AH-WR-0598

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Side-Wheel Steamer / Commerce Raider · Confederate States of America · Lost 1863 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

A Confederate blockade runner turned commerce raider, destroyed by a Union ironclad after running aground near Savannah.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1853 as the passenger steamer Nashville, she ran the Union blockade into Savannah in 1862 and was converted into the raider Rattlesnake. Trapped in the Great Ogeechee River while preparing to put to sea, she ran aground near Fort McAllister in February 1863. The Union monitor USS Montauk shelled her at close range until her magazine exploded, destroying the ship.

Vessel

Built: 1853
Builder: William Collyer
Yard: Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York
Material: Wood
Length: 215.5 ft
Beam: 34.5 ft
Tonnage: 1221
Propulsion: Steam, side paddle wheels, brig-rigged
Owners: Confederate States Navy

Loss

Date: February 28, 1863
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Great Ogeechee River near Fort McAllister, Richmond Hill, Georgia
Water: Great Ogeechee River
Voyage: Savannah, Georgia (attempting to run the blockade) → Open sea via Ossabaw Sound
Cargo: Cotton, being fitted as a commerce raider
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: No Confederate casualties are recorded from the bombardment itself.
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Destroyed by fire and magazine explosion; remains lie in the river
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Near Fort McAllister Historic Park

Position

Coordinates: 31.89° N 81.20° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Richmond Hill, Georgia
Region: The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

General area only: coordinate of Fort McAllister from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel (Great Ogeechee River near Fort McAllister), not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)

Georgia Historical Society
Loss date, location, and circumstances of destruction.
Naval History and Heritage Command
Vessel dimensions, service history, wartime conversion.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Fort McAllister, Georgia
coordinate of the named place of loss