Everything about Star Of The West totally explained
The
Star of the West was a
civilian ship hired by the United States government to transport supplies and reinforcements to the garrison of
Fort Sumter before the
American Civil War. The ship was a substitute for the
Brooklyn, an armed
screw sloop which continued to escort the
Star of the West on its journey.
Background
The first shots of the Civil War occurred
January 9,
1861 when the
Star of the West was fired upon by cadets, from
The Citadel, who were stationed at Battery Greg on
Morris Island as the ship entered
Charleston Harbor. This prevented the
Star of the West from resupplying
Major Robert Anderson's garrison at Fort Sumter. The
Star of the West was given a warning bowshot but continued towards Fort Sumter. She was then fired on and hit twice at which point she turned around and headed for home port.
Hired out of
New York as a
troop transport for $1,000 a day, under its master, Elisha Howes, the Star sailed for
Texas to pick up seven companies of
United States troops assembled at
Indianola. On
April 18,
1861, while anchored off Pass Caballo bar leading into
Matagorda Bay, the ship was captured by Colonel
Earl Van Dorn and members of two
Galveston militia units, the Wigfall Guards and the Island City Rifles. Two days later the ship was taken to
New Orleans, where Louisiana's Governor
Moore changed its name to the C.S.S. St. Philip. The old name persisted, however, and the Star served as a naval station and
hospital ship until Admiral
David Farragut captured New Orleans. Then the Star carried millions in gold, silver, and paper currency to
Vicksburg and continued to
Yazoo City,
Mississippi. When federal Lieutenant Commander Watson Smith tried to lead two
ironclads and five smaller vessels through the Yazoo Pass into the
Tallahatchie River to attack Vicksburg from the rear, Confederate defenders hurriedly constructed Fort Pemberton, and Major General
William W. Loring had the Star sunk athwart the Tallahatchie near
Greenwood to block the passage of the Union flotilla. In a skirmish on
April 12,
1863, the Union forces suffered heavy casualties and were forced to withdraw. The owners of the Star collected $175,000 in damages from the United States government for their loss.
Popular culture
The incident looms large in a novel by
John Updike,
Memories of the Ford Administration (1992). Although Updike's protagonist is trying (in the early 1990s) to write about the mid-1970s, he spent those years seeking to write a book about President Buchanan, and his mind keeps reverting to the 19th century and, among other incidents, the mission of this sloop to Sumter.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Star Of The West'.
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