Posts Tagged ‘ohio river steamboats’
Monday, April 22nd, 2013
On this day 150 years ago, the str Horizon ran the Vicksburg and Grand Gulf batteries with supplies. Her civilian crew, except for her pilots, was temporarily replaced by Army officers and soldiers. Badly damaged by shell fire, she ran the gauntlet successfully. [1] According to the regimental history of the 11th Illinois Infantry, Second Lieutenant James D. Vernay of Company B received the Medal of Honor. He had been detached as a volunteer to the steamer Horizon during the Vicksburg campaign. The medal was issued for “Served gallantly as a volunteer with the crew of the steamer Horizon that, under a heavy fire, passed the Confederate batteries.”. [2]
The str Horizon was one of six transport steamers repaired to run the Vicksburg batteries after the failures of the “bayou” expeditions. On 22 Apr 1863, Capt GW Kennard 20th IL Regiment commanded the str Horizon. His boat left Millikin’s Bend at 9:00 PM. She steamed slowly to the bend then put on a “full head of steam”. At the second battery two artillery shots crashed through the bulkhead. At the next battery two shots hit the hurricane deck. In total fifteen or sixteen shots hit their target. All were forward and above the boiler room.
After passing the batteries, the str Horizon attempted to go to the assistance of the disabled str Moderator without success. The str Horizon then went to the aid of the str Anglo-Saxon. Later that day, the str Horizon was ordered to pass the Warrenton battery a second time and report at New Carthage. The str Horizon ”steamed up and reported” at New Carthage.[3]
Think for a moment about the power of the Medal of Honor. To single out for honor one person aboard one steamer would be a fascinating subject to explore.
How different the Civil War would have been without the Ohio River effectively separating much of the nation, North and South! And how different would have been the outcome without the steamboat , Union men, who knew the chutes, channels, and shoals of the Ohio and its tributaries.
References.
[1] Charles Dana Gibson and E Kay Gibson, Dictionary of Transports and Combatant Vessels Steam and Sail Employed by the Union Army 1861 – 1868, (Ensign Press, Cambridge, MA 1995), p 152.
[2] Regimental History of the 11th Illinois Infantry.
[3] JK Folmar I, California, PA 1849-1881: The History of a Boat Building Town, (Yohogania Press, California, PA 2009), p 58.
Copyright © 2013 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: capt thomas s calhoon, civil war transports, georgetown, ohio river steamboats, vicksburg
Posted in Civil War Steamers, History of Georgetown PA, River history, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Sunday, March 24th, 2013
George Washington Ebert was my great great grandfather. He was born 13 Aug 1810 and died in Georgetown, PA on 24 Apr 1879. Those were the years of great experiences and many great men. During his lifetime, GW Ebert established quite a record as a wide-ranging steamboat captain and owner. According to the Certificates of Enrollment for vessels more than 20 tons registered at the Port of Pittsburgh, GW Ebert was the principle owner of fifteen (15) packets and was a partner in eight (8) other boats owned by Georgetown men. My definition of “principle owner” is the person first named on the Certificate of Enrollment record for registration of the vessel. And I have not yet concluded my review of the Certificates of Enrollment for the Port of Pittsburgh. No doubt some data is missing due to water damage of early volumes and even worse because of lost or misplaced volumes. Even with incomplete data, the fragments pieced together paint an impressive picture.
Ebert Steamers
Date: 24 Mar 2013
| Packet Name |
Build Date Way’s Directory |
Original Primary Owner (Signed Cert of Enrollment) |
| |
|
|
| Belfast |
1843 |
George W Ebert |
| Bridgewater |
1843 |
George W Ebert |
| New England |
1844 |
George W Ebert |
| Hudson |
1846 |
George W Ebert |
| Hibernia* |
1847 |
George W Ebert |
| Glaucus |
1849 |
George W Ebert |
| Washington City |
1852 |
George W Ebert |
| Yorktown |
1853 |
George W Ebert |
| Clifton |
1855 |
George W Ebert |
| Belmont |
1856 |
George W Ebert |
| Melnotte |
1856 |
George W Ebert |
| Argyle |
1859 |
George W Ebert |
| Kenton |
1860 |
George W Ebert |
| Yorktown * |
1864 |
George W Ebert |
| Mollie Ebert |
1869 |
George W Ebert |
| |
|
|
| Fairmont |
1837 |
Jacob Poe |
| Financier |
1845 |
Adam Poe |
| Pioneer |
1846 |
Adam Poe |
| Euphrates |
1847 |
Joseph MC Calhoon |
| Tuscarora |
1848 |
Jacob Poe |
| Golden Gate |
1852 |
Joseph MC Calhoon |
| Caledonia * |
1854 |
Richard Calhoon |
| Grand Turk |
1854 |
AB Galatin |
| |
|
|
Note: The asterisk indicates the second boat with that name.
