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Old 04-18-2014, 04:41 PM
 
Location: London
4,709 posts, read 5,034,855 times
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Liverpool, England - The Home of the Confederate Fleet

During the American civil war, Liverpool was the unofficial home of the Confederate fleet.
  • The first act of the war - the first shot of the civil war was fired by a cannon made at Lydia Anne Street.
  • The very last act of the war - Captain Waddell of the CCS Shenandoah, walking up the steps of Liverpool Town Hall surrendering his vessel to the Lord Mayor, after sailing 'home' from Alaska to surrender.
On the outbreak of war the Northern Union fleet blockaded Confederate ports to prevent trade and supply of munitions of war. The Confederacy had no navy and proceeded to build one from Liverpool.

The break-away Confederacy was not recognised by the United Kingdom, with cotton importers Frazer Trenholm in Rumford Place acting as the unofficial Confederate embassy. Commander Bulloch of the Confederate Navy was based in Liverpool. He never returned to America after the conflict remaining in Liverpool for the rest of his life now laying in Toxteth Cemetery. Liverpool provided ships, crews for the ships, armaments and provisions of war of all kinds for the Confederacy. The city also provided ships for the Northern Union.

The American Civil War caused great poverty in the hinterland of Lancashire where the prime industry was cotton processing and weaving. The cotton used was mainly American with little imported, reducing the whole region to starvation levels, affecting over half a million people. Cotton was eventually sourced elsewhere, however the lead time was lengthy and never closed the gap.

The UK government was officially neutral in the dispute and never recognised the breakaway Confederacy. This entailed not supplying the means of war to the breakaway state. Liverpool ignored officialdom supplying what the Confederacy wanted - even warships and the crews to man them. Forty two blockade runners, ships to outrun the Northern Union naval blockade on Confederate ports, were built on the Mersey for the Confederacy, including the Banshee, the first steel hulled ship to cross the Atlantic. Merchants were taking a gamble with many becoming bankrupt after the war not being paid for
the goods they supplied.

Laird's shipyard was building clandestinely for the Confederacy two iron hulled rams - armoured, iron twin rotating turreted ships, the most advanced in the world at the time. These ships would have devastated the wooden Northern Union fleet. The Northern spy network relayed the information back to Washington. Abraham Lincoln threatened to declare war on the UK if the ships were delivered to the Confederacy. The UK, being officially neutral, once convinced the ships were for the Confederacy, claimed the ships which were absorbed into the Royal Navy.

Liverpool's involvement in the conflict was so deep, after the war the USA demanded vast reparations for the damage caused by the mainly Liverpool built Confederate ships, especially the Lairds built CSS Alabama. Known as the Alabama Claims, an arbitration panel in Geneva, awarded the U.S.A. $15,500,000. To put this into perspective, CSS Alabama cost £97,000 to build. That is the cost of 159 CCS Alabamas - a whole fleet. This was rather harsh as the British government did seize ships that were known to be destined for the Confederacy. Admitting no guilt the British government apologised for the loss caused by the ships.

CSS Alabama, was built at Lairds shipyard in secrecy masquerading as a merchant ship. She had a mainly Liverpool crew and was the most successful ship in the history of naval warfare with 55 ships claimed and 10 bonded.
She was built on the Mersey in 1862, crewed mainly by Liverpudlians, fought for America, was the most successful ship in the history of naval warfare and never once dropped anchor in an American port. In a close, fierce battle off Cherburg in France, in front of the assembled townspeople, CSS Alabama was sunk by USS Kearsarge in August 1864.

CSS Alabama was laid down as SS Enrica, a fast sleek steam/sailing merchant vessel. However she had reinforced parts of the ship to accommodate guns and built to British Admiralty standards. The Northern Union spy network in Liverpool informed the US Consul, even giving a full detailed description of the interior, resulting in Washington pressing the British government to seize the ship. Washington sent over a Northern Union ship to intercept Enrica if she left Liverpool. The Northern Union clearly pointed out the ship was built for speed far in excess of a merchant ship - which did not convince some as fast merchant clippers operating the Liverpool-Australia run were already common.

The British government was eventually convinced that the ship was a man-o-war and were ready to seize her as she was under trials in the river. Enrica had a party on board sailing up and down the river with buntings flying which was common for new ships - guests, wives and families were on board. At New Brighton a steam tug approached the vessel and the guests taken off, including Commander Bulloch. Enrica bolted out of the river sheltering in an Anglesey bay. She entered the Atlantic between Ireland and Scotland to avoid any Northern Union ships sent to engage her. Enrica was British registered with a British crew and captain who worked for Cunard. If the Northern Union had sunk or seized her, international repercussions may have resulted.

Enrica rendezvoused off the Azores in international waters with supply ship Agrippina, which was loaded at London Docks to avoid suspicion. Agrippina was carrying the guns and war provisions. After fitting out, complete with a largely Liverpool crew, Confederate officers took command renaming Enrica CSS Alabama.

After the Confederacy had surrendered and the war over, CSS Shenandoah continued to sink Northern Union ships in the Pacific and off Alaska, unaware of the war's end. She surrendered on 6th November 1865, to HMS Donegal in the River Mersey while at anchor between Toxteth and Tranmere, six months after the war had officially ended. Shenandoah lowered the stainless banner - striking her colours - for the second time. The last military act of the American Civil War, and the very last official lowering of the Confederate flag.

Liverpool - The Home of the Confederate Fleet - Liverpool - LocalWiki
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