DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH: The Steamer Maple Leaf Blown Up by a Torpedo; NEARLY ALL THE PASSENGERS SAVED (4/13/1864)

New York Times - Times Machine ^ | 4/13/1864

[Homer_J_Simpson]

At 4 o'clock on the morning of Friday, the 1st inst., the army steam-transport Maple Leaf, while passing down the St. John's River, from Pilatka to Jacksonville, Fla., ran against a torpedo, moored in the stream twelve miles above the latter place, which exploded and sent the vessel to the bottom.

HILTON HEAD, Tuesday, April 5, 1864.

At the time of the explosion the Maple Leaf had on board about forty persons, including the officers and crew, all of whom escaped harm or capture, except two firemen and three deck-hands, who were sleeping on the deck, near the forecastle, and who were instantly killed, either by the falling of a portion of the upper works, or by the tremendous force of the concussion. The persons thus killed were colored.

All the passengers, among whom were three ladies, including Mrs. Capt. CHADWICK, immediately took to two small boats belonging to the steamer and made for Jacksonville, which place they reached at about 8 A.M. Nearly all the passengers were asleep when the event occurred, and no time whatever was afforded for looking after personal baggage. All that was saved in the way of clothing was what the persons wore when they left the vessel.

On board the Maple Leaf was the camps and garrison equipage of three regiments of Gen. FOSTER's Brigade, also the personal baggage of the officers. Gen. FOSTER himself is a heavy sufferer. Two sutlers had property on board valued at $20,000. Everything is lost. The property was put on board the Maple Leaf at Hilton Head, and it was the intention to take it off at Jacksonville when the vessel had reached that point, but she had no sooner arrived than she was immediately despatched to Pilatka, on urgent business, which accounts for the property

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1861-1865: Seminar and Discussion Forum
The American Civil War, as seen through news reports of the time and later historical accounts

First session: November 21, 2015. Last date to add: May 2025.
Reading: Self-assigned. Recommendations made and welcomed.

Posting history, in reverse order

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To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by reply or freepmail.

Link to previous New York Times thread

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4230684/posts

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

Department of the South: The Steamer Maple Leaf Blown Up by a Torpedo – 2-3
The War in Tennessee: Longstreet’s Evacuation of East Tennessee – 3
The War in Kentucky: Forrest Again Advancing on Paducah – 3
The War in Louisiana: Rebel Attack on Alexandria, La. – 3
The Texas Blockade: Destruction of the Steamer Clifton – 3
The Battle of Olustee: Gen. Gillmore’s Report – 3
The War in Arkansas: Gen. Steele’s Progress – 4
From Texas and Mexico: Occupation of Eagle Pass by Our Cavalry – 4
The Rebel Forrest – 4
From Norfolk: The Attempt to Blow Up the Minnesota – 4
Explosion at Huntsville, Ala. – 4
News from Washington: Special Dispatches to the N.Y. Times – 4-5
Proceedings of Congress – 5-6
The Metropolitan Fair: Another Successful Day – 6-7
The Soldiers and the Sword – 7
Torpedoes – 7
Pay of Letter-Carriers – 7
Wagner and Duppel – 7
A Personal Matter – 7
General Anderson and Fort Sumter – 7

[Quality_Not_Quantity]

Mrs. Quality and I were standing on the bank of the St. Johns at the very location this occurred just 2 nights ago, reading the historical marker about the Maple Leaf.

[jeffersondem]

“Mrs. Quality and I were standing on the bank of the St. Johns at the very location this occurred just 2 nights ago, reading the historical marker about the Maple Leaf.”

Surprised the Republican former mayor of Jacksonville didn’t have the historical marker destroyed.

Guess it was outside his county.

[bravo whiskey]

For the uninformed during The Late Unpleasantness mines were called torpedoes.

[mass55th]

Just ran across your comment about the Maple Leaf. During my research on the 55th Massachusetts Infantry, the second black unit raised in the North during the war, I discovered that two of the officers from the 55th were onboard the Maple Leaf when it hit the mine. Both survived. One was Lt. George T. Garrison, son of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, and the other was Major Sigourney Wales. They lost all their baggage, as the steamer had been carrying the baggage and equipment for several other regiments. Then I read about the retrieval of artifacts from the wreck site, but never had a chance to travel to see them once they were set up in the museum.

I was just doing a search, and found a web page reporting that: "The Maple Leaf tragedy was documented by one of its surviving passengers, Lt. George T. Garrison, eldest son of Boston abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. The senior Garrison edited an anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator for 35 years."

“'George worked The Liberator printing press before joining the Mass. 55th Regiment, one of two regiments of black soldiers from the state, said Fritz Garrison, great-grandson of Lt. Garrison." It goes on to say: “The sole surviving item from the Maple Leaf — prior to its rediscovery by Dr. Holland — is a letter that my great grandfather wrote to his mother detailing news of the regiment.”

"The survivors rowed three lifeboats twelve miles 'with the wind and tide against us all the way,' north to Jacksonville after the sinking. The following morning, Garrison wrote a second letter relating the events surrounding the explosion, which was printed in The Liberator several weeks later."

“He also re-penned much of the first letter, believing it had gone down with the ship,” added his great grandson. “What he didn’t know at the time is that the first letter survived in a soggy mail bag that was retrieved the following day.”

"That letter, now on deposit with the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston, bears the marks of a creeping waterline that was only hours from destroying the document altogether."

I found the information about Garrison and Wales being on the Maple Leaf in a collection of papers at Cornell University. They had belonged to the Asst. Surgeon of the regiment, Dr. Burt Green Wilder. After the war, he had corresponded with many of his fellow officers, as well as the enlisted men, and even with some of the members of Confederate units that the 55th had been engaged against around Charleston, S.C.

Also in that collection I discovered bits and pieces of Garrison's diary that he kept during his time in the 55th, and although I tried very hard to get one of his descendants to let me have access to it, it never happened.

Hope I didn't bore you with my ramblings. Even though I've moved on from the Civil War to other periods of history, the several years I spent, and the wonderful people I met along the way, are still very special to me.

Here are links to photos of Garrison and Wales if you're interested:

George T. Garrison

Sigourney Wales