Chesapeake Affair
Encyclopedia
The Chesapeake Affair was an international diplomatic incident that occurred during the American Civil War
. On December 7, 1863 Confederate
sympathizers from Canada’s Maritime Provinces
captured the American Steamer Chesapeake off the coast of Cape Cod
. The expedition was planned and led by Vernon Guyon Locke of Nova Scotia
and John Clibbon Brain. George Wade of New Brunswick
killed one of the American crew. The Confederacy had claimed its first fatal casualty in New England
waters. The Confederate sympathisers had planned to re-coal at Saint John, New Brunswick
and then head south to Wilmington, North Carolina
. Instead, the captures experienced difficulties at Saint John, which required them to move further north and re-coal in Halifax, Nova Scotia. American forces violated British sovereignty by trying to arrest the captures in Nova Scotian waters, which further escalated the affair. Wade and others were able to escape through the assistance of prominent Nova Scotian and Confederate sympathiser William Johnston Almon
.
The Chesapeake Affair was one of the most sensational international incidents that occurred during the American Civil War
. The incident briefly threatened to bring Great Britain into the war against the North.
As the war went on, relations between Britain and the North became strained for numerous reasons and sympathy turned toward the South. Britain declared itself neutral during the war, which led to increased trade that went through Halifax to both Northern and Southern Ports. Nova Scotia’s economy thrived throughout the war. This trade created strong ties between Halifax and merchants from both the North and South. In Halifax the main commercial agent for the Confederacy was Benjamin Wier
and Co. – a company that flew the Confederate flag outside its office and accepted Confederate money. The informal headquarters for the Confederates was located at Waverley Hotel, Barrington Street (present day Waverley Inn). At the same time, Halifax became the leading supplier of coal and fish to the North.
While trade with the South was flourishing, the North created a the naval blockade
to prevent supplies getting to the South. Hundreds of Blockade runners would use the port of Halifax to ship their goods between Britain and the Confederate States. Much of the coal and other fuels used to run Confederate steamers went through Halifax.
Further Canadians became fearful of the power the North demonstrated in destroying the South and the possibility of wanting to annex Canada after the Southern defeat. Toronto, Montreal, St. Catharines and Halifax hosted a well-financed network of Confederate spies, escaped prisoners, and soldiers of fortune trying to influence government opinion in the war. The Confederates arranged various attacks on the south from Canada, such as the raid on St. Albans, Vermont
. The plan to kill President Abraham Lincoln
was made in the St. Lawrence Hall hotel in Montreal
, Quebec
. The Chesapeake affair was a plan created in St. John, New Brunswick by Confederate sympathisers to capture an American ship, which would become a blockade runner for the south.
Locke had arranged for Braine and sixteen Confederate sympathisers from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to board the Chesapeake as normal passengers while in New York. While en route to Maine, on the night of December 7, just off the coast of Cape Cod, Baine and the others commandeered the vessel. In the exchange of gunfire that transpired the ship’s second engineer was killed and three others wounded. After the seizing of the vessel, Locke took command of the vessel himself at Grand Manan Island.
The crew was faced with the problem that neutrality regulations forbade the bringing of prizes into British waters. Locke still took the Chesapeake to Saint John, New Brunswick as planned but was unable to load coal for the voyage south. As a result, the steamer made its way to Nova Scotia. They stopped in at Shelburne (DEC 10) and at Conquerall Bank, Nova Scotia
on the Lahave River (Dec 14) where they loaded some coal, and then spent two days and sold some of the stolen cargo for supplies.
In the mean time, two Union warships, the fast side-wheeler Ella and Annie
, moving south from Halifax, and the USS Dacotah, coming north from Shelburne, were closing in.
The Chesapeake was nearly caught by the Ella and Annie on the LaHave River. Under the cover of night, the Chesapeake turned all lights out and slipped behind Spectacle Island and out the LaHave without being detected. The Chesapeake was again able to avoid capture at Lunenburg and made its way to Halifax. The vessel moved through Mahone Bay. At St. Margaret’s Bay it let some crew leave the ship. By December 16, the ship arrived at Mud Cove harbour at Sambro
. Once there Locke went to Halifax over land and arranged to have a schooner come to Sambro to load coal. While the Chesapeake was being loaded with coal the Ella and Annie and USS Dacotah arrived.
.)
U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward
told the British that he wanted the Chesapeake returned immediately and the captures put in jail and extradited to the states.
William Johnston Almon
was generally regarded as the unofficial Confederate consul in Halifax. He constantly harboured Confederate “refugees” and hosted numerous prominent Confederate officials, who were automatically welcomed at Rosebank during their stay in town. He was a friend and correspondent of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He worked with Alexander Keith, Jr.
to free the confederates.
The Chesapeake was to await adjudication in the colonial Admiralty court, while the Confederate prisoner Wade was to be given to the American authorities for extradition. Almond and Keith arranged for Wade’s escape in a rowboat to Ketch Harbour
and then on to Hantsport
. The Americans were outraged and, in response, the British put a warrant out for the rest of his crew. A few of the crew were tried but were found not guilty on a technicality.
