Duke University Libraries Communication o Conf Pam #321 DTTD25fl30- MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT. Richmond, Ya , Feb. 3, 1865. To the House of Representatives : In response to your Resolution of the 25th ult., 1 herewith trans- mit a communication from the Secretary of the Navy, coverina: copies of liip corrc spondence with the Governor of North Carolina relative to " coals of the steamer ' Advance.' " JEFFERSON DAVIS. COMMUNICATION OF SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. Confederate SiATsa op America, ) JVai'y Department. > lliclunoiid, Jan. 31st, 1864. ) To the President : ^ Sir: — In reeponyc to the follow iiit>' Resolution of the House of Representatives, viz : " Resolved, That the President be respectfully recjuestcd to trans- mit to this House copies of the concspoudence between the Secre- tary of the Navy and the Governor of North Carolina, touching the seizure of the coals of the steamer " Advance" by officers of the Navy Dedartment," referred by you to this Department for at- tention, I liave the honor to transmit herewith copies of my letters of the 28th of December last and 28th instant to Governor Vance and his reply of the 3d instant to the first named letter, with accom- panying papers. My last communication to Governor Vance was delayed by the causes therein stated. I am, respectfully, your obedient serrant, Si R. MALLORY, Secretary of the Navy. LETTER OF SECRETARY OF TTTF: NAA'Y. ^ CoNFiDKlUTK StATKS OF A.MKIIICA, ) .N'avi/ Depar Intent, \ Richmond, Dec. 28lh, 1801. ) His Excelloni-.y Z. B. Vancio, Governor of North Carolina, Ralci<,'li N. C. Sm : — Conlidont th;i,t you will ho pleased to coi-rcet any error of statement into wliiiih yon niny have hoon inadvertently led, I hej;^ leave to invite yonr attention to the foilowinii; extracts from your recent mcssaate, and to the subjoined copies of official papers upon the siihjects to v»diich the extracts refer: " After looses hy detention, the surrender of carj^o space, ttc, of not less than two hundred thousand dollars in ^old, I rejrret, also, to have to annource the loss of the steamer Advance, duiin.^ the month of Septeniher. This noble vessel, the pride of the State and benefactor of our soldiers and people, vras captnred by the ene- my, after she had surcepsfuUy made her way through the blockade squadron, in consequence of the seizure of her coal for the use of the cruiser Tallahapsee, compelling her to put to sea vrith North Carolina roal. This being unsuited to her furnaces snd machinery rendered her incapable of making more than half her usual speed, and left behind her a dense volume of black smoke, by which she was followed and captured. So obviously is her loss attributal)le to the unwarranted seizure of her coal, that I trust you will mem- orialize for compensation. The unwise policy of making our only remaining sea-port a resort for our cruizers, cannot be too strongly condemned. It has doubled the stringencj' of the blockade, has already caused ihe loss of many valuable steamers, and will ulti- mately p'ovoke the utmost efforts of the enemy to capture Wilming- ton, 't is no exaggeration to say that the Advance alone, in solid benefits, has been worth more to our government than all the crui- zers we have ever had afloat. Why it should be the policy of our governmeat to compel the State to quit the importati^^n of supplies for the common benefit, and then pursue a course with our armed vessels, so well calculated to crush ail importations whatever, is to me inexplicably strange." Captain Pinkney, C. S. N , in command of Naval forces at Wil- mington, and under whose directions coals were obtained for the Tallahassee and Chickamauga, forwards the following report on the subject: Flag Officer R. F. Pinkney, Commandiag, &c. &c., " Sir: — In reply to your verbal enquiry in reference to the im- pressment of coal on this station, for the use of C. S cruizers that have recently sailed from this port, I have the honor to state that not one particle of coal was taken from the steamer Advance, nor oue pound iaipiLofccU lu v\.iicn the Slate, ur unj ol thejujiiL uiriicio of that steamer had tho slightest claim. When the steamers Lct-Her-B and Floric were bein^ lilted out, a portion of the coal necessary for the supply ol those steamers was taken from the wharf of Messrs Power, I^aw tt Co., I he agents and part owners of the Advance; but 1 was distinctly informed by a member of that firm that this coal belonged to three diQcrent steailiers, not then in port. To one of these steamers I had lent about twenty tons of N. C. coal to be returned in English coal, and the quantity taken from her just salisfied my claim. The other two steamers, as 1 have said, were not then in port, awd the coal that belonged to them was lay- ing there waiting tlieir return It ia now alledged by the agents of the Advajicc that us they )iad control of this coal it might have been available for the Advance, if the government had not impress- ed it- This, liowever, is a mere probability, as other steamers be- longing to this lirm might, in the moan time, have come in short of fuel, to which this coal would have undoubtedly have been given. At any rate, it did not belong to the Advance, nor was it retained for her exclusive use, and its being apj.