By J.
T. Headley
Comprising the early life and
public services of the prominent naval commanders who, with Grant and Sherman
and their generals, brought to a triumphant close the great rebellion of
1861-1865. (First edition 1867)
(Return to table of contents of this book)
CHAPTER
XXV
REAR-ADMIRAL
JAMES S. PALMER
HIS
NATIVITY—ENTERS THE NAVY—LENGTH OF SEA-SERVICE—AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR
SENT IN THE IROQUOIS IN SEARCH OF THE PRIVATEER SUMTER—BLOCKADES HER IN THE
HARBOR OF ST. PIERRE—HER ESCAPE—CONDEMNATION OF PALMER—HIS
VINDICATION—JOINS FARRAGUT ABOVE NEW ORLEANS—DEMANDS THE SURRENDER OF BATON
ROUGE—OF NATCHES—LEADS THE LINE IN PASSING VICKSBURG—COMMANDS THE FLAGSHIP
IN THE PASSAGE OF PORT HUDSON—COMMANDS THE WEST GULF BLOCKADING
SQUADRON—WITH ADMIRAL THATCHER IN THE CAPTURE OF MOBILE—HIGHLY COMPLIMENTARY
LETTER OF THE LATTER.
Admiral Palmer is a native of
New Jersey, from which State he entered the Navy, the 1st of January, 1825.
Between this date and the breaking out of the war, he saw nearly twelve years of
sea service—was engaged on shore duty about five, and was unemployed between
eighteen and nineteen years. Altogether, he had been about thirty-six years in
the service.
Soon after the commencement of
hostilities, the Confederate Government sent the privateer Sumter to sea, to
prey on our commerce, when Palmer, in the Iroquois,
was dispatched in search of her. His cruise was a fruitless one; and constantly
led astray by false reports, he had almost begun to despair of stopping her
depredations; when, in the fall of 1861, while coaling in St. Thomas, he heard
that she had just put into Port Royal, Martinique. This time the information
came so direct, that he gave it full credence, and immediately ceased
coaling—got his engines together, and started off for Martinique—arriving in
St. Pierre in thirty-six hours. As he turned into the harbor, he saw a
suspicious looking steamer moored to the wharf, which, on nearer approach,
proved to be the notorious Sumter, boldly flying the secession flag. His arrival
threw the town and shipping into the greatest excitement; for it was not certain
that Palmer would not attack this bold rover even in a neutral port. This,
however, he could not well have done, had he been so inclined, without firing
into the houses of the inhabitants. But fearing that she might slip out under
cover of darkness, Palmer cruised around the harbor all night, never going more
than half gunshot from her.
In the morning, a French
man-of-war came round from Port Royal, the seat of government, some twelve miles
distant. The Sumter had been there for
two days, and although the government had refused to give her any coal, allowed
her to come around to St. Pierre, where she easily obtained it from some English
merchants. Palmer said "she had evidently been received with courtesy at
the seat of government, and this farce of the non-recognition of the Confederate
flag is played out in both France and England." He at once addressed a note
to the governor, in which he said: "As your Excellency cannot be aware of
the character of this vessel, I denounce her to you as one who has been, for
some time, engaged in pirating upon the commerce of the United States, robbing,
burning, and otherwise destroying all American vessels that come within her
reach. May I not hope, therefore, that your Excellency, upon this
representation, will not allow her to enjoy the privileges I complain of, but
direct her to leave the protection of the French flag, and the immunities of the
French port."
To this the governor replied
that he could not depart from strict neutrality. The captain of the French war
steamer also addressed Palmer a note, in which he said that he had been
requested by the governor to ask him not to compromise the neutrality of the
French waters by establishing a blockade within their jurisdiction, but come to
anchor, when every hospitality and facility would be afforded him, or else take
up his position a marine league from shore. He decided to anchor, when the
French commander visited him, and after the usual exhibitions of national
courtesy, politely called his attention to the law of nations that one
belligerent could not depart till twenty-four hours after the other had sailed.
