Thomas Egenton Hogg
Encyclopedia
Thomas Egenton Hogg was a master
in the Confederate States Navy
who participated in raids on Union
ships during the American Civil War
. He was captured and sentenced to death, but was eventually released from prison, after which he became a businessman and railroad promoter in the U.S. state of Oregon
. He worked to build the Oregon Pacific Railroad, though his dream to create a transcontinental railroad
with its western terminus on the Oregon Coast
was never realized.
. That year, the state seceded from the United States of America and joined the Confederacy
, and Hogg was sympathetic to their cause.
boarded the Joseph L. Gerrity, a Union
schooner loaded with cotton, in Matamoros
, Mexico. On November 26, they seized the ship without harming the crew and then abandoned them on the Yucatán Peninsula
. The pirate crew proceeded to Belize
in the British Honduras
, where with forged documents that gave the ship the new name Eureka, they sold the ship's cargo. By this time, the ship's real crew had alerted British authorities; Hogg and one other man escaped into Nicaragua
and across the Isthmus of Panama
, but British authorities captured three others in Liverpool
, charging them with piracy.
Word of Hogg's success in capturing the ship and eluding capture reached Confederate Navy Secretary Stephen Mallory
. In May 1864, Mallory instructed Hogg to seize a Union steamship, either the Salvador or the Guatemala, and use it for commerce raiding
of Union shipping along the West Coast
and the whaling
fleet in the Pacific Ocean
. On November 10, 1864, Hogg's party boarded the Salvador in Panama City
to carry out the plan, but Union officials had received word of the plot and a party from the USS Lancaster
arrested Hogg and his men.
Hogg was sentenced by a military commission to be hanged for violating the rules of war, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by Union General Irvin McDowell
. Hogg began serving his sentence at Alcatraz
in 1864 and was transferred to San Quentin
in August 1865. On May 7, 1866, he was released from prison by another order issued by General McDowell.
, where he styled himself a "Colonel" despite having no military claim to the title. Hogg began exploring the idea of building a railroad from Corvallis to the Oregon Coast
, following the route of the existing Corvallis and Yaquina Bay Wagon Road. Hogg began gathering investors, who were sold on the idea of reducing the time it took Willamette Valley
farmers to get their produce to California
. In October 1872, Hogg incorporated the Corvallis and Yaquina Bay Railroad; two years later, he re-incorporated it as the Willamette Valley and Coast Railroad and obtained land grants from the state in what is now Lincoln County
on which to build the railroad. The company made little headway in raising capital and building until Hogg teamed with Corvallis banker Wallis Nash. In 1880, Hogg and Nash incorporated the Oregon Pacific Railroad and began promoting the idea of Corvallis as the hub of a transcontinental railroad
that would establish Newport as the "San Francisco of the North" to east coast financiers. Hogg and Nash raised millions of dollars. In 1885, The line was completed from Yaquina
on the Oregon Coast
to Corvallis across the Oregon Coast Range
, and in 1887, the Corvallis Depot was completed.
But the railroad was running into difficulty. Established shippers who used Portland
and Astoria
opposed the new route and bought up land adjacent to the land grants to make routing difficult. Other problems included the fact that the Yaquina Bay
harbor was too shallow for large ships, which was not an issue for the Columbia River
; moreover, building the railroad over the mountains proved to be expensive and plagued by mismanagement of funds.
Eastward from Corvallis, the line made it as far as Idanha
, 15 miles (24.1 km) short of Santiam Pass
, though a line was taken up Santiam Pass
to what is now Hogg Rock
, to preserve the right of way. By 1891, the railroad was out of money and went into receivership
. In 1895, it was purchased at a sheriff's auction by lumberman A. B. Hammond
and the railroad's name was changed to Oregon Central and Eastern Railroad, and later to the Corvallis and Eastern Railroad.
on a streetcar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
.
Due to his efforts to build a railroad over the Cascades at that location, Hogg Rock
at the top of Santiam Pass is named for him, and Santiam Pass itself was previously named Hogg Pass.
of Indiana, and who was one of the founders of what would become the Portland law firm of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt
. Spencer worked to restore 15000 acres (60.7 km²) to Hogg's widow in 1908, and within two years, had divorced his wife and remarried Mrs. Hogg. In 1920, in what was attributed to his ill health and financial concerns over a horse farm they owned, Spencer attempted to kill his wife with a revolver. She survived, but Spencer then turned the gun on himself, committing suicide.
Master (naval)
The master, or sailing master, was a historic term for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel...
in the Confederate States Navy
Confederate States Navy
The Confederate States Navy was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War...
who participated in raids on Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
ships 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...
. He was captured and sentenced to death, but was eventually released from prison, after which he became a businessman and railroad promoter in the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He worked to build the Oregon Pacific Railroad, though his dream to create a transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
with its western terminus on the Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...
was never realized.
Early life
Hogg was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1828, the son of a prominent Baltimore merchant, William Hogg, and his wife Jane. By 1861, Hogg had moved to LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. That year, the state seceded from the United States of America and joined the Confederacy
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...
, and Hogg was sympathetic to their cause.
Civil War
On November 16, 1863, Hogg and five other Confederate sympathizers from IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
boarded the Joseph L. Gerrity, a Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
schooner loaded with cotton, in Matamoros
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
, Mexico. On November 26, they seized the ship without harming the crew and then abandoned them on the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
. The pirate crew proceeded to Belize
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
in the British Honduras
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British colony that is now the independent nation of Belize.First colonised by Spaniards in the 17th century, the territory on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, became a British crown colony from 1862 until 1964, when it became self-governing. Belize became...
, where with forged documents that gave the ship the new name Eureka, they sold the ship's cargo. By this time, the ship's real crew had alerted British authorities; Hogg and one other man escaped into Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and across the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
, but British authorities captured three others in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, charging them with piracy.
Word of Hogg's success in capturing the ship and eluding capture reached Confederate Navy Secretary Stephen Mallory
Stephen Mallory
Stephen Russell Mallory served in the United States Senate as, Senator from Florida from 1850 to the secession of his home state and the outbreak of the American Civil War. For much of that period, he was chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs...
. In May 1864, Mallory instructed Hogg to seize a Union steamship, either the Salvador or the Guatemala, and use it for commerce raiding
Commerce raiding
Commerce raiding or guerre de course is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt the logistics of an enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than engaging the combatants themselves or enforcing a blockade against them.Commerce raiding was heavily criticised by...
of Union shipping along the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
and the whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
fleet in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. On November 10, 1864, Hogg's party boarded the Salvador in Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
to carry out the plan, but Union officials had received word of the plot and a party from the USS Lancaster
USS Lancaster (1858)
The first USS Lancaster was a screw sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the American Civil War through the Spanish-American War....
arrested Hogg and his men.
Hogg was sentenced by a military commission to be hanged for violating the rules of war, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by Union General Irvin McDowell
Irvin McDowell
Irvin McDowell was a career American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War.-Early life:...
. Hogg began serving his sentence at Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
in 1864 and was transferred to San Quentin
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
in August 1865. On May 7, 1866, he was released from prison by another order issued by General McDowell.
Oregon railroad interests
In 1871, Hogg moved to Corvallis, OregonCorvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, where he styled himself a "Colonel" despite having no military claim to the title. Hogg began exploring the idea of building a railroad from Corvallis to the Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...
, following the route of the existing Corvallis and Yaquina Bay Wagon Road. Hogg began gathering investors, who were sold on the idea of reducing the time it took Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
farmers to get their produce to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In October 1872, Hogg incorporated the Corvallis and Yaquina Bay Railroad; two years later, he re-incorporated it as the Willamette Valley and Coast Railroad and obtained land grants from the state in what is now Lincoln County
Lincoln County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge*Siuslaw National Forest -Demographics:...
on which to build the railroad. The company made little headway in raising capital and building until Hogg teamed with Corvallis banker Wallis Nash. In 1880, Hogg and Nash incorporated the Oregon Pacific Railroad and began promoting the idea of Corvallis as the hub of a transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
that would establish Newport as the "San Francisco of the North" to east coast financiers. Hogg and Nash raised millions of dollars. In 1885, The line was completed from Yaquina
Yaquina, Oregon
Yaquina , at one time a thriving port called Yaquina City, is an unincorporated area in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It is located near the mouth of the Yaquina River, on the east side of Yaquina Bay, and is about a 3-mile drive from Newport...
on the Oregon Coast
Oregon Coast
The Oregon Coast is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs generally north-south along the Pacific Ocean, forming the western border of the state; the region is bounded to the east by the Oregon Coast Range. The Oregon Coast stretches approximately from the Columbia River in the north to...
to Corvallis across the Oregon Coast Range
Oregon Coast Range
The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean...