Copyright © 2013 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: adam poe, capt george w ebert, jacob poe, mollie ebert, ohio river steamboats
Posted in Civil War Steamers, History of Georgetown PA, Missouri River Commerce, River history, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Saturday, March 2nd, 2013
Thursday afternoon and Friday were fun days at The National Archives. I reviewed eight volumes of the Certificates of Enrollment from the Customhouse Records for the Port of Pittsburgh. The records covered the time from 1 Jan 1863 to11 Jan 1867. Due to a gap in the records, data for the str JT Stockdale, and perhaps other boats, was not reviewed. Although the index of volume 6645 indicated that there were certificates registered between 17 Oct 1863 and 26 Jan 1864, there is no book containing the information. Sad. Those records are gone forever.
I did find eight new steamboats and one ferry which connections to Georgetown steamboat men. These newly indentified vessels are not listed in Capt Way’s directory. Most of the steamers are listed in The little-Holdcamper List. Of course, all of the boats , except str JS Cosgrave, are listed by Benjamin Mackall Laughlin in his hand written list of all steamboats built in Pittsburgh between 1811-1904. The following table lists the boats and whether they are listed by Capt Way and Little and Holdcamper.
| SteamerOwner/Master |
Build Year |
Built Location |
Way’s Directory |
Little-Holdcamper |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Hawk Eye
George D Laughlin |
1854 |
Pittsburgh |
No |
No |
| Grey Eagle
BM Laughlin |
1857 |
West Newton |
No |
Yes |
| JS Cosgrave
George Calhoon |
1858 |
Elizabeth |
No |
Yes |
| Webster
HW Laughlin |
1860 |
Pittsburgh |
No |
No |
| Coal Bluff
GD Laughlin |
1862 |
Bellevernon |
No |
Yes |
| Gypsey
HW Laughlin |
1864 |
Cincinnati |
No |
No |
| JS Neil
BM Laughlin |
1865 |
Pittsburgh |
No |
Yes |
| Wild Duck
George D Laughlin |
1865 |
Brownsville |
No |
Yes |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Driver (steam ferry)
Jesse Smith |
1865 |
Pittsburgh |
No |
No |
The current count of steamboats owned and operated by Georgetown men stands at 102. I have 24 more volumes of Certificates of Enrollment to complete my review from 5 Jan 1831 to 28 Jun 1901. Seventy years of Georgetown steamboating.
Note: Bellevernon is the spelling of the clerk who registered the Cert of Enrollment for the str Coal Bluff. Not mine!
Copyright © 2013 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: Benjamin M Laughlin, Capt Frederick Way, georgetown, ohio river steamboats, The Lytle-Holdcamper List
Posted in History of Georgetown PA, River history | No Comments »
Friday, December 21st, 2012
In May 1846, the US Army was completely unprepared for the logistics problems presented by the Mexican War. Difficult though the procurement of supplies was, the distribution of those supplies presented far more complex problems. Supply lines were longer than ever experienced in US military history. For the Army of the West, nearly 900 miles of Indian Territory separated the Ft Leavenworth depot from Santa Fe and 1,050 miles separated Santa Fe from San Diego. For the Army of the East, San Antonio was 600 miles from Chihuahua and 160 miles from Port Lavacca on the Gulf of Mexico.
Beginning in Nov 1846, the US army Quartermaster successfully used steamboats for transporting troops and supplies to Ft Leavenworth on the Missouri River and New Orleans. Some of the inland river steamboats also “sailed” the 600 miles from New Orleans over open seas so that they could operate on the Rio Grande during the war. (Sailing vessels also moved troops and supplies from New York and other Atlantic ports to the Gulf. At that time, the steam powered toy called a railroad appeared destined for nothing more than carrying goods to a steamboat port provided no benefit to the Army.)
