The recent receipt of two microfilm rolls, one containing copies of the Fort Warren POW registers, and the other a journal of a Confederate sailor who was aboard the Tacony, Clarence and Archer with lieutenant Read, and some 20 other personnel, has been of much benefit in my research on the CSN and it's personnel.
When sailors of the ARCHER were captured, June 27, 1863, off Portland, Maine, included amongst their group were three sailors who had joined Read's raiders from one or more of the captured prizes they took in the course of their raid. From preliminary research I feel that these three may have been Thomas Butters, Robert W. Hunt and James Kelley, but I may be wrong. Does anyone have any further information on this? I am awaiting additional copies of documentation on these and the other personnel of Read's group.
Also, sometime ago I had seen a photograph of a James Goffee, in volume 6, page 392, of the William C. Davis volumes, titled the IMAGE OF WAR. This person, shown in the photograph holding a bible, was indicated as having been a chaplain on the Tacony. This is, in fact, James Coffee (whose name is also variously shown, in the CSN sailor's journal and also the Fort Warren POW registers as Cauffee, Coffay, Coffee and Coffey), and who is listed as being a seaman. I doubt if he was officially appointed a Chaplain in the CS Navy, as I have not seen any CSN Chaplains listed anywhere else, and there is no indication that anyone was appointed as such. My belief is that he may have been a pastor in pre-war days, and perhaps took on the role of chaplain aboard the vessels he served on, without being officially appointed. Any thoughts on this, from anyone, please?