Here’s to some Friday evening local #fredonhistory in honor of the 162nd anniversary of the battle of Hampton Roads, March 8-9, 1862.

From my collection of images is this cabinet card of Confederate States Navy Commander William Augustin Webb.

Born in 1824 in Virginia, William A. Webb hailed from a strong maritime family – his father Thomas Tarleton Webb serving several decades in the U.S. Navy and reached the distinguished rank of Captain. Following in his father’s footsteps, the younger Webb entered the Navy at an early age, and also quickly demonstrated his capabilities. By 1854 he had been promoted to Lieutenant.

Upon the outbreak of the War Between the States, Webb resigned and offered his services to Virginia and ultimately the Confederacy. He was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant and initially assigned to duty in Florida, but returned to Virginia for service with the James River Squadron by the spring of 1862. Here, Webb was placed in command of the Teaser, a converted eighty-foot tugboat armed with only two guns – 32 lb and 12 lb cannon.

It was in this service in March of 1862, the Teaser (and Webb) would distinguish itself in its supporting role alongside the CSS Virginia (Merrimack) as it clashed with unprepared wooden gunboats and ultimately the U.S.S Monitor. In the after-action report of Captain Franklin Buchanan, he noted that the Squadron and “W. A. Webb, of the Teaser, deserves great praise for their gallant conduct throughout the engagement. Their judgment in selecting their positions for attacking the enemy was good; their constant fire was destructive, and contributed much to the success of the day. The general order under which the squadron went into action required that, in the absence of all signals, each commanding officer was to exercise his own judgment and discretion in doing all the damage he could to the enemy, and to sink before surrendering.”

After the battle, Webb went on to serve in a variety of roles with the CS Navy and was promoted to Commander by 1863. There is much more I can add about his time from this point until War’s end, but I will save that story for another day!

More importantly, if you want to learn more about the Battle of Hampton Roads, I invite you out to The Mariners’ Museum and Park this weekend as they commemorate this historic event with opportunities to view artifacts, as well as enjoy a number of lectures and programs for all ages.