CSS Texas

I was reading Clive Cussler's Sahara today. It is not one of my favorite Cussler books, indeed it's right down there near the bottom of the list (and indeed, of all the Cussler books, I can't believe that this is the one they chose to make a movie out of!)

In the book, Cussler says that the Confederate ironclad Texas successfully escapes from Union forces by showing Abraham Lincoln (whom the Rebels have kidnapped), and that the men who manned the batteries would "swear forever afterwards" that they saw Lincoln on the ship.

So, I was kind of assuming that Cussler was telling a real story, of an ironclad called the Texas that disappeared, with soldiers saying they'd seen Lincoln on board (whom I'd assumed would be an impostor, used for the purpose).

But it seems not so. The real Texas never made it anywhere, it was captured by Union forces before it could go anywhere.

The CSS Texas (Confederate States Ship Texas), was a twin propeller casement ironclad ram of the Confederate Navy, named for the state of Texas. She was sister ship to CSS Columbia. Since the ship was built so late in the American Civil War, it saw no action before being captured by Union forces.

The keel for the CSS Texas was laid down at Richmond, Virginia. She was launched in January 1865. At the time of Robert E. Lee's evacuation of Richmond on 3 April 1865, she was left unfinished but intact in an outfitting berth at the Richmond Navy Yard, one of only two vessels which escaped destruction by the departing Confederate forces. Captured when the city fell the following day, the ironclad was taken into the United States Navy, but saw no service. Texas was laid up at Norfolk until 15 October 1867 when she was sold to J.N. Leonard & Co. of New Haven, Connecticut.

Well, it made a good story anyway!