The CSS ''Tallahassee'' was a twin-screw steamer and

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

in the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

, purchased in 1864, and used for commerce raiding off the Atlantic coast. She later operated under the names CSS ''Olustee'' and CSS ''Chameleon''.

History

The iron Confederate cruiser ''Tallahassee'' was named after the Confederate state capital of Tallahassee in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and was built on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

by J & W Dudgeon of Cubitt Town,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

for London, Chatham & Dover Rly. Co. to the design of Capt. T. E. Symonds,

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, ostensibly for the Chinese

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

trade. She was previously the

blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usua ...

''Atalanta'' and made the

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

crossing in 77 minutes on an even keel. She had made several blockade runs between

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

and Wilmington, N.C. before the Confederates bought her. CSS Tallahassee

After the ''Tallahassee'' was commissioned and prepared for sea she was placed under Commander John Taylor Wood, CSN. Wood was a grandson of President

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

and a nephew of

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

, who at the time was President of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

. The officers and crew were all volunteers from the Confederate gunboats on the

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

and North Carolina waters. The ''Tallahassee'' went through the blockade on 6 August 1864 from her home port of Wilmington,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Her first day out, four cruisers chased the ''Tallahassee'' without incident. She made a 19-day raid off the Atlantic coast as far north as

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. The ''Tallahassee'' destroyed 26 vessels and captured 7 others that were bonded or released. Wood sailed the ''Tallahassee'' into

Halifax Harbour Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural har ...

on 18 August to take on bunker

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

and water. Neutrality laws limited her stay in Halifax to 24 hours. ''Tallahassee'' was granted an extra 12 hours to fix a broken mast but was only allowed to load enough coal to take her to the nearest Confederate port. Two Federal war ships, the USS ''Nansemond'' and , were rumoured to be waiting for the ''Tallahassee'' at the harbour entrance. Wood hired legendary Halifax

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

John "Jock" Flemming, who guided the warship through the narrow and shallow Eastern Passage between Dartmouth and Lawlor Island, a route only suited for small fishing vessels. ''Tallahassee'' succeeded in negotiating the passage out of the harbour, although no Northern warships were in fact waiting. The first Northern warship, the gunboat USS ''Pontoosuc'', arrived at the harbour entrance several hours after the Confederate cruiser departed. Being unable to procure enough coal to continue, Wood was forced to return to Wilmington where he arrived safely on 26 August.

Prizes

#The

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

''Sarah A. Boice'' of Great Egg Harbor, N.J.; A.S. Adams, master; 381 tons. Her crew and their personal effects were brought on board, and she was

scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...

. The ''Boice'' failed to sink, however, presumably because she was in ballast. She came ashore at Fire Island Inlet on Long Island, where she was salvaged and was reclaimed by her owners (after being ransacked by her "salvors", resulting in litigation) and was put back into service. #The pilot-boat schooner '' James Funk'', No. 22 of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

; Robert Yates, master; 120 tons. Was turned into a tender of the ''Tallahassee'' using 20 of the ''Tallahassee's'' crew. #The

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

''Bay State'' of Boston; Thomas Sparrow, master; bound from Alexandria to New York, with wood; 199 tons; burned. #The

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Ol ...

''Carrie Estelle'' of Grand Manan, New Brunswick; Mark Thurlow, master; bound from Grand Manan to New York, with logs; 248 tons; burned. #The brigantine ''A. Richards'' of Boston; Charles Dunovant, master; from Glace Bay, Cape Breton Island to New York, with coal; 274 tons; burned. #The schooner ''Carroll'' of East Machias, Maine; ____ Sprague, master; ___ tons; taken by the ''Tallahassee's'' tender ''James Funk''; bonded in the sum of $10,000 and released. #The pilot-boat schooner '' William Bell, No. 24'' of New York; James Callahan, master; 123 tons; burned. #The

packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed mainly for domestic mail and freight transport in European countries and in North American rivers and canals. Eventually including basic passenger accommodation, they were used extensively during t ...

