James Iredell Waddell
James Iredell Waddell | |
---|---|
Born | Pittsboro, North Carolina | July 3, 1824
Died | March 15, 1886 Annapolis, Maryland | (aged 61)
Buried | |
Allegiance | |
Service/ | |
Years of service | 1841–1861 (USN) 1862–1865 (CSN) |
Rank | Lieutenant (USN) Commander (CSN) |
Commands held | CSS Shenandoah |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
James Iredell Waddell (July 3, 1824 – March 15, 1886) was an officer in the United States Navy and later in the Confederate States Navy.
During the American Civil War, Waddell took command of the CSS Shenandoah, which he used to sail around the globe and launch raids against the U.S. Navy. It was not until August 1865 that he learned the war had ended. He eventually surrendered his vessel to British authorities in Liverpool on November 6, marking the last official surrender of the Civil War.
Early life and career
Waddell was born in
American Civil War
In March 1862, Waddell was appointed a Lieutenant in the
That opportunity finally arrived in October 1864 at sea in the central
On June 27, 1865, he learned from a prize, the Susan & Abigail, that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia. Her captain produced a San Francisco newspaper reporting the flight from Richmond, Virginia, of the Confederate Government 10 weeks previously. However, the newspaper also contained Confederate President Jefferson Davis's proclamation that the "war would be carried on with re-newed vigor".[1] Waddell then captured 10 more whalers in the space of 7 hours just below the Arctic Circle.
On August 3, 1865, Waddell finally learned of the war's end when he met at sea the Liverpool barque Barracouta, which was bound for San Francisco.[2] He received the news of the surrender of General Joseph E. Johnston's army on April 26, Kirby Smith's army's surrender on May 26, and crucially the capture of President Davis and a part of his cabinet. Captain Waddell then knew that the war was over.[1]
Waddell lowered his Confederate flag, and the CSS Shenandoah underwent physical alteration. Her guns were dismounted and stored below deck, and her hull was painted to look like an ordinary merchant vessel.[3]
Captain Waddell presided over the last official lowering of the Confederate flag when he surrendered the CSS Shenandoah to Captain Paynter of HMS Donegal on November 6, 1865, in mid-river on the River Mersey at Liverpool. The banner was lowered in front of the crew and of a Royal Navy detachment who had boarded the vessel - this marked the last surrender of the American Civil War. The very last act of the Civil War involved Captain Waddell walking up the steps of Liverpool Town Hall with a letter to present to the Mayor of Liverpool surrendering his vessel to the British government.[4]
Later life
Waddell did not return to the United States until 1870, regulation force.
He died at Annapolis, Maryland on March 15, 1886, and was buried at St. Anne's Cemetery in Annapolis.
Namesake
The
See also
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- ^ a b LAST CONFEDERATE CRUISER by CORNELIUS E. HUNT one of her officers. 267
- ^ "Surrender of the Shenandoah". Archived from the original on 2014-04-13.
- OCLC 255822065.
- ^ "Surrender of the Shenandoah". Liverpool Mercury. When Liverpool was Dixie. 7 November 1865. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ 1870 U.S. Federal Census,Maryland,Anne Arundel City, Annapolis
Further reading
- Stern, Philip Van Doren (1962). The Confederate Navy. Doubleday & Company, Inc.
External links
- James Iredell Waddell at Find a Grave
- Chaffin, Tom (2006). Sea of Gray: The-Around-The-World Odyssey of the Confederate Raider Shenandoah. Hill and Wang. ISBN 9780809085040.
- James I. Waddell Diary, 1863-1864 MS 144 and Ann Sellman Iglehart Waddell Scrapbooks, 1842-1949 MS 8 held by Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy