Lesson plan
CSS Owl
CSS Owl was a blockade runner in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. It was built by Jones Quiggen, a ship builder in Liverpool, England and launched on June 21, 1864. Owl, sister to CSS Bat, was more fortunate than her twin which followed her closely. Owl succeeded in running into Wilmington, North Carolina sometime in September 1864, although United States Consul Mortimer Melville Jackson telegraphed Washington, D.C. that Owl had "a large, valuable cargo" cleared August 31—officially for Nassau, Bahamas. She escaped to sea from Wilmington on October 3; her masts were visible all the while she lay in port loading. The blockaders wounded her captain and several crewmen, but 9 shots failed to stop Owl. She was now commanded by Commander John Newland Maffitt, CSN—the "Prince of Privateers"—detached from CSS Albemarle at Plymouth, North Carolina on or about September 9. Confederate Navy Secretary Stephen Mallory, telegraphing on September 19, warned Maffitt: "It is of the first importance that our steamers should not fall into the enemy's hands… these vessels, lightly armed, now constitute the fleetest and most efficient part of his blockading force off Wilmington." Maffitt was to take no passengers, as a rule, and Assistant Paymaster Adam Tredwell, CSN, would deliver "5,000 pounds in sterling bills before sailing," Mallory concluded.…
Article summary
CSS Owl was a blockade runner in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. It was built by Jones Quiggen, a ship builder in Liverpool, England and launched on June 21, 1864. Owl, sister to CSS Bat, was more fortunate than her twin which followed her closely. Owl succeeded in running into Wilmington, North Carolina sometime in September 1864, although United States Consul Mortimer Melville Jackson telegraphed Washington, D.C. that Owl had "a large, valuable cargo" cleared August 31—officially for Nassau, Bahamas. She escaped to sea from Wilmington on October 3; her masts were visible all the while she lay in port loading. The blockaders wounded her captain and several crewmen, but 9 shots failed to stop Owl. She was now commanded by Commander John Newland Maffitt, CSN—the "Prince of Privateers"—detached from CSS Albemarle at Plymouth, North Carolina on or about September 9. Confederate Navy Secretary Stephen Mallory, telegraphing on September 19, warned Maffitt: "It is of the first importance that our steamers should not fall into the enemy's hands… these vessels, lightly armed, now constitute the fleetest and most efficient part of his blockading force off Wilmington." Maffitt was to take no passengers, as a rule, and Assistant Paymaster Adam Tredwell, CSN, would deliver "5,000 pounds in sterling bills before sailing," Mallory concluded.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.