The Ships of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd
Dr. Mudd had seen a lot of ships before the events of 1865. He saw ships in Washington, D.C. when he attended Georgetown college as a teenager, and when he visited D.C. from time to time as an adult. He saw ships in the Baltimore harbor when he attended medical school at the University of Maryland’s Medical Department. And he saw ships at Benedict, Maryland, the Patuxent River town where he took his farm produce for sale and shipping. But there is no record of his having ever been aboard a ship until 1865.
During the four years between his arrest on April 24, 1865, and his return home on March 20, 1869, Dr. Mudd would find himself on five different ships, the State of Maine, the U.S.S. Florida, the Thomas A. Scott, the Matchless, and the Liberty.
Following are short sketches of the five ships.
State of Maine
Courtesy U.S. National Archives
Dr. Mudd, Edman Spangler, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O’Laughlin began their journey to prison at Fort Jefferson when they were taken from the Washington Arsenal and placed aboard the steamer State of Maine in the early hours of Monday, July 17, 1865. The State of Maine transported them to Fortress Monroe, where they were transferred to the U.S.S. Florida for the week-long journey to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, Florida.
The State of Maine was built in New York City in 1848, and then operated by the Bay State Steam Boat Company of Falls River, Massachusetts.
Shortly after the Civil War started, the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps chartered the 806 ton side-wheel steamer at the rate of $600 per day plus fuel to transport troops from Massachusetts and other northern states to east coast destinations such as Fortress Monroe, Virginia. In 1862, the State of Maine was used to transport troops and supplies for General George McClellan’s York-James Peninsula campaign designed to capture Richmond.
Early in the war, the Army was good at getting troops into battle, but it had no effective system for evacuating wounded soldiers from the battlefield. This resulted in many needless deaths and much unnecessary suffering.
The U.S. Sanitary Commission, precursor to the American Red Cross, was authorized by President Lincoln to provide a variety of support services to the Army. The Commission acted quickly to address the evacuation problem by organizing a ground ambulance service.
When casualties began to mount from the battles of the 1862 Peninsula campaign, the Army lent some of its vessels to the U.S. Sanitary Commission for use as hospital transports. The State of Maine was one of these ships.
The fourteen ships the U.S. Sanitary Commission that operated during the Peninsula campaign were known as the Hospital Transport Service. They evacuated wounded soldiers from landings along the York and James River east of Richmond and transported them to hospitals in Washington, Alexandria, Annapolis, Baltimore, Pennsylvania, and New York.
The Hospital Transport Service was disbanded after the summer of 1862 when the U.S. Army’s new medical director, Jonathan Letterman, finally organized an effective Army ambulance and transport service.
The State of Maine continued to be used as a hospital transport by the Army Quartermaster Corps for the remainder of the war, including service as a hospital ship and medical supply vessel during Grant’s long siege of Richmond.
On April 18, 1864 the Quartermaster Corps renewed its charter for the State of Maine with its new owners, Borden & Lovell of New York City, at the rate of $400 per day plus fuel. The contract contained an option allowing the War Department to purchase the State of Maine, appraised at $140,000, if it chose to do so. It never exercised this option.
In July 1865, with the war over and and its hospital ship duties no longer required, the State of Maine rested peacefully beside a wharf in the Potomac River at Washington, D.C. However, in the early hours of July 17, 1865 the boilers of the former hospital ship were brought to life once more so that she could make one last trip down the Potomac to Fortress Monroe, carrying Dr. Mudd and his three companions.
The State of Maine reverted to its civilian owners on August 11, 1865. The last record on her is a note by a Port of New York Naval Officer that the State of Maine was “Surrendered New York. Febry 18, 1871 sold to subject of Foreign Power.”
Her ultimate demise is unknown.
The State of Maine was built in New York City in 1848, and then operated by the Bay State Steam Boat Company of Falls River, Massachusetts.
Shortly after the Civil War started, the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps chartered the 806 ton side-wheel steamer at the rate of $600 per day plus fuel to transport troops from Massachusetts and other northern states to east coast destinations such as Fortress Monroe, Virginia. In 1862, the State of Maine was used to transport troops and supplies for General George McClellan’s York-James Peninsula campaign designed to capture Richmond.
