Historical oddity

[Novascotian]

What was the Enoch Train, an important vessel in the Civil War?

 

[Bob Cleek]

What was the Enoch Train, an important vessel in the Civil War?

Not just what, but also who.

Enoch Train was a mid-nineteenth century merchant and American packet shipping line owner and business associate of clipper ship designer and builder, Donald McKay. (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_Train. See also: https://seahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/SH183-Enoch-Train-VinMiles.pdf and https://prabook.com/web/enoch.train/3771155)

The S.S. Enoch Train, was a steam packet ship regularly sailing between Liverpool and Boston. In 1856, sailing from Liverpool, she was chartered to carry a company of 551 primarily English Latter-Day Saints to America in what is known as the "Mormon Exodus." The departure of this large group, bound for Utah to join the LDS community in Salt Lake, Utah, caused a bit of a stir in England. This group, later famously crossing the prairies carrying their belongings in push carts, formed a large part of the nucleus of the early LDS pioneers who founded Salt Lake City. (See: https://keepapitchinin.org/2015/01/05/the-sailing-of-the-enoch-train-1856/ and https://saintsbysea.byu.edu/browse_voyages/?ship=Enoch Train ) If the number of people who trace their ancestry to a passenger on the Enoch Train's 1856 voyage is any indication, it might be said that she is to Salt Lake City what the Mayflower is to Boston.

Contemporary portrait of S.S. Enoch Train:



A Liberty Ship launched in 1943 also carried Enoch Train's name, although it does not appear that she was particularly famous. There was at some time apparently a tug boat which also carried Enoch Train's name.



Google is your friend! There's more there. See: https://www.shipindex.org/ships/enoch_train

 

[Novascotian]

Not just what, but also who.

Enoch Train was a mid-nineteenth century merchant and American packet shipping line owner and business associate of clipper ship designer and builder, Donald McKay. (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enoch_Train. See also: https://seahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/SH183-Enoch-Train-VinMiles.pdf and https://prabook.com/web/enoch.train/3771155)

The S.S. Enoch Train, was a steam packet ship regularly sailing between Liverpool and Boston. In 1856, sailing from Liverpool, she was chartered to carry a company of 551 primarily English Latter-Day Saints to America in what is known as the "Mormon Exodus." The departure of this large group, bound for Utah to join the LDS community in Salt Lake, Utah, caused a bit of a stir in England. This group, later famously crossing the prairies carrying their belongings in push carts, formed a large part of the nucleus of the early LDS pioneers who founded Salt Lake City. (See: https://keepapitchinin.org/2015/01/05/the-sailing-of-the-enoch-train-1856/ and https://saintsbysea.byu.edu/browse_voyages/?ship=Enoch Train ) If the number of people who trace their ancestry to a passenger on the Enoch Train's 1856 voyage is any indication, it might be said that she is to Salt Lake City what the Mayflower is to Boston.

Contemporary portrait of S.S. Enoch Train:

View attachment 587720

A Liberty Ship launched in 1943 also carried Enoch Train's name, although it does not appear that she was particularly famous. There was at some time apparently a tug boat which also carried Enoch Train's name.

View attachment 587719

Google is your friend! There's more there. See: https://www.shipindex.org/ships/enoch_train

 

[Novascotian]

Well, this answer was a good and informative one but it is the wrong vessel and the tie in is the civil war to get the answer

 

[AllanKP69]

What was the Enoch Train, an important vessel in the Civil War?

I have no clue, but a quick search (10 seconds) on the internet came up with the following. I have no idea if the AI answer below is bull patties or if it is correct.
The Enoch Train was a Boston built steam icebreaker tugboat launched in 1855, that was captured by Confederate forces in April 1861. It was converted in New Orleans into the CSS Manassas, one of the first ironclad ram vessels used by the Confederacy in the Civil War, nicknamed the "floating cigar

 

[Novascotian]

This is the correct ID. She was actually converted to be a steam privateer then the Confederacy bought her and made into an ironclad with a ram and 32 pounder. She looks like a modern day submarine with a smokestack. Her claim to fame is that she is the first ironclad to go into action (before the Monitor or Virginia).

 

[Roger Pellett]

She fought at Farragut’s attack at New Orleans where she was destroyed. To answer your question I would argue that she was not particularly important as she failed to stop The Union Navy’s capture of the port.

Roger

 

[AllanKP69]

I would argue that she was not particularly important as she failed to stop The Union Navy’s capture of the port.

Yes, interesting I suppose, but important? Not in the least except perhaps for those on board when she was sunk.

 

[Bob Cleek]

I have no clue, but a quick search (10 seconds) on the internet came up with the following. I have no idea if the AI answer below is bull patties or if it is correct.
The Enoch Train was a Boston built steam icebreaker tugboat launched in 1855, that was captured by Confederate forces in April 1861. It was converted in New Orleans into the CSS Manassas, one of the first ironclad ram vessels used by the Confederacy in the Civil War, nicknamed the "floating cigar

I should have dug deeper! I saw references to C.S.S. Manassas and a tug named Enoch Train but ignored the tug, thinking that the question was regarding a ship, not a smaller craft. I only skimmed the Manassas entry and missed the connection between her and the briefly referenced tug.

Interestingly, the Enoch Train tugboat was launched in 1855. At the end of 1856 Train ceded control of his packet line to his two junior partners, Frederick W. Thayer and George Warren, and in February 1857 he declared insolvency. The tug isn't included in the list of ships Donald McKay built for Enoch Train (including the clipper Flying Cloud) nor in the list of other ships owned by Enoch Train or his White Diamond Line. It seems that Train was also involved in politics and was elected to public office twice: first, to the Boston Common Council in 1840, and second, to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1848. His foray into politics may account for his apparent penchant for naming vessels after himself, a personality trait of politicians which appears to continue to this day!