civm000005p0222 |
Previous | 261 of 534 | Next |
|
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
|
This page
All
|
Loading content ...
222 The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861.
About this time new ideas matured in St. Louis which very soon
should materially aid the success of the Union armies. Years back,
a boy came to St. Louis from Indiana, whose family, on account
of sickness of the father, got into very straightened circumstances,
which the enterprising lad helped to relieve by selling apples on
the streets. This boy was James B. Eads, a mechanical genius and in
1861 a successful merchant, boatbuilder and leading spirit in the
St. Louis Wrecking Company. Captain Eads suggested the arming
of vessels for military service on the Mississippi and its tributaries.
Missouri's great lawyer, Edward C. Bates, of Lincoln's Cabinet, be-
came a most energetic supporter of the proposition, and with Eads
and John Rodgers of the navy, laid the plans for the Mosquito fleet
and the gunboats. The steamers "Conestoga," "Taylor" and "Lex-
ington" were put in "commission," at first with a protection for mus-
ket balls only, but seven better protected vessels were to be constructed
at the Marine Railway in Carondelet and at Mound City, Ill. These
vessels should soon carry their thunder to Fort Donelson, Shiloh and
Memphis, and light up the darkening shades of Vicksburg while
passing its water batteries in the gloom of night. They were a most
forcible argument in favor of free labor.
The bold conception of these gunboats was only surpassed by
the skill and promptness of their construction. Nearly all of them
were built within a hundred days and delivered near contract time.
They were 175 feet long, 50 feet beam, 6 feet depth of hold in the
clear, and drew 5 feet of water. and their speed was nine miles an
hour. The sides were slanting outward from the bottom of the boat
to the water line at an angle of 45 degrees, and from the water line
the sides receded back at the same angle, forming a casemate of
twelve feet above deck. The hulls were made of wood, bottom five-
inch plank, sides four-inch plank and sheathed with two and one-
half-inch iron. The boats were bulkheaded into compartments to
prevent their sinking when pierced by cannon balls. The gundeck
was about one foot above water and the vessels were pierced to carry
thirteen heavy guns, namely, three nine-inch guns in the bow, four
small ones on each side, and two smaller ones astern. The slanting
casemate extended across the hull near the bow and stern, forming a
quadrilateral.
The first gunboat was launched October 12 from the Eads yards
and was called "St. Louis," but the name was changed to "De Kalb"
by the War Department, as there was another commissioned ves-
Object Description
| Title | The Union cause in St. Louis in 1861, an historical sketch |
| Author | Rombauer, Robert J. (Robert Julius), 1830-1925 |
| Subject.LCSH |
Missouri -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Saint Louis (Mo.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories Missouri -- Militia |
| Coverage | United State -- Missouri |
| Source |
475 p. : front., illus. (maps, plans) pl., ports. ; 24 cm. St. Louis, Mo. : Press of Nixon-Jones prtg. co., 1909 |
| Language | English |
| Date.Original | 1909 |
| Date.Digital | 2004? |
| Type |
Books and pamphlets |
| Format | JPEG |
| Collection Name | Civil War in Missouri - Monographs |
| Editorial Note | All blank pages have been eliminated |
| Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Digital Library Production Services |
| Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact contributing institution for information. |
| Contributing Institution |
University of Missouri--Columbia. Libraries |
| Copy Request | Contact Ellis Library Special Collection, University of Missouri - Columbia at (573) 882-0076 or email: SpecialCollections@missouri.edu |
Description
| Title | civm000005p0222 |
| Description | 222 The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861. About this time new ideas matured in St. Louis which very soon should materially aid the success of the Union armies. Years back, a boy came to St. Louis from Indiana, whose family, on account of sickness of the father, got into very straightened circumstances, which the enterprising lad helped to relieve by selling apples on the streets. This boy was James B. Eads, a mechanical genius and in 1861 a successful merchant, boatbuilder and leading spirit in the St. Louis Wrecking Company. Captain Eads suggested the arming of vessels for military service on the Mississippi and its tributaries. Missouri's great lawyer, Edward C. Bates, of Lincoln's Cabinet, be- came a most energetic supporter of the proposition, and with Eads and John Rodgers of the navy, laid the plans for the Mosquito fleet and the gunboats. The steamers "Conestoga," "Taylor" and "Lex- ington" were put in "commission," at first with a protection for mus- ket balls only, but seven better protected vessels were to be constructed at the Marine Railway in Carondelet and at Mound City, Ill. These vessels should soon carry their thunder to Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Memphis, and light up the darkening shades of Vicksburg while passing its water batteries in the gloom of night. They were a most forcible argument in favor of free labor. The bold conception of these gunboats was only surpassed by the skill and promptness of their construction. Nearly all of them were built within a hundred days and delivered near contract time. They were 175 feet long, 50 feet beam, 6 feet depth of hold in the clear, and drew 5 feet of water. and their speed was nine miles an hour. The sides were slanting outward from the bottom of the boat to the water line at an angle of 45 degrees, and from the water line the sides receded back at the same angle, forming a casemate of twelve feet above deck. The hulls were made of wood, bottom five- inch plank, sides four-inch plank and sheathed with two and one- half-inch iron. The boats were bulkheaded into compartments to prevent their sinking when pierced by cannon balls. The gundeck was about one foot above water and the vessels were pierced to carry thirteen heavy guns, namely, three nine-inch guns in the bow, four small ones on each side, and two smaller ones astern. The slanting casemate extended across the hull near the bow and stern, forming a quadrilateral. The first gunboat was launched October 12 from the Eads yards and was called "St. Louis," but the name was changed to "De Kalb" by the War Department, as there was another commissioned ves- |
| Source | The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861 |
| Type | Books and monographs |
| Format | JPEG |
| Identifier | civm000005p0222.jpg |
| Collection Name | Civil War in Missouri - Monographs |
| Editorial Note | All blank pages have been eliminated |
| Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Digital Library Production Services |
| Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact koppk@umsystem.edu for more information. |
| Copy Request | Contact Ellis Library special collection at: SpecialCollections@missouri.edu |
