— Ch. 1 · Early Naval Service And Education —
James Iredell Waddell.
~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
James Iredell Waddell entered the United States Navy as a Midshipman in September 1841. He was born in Pittsboro, North Carolina on the 3rd of July 1824. His training took place at the United States Naval Academy where he eventually graduated. This education laid the foundation for nearly two decades of service before the Civil War began. Early assignments included duty aboard the USS Pennsylvania and operations off Veracruz during the Mexican, American War. He served on the USS Somers while fighting near Mexico. A tour off South America followed with the USS Germantown. Later duties placed him as an instructor at the Naval Academy itself. He spent time in the eastern Pacific aboard the USS Saginaw. The East Indies Squadron cruise came next with the USS John Adams.
Resignation And Confederate Commission
Lieutenant Waddell resigned his commission while returning home aboard the USS John Adams late in 1861. The American Civil War had just broken out when this decision occurred. He received dismissal from the U.S. Navy in January 1862. By March 1862, Waddell held a new appointment as a Lieutenant in the Confederate States Navy. He traveled to New Orleans for his first assignment there. Commanders sent him to work on the incomplete ironclad CSS Mississippi. That ship met destruction in late April 1862. He then served as an artillery officer ashore during the battle at Drewry's Bluff, Virginia. Confederate shore batteries fought against Federal ironclads that month. More shore-battery service awaited him at Charleston, South Carolina throughout 1863. Sent abroad in March 1863, First Lieutenant Waddell waited in England for a seagoing position.Command Of The Css Shenandoah
That opportunity finally arrived in October 1864 at sea in the central Atlantic. Waddell converted the British steam/sailer Sea King into the Confederate cruiser CSS Shenandoah. As her commanding officer, Commander Waddell led a long cruise through the south Atlantic. His route crossed the Indian Ocean and entered the north Pacific. In Arctic waters he devastated the United States-flagged whaling fleet during June 1865. The ship operated far from any Confederate port or base. This global cruise targeted American commercial interests rather than naval vessels directly. The vessel hunted whales while conducting raids against U.S. Navy operations. The crew maintained secrecy about their true identity for much of this journey. They sailed under a false flag to avoid detection by Union forces.