According to the entry in Capt Way’s Directory, the str New England was the flagship of a fleet of steamboats departing Pittsburgh with soldiers bound for the Mexican War. In Mar 1847, the str New England was purchased by Capt George W Ebert who operated the sidewheeler between Pittsburgh and Wheeling till 1849. [1] I do not know whether Capt Ebert participated in the Mexican War effort (combat operations lasted a year and a half to the fall of 1847).
The following table lists the owners of the str New England according to the Certifiacte of Enrollment record dated 3 Mar 1847.
Str New England
| Owners and Partners |
Share |
Vol: |
6629 |
| Geo W Ebert |
|
Enroll No : |
26 |
| Jacob Poe |
|
Cert Date: |
3 Mar 1847 |
| Andrew Poe |
|
Cert Type:: |
Enrollment 180 |
| Thomas Poe |
|
Build Locn: |
Pittsburgh, PA |
| Wm J Kountz |
|
Build Date: |
1844 |
| David Wilkins |
|
Master |
GW Ebert |
Check the owners of the str New England in 1847. All these names spelled history. Geo W Ebert was my great great grandfather; Jacob, Andrew and Thomas Poe were brothers and my great great granduncles. During the Civil War, William J Kountz was the admiral in charge of river transportation. He declared that Gen US Grant was a “glorious drunk” who should be court marshaled. Grant arrested William J Kountz for insubordination.
[1] Frederick Way, Jr.,Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994, (Ohio University Press, Athens 1994), p 343.
Tags: capt george w ebert, jacob poe, Mexican War, ohio river steamboats, str new england, william j kountz
Posted in History of Georgetown PA, Missouri River Commerce, River Tales | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
I intend to refocus my attention on the core purpose of this website. It exists to make public the journal of Nancy Ann (Poe) Ebert. Her personal journal of the trip with her husband, Capt George W Ebert, on the upper Missouri River in 1869 was a bit of American History that I believe should be shared with river scholars. I also want to share the stories of the steamboat men from Georgetown, PA. The most remarkable and unique source information that I have been able to share has been the hand written book by Capt Benjamin Mackall Laughlin. That book identified 42 steamboats built between 1832-1838 in the Pittsburgh region that were not listed by Lytle and Holdcamper.
To begin my renewed concentration on steamboats, a page named Str Yorktown b1853 has been loaded. It was the second boat named Yorktown owned and operated by the Poe family. To differentiate the two vessels, I added the build date specified on the initial Certificate of Enrollment in the title of the page. Capt Way’s Packet Directory number was considered, as another distinguishing feature, but I preferred the build date because the Poes ran boats with duplicate names before 1848, the year Way’s Packet Directory began its list.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: Benjamin M Laughlin, capt fred way, capt george w ebert, georgetown, ohio river steamboats, The Lytle-Holdcamper List
Posted in History of Georgetown PA, Missouri River Commerce, River history, River Tales, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Sunday, August 5th, 2012
Detailed information provided on the Certificates of Enrollment changed trough the years. The following certificates for the str Financier specify the essential changes in the life of the packet. The first certificate dated 21 May 1845 indicated that the str Financier was built for and or by Capt Adam Poe of Georgetown, PA. The next certificate dated 20 May 1846 indicated that the rights to operate the vessel had been renewed. The third certificate dated 04 Jun 1846 indicated a change of owners.
