Name/Title
Civil War Letter from St. Marks aboard U.S. Steamer MohawkEntry/Object ID
2015.01.0005Tags
Civil WarScope and Content
Civil War Letter written on July 12, 1861 aboard U.S. Steamer Mohawk stationed in St. Marks, Florida. It was written by James Hooker Strong to Flag Officer William Mervine. It states that Strong left Key West on June 10, arriving in St. Marks later that month. He delivered the Declaration of Blockade to Tallahassee as his role of Lieutenant Commander of the Gulf Blockading Squadron.
James Hooker Strong (26 April 1814 – 28 November 1882) was a rear admiral of the United States Navy, who served during the American Civil War. Strong, born in Canandaigua, New York, was appointed a midshipman in the Navy while he was a student in the Polytechnic College at Chittenango, New York, on 2 February 1829. He made his first cruise on the Brazil Station in Lexington from 1833 to 1835. After various cruises, he commanded the store ship Relief in 1859.
On the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, Strong was promoted to commander, and commanded Mohawk and Flag in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in 1861 and 1862, and Monongahela in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron from 1863 to 1865. At the Battle of Mobile Bay, he was the first to ram the Confederate ironclad CSS Tennessee and received high commendation for his initiative and valor, and a promotion to captain.
Strong served at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1866 and 1867, and later commanded Canandaigua in the Mediterranean Squadron in 1869 and 1870. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1873 and served as Commander-in-Chief of the South Atlantic Squadron from 1873 to 1875.
Strong retired on 25 April 1876. He died in Columbia, South Carolina, on 28 November 1882.Collection
Archive CollectionLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
LetterNomenclature Primary Object Term
CorrespondenceNomenclature Sub-Class
Other DocumentsNomenclature Class
Documentary ObjectsNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsArchive Details
Date(s) of Creation
July 12, 1861Primary Language
EnglishArchive Items Details
Date(s) of Creation
July 12, 1861Dimensions
Height
9-3/4 inWidth
7-3/4 inCondition
Reason for Exam
At AcquisitionOverall Condition
Good