Early in the war, the Army was good at getting troops into battle, but it had no effective system for evacuating wounded soldiers from the battlefield. This resulted in many needless deaths and much unnecessary suffering.
The U.S. Sanitary Commission, precursor to the American Red Cross, was authorized by President Lincoln to provide a variety of support services to the Army. The Commission acted quickly to address the evacuation problem by organizing a ground ambulance service.
When casualties began to mount from the battles of the 1862 Peninsula campaign, the Army lent some of its vessels to the U.S. Sanitary Commission for use as hospital transports. The State of Maine was one of these ships.
The fourteen ships the U.S. Sanitary Commission that operated during the Peninsula campaign were known as the Hospital Transport Service. They evacuated wounded soldiers from landings along the York and James River east of Richmond and transported them to hospitals in Washington, Alexandria, Annapolis, Baltimore, Pennsylvania, and New York.
The Hospital Transport Service was disbanded after the summer of 1862 when the U.S. Army’s new medical director, Jonathan Letterman, finally organized an effective Army ambulance and transport service.
The State of Maine continued to be used as a hospital transport by the Army Quartermaster Corps for the remainder of the war, including service as a hospital ship and medical supply vessel during Grant’s long siege of Richmond.
On April 18, 1864 the Quartermaster Corps renewed its charter for the State of Maine with its new owners, Borden & Lovell of New York City, at the rate of $400 per day plus fuel. The contract contained an option allowing the War Department to purchase the State of Maine, appraised at $140,000, if it chose to do so. It never exercised this option.
In July 1865, with the war over and and its hospital ship duties no longer required, the State of Maine rested peacefully beside a wharf in the Potomac River at Washington, D.C. However, in the early hours of July 17, 1865 the boilers of the former hospital ship were brought to life once more so that she could make one last trip down the Potomac to Fortress Monroe, carrying Dr. Mudd and his three companions.
The State of Maine reverted to its civilian owners on August 11, 1865. The last record on her is a note by a Port of New York Naval Officer that the State of Maine was “Surrendered New York. Febry 18, 1871 sold to subject of Foreign Power.”
Her ultimate demise is unknown.
U.S.S. Florida
Courtesy U.S. Naval Institute
The U.S.S. Florida was built by the William H. Webb shipbuilding company in New York in 1851, for the New York and Savannah Steam Navigation Company. She carried passengers and freight between New York and Savannah until the Civil War started in 1861. The passenger fare was $25, including meals.
The U.S. Navy purchased the Florida for $87,500 on April 12, 1861, the same day the Civil War began with the attack on Fort Sumpter, South Carolina. The Florida was renamed the U.S.S. Florida and converted to a gunboat with the installation of eight 32-pounder smooth bore guns and one 20-pound Parrott rifle.
During the war, the Florida carried out blockade duty along the Atlantic coast, capturing or destroying any Confederate ships she encountered. These included the Confederate ships Emily St. Claire, Calypso, and Hattie. The British side-wheel steamer Wild Dayrell was caught trying to break through the blockade off the North Carolina coast and was destroyed.
The Florida was in New York when Captain Budd received a telegram ordering him to steam to Fortress Monroe, which he did, arriving there about noon on Monday, July 17th. Shortly, the steamer State of Maine arrived from Washington, lowered anchor nearby, and transferred Dr. Mudd, Edman Spangler, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O’Laughlen, plus their Army guards and escorts, to the Florida. A week later, the Florida delivered its passengers at Fort Jefferson.
In 1868, the U.S.S. Florida was sold at auction for $19,000. She was later operated as the merchant steamer Delphine and the Haitian warship Republique. Her ultimate demise is unknown.
William Frederick Keeler was the Paymaster aboard the U.S.S. Florida from 1863 to 1865, including the time Dr. Mudd and his companions were taken to Fort Jefferson. Keeler recorded his service on the Florida in his book Aboard the USS Florida: 1863-65, which is still available in many libraries.