Suspecting that the Sumter,
aware of this fact, was about to slip away, as her steam was up, he immediately
weighed anchor and put to sea until he had reached the marine league, when he
hove to. He passed the night in much anxiety, fearing that in the darkness and
under cover of the high land, the Sumter
would escape. He knew the people of the town generally sympathized with the
rebel craft, and hence he need expect no aid or information from them. Besides,
where he lay was almost an open roadstead fifteen miles wide, while the
surrounding land was very high, with bold shores. He needed at least two more
steamers to keep watch and ward over the rebel cruiser. Although the nights were
moonlight, he knew she could steal out under shadow of the land in spite of him.
It was a very disagreeable position to be placed in; for, while painfully
conscious it would be almost impossible to prevent her escape; he was also aware
that it would be equally impossible to convince his countrymen that he was not
to blame if she did. He thus lay off for nine days, waiting for her to put to
sea, while she all the time lay moored to the wharf surrounded by sympathizing
crowds, who wished her to escape.
At length, on the 23d of
November, when the moonlight nights had ended, the Sumter prepared to leave.
Signals which Palmer had arranged beforehand were at once made from shore that
she was under way, and steering to the northward. He immediately steamed in that
direction, but found no Sumter. Probably, made aware of the course Palmer was
pursuing, she doubled like a hare in the chase, and shot out to sea in the
opposite direction. The next morning Palmer cruised in every direction, but the
privateer was nowhere to be seen, while it was impossible to guess whither she
had gone.
The public were irritated at
her escape, and great injustice was done Palmer for a time. The people were
impatient and unreasonable, and the Government, if not equally so, was more or
less influenced by the state of feeling, and nothing short of impossibilities
would satisfy either. Palmer was at once relieved from command of the Iroquois;
but subsequent investigation showed the injustice of the act, and that he had
done all that a wise and efficient officer could do. The next year he was given
his vessel again, and just after the passage of the batteries below New Orleans,
joined Farragut, and was sent by him up the river to demand the surrender of
Baton Rouge. He did so, but the mayor returning a pompous, ridiculous answer,
Palmer said: "I was determined to submit to no such nonsense, and
accordingly weighed anchor and steamed up almost abreast of the arsenal, landed
a force, took possession of the arsenal, barracks and other public property of
the United States, and hoisted over it our flag." From this point he
proceeded to Natchez and demanded its surrender, offering the same terms which
had been granted to Baton Rouge. But the authorities refused to receive the
communication at the landing, which conduct, Palmer said, "being rather
more dignified than wise, I instantly seized the ferryboat, then on this side,
occupied in filling herself with coal, which I intended to secure also, and
placing on board of her a force from this squadron of seamen and marines, and a
couple of howitzers, under the command of Lieutenant Harmany of this ship, sent
her across to the landing, with orders that if there were not some of the
authorities to receive my communication, he was to land his force, march up to
the town, which was about half a mile distant, with colors flying, and there
cause the mayor to receive and read my letter. But when the party had reached
the landing, they found two members of the common council, sent with an apology
from the mayor, to receive my communication. They begged that the force should
not be landed, as they intended to make no resistance, and seemed disposed to
acquiesce in anything I demanded."
This settled the matter. The
next month, June, hearing that earthworks were being thrown up at Grand Gulf, he
sent down the Wissahickon and Itasca,
under command of De Camp, who had commanded the Iroquois
in the passage of the forts below New Orleans, to ascertain the fact. The latter
found there a battery of rifled guns, and five hundred artillerists to defend
it. A sharp conflict ensued, in which one vessel was hulled twenty-five times,
and the other seventeen. Palmer then dropped down abreast of the town with his
squadron, which composed the advance division of Farragut’s fleet, and shelled
the enemy out of it.
In the passage of the
batteries of Vicksburg this month, Palmer, in the Iroquois, led the line. In speaking of it, he says, in the most
business-like manner: "We so fought our way up, running close into the
town, having a raking fire from the fort above, and a plunging fire from the
batteries on the hill, together with broadsides from the cannon planted in the
streets; and, what is most strange, through all this heavy concentrated fire,
with the exception of cutting away both our mainstays, and some other immaterial
damage to the rigging, we escaped without injury. One shell burst on board of
us, scattering its fragments around, and yet no casualty occurred.
