quickly to secure it. As a result, the two entities work closely to ensure that important battlefield lands are being protected. Readers should also know that the CBVT does not simply sit back and wait for land to come on the market. It regularly identifies desirable land and contacts owners to see if they are interested in selling the property. This proactive approach has effectively kept a number of important properties off the market. The CVBT has also received a number of donations of sacred land, including the position of the Norfolk Artillery on the Fredericksburg battlefield.
Because I moved to Pennsylvania and could no longer be an active participant of the CVBT, I reluctantly stepped off the Board. My support for the organization remains strong as I continue to support it financially and through cartography. It is only through the support of its members can the CVBT continue its vitally important work. For further information please see its web site at www.cvbt.org.