Federal Naval Blockade Letter Group

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/31/2006

Group of six letters by Charles H. Tillighust, United States Navy Masters Mate, from May 1862 through February 1863, while on board the “U.S. Steamer ‘Tahoma’” performing blockade duty off the coast of Florida. All letters are multipaged with one being folio and the others quarto, they read in part: “...[5/4-14/62 off Cedar Keys]We are still at our old station, blockading ‘Cedar Keys’ which is getting rather dull...not having any fighting to do, nor taking any prizes...very little excitement ensues on board of ‘Uncle Sams’ renowned Gun Boat ‘Tahoma.’...[more on movements of various ships around him]...[7/29/62 Key West] while laying on the Blockade, it is seldom a mail arrives...a sail was reported by the lookout...we could see the loom of cotton bales on her decks...When she was about a mile off, we fired a shot across her bow...sent a boat to her and set the ‘Stars and Stripes’ at her...We put a prize crew on board...She cleared under Confederate colors and papers from “Matagorda bay’ Texas, bound to some port in the ‘Bay of Hondorous’...[12/23/62 ‘Tampa Bay’] I see by your letter that you are having a very disagreeable time with the rising generation (alias Niggers) Well! Thats what we are fighting for now, and there is no getting over it...I am tired of fighting for such trash...spent the remainder of the day in the working the shcooner ‘Beauregard’ in the Bay and at Sundown anchored her off a Mr. Whitaker’s plantation...mounted one of her boat Howitzers in the ‘Lavench’ and the expedition left for the plantation. At 9 am landed burnt a ‘Sloop’ of about twelve tons...proceeded to his house, found him with his wife and children. He was strong Secesh, but as he did not use any rash expressions, we done him no harm...I wouldn’t have you think that we stole the oragnes, no! we confiscated them. Thats the way we do business in ‘Florida.’ We keep standing accounts with each other...[1/9/63 Tampa Bay] on the 8th inst. saw a sail off Manitee river, got underway and gave chase...She was a small sloop named the ‘Silas Henry’ cotton loaded. it seems that she came down from “Tampa’ the night previous with intentions of running the blockade and run ashore and as daylight came on before they had a chance to get her off the Rebels set fire to her and went ashore. We managed to save the hull and cotton in a damaged state, towed the wreck off the shoal and discharged the cotton on ‘Egmont Key’...last night the crew managed to get some liquor...and fighting, swearing & c was the order of the night, since ten or twelve were put in double irons and will have to pay pretty dearly for their nights ‘spree.’...[2/10/63 ‘At Sea’] Pasengers appeared to be much alarmed for fear the Rebel Privateer (290) would overtake them. It was rumored in ‘Key West’ the day we left that the 290 had been in sight of the fort, and had sent a challenge to the U.S. Stem’r Jacinto...[2/26/63 Tampa Bay] We have made our third cruise and captured another Prize. She is a schooner of some sixty tons burden named the ‘Stonewall’ We captured her on the 20th inst. about four miles up a creek some ninety odd miles to the Sd. & Ed. of Tamp bay. She was laying to an anchor under the cover of a group of trees with bushes lashed to her masteads as a disguise. She had no cargo on board no no person there to molest us in our proceedings. We took possession of her, ...” More. Fine. A nice collection of U.S. naval letters during blockading duty in Florida.

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