"We remained off the
upper battery until joined by the flagship, when, following your motions, we
anchored out of range. My men and officers behaved with the same coolness which,
I learn, so distinguished them in the attack on the forts below New
Orleans."
In speaking of the action,
Farragut said: "No one behaved better than Commander J. S. Palmer of the Iroquois."
When, in the following month,
Farragut determined to drop down below Vicksburg, and endeavor in his passage to
destroy the ram Arkansas, which,
coming out of the Yazoo, had boldly passed through the combined fleets, and
anchored under the batteries of the city. Palmer was again selected to lead the
line in the Iroquois. When under the
concentrated fire of the enemy, his worn-out engines suddenly stopped, and for
nearly half an hour he lay helpless under it, and had it been better directed,
would probably have sent him to the bottom. But being wild, and hence
comparatively harmless, it "very soon gave him no concern." The moment
he could get his engines in working order again, he stood up for the batteries,
thinking the flagship was above; but learning that she had passed below in the
darkness, he also dropped down and anchored beside her. The high estimation in
which Farragut held Palmer may be inferred from the fact that the next spring,
in March, when he resolved to run the terrible batteries of Port Hudson, Palmer
commanded his ship, and stood on the poop-deck by his side in the awful conflict
that followed. Farragut, in reporting it, said: "This ship moved up the
river in good style, Captain Palmer governing with excellent judgment her fire
according to circumstances, stopping when the smoke became too dense to see, and
re-opening whenever a fresh battery fired upon us; but we always silenced their
batteries when we fired."
In 1864, Palmer was commodore,
commanding at New Orleans. The next year he commanded the Western Gulf
Blockading squadron. While here, he captured and destroyed several blockade
runners. Later in the season, he cooperated with Admiral Thatcher in the
movements that resulted in the fall of Mobile. With the overthrow of this last
stronghold of the rebellion, he returned north. To show the high estimation in
which he was held by Admiral Thatcher, and the important aid he rendered him, we
quote the following highly complimentary letter of the latter to the Secretary
of the Navy:
UNITED STATES FLAGSHIP STOCKDALE,
WEST GULF SQUADRON, MOBILE,
ALA., May 8, 1865.
SIR: The Department was
informed by Commodore Palmer, under date of February 10, 1865, that he would
avail himself of the permission granted by it, to return north after the fall of
Mobile; and as he is now about to leave this squadron, I beg leave to say that
he has rendered me most efficient and untiring service throughout the attack
upon the defenses of the city, which has resulted so favorably to our arms; and
I am indebted to him for the admirable manner in which the vessels to be
employed for this service were prepared under his supervision, previous to my
arrival on the station, and I part with him with reluctance and regret.
It was the belief of the enemy
that it would be impossible for our monitors and gunboats to cross the Blakely
River bar, owing to the shallowness of the water; but should we succeed in doing
so, their hope rested in our entire destruction by the innumerable torpedoes
with which they had filled the river, combined with their marsh batteries; and
they well knew that our success in overcoming these obstacles would be fatal to
them; but by great exertions night and day, under fire, we succeeded.
Commodore Palmer commanded the
first division, consisting of the monitors and Octorara, and successfully ascended the Blakely with them, coming
down the Tensas, directly in front of the city; the remainder of the gunboats,
led by the flagship, convoying General Granger’s command, for the purpose of
making a joint attack in flank and front. These movements having been
anticipated by the enemy, led to the evacuation; and although Commodore Palmer
did not have the satisfaction of bombarding the city, he had placed himself in
position to do so effectually, had not the rebels deprived him of the
opportunity by flight.
Very respectfully, your
obedient servant,
H. K. THATCHER,
Acting Rear-Admiral, Com’dg
West Gulf Squadron.
Hon. GIDEON WELLES,
Secretary of the Navy,
Washington, D. C.
Notwithstanding the rank to
which Admiral Palmer has attained, he may, in one respect, regard himself an
unlucky man. Had fortune favored him in the commencement of the war, when he so
faithfully blockaded the Sumter, and
enabled him to catch her as she steamed out of the harbor, he would have been
promoted at once, and placed at the head of some of those expeditions in which
the leaders of them won such renown. From the bravery, resolution and ability of
the man, we may be assured that he would have won a reputation second to none.