Charles Read (naval officer)
Charles Read | |
---|---|
Birth name | Charles William Read |
Nickname(s) | "Savez" |
Born | Satartia, Mississippi, U.S. | May 12, 1840
Died | January 25, 1890 Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. | (aged 49)
Buried | Rose Hill Cemetery, Meridian, Mississippi, U.S. |
Allegiance | United States Confederate States Colombia Peru |
Branch | United States Navy Confederate States Navy Colombian Navy Peruvian Navy |
Years of service | 1860–1861 (U.S.) 1861–1865 (C.S.) |
Rank | Midshipman (U.S.) Lieutenant (C.S.) |
Commands held | CSS McRae CSS Arkansas CSS Florida CSS Clarence CSS Tacony CSS Archer CSS Scorpion CSS Webb |
Battles |
Charles William Read (May 12, 1840 – January 25, 1890), known commonly as "Savez", was an officer in the
Early life and career
Charles William Read was born in Satartia, Mississippi in 1840.[1] He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1856 and graduated in 1860. He served briefly aboard USS Powhatan after graduation.
American Civil War
At the outbreak of the
Read then served as executive officer of the CSS Arkansas during its actions against a blockading fleet of over 30 ships on the Mississippi River near Vicksburg, Mississippi on 13 July 1862. Read served as acting commander of the Arkansas during her final battle supporting the Confederate Army assaulting Baton Rouge, Louisiana on 6 August 1862. After the sinking of the Arkansas, Read travelled by foot to Port Hudson, Louisiana and assisted with the emplacement of shore guns there.
Read was soon ordered to Mobile, Alabama and was assigned to the CSS Florida which set sail on 15 January 1863. He transferred to the CSS Clarence, a captured prize of the Florida, and set out on his own. During this raiding mission, which lasted from 6 June 1863 to 27 June 1863, Read transferred his command to prize vessels twice more, once to the CSS Tacony and finally to the CSS Archer.[3]
At the end of the raid, Lieutenant Read had captured or destroyed twenty-two United States vessels. He and his crew were captured off Portland, Maine on June 27, 1863, while attempting to take the USRC Caleb Cushing. Read was held at Fort Warren, Massachusetts, until he was exchanged at Cox Wharf, Virginia, on October 18, 1864.[2]
After his release, Read participated in naval and land operations on the
Later life
In 1867, Read was second officer aboard a ship involved in an effort to help Cuban rebels overthrow the Spanish government of the island. Read and others were arrested by the US government but were quickly released.
He was later hired by Charles Flynt to train Peru in the use of torpedoes. Read was commissioned as an Commander in the Peruvian Navy and much like John Randolph Tucker, received disdain from within the Peruvian Navy due to their jealousy of a foreigner being hired in a position of command.[4]
Read earned his nickname "Savvy" or "Savez" due to his constant use of the term.
Charles Read died on January 25, 1890, in Meridian, Mississippi, and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery.[5]
See also
References
- ISBN 9781574092073.
- ^ ISBN 0-8488-0011-7.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link - ^ Phil Leigh. Charles Read's Raider, The New York Times, May 10, 2013
- ^ "Lt. Charles Read". www.hmdb.org. The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
Further reading
- Campbell, R. Thomas, Sea Hawk of the Confederacy: Lt. Charles W. Read and the Confederate Navy, ISBN 1-57249-178-7
- Jones, Robert A., Confederate Corsair: The Life of Lt. Charles W. "Savez" Read, ISBN 0-8117-1532-9
- Shaw, David W., Sea Wolf of the Confederacy: The Daring Civil War Raids of Naval Lt. Charles W. Read