«ropriated to her use depend- ed upon a mere contingency — namely, her not being preceded into port by other vessels with an insufficiency of coal for their out ward voyage. It will, then, be seen that the extraordinary state- ment ventured upon by Governor Vance in his late annual message, that the loss of the Advance is attributaltle solely to the impress ment of coal by the Confederate States Government has very little foundation in fact. Very reppectfully, your obedient servant. J. A. WILLARD, Naval Coal Agent. Forwarded by R F. Pinkney, Capt, &c." You will perceive from this report that your statement as to coals taken from or belonging to the Advance was an error. 1 deem it proper to advert particularly to the following paragraphs of your message : " These cruizers sally forth, with coal seized I'rom steamers engaged in bringing supplies of vital importance, thus ensuring their capture, destroy a few insigniticant smacks, which only serve to irritate the enemy, and then steam back to Wilming- ton to seize more coal, bringing down upon the inlets a new swarna of the enemy's gunboats." It is not my purpose to dineuss questions of policy, but simply to correct errors of fact, and I deem it unnecessary here to express an opinion upon tho views which your letter presents relative to tho use made of the port of Wilmington by ( lonfederato cruizers. Nor in reference to your remark as to the " course of tiie government with our armed vessels so well caluhated to crush all importations whatsoever;" is it necessary to say more than that the number of vessels engaged in the blockade trade of Wilmington was never greater than at present. It is proper to apprise you that no inloriuation of the loss of any steamer resulting from the impressment of her coals, other than that presented in your message has ever reached this Department, nor have I any reason to believe that any vessel was ever lost from the cause stated in the foregoing statement. Under the orders of this Department but one days' fuel could be taken from any steam- er, and the North Carolina coal substituted for the quantity thus taken, could be luirned at night without disadvantage or daager from its smoke. To enable you to correct so much of your statements as limits the captures made by the Tallahassee and Chickamauga, from which you will perceive that those captures were not only more important than is consistent with your statement, Init that nineteen out of the forty-six, were square-rigged vessels. 1 have the honor to be, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, S. R. MALLORY, Secretary of the Navy. LIST OF VESSELS CAPTURED by the Confederate Slates Steamer Tallahaseee, under command of Commander John Tay- lor Wood, C. S. Navy. Date vf Capture. Names of Veisel*. Tannage. Disposition. 1S64. August 11 . S.hooiRi- Sarah A. Bayce. ysi so-o,-) Scuttled. H I. Tilot Boat .Tas. Kunk, l-.'O 91-95 Burnt. •» 1 1 Hrig Carrie Kstell, '24S T5-S5 '1 U 11 Uarnuc Uay .state, Itiit 47-9.-) 1. •• it Brig A. Richards, 274 30-95 11 t( •' Schooner Carrall, Bonded. «l 11 I'ilot Boat Wm. Bell. Burnt. 13 Schooner Atlantic, V<6 27-95 <( I' Ship Ailrlatic, 989 22-96 II (< II Barque Snlialc, Bonded. •I »• Schooner Spolsane, 126 3-9.-. Burnt. 11 11 Brig Billow, 173 :Jl-95 Scutlleil. 11 11 ScUooner R«bt. E. Packer, 222 Bonded. " 1:5 Barque Olenaron, 7S9 3-05 Scuttled. 11 li Schooner Lammot Dupont, 194 U9.-. Burnt. " 14 Ship .las. I.ittlefleld, M7 Scuttled. 15 Schooner Mary A. Hawes, «1 it 11 " Howard, 147 (59-95 11 i( 11 '• Floral wreath. 5-i 11-95 11 Ci 11 " Sarah B. llarrig. B .nded. ({ u " Restless, 49 45-95 ScutUid. 11 II Etta Caroline, ."59 23-95 '< Iti Barque 1*. C. Alexander, 2S.". Burut. (1 «l Schooner Leopard, 73 93-9.5 1( II rcarl. 41 fi(;-95 11 11 II " Sarah Louisa. 81 &.9S 11 •! •' Magnolia, 35 23-95 It 17 " North America, S2 47-95 Scutlled. 11 tl Brig Neva, 28« Bonded. il CI Schooner Aehon, 1-23 1 Burnt. II 11 " Diadem, Released- li 11 " U. Ellis, 1 11 •« 2(1 Brig Roan, 127 47-05 1 Burnt. 1 KECAPITULATION. Burnt, 16 Scuttled, 10 Bonded, 5 Released,. 