威廉·B. 古尔德

威廉·B. 古尔德, 一位来自威尔明顿的26岁前奴隶, 北卡罗莱纳, inserted this drawing in the diary that he kept while he served aboard the Union frigate 尼亚加拉 在内战的最后几年里. 1862年，古尔德从奴隶制中逃了出来 剑桥这是一艘在卡罗莱纳海岸巡逻的联邦炮艇. 古尔德 immediately joined the Union navy, sailing first onboard the 剑桥 在转移到 尼亚加拉. His service brought him to the Boston naval base 和 hospital, 和, 内战后, 他在戴德姆定居下来, 麻萨诸塞州, 他1923年死在哪里, 忠实的士兵.e. (水手)和忠诚的公民.他非凡的日记详细描述在 这个月的前一个对象.

早在1865年 尼亚加拉 加入了寻找新服役的邦联公羊的队伍 石墙. 而绘制的 石墙 appears 在 blank last page of an earlier volume of the 古尔德 diary facing his entry 为 5 September 1864, 古尔德 described the search 为 和 anticipated battle with the dreaded Confederate ironclad in his entries 为 February-March 1865.

《奥德赛》 斯芬克斯

的 石墙 was one of a pair of vessels built in France in 1863-1864 为 the Confederacy. 船只, 每个长171英尺, 是为了携带强大的武器而设计的吗, rifled cannon in casements within armored hulls but they also mounted enormous iron beaks—为tified rams with which to pierce the sides of Union vessels. 的 斯芬克斯 和 基奥普斯, as the vessels were named (to conceal their true ownership 和 to maintain the pretext of French neutrality), 是超现代和古代技术的结合吗. 的y were sail-assisted rather than true steamships 和 their 为tified prows were modern versions of those of the oared galleys that fought at Lepanto or even Salamis. 从理论上讲, the ships had the potential to break the Union blockade that was strangling the Confederacy, either by crossing the Atlantic 和 directly attacking Union ships off the Southern coast or by raiding Northern ports.

的 斯芬克斯 就变成了 Staerkodder

在美国内战期间, a "secret service" war was fought between Union 和 Confederate agents in Europe. 通过间谍活动和外交手段的结合, the North was able to stymie Confederate ef为ts to purchase or build modern warships first in Engl和 (the so-called "Laird rams") 和 then in France, where they uncovered the plan of the Bordeaux shipbuilding firm of Louis Arman to build the 斯芬克斯 和 基奥普斯 并迫使阿尔曼撕毁了与南部联盟的合同. 通过一家瑞典商业公司的稻草收购 斯芬克斯 卖给了丹麦政府，丹麦政府将其更名为 Staerkodder (“强壮的水獭”——有时在当代文献中 Stoerkodder). Denmark then was fighting against Prussia in the Second Schleswig War. 普鲁士购买了 基奥普斯 并将其重命名为 普林茨Adalbert, but neither the Danes nor the Prussians were able to put their ships into service, 所以这两艘姐妹船从未交战过.

的 Staerkodder 就变成了 石墙

1864年末，邦联收回了 Staerkodder 并委托它作为 石墙 (named 为 Confederate hero General Thomas “石墙" Jackson). A maritime race 和 chase then ensued from Copenhagen to Lisbon. Confederate captain Thomas Jefferson Page had to fit out 和 equip the 石墙 为 an Atlantic crossing even while preparing to fight his way free of his Union pursuers. CSS 石墙 was designed 为 service in calm coastal waters 和 in the winter waters of the North Sea 和 Atlantic she proved to have all the sailing characteristics of an actual stone wall. 尽管如此，海军准将托马斯. 克雷文，他在 尼亚加拉他接近了一个约会 石墙 与恐惧. In theory the 石墙 would have been a 为midable opponent—in 威廉·B. 用古尔德的话来说，就是“丑陋的顾客”."

By 1865, 古尔德 was a veteran of more than two years of naval duty 和 his diary reflects his impatience with the delaying tactics adopted by Commodore Craven. 的 尼亚加拉 比 石墙—in battle it would have towered over the ram—和 armed with a powerful battery of rifled cannon, 但它的机动性较差, wooden-hulled船, 易受…影响 石墙的 可怕的甲喙. 即使有一个较小的配偶的帮助 萨克拉门托，目前尚不清楚 尼亚加拉 我能应付得了 石墙, 除非条件有利, 虽然克雷文的对手, 托马斯页面, had strong reservations about the seaworthiness of his own vessel. In the end, to Seaman 古尔德's intense regret, Craven allowed the 石墙 不战而归. After the war Craven was court-martialed 和 reprim和ed 为 failing to have done his utmost to overtake 和 engage the enemy.

《第二人生 石墙

托马斯·佩奇驾驶 石墙 to Nassau in the Bahamas 和 then on to Cuba where he learned that the Civil War had ended. He turned his ship over to the Spanish government in return 为 funds to pay off his crew. 第二年, the 美国 reimbursed the Spanish 和 took possession of the ship that they, 反过来, 1867年卖给了日本政府. 在它的新名字下， Kotetsu (“钢铁”) 石墙 注定要参加一场内战——博欣战争——但是 为 而不是反对日本中央政府. After fending off a surprise attack by sword-wielding Samurai, the Kotetsu led the Imperial fleet into action at Hakodate Bay in May 1869. 重命名 Azuma (“东”)，前者 石墙 一直服役到1888年，是南部邦联海军最后的遗物.