''Adriatic'' of New York, from

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to New York, with emigrants; 989 tons; burned. During the seizure, the ''Tallahassee'' collided with her losing her main mast. #The bark ''Glenavon'' of Thomaston,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

; James Watt, master; from Greenock, Scotland, to New York; 789 tons; scuttled. #The ship ''James Littlefield'' of Bangor,

; H.N. Bartlett, master; from Cardiff, Wales, to New York, with coal; 547 tons; scuttled. #The schooner ''Atlantic'' of Addison, Maine; P.W. Look, master; from Addison to New York; 156 tons; burned. #The schooner ''Spokane'' of Fremont, ?; C.H. Sayer, master; from Calais, Maine to New York, with lumber; 126 tons; burned. #The schooner ''Billow'' of Salem, Mass.; M.A. Reed, master; from Calais, Maine to New York, with lumber; 173 tons; scuttled. #The bark ''Suilote''; (no other information given); bonded and released. #The schooner ''Robert E. Packer'' of Bath, Maine; Joseph E. Marston, master; from Baltimore to Richmond, Maine, with lumber; 222 tons; burned. #The schooner ''Lamont Du Pont'' of Wilmington, Del.; L. C. Corson, master; from Cow Bay. Cape Breton Island, to New York, with coal; 194 tons; burned. #The bark ''P.C. Alexander'' of Harpswell, Maine; A.B. Merryman, master; from New York to Pictou, Nova Scotia in ballast; 283 tons; burned. #The brig ''Neva'', of East Machias, Maine; E.J. Tolbert, master; from Lingan, Nova Scotia, to New York, with coal; 286 tons; bonded in the sum of $17,500 and loaded with prisoners from the previous captures. #The brig ''Roan'', of ?; C.E. Phillips, master; sailing to Cape Breton Island in ballast; 127 tons; burned. #14 small schooners ranging from 39 tons to 148 tons, sunk.

Renaming

CSS ''Olustee''

The ''Tallahassee'' was renamed CSS ''Olustee'' after the

Battle of Olustee The Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond, was fought in Baker County, Florida, on February 20, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the largest battle fought in Florida during the war. Union General Truman Seymour had landed troo ...

in northern Florida and placed under the command of Lt. W. H. Ward, CSN. The ''Olustee'' ran through the blockade off Wilmington again on 29 October 1864 but suffered some damage from Federal guns. She captured and destroyed six ships off the Cape of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

before having to return for coal. She stopped attempts by USS ''Sassacus'' to capture her on 6 November 1864 and by four other United States ships on 7 November 1864 finally passing into the safety of Wilmington harbor.

CSS ''Chameleon''

The ''Olustee'' was renamed the CSS ''Chameleon'' with Lt. John Wilkinson (CSN) commanding. The battery had been removed and she ran through the Union blockade on 24 December 1864 while the United States fleet was preoccupied with bombarding Fort Fisher. The ''Chameleon'' proceeded to

to obtain provisions for the Confederate army. Wilkinson made two attempts to enter one of the southern ports, but finding it impossible, he took ''Chameleon'' to Liverpool, England, and turned her over to Comdr. J. D. Bullock, CSN, financial agent of the Confederate Navy Department. On her arrival in England on 9 April 1865 the ''Chameleon'' was seized and sold by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

authorities and was about to enter the merchant service when the United States instituted suit for possession. She was awarded to the United States Government and handed over to the consul at Liverpool on 26 April 1866. ''Chameleon'' was sold at

auction An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...

on orders from the consul on 14 June 1866. She sold for £6,400. On 21 July 1869,

telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

s were received at New York stating that she had been wrecked near

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

with the loss of 22 lives.

Legacy

In 1958, a new school in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, near Lawlor Island, was named after the ''Tallahassee'' to commemorate Flemming's 1864 navigational feat. After a replacement school with the same name was built in 1992, the name grew controversial due to the Confederacy's support of slavery. Following several community meetings, the Tallahassee Community School was renamed Horizon Elementary School in 2021.

References

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
*

External links

CSS Tallahassee
The Confederate Naval Historical Society ~ 4 – Newsletter Number Six, February 1991 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tallahassee Cruisers of the Confederate States Navy Ships built in Cubitt Town Culture of Tallahassee, Florida 1860s ships Military history of Nova Scotia Maritime incidents in July 1869