Str Financier
| Owners and Partners |
Share |
Vol: |
6628 |
| Adam Poe |
|
Enroll No : |
11 |
| Jacob Poe |
|
Cert Date: |
21 May 1845 |
| Thomas W Poe |
|
Cert Type:: |
|
| George Calhoon |
|
Build Locn: |
|
| Andrew Poe |
|
Build Date: |
|
| George Poe |
|
Master |
Adam Poe |
| Washington Ebert |
|
|
|
Str Financier
| Owners and Partners |
Share |
Vol: |
6629 |
| Adam Poe |
|
Enroll No : |
68 |
| Jacob Poe |
|
Cert Date: |
20 May 1846 |
| Thomas W Poe |
|
Cert Type:: |
Admeasurement |
| George Calhoon |
|
Build Locn: |
Pittsburgh, PA |
| Andrew Poe |
|
Build Date: |
1845 |
| George Poe |
|
Master |
Adam Poe |
| Washington Ebert |
|
|
|
Str Financier
| Owners and Partners |
Share |
Vol: |
6629 |
| William J Kountz |
|
Enroll No : |
69 |
| Geo Black |
|
Cert Date: |
04 Jun 1846 |
| Robert S Hays |
|
Cert Type:: |
Admeasurement |
| Clark and Thaw |
|
Build Locn: |
Pittsburgh, PA |
| |
|
Build Date: |
1845 |
| |
|
Master |
William J Kountz |
| |
|
|
|
Note the new owners of the str Financier. William J Kountz was a steamboat man from Pittsburgh who was later charged with providing river transportation for troops and supplies during the Civil War. His clashes with Gen US Grant were famous. He wrote to Gen Halleck who was the commander of the western theater headquartered in St Louis that Gen Grant was a “glorious drunk” who should be court marshaled. Admiral Kountz was reported to be a teetotaler.
Thaw was William Thaw who had interests in the western PA canal transportation and was one of several who established the first Pittsburgh and Cincinnati Packet Line in 1842. Later he was associated with the Pennsylvania and Reading Railroad (PRRs) which was a significant player in the the Molly Maguires sensational trials. Twenty Mollies were prosecuted, and hanged, by the president of PRR and chief prosecutor on the testimony of one Pinkerton agent. The president of the PRR and acting prosecutor was Franklin B Gowen who stood to gain financially from the destruction of the striking coal miner union.
So much fun!
On 12 Oct 1850, the boilers of the str Financier exploded near Alton, IL causing the death of the captain’s son and second engineer. Others were scalded. [1]
References.
[1] Frederick Way, Jr.,Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994, (Ohio University Press, Athens 1994), p. 165.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
.
Tags: adam poe, georgetown, mississippi wreck, national archives, ohio river steamboats
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, June 4th, 2012
If you have never visited the National Archives, do not use your cell phone. Trust me! The hours on Thursday extend till 7:00 PM. which is perfect for me. I have time to review four Certificate of Enrollment books each visit. On my drive south last Thu, I missed the serious morning rush hour traffic in DC; reviewed four volumes of Enrollment data, and missed the evening rush hour. Dinner at Jaleo’s completes my day.
Last Thu (31 May 2012), I requested the first five volumes of the Certificate of Enrollment from the port of Pittsburgh (Volumes 6624-6628) covering the years 5 Jan 1831 through 16 Mar 1846. Volume 6624 (26 Oct 1839 to 30 Jun 1841) could not be located. Whether the volume had been misplaced, lent, or was truly missing was unclear to me. I will ask for the volume on my next visit to determine whether it is permanently unavailable. Other volumes of those early years are missing pages and damaged to the degree that groups of pages are unreadable.
The good news is that I discovered three new steamboats that Georgetown men had an interest in. I did not see entries for keel boats or other types of vessels in this group of books.
On my next visit I will examine the volumes for the period 16 Mar 1846 to 24 Dec 1949. Anyway, I will review all the port of Pittsburgh volumes over time, 4 volumes per visit, till all 45 are reviewed.
Copyright 2012 © Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: capt george w ebert, ohio river steamboats, richard calhoon, The National Archives
Posted in River history, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Str Kenton Receipt during Civil War (Ohio State University)
The str Kenton and its crew were chartered for service by the Quartermaster from 27 Dec 1861 to 5 Jan 1862 and from 6 Jan for an unknown duration of time[1]. The str
Kenton receipts for three round trips between Pittsburgh and Louisville and Pittsburgh and Cincinnati were in the papers of Capt William B Anderson (civilian riverboat captain and pilot) in the Ohio State University Rare Books Collection. Trip number 13 was dated 24 Apr 1862; trip number 10 was undated but signed by Standish Peppard (owner and first clerk of the str Kenton), and the third receipt was neither dated nor signed. Capt Anderson was quite probably one of the pilots of the str Kenton on these trips. In letters to his wife dated after 24 Apr 1862 Capt Anderson wrote of the str Kenton in the past tense which suggests he had moved to another packet. In the letters, he also expressed his concern about being drafted while between government contracts and paying a $1,000 fine about avoiding the draft. He also wrote about two captains, Capt Adams and the captain of the Florence Miller, arrested for cowardice by General Wright. The Florence Miller was a tinclad packet. The conflict between military and commercial control of the vessels was real.
