Boarding Cutter
An Innovative Use of Resources
The vessel and wagon you see before you represent CSN Captain John Taylor Wood's use of available resources in an innovative way during the Civil War. Wood was one of the most illustrious military men to fight in Middlesex County during the Civil War. He was the grandson of Zachery Taylor and the nephew of Jefferson Davis, and was an accomplished soldier, sailor, ant tactician. The South suffered from a lack of naval vessels and supplies, and in a highly creative use of limited resources, Wood had four 30' double-ended cutters built at Rockett's Shipyard in Richmond. The boats were light and fast under oar power, and they easily fit on specially modified supply wagons. Wood's idea was to launch the boats in remote areas and fast under oar power, and they easily fit on specially modified supply wagons. Wood's idea was to launch the boats in remote areas and use them to capture unsuspecting Union boats and their cargo.
Piankatank Skirmish
In two raids in 1862, Woods successfully captured several commercial vessels. In August 1863, Jefferson Davis ordered Wood to the Piankatank River to target Union gunboats rather than commercial vessels. Wood, with 82 men and four boarding cutters, camped at Wilton Creek and from there ambushed the Union gunboat U.S. General Putnam. The gunboat escaped, but its captain was killed and several of its crewmen wounded.
Capture on the Rappahannock
Several weeks later, in a raging storm on the Rappahannock River off Stingray Point, Wood and his men captured the gunboats U.S. Satellite and U.S. Reliance using his boarding cutters. Commandeering the Satellite, Wood seized three commercial vessels the next day. The Union sent three gunboats after Wood, but he escaped up the Rappahannock River with his prizes, salvaging guns, engines, anchors and chains worth tens of thousands of dollars. He captured ninety prisoners without losing a single one of his own men.
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1863.
Location. 37° 33.111′ N, 76° 19.492′ W. Marker is in Deltaville, Virginia, in Middlesex County. It can be reached from Jackson Creek Road (Virginia Route 660) 0.2 miles north of Orchard Lane, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 287 Jackson Creek Rd, Deltaville VA 23043, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking
Credits. This page was last revised on June 27, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 267 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 27, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