The U.S. Navy purchased the Florida for $87,500 on April 12, 1861, the same day the Civil War began with the attack on Fort Sumpter, South Carolina. The Florida was renamed the U.S.S. Florida and converted to a gunboat with the installation of eight 32-pounder smooth bore guns and one 20-pound Parrott rifle.
During the war, the Florida carried out blockade duty along the Atlantic coast, capturing or destroying any Confederate ships she encountered. These included the Confederate ships Emily St. Claire, Calypso, and Hattie. The British side-wheel steamer Wild Dayrell was caught trying to break through the blockade off the North Carolina coast and was destroyed.
The Florida was in New York when Captain Budd received a telegram ordering him to steam to Fortress Monroe, which he did, arriving there about noon on Monday, July 17th. Shortly, the steamer State of Maine arrived from Washington, lowered anchor nearby, and transferred Dr. Mudd, Edman Spangler, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O’Laughlen, plus their Army guards and escorts, to the Florida. A week later, the Florida delivered its passengers at Fort Jefferson.
In 1868, the U.S.S. Florida was sold at auction for $19,000. She was later operated as the merchant steamer Delphine and the Haitian warship Republique. Her ultimate demise is unknown.
William Frederick Keeler was the Paymaster aboard the U.S.S. Florida from 1863 to 1865, including the time Dr. Mudd and his companions were taken to Fort Jefferson. Keeler recorded his service on the Florida in his book Aboard the USS Florida: 1863-65, which is still available in many libraries.
Thomas A. Scott
Courtesy U.S. National Archives
The Thomas A. Scott was a large 1,052 ton ocean steamship built by the William A. Cramp & Sons shipbuilders in Philadelphia in 1863. The U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps purchased it upon completion for use as a transport.
On September 25, 1865 the Thomas A. Scott arrived at Fort Jefferson from New York by way of Key West to deliver brown sugar and other supplies. Dr. Mudd had been at Fort Jefferson only two months, but during that time he had witnessed the successful escape of eight prisoners who stowed away on the Scott during an earlier visit. When the Scott returned on September 25th, he was ready to try his own escape.
Dr. Mudd was anxious to escape because he had learned that control of Fort Jefferson was being transferred from the 161st New York Volunteers to the 82nd United States Colored Infantry. He was fearful of how the incoming troops would treat a former slave owner.
Dr. Mudd attempted to escape by hiding aboard the Scott while supplies were being unloaded. However, he was quickly discovered and returned to the fort in chains.
At the end of the Civil War, the Government auctioned off the Thomas A. Scott and other no-longer needed ships. She was purchased by Leary Brothers of New York and renamed Saragossa. Subsequent owners were the Baltimore and Savannah Steamship Company, the Miners Transportation Company, and the Bell & Company fruit importers.
The Saragossa sank during an Atlantic coast storm in 1887.
On September 25, 1865 the Thomas A. Scott arrived at Fort Jefferson from New York by way of Key West to deliver brown sugar and other supplies. Dr. Mudd had been at Fort Jefferson only two months, but during that time he had witnessed the successful escape of eight prisoners who stowed away on the Scott during an earlier visit. When the Scott returned on September 25th, he was ready to try his own escape.
Dr. Mudd was anxious to escape because he had learned that control of Fort Jefferson was being transferred from the 161st New York Volunteers to the 82nd United States Colored Infantry. He was fearful of how the incoming troops would treat a former slave owner.
Dr. Mudd attempted to escape by hiding aboard the Scott while supplies were being unloaded. However, he was quickly discovered and returned to the fort in chains.
At the end of the Civil War, the Government auctioned off the Thomas A. Scott and other no-longer needed ships. She was purchased by Leary Brothers of New York and renamed Saragossa. Subsequent owners were the Baltimore and Savannah Steamship Company, the Miners Transportation Company, and the Bell & Company fruit importers.
The Saragossa sank during an Atlantic coast storm in 1887.
Matchless
Courtesy U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey
The Matchless was a 170-ton sailing schooner, 99.6 feet long, built in 1859 in Key West, Florida, and used as a slaver before the Civil War. She was purchased by the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps on June 5, 1863 for $13,500.