Many Southerners settled in Canada after the war. In Halifax approximately 30 senior Naval and Army officers from the South settled in the city. Some of the most prominent were John Wilkinson, Thomas Edgeworth Courtenay
, and John Taylor Wood
.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. On December 7, 1863 Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
sympathizers from Canada’s Maritime Provinces
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
captured the American Steamer Chesapeake off the coast of Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. The expedition was planned and led by Vernon Guyon Locke of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and John Clibbon Brain. George Wade of New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
killed one of the American crew. The Confederacy had claimed its first fatal casualty in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
waters. The Confederate sympathisers had planned to re-coal at Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
and then head south to Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
. Instead, the captures experienced difficulties at Saint John, which required them to move further north and re-coal in Halifax, Nova Scotia. American forces violated British sovereignty by trying to arrest the captures in Nova Scotian waters, which further escalated the affair. Wade and others were able to escape through the assistance of prominent Nova Scotian and Confederate sympathiser William Johnston Almon
William Johnston Almon
William Johnston Almon was a Nova Scotian physician and Canadian parliamentarian.Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Almon received his medical education from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow. He was awarded a medical degree from the later university in 1838...
.
The Chesapeake Affair was one of the most sensational international incidents that occurred during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The incident briefly threatened to bring Great Britain into the war against the North.
Historical context
The practice of slave-owning was outlawed in Nova Scotia (and all of the British Empire) by the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. When the war began most Canadians were overtly sympathetic to the North. At the beginning of the American Civil War approximately 20, 000 Canadians, almost half of them Maritimers, went to fight, primarily for the North. There were also strong family ties across the border.As the war went on, relations between Britain and the North became strained for numerous reasons and sympathy turned toward the South. Britain declared itself neutral during the war, which led to increased trade that went through Halifax to both Northern and Southern Ports. Nova Scotia’s economy thrived throughout the war. This trade created strong ties between Halifax and merchants from both the North and South. In Halifax the main commercial agent for the Confederacy was Benjamin Wier
Benjamin Wier
Benjamin Wier was a Canadian businessman and politician.He was born in Newport Township, Hants County, Nova Scotia, the son of Benjamin Weir. He married Phoebe Wier, a cousin, and opened a store near Windsor. He moved to Halifax in 1830...
and Co. – a company that flew the Confederate flag outside its office and accepted Confederate money. The informal headquarters for the Confederates was located at Waverley Hotel, Barrington Street (present day Waverley Inn). At the same time, Halifax became the leading supplier of coal and fish to the North.
While trade with the South was flourishing, the North created a the naval blockade
Union blockade
The Union Blockade, or the Blockade of the South, took place between 1861 and 1865, during the American Civil War, when the Union Navy maintained a strenuous effort on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the Confederate States of America designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms...
to prevent supplies getting to the South. Hundreds of Blockade runners would use the port of Halifax to ship their goods between Britain and the Confederate States. Much of the coal and other fuels used to run Confederate steamers went through Halifax.
Further Canadians became fearful of the power the North demonstrated in destroying the South and the possibility of wanting to annex Canada after the Southern defeat. Toronto, Montreal, St. Catharines and Halifax hosted a well-financed network of Confederate spies, escaped prisoners, and soldiers of fortune trying to influence government opinion in the war. The Confederates arranged various attacks on the south from Canada, such as the raid on St. Albans, Vermont
St. Albans raid
The St. Albans Raid was the northernmost land action of the American Civil War, taking place in St. Albans, Vermont on October 19, 1864.-Background:In this unusual incident, Bennett H. Young led Confederate States Army forces...
. The plan to kill President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
was made in the St. Lawrence Hall hotel in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The Chesapeake affair was a plan created in St. John, New Brunswick by Confederate sympathisers to capture an American ship, which would become a blockade runner for the south.
Capture
The crew was faced with the problem that neutrality regulations forbade the bringing of prizes into British waters. Locke still took the Chesapeake to Saint John, New Brunswick as planned but was unable to load coal for the voyage south. As a result, the steamer made its way to Nova Scotia. They stopped in at Shelburne (DEC 10) and at Conquerall Bank, Nova Scotia
Conquerall Bank, Nova Scotia
Conquerall Bank is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Lunenburg Municipal District in Lunenburg County. The community was involved with the Chesapeake Affair during the American Civil War.-References:*...
on the Lahave River (Dec 14) where they loaded some coal, and then spent two days and sold some of the stolen cargo for supplies.
In the mean time, two Union warships, the fast side-wheeler Ella and Annie
USS Malvern (1860)
USS Malvern was a large steamer captured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was then used by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.Malvern was built in 1860 as William G...
, moving south from Halifax, and the USS Dacotah, coming north from Shelburne, were closing in.
