This
unfortunate piece of diplomacy gave Jefferson Davis the opportunity to
strike his first blow at the power and prestige of the North.
He immediately issued a proclamation offering to issue such letters to
any ship that would arm herself and enlist under the ensign of the
Confederate navy. The response was quick and the ultimate result the
lowering of the flag of the Union from practically every ship of
commerce that sailed the ocean.
Gideon Welles conferred with his Chief in Washington and Abraham Lincoln
issued a proclamation which at the time created scarcely a ripple of
excitement. And yet that order was the most important document which
came from the White House during the entire four years of the war.
When the test came sixteen captains, thirty-four commanders and one
hundred and eleven midshipmen resigned and cast their fortunes with the
South. Not one of them attempted to use his position to surrender a
ship.
Small as it was, the entire navy of the United States was practically
intact. It comprised ninety ships of war--forty-two of them ready for
active service. The majority of the vessels ready for war were
steam-propelled craft of the latest improved type.
The United States had been one of the first world powers to realize the
value of steam and rebuild its navy accordingly.
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