2 33 LIST OF VESSELS CAPTURED by Confederate States steamer Olustu, (Tallahasee) Lieut- commanding W. H. Ward. Date. Name. Tonnage. Disposition. Barque Empress Theresa, Schooner A.J. Bird, " E. F. Lewis, " Napor, Biig L. D. Wagner, Ship Arcole. 183 119 mo G63 Burnt. Scuttled. u LIST OF VESSELS CAPTURED by the Confederate States Steamer Chickamauga, under command of Lieut. John Wilkinson, C. S. Navy. Dale of e.ipture. Name of Vessels. Tonnage. .•«9 2.'!7 ill ;!3j Disposition. ISM. October oil. " ;ti " ;:i Nov. 1 I B.arciue Mark L. Pnlter, " Emma L. Ilall, i^hip Shooting Star, llarqiie .iJbloii Liucoln, Schooner (io(l3|ieeil, •' Otter Iljcfc, Barque Spe« Kalcigli.Jan. 8.1, 18(55. ) Hon. S. R. Mau.ory, Secretary oC tl!e Navy, Rielmioinl, Va., Sjk:— Your letter of the 2S!li ult.., with encluMircs, relative to tlic loss of the steaiDCr Advance, has hren receive). , You do me no more than justice in expiesffinjr your coiifid Richmond, Va., .Ian. 28, 18G5. ) His Excelkncy Z. B. Vance. Governor of North Carolina, Raleigh, N. C, Sir : — I regret that the pressure of public business and my serious indi.'^position have delayed a response to your letter of the 3d inst. The distinct question at is.^ue between us was raised by the state- ment of your message in reference to the Advance, *' that the seiz- ure of her foreign coals for the Tallahassee, compelling her to put to sea with Xorth Carolina coals," was the cause of her loss. This question I distinctly met in my previous communication and 1 desire to adhere to it. You will pardon me, t'^erefore, for decli- ning the discussion upon other points which you raise as to whether the Advance bad gold on freight, &c., and which are unnecessary to the determination of the single question of fact. In reference to your allusions 1o an anonymous article published in the Sentinel " said to have been written under the auspices of the Navy Department,'' and to your statement that " from this it will seem that in order to convict me «you) of venturing upon an ex- traordinary statement, some parties connected with the X'avy De- partment have ventured upon a rather ordinary one,' it is only ne- cessary to say that they are not only irrelevant but erroneous and that the article in question was neither written under the auspices nor with the knowledge of this Department. 10 Tlie policy of tlic government in regard to its cruizers and the commerce of Wilmington, the influence of this policy upon tlie en- emv to attack Fort Fisher, and the comparative value of a single carffo of bacon and a certain nun^ber of the enemy's ships destroy- ed at sea, all touched upon in your letter, invite discui^sion. but as their investigation would thr- w no light whatever upon the ques- tions of fact at is?ue I refr:iin from further reference to them. Your statement was : " 1 his noble vessel, the pride of the State and benefactor of our soldiers and people, was captured by the ene- m} after she had successfully made her vaj through the blockading squadron, in consequence of the seizure of her foreign coals for the use of the cruizer Tallahassee, compelling her to proceed to sea with North Carolina coal." The obvious inference from this lang-uage is, that not only were coals taken from the Advance for the 'iallahassee, but that they were so taken when the Advance was about to " put to sea," com- pelling her to proceed to sea with North Carolina coal; and it was to correct a statement which I supposed had been entered upon un- advisedly that I furnished you with the formal report of the Coal Agent of this department at Vv ilmington niade to Capt. Pinkney, the chief Naval officer in command there, that not only had no coal been taken from the Advance for the Tallahassee, but that when coals were taken for the Florie and Let-Her-B, a portion of which as alleged by Mr. Harris, was subsequently transferred to the Tal- lahassee, and to which coals your statement refers, the Advance was not in the port of Wilraingten. The coal agent says, " that not one particle of coal was taken from the steamer Advance nor one pound impressed to which the State, or any of the joint owners of that steamer, had the slightest claim. Subsequent to the date of my former communication, the follow- ing dispatch was received from Capt. Pinkney : " Wilmington, Dec. 29, 1864. Hon. S. K. Mallory : No coal was taken from the Advance, nor any belonging to her for the Tallahassee or any other vessel. I sent a report to this effect from the coal agent some time ago. (Signed) • R. F. PINKNEY, Commanding, teanier Tallahassee." (Signed) GEO. HARRIS. This certificate shows that Mr. Willard, the Naval Coal Agent, stated that the coal taken in July last from Power. Low