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Savannah News: The Bark Elliot Ritchie1
The bark Elliot Ritchie, Captain Hutchins, which is now
lying at the wharf opposite the upper rice mill, will scarcely be
recognized as the dashing revenue cutter Harriet Lane, which played such a
prominent part during the late war. Yet such she is, and is the original
cutter, with the exception of the upper deck, which was added when she was
converted into a merchant bark. The Harriet Lane was named for the niece
of the late ex-President James Buchanan and the accomplished lady who did
the honors at the white house for her bachelor uncle. She was noted as one
of the fastest revenue cutters in the United States service. In 1863, off
Galveston, she was run down and captured by the steamers Bayou City and
Neptune and turned over to the confederate authorities. An interesting
account of this affair is found in Horace Greeley's history of the war.
Shortly afterwards she was fitted up and succeeded in running the
blockade to Havana. From some cause she was abandoned at that place and
after the war was delivered to the United States authorities by the
Spanish government, and was taken to Philadelphia. She was there sold
and taken to Boston where an upper deck was fitted to her, and she was
converted into the bark Elliot Ritchie, Captain Hutchins and Nehemiah
Gibson becoming her owner. She has for the past eight years been engaged
in the cotton trade, running between southern and foreign ports. She is
six hundred and fifteen tons, a neat vessel, and remarkably fast. On the
forward part of her wheel may be seen the inscription which was placed
there when she was first entered in the United States service, being no
other than the immortal words of the gallant Lawrence, "Don't give
up the ship."
More about The Elliot Ritchie
Links:
Harriet Lane
http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=16
Horace Greeley
http://www.bartelby.com/65/gr/GreeleyH.html
References:
1The Daily Constitution - Atlanta Georgia -
March 14, 1878 - pg. 4.
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