Denbigh Primary
Source Documents
Historical research being done on the Denbigh
Project has revealed a growing volume of original documents that relate to the ship and
her career. These documents, which range from the Laird, Sons & Co. builder's
ledger to a Federal naval officer's dispatch reporting her destruction on Bird Key, offer
detailed and valuable glimpses into Denbigh's remarkable career. Follow the
links below to review a sampling of these documents:
Construction and Trials
- Laird, Sons & Co. builder's ledger, Birkenhead,
England, 1860
- Denbigh launch, fitting out and trial
record, Birkenhead, England, August 18 to September 26, 1860
- Report by U.S. Consul
Thomas Dudley at Liverpool, October 20, 1863.
Newspaper Articles
- Mobile Register, February
4, 1864 -- Denbigh runs aground near Fort Morgan.
- Galveston Weekly News, September
21, 1864 -- Notes on yellow fever, the blockading fleet and desertions.
- Galveston Weekly News, October
26, 1864 -- Notes on Denbigh, other blockade runners and yellow fever in
Galveston.
- Galveston Weekly News, January
11, 1865 -- An account of life in the blockading fleet off Galveston.
- Galveston Weekly News, February
15, 1865 -- Speculating on sabotage aboard blockade runners.
- Galveston Weekly News, April
5, 1865 -- Narrow escapes by blockade runners at Galveston.
- Galveston Weekly News, April
26, 1865 -- Blockade runner Lark fights off a Federal boarding party.
- Galveston Weekly News, May
31, 1865 -- Denbigh destroyed.
Cargo Manifests
- Denbigh cargo manifest, April 5, 1864
(Confederate Quartermaster Dept. consignment only)
- Denbigh cargo manifest, June 1864
(Confederate Quartermaster Dept. consignment only)
Naval Dispatches, Reports and Correspondence
- Letter from W. B. B. Cross,
Major and Quartermaster at Richmond, Virginia, to Capt. R. B. Winder, Assistant
Quartermaster at Americus, Georgia, April 15, 1864, regarding supplies brought into Mobile
by Denbigh.
- Letter from the Secretary
of the Navy to Rear-Admiral Farragut, U.S. Navy, forwarding consular information from
Havana regarding the movements of blockade runners Mail and Denbigh,
June 10, 1864
- Letter from the Acting U.S.
Consul-General at Havana to Capt. T. P. Greene, U.S. Navy, regarding the movements of
blockade runners, August 25, 1864
- Report of Captain Benjamin
F. Sands, U.S. Navy, on the grounding and escape of the blockade runner Denbigh,
April 21, 1865.
- Report of Captain Benjamin
F. Sands, U. S. Navy, regarding the destruction of the blockade runner Denbigh,
May 24, 1865.
Denbigh Project investigators would like
to thank all those researchers who have provided access to materials related to Denbigh.
We would like to extend particular thanks to Dr. Stephen R. Wise, author of Lifeline of the Confederacy,
and Robert Holcombe of the Port Columbus Civil War Naval Center in Columbus, Georgia, for
generously sharing their files on Denbigh. |