, and in 1887, the Corvallis Depot was completed.
But the railroad was running into difficulty. Established shippers who used Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and Astoria
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
opposed the new route and bought up land adjacent to the land grants to make routing difficult. Other problems included the fact that the Yaquina Bay
Yaquina Bay
Yaquina Bay is a small bay partially within Newport, Oregon, United States, located where the Yaquina River flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is traversed by the Yaquina Bay Bridge. The bay's area is about 8 km² .-See also:...
harbor was too shallow for large ships, which was not an issue for the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
; moreover, building the railroad over the mountains proved to be expensive and plagued by mismanagement of funds.
Eastward from Corvallis, the line made it as far as Idanha
Idanha, Oregon
Idanha is a city on the Marion County/Linn County line in Oregon, United States, on Oregon Route 22 and the Santiam River. The population was 232 at the 2000 census....
, 15 miles (24.1 km) short of Santiam Pass
Santiam Pass
Santiam Pass is a mountain pass in the Cascade Range in central Oregon in the United States. It is located on the border between Linn and Jefferson counties, about northwest of Sisters, between the prominent volcanic horns of Three Fingered Jack to the north and Mount Washington to the south...
, though a line was taken up Santiam Pass
Santiam Pass
Santiam Pass is a mountain pass in the Cascade Range in central Oregon in the United States. It is located on the border between Linn and Jefferson counties, about northwest of Sisters, between the prominent volcanic horns of Three Fingered Jack to the north and Mount Washington to the south...
to what is now Hogg Rock
Hogg Rock
Hogg Rock is a tuya volcano in the Cascade Range of northern Oregon, located west of Santiam Pass beside the Santiam Highway . The highway wraps in a nearly 180-degree curve below cliffs on the south and west sides....
, to preserve the right of way. By 1891, the railroad was out of money and went into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
. In 1895, it was purchased at a sheriff's auction by lumberman A. B. Hammond
A. B. Hammond
Andrew B. Hammond was an American lumberman. He developed the Missoula Mercantile Co. He built the Bitterroot Valley Railroad and the Astoria Columbia River Railroad. He was president of the Hammond Lumber Co. and the Hammond Steamship Co....
and the railroad's name was changed to Oregon Central and Eastern Railroad, and later to the Corvallis and Eastern Railroad.
Death
Hogg moved back to Baltimore with his wife Naomi, a native of England who was 35 years his junior, in the late 1880s. They purchased his parents' farm and built a large estate that he named Cecil Manor. The house, one of the most expensive homes in Maryland at the time, was destroyed by fire in 1890. On December 8, 1898, he died of apoplexyApoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
on a streetcar in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
Due to his efforts to build a railroad over the Cascades at that location, Hogg Rock
Hogg Rock
Hogg Rock is a tuya volcano in the Cascade Range of northern Oregon, located west of Santiam Pass beside the Santiam Highway . The highway wraps in a nearly 180-degree curve below cliffs on the south and west sides....
at the top of Santiam Pass is named for him, and Santiam Pass itself was previously named Hogg Pass.
Land holdings and intrigue
Hogg had retained thousands of acres of land in Oregon granted to him for the railroad, but after his death, the estate became mired in legal entanglements. His attorney was Schuyler C. Spencer, who had studied in the law offices of Edgar D. CrumpackerEdgar D. Crumpacker
Edgar Dean Crumpacker was a U.S. Representative from Indiana, father of Maurice Edgar Crumpacker and cousin of Shepard J...
of Indiana, and who was one of the founders of what would become the Portland law firm of Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt is an American law firm with over 165 attorneys in eight cities. The firm currently has offices in:* Oregon** Portland** Bend** Salem** Eugene* Washington** Seattle** Stevenson** Vancouver...
. Spencer worked to restore 15000 acres (60.7 km²) to Hogg's widow in 1908, and within two years, had divorced his wife and remarried Mrs. Hogg. In 1920, in what was attributed to his ill health and financial concerns over a horse farm they owned, Spencer attempted to kill his wife with a revolver. She survived, but Spencer then turned the gun on himself, committing suicide.