During the Civil War, the Matchless was used to transport troops from Fort Myers, Florida to Useppa Island on Florida’s Gulf coast. After the war, the Army used the Matchless to ferry mail, supplies, and people between Key West and Fort Jefferson.
When Michael O’Laughlen died during the 1867 yellow fever epidemic, his body was taken from Fort Jefferson to Key West aboard the Matchless, on the first leg of its journey back to O’Laughlen’s family in Baltimore.
When Dr. Mudd was pardoned, he sailed on the Matchless from Fort Jefferson to Key West, where he obtained passage on the Liberty for the final leg of his journey home.
The Coast and Geodetic Survey acquired the Matchless in 1885. It was rebuilt in 1895 at a cost of approximately $50,000. The Matchless was the last sailing vessel to be owned and operated by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. It remained in service until 1915. Its ultimate demise is unknown.
During the Civil War, the Matchless was used to transport troops from Fort Myers, Florida to Useppa Island on Florida’s Gulf coast. After the war, the Army used the Matchless to ferry mail, supplies, and people between Key West and Fort Jefferson.
When Michael O’Laughlen died during the 1867 yellow fever epidemic, his body was taken from Fort Jefferson to Key West aboard the Matchless, on the first leg of its journey back to O’Laughlen’s family in Baltimore.
When Dr. Mudd was pardoned, he sailed on the Matchless from Fort Jefferson to Key West, where he obtained passage on the Liberty for the final leg of his journey home.
The Coast and Geodetic Survey acquired the Matchless in 1885. It was rebuilt in 1895 at a cost of approximately $50,000. The Matchless was the last sailing vessel to be owned and operated by the Coast and Geodetic Survey. It remained in service until 1915. Its ultimate demise is unknown.
Liberty
Courtesy U.S. National Archives
The steamship Liberty was built in 1864 by the George Lynn shipbuilders of Philadelphia, for the New York merchants Hargous & Company. Like many other ships built during the Civil War, the Liberty was chartered for transport service by the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps.
After the war, the Baltimore, New Orleans, and Havana Line used the Liberty to carry passengers and freight between Havana, Key West, Baltimore, and New York. For six months during the latter part of 1868 and the first part of 1869, the Liberty was berthed at the Port of Baltimore undergoing a major upgrade in engines, equipment and passenger accommodations. She resumed service on February 15, 1869.
After his release from Fort Jefferson, Dr. Mudd secured passage on the Liberty at Key West as it sailed up from Havana on its way back to Baltimore. The Liberty had just finished a six month overhaul which included upgrading all the passenger accommodations. This included new painting and carpeting throughout, and installation of a splendid new piano from the Baltimore piano factory of Knabe & Co. in the main salon. The Liberty arrived back in Baltimore on March 18, 1869.
The Liberty was sold in 1870 to the Baltimore and Havana Steamship Company. In 1875, she was sold to Ward & Company of New York.
The next year, while carrying a load of sugar from Havana to New York, the Liberty sank in a September hurricane off Hilton Head, South Carolina.
After the war, the Baltimore, New Orleans, and Havana Line used the Liberty to carry passengers and freight between Havana, Key West, Baltimore, and New York. For six months during the latter part of 1868 and the first part of 1869, the Liberty was berthed at the Port of Baltimore undergoing a major upgrade in engines, equipment and passenger accommodations. She resumed service on February 15, 1869.
After his release from Fort Jefferson, Dr. Mudd secured passage on the Liberty at Key West as it sailed up from Havana on its way back to Baltimore. The Liberty had just finished a six month overhaul which included upgrading all the passenger accommodations. This included new painting and carpeting throughout, and installation of a splendid new piano from the Baltimore piano factory of Knabe & Co. in the main salon. The Liberty arrived back in Baltimore on March 18, 1869.
The Liberty was sold in 1870 to the Baltimore and Havana Steamship Company. In 1875, she was sold to Ward & Company of New York.
The next year, while carrying a load of sugar from Havana to New York, the Liberty sank in a September hurricane off Hilton Head, South Carolina.