The Chesapeake was nearly caught by the Ella and Annie on the LaHave River. Under the cover of night, the Chesapeake turned all lights out and slipped behind Spectacle Island and out the LaHave without being detected. The Chesapeake was again able to avoid capture at Lunenburg and made its way to Halifax. The vessel moved through Mahone Bay. At St. Margaret’s Bay it let some crew leave the ship. By December 16, the ship arrived at Mud Cove harbour at Sambro
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Sambro is a rural fishing community on the Chebucto Peninsula in the Halifax Regional Municipality, in Nova Scotia, Canada.Located on the Atlantic Ocean at the head of Sambro Harbour, the community is immediately west of the entrance to Halifax Harbour...
. Once there Locke went to Halifax over land and arranged to have a schooner come to Sambro to load coal. While the Chesapeake was being loaded with coal the Ella and Annie and USS Dacotah arrived.
Arrest
Upon the arrival of the American war ships, the crew of the Chesapeake fled. Lieutenant Nickels of the Ella and Annie violated British sovereignty and international laws and proceeded to arrest the three men that remained – one New Brunswicker and two Nova Scotians. George Wade, who had murdered a crew member was among the prisoners. The Americans took the Chesapeake to Halifax to get clearance for their actions from the British. The Chesapeake arrived in Halifax on December 17, under the escort of the two American War ships. Three other warships, who had also been in pursuit of the Chesapeake, followed. (These included the USS Acacia, USS Cornubia, and the USS Niagara (1855)USS Niagara (1855)
The second USS Niagara was a steam frigate in the United States Navy.Niagara was launched by New York Navy Yard on 23 February 1855; sponsored by Miss Annie C. O'Donnell; and commissioned on 6 April 1857, Captain William L...
.)
U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
told the British that he wanted the Chesapeake returned immediately and the captures put in jail and extradited to the states.
Escape
William Johnston Almon
William Johnston Almon was a Nova Scotian physician and Canadian parliamentarian.Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Almon received his medical education from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow. He was awarded a medical degree from the later university in 1838...
was generally regarded as the unofficial Confederate consul in Halifax. He constantly harboured Confederate “refugees” and hosted numerous prominent Confederate officials, who were automatically welcomed at Rosebank during their stay in town. He was a friend and correspondent of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He worked with Alexander Keith, Jr.
Alexander Keith, Jr.
Alexander 'Sandy' Keith, Jr. was a notorious nineteenth century criminal from Halifax, Nova Scotia.-Life and career:Keith was born in 1827 in Caithness, Scotland, immigrating to Halifax when he was a small boy...
to free the confederates.
The Chesapeake was to await adjudication in the colonial Admiralty court, while the Confederate prisoner Wade was to be given to the American authorities for extradition. Almond and Keith arranged for Wade’s escape in a rowboat to Ketch Harbour
Ketch Harbour, Nova Scotia
Ketch Harbour is a former rural fishing community on the Chebucto Peninsula in the Halifax Regional Municipality on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean on Route 349, 17 kilometers from Halifax. It is currently inhabited by people who, for the most part, commute to Halifax and its surrounding areas to...
and then on to Hantsport
Hantsport, Nova Scotia
Hantsport is a rural Canadian town and seaport located in the western part of Hants County, Nova Scotia. Hantsport is located just south of the county boundary with Kings County, and sits on the west bank of the Avon River in a tidal estuary.The town is most best known for its history of...
. The Americans were outraged and, in response, the British put a warrant out for the rest of his crew. A few of the crew were tried but were found not guilty on a technicality.
Aftermath
While the Southern sympathisers believed they were engaging in an act of war because they had an official letter of marquee from the Confederacy, as the investigation into the affair unfolded, it was discovered there was no legality to their letter. As a result, rather than the Chesapeake affair being an official act of war, it was, in fact, an act of piracy and condemned as such by most of the newspapers in the Maritimes.Many Southerners settled in Canada after the war. In Halifax approximately 30 senior Naval and Army officers from the South settled in the city. Some of the most prominent were John Wilkinson, Thomas Edgeworth Courtenay
Thomas Edgeworth Courtenay
Thomas Edgeworth Courtenay was a member of the Confederate Secret Service and the inventor of the coal torpedo, a bomb disguised as a lump of coal that was used to attack Union steam-powered warships and transports....
, and John Taylor Wood
John Taylor Wood
John Taylor Wood was an officer in the United States Navy who became a "leading Confederate naval hero" as a captain in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
.
External links
- Marquis, Greg. Halifax and Saint John and the American Civil War. 1998
- http://books.google.ca/books?id=SdrYv7S60fgC&pg=PA423&lpg=PA423&dq=chesapeake+1863+greg+marquis&source=bl&ots=lX0yDTUvOy&sig=DFjNiWlhLJF45KBLbDp4UyrtKOc&hl=en&ei=MPT-TOLgGYSBlAeg9tiRCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&sqi=2&ved=0CDcQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=chesapeake%201863%20greg%20marquis&f=falseDavid Stephen Heidler, Jeanne T. Heidler, David J. Coles. Encyclopedia of the American Civil War, p. 422]