References.
[1] Charles Dana Gibson and E Kay Gibson,
Dictionary of Transports and Combatant Vessels Steam and Sail Employed by the Uniion Army 1861 – 1868, (Ensign Press, Cambridge, MA 1995), p 189.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: capt george w ebert, CivWar150, georgetown, ohio river steamboats, standish perppard, str kenton, tinclad
Posted in Civil War Steamers, History of Georgetown PA, River history, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
The vessel documentation from the Customhouse in Pittsburgh, PA is maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration – Record Group 41. The books containing the Certificate of Enrollment documentation are much like the large deed references found in your local county courthouses. The books are fragile. The documentation is handwritten.
Certificate of Enrollment for the str Golden State (National Archives Vol 6634 cert no 129)
This image taken with my Droid Pro gives a good feel for the condition of the artifacts from our history.
On the left of the page under the sailing ship is the enrollment number (129), the type of record (Permanent), Where Surrendered (Pittsburgh), Date of Surrender (1 day of September 1852), and Cause of Surrender (the expiration of license and change of ownership). Under the Enrollment title, the primary owner of the vessel is listed (Joseph M Calhoon) who has sworn an oath after which the partners are listed. The vessel is named with its port of call (Golden State of Pittsburgh). The place of build (McKeesport, PA) was listed as it appeared on another Certificate of Enrollment or a Certificate of Admeasurement. The vessel dimensions were noted and her measurement in tons. The vessel is described as a (steam boat) has (transom stern) and (cabin deck). Finally the same named person (Joseph M Calhoon) who has agreed with the written information and the site and date of this testimony were listed. On some pages the name of the scribe is listed on the left column under the Cause of Surrender.
The following table lists the key information gleaned from the actual page of the vessel documentation.
Str Golden State
| Owners/Partners |
Share |
Vol: |
6634 |
| Joseph MC Calhoon |
3/8 |
Enroll No : |
129 |
| Martin Lyon |
1/8 |
Cert Date: |
1 Sep 1852 |
| Thomas Oliver |
1/8 |
Cert Type:: |
Admeasurement |
| William Rea |
1/16 |
Build Locn: |
McKeesport, PA |
| George McBride |
1/16 |
Build Date: |
1852 |
| Hugh Martin |
1/16 |
|
|
| William Noble |
1/8 |
|
|
| David McNeal |
1/16 |
|
|
I have been reading every page of each volume because I have found Georgetown names listed as partners on boats not identified in my inherited materials. Not all the vessels registered are steamboats. I have also read about keel boats and canal barges.
As time permits, I intend to review all of the volumes from the port of Pittsburgh. Four down – forty-five to go.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: georgetown, ohio river steamboats
Posted in River history, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
Sunday, January 15th, 2012
I have scanned the book written by Capt Adam W Poe. The book, “A True History of the Three Brave Indian Spies, John Cherry, Andrew and Adam Poe“, includes a partial genealogy of the Poe family in America and a version of the famous frontier Indian battle between the Poe brothers, Andrew and Adam (the author’s grandfather), and the Wyandot Indian war party led by Big Foot son of Half King. The final segment is a memoir written in 1887 that includes stories of Capt Adam Poe’s river experiences. There is a kind of mythology that stories like this tend to drift toward. A wonderful read.
The book was made available by the University of Pittsburgh Libraries. I printed their eBook and scanned and loaded the pages.
Copyright © 2012 Francis W Nash
All Rights Reserved
Tags: adam and andrew poe, adam poe, andrew and adam poe, Big Foot, georgetown, Half King, jacob poe, ohio river steamboats, Wyandot
Posted in Civil War Steamers, History of Georgetown PA, River history, River Tales, Steamer Captains | No Comments »
