• "Sail Ho!":A Civil War Surgeon and the Texas Blockade
• Walter E. Wilson*

Assistant Surgeon Heber Smith, New Orleans, 1862. Courtesy Sharyl Heber.

[End Page 436]

On June 14, 1863, the U.S. Navy gunboat Itasca was on blockade duty off the Texas coast. That morning, the ship's doctor sat down to write a letter home. His name was Heber Smith, a twenty-three-year-old assistant surgeon. Until its recent discovery by the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg, Texas, Heber's letter had been in private hands since the day it was written. Civil War letters related to the Texas blockade are rare and exciting finds, particularly one with several days of richly detailed content.

Heber Smith's letter launches the reader on a roller-coaster ride of wartime emotions ranging from despair, frustration, and exhaustion to exhilaration and hope. He also describes the excitement of chasing and capturing blockade runners. The perceptive doctor addresses many of the broader themes of the American Civil War as seen from the sometimes bloody deck plates of a U.S. Navy warship. Heber's letter offers fresh insight into the personal impact of ineffective military strategies, corruption, death, and infectious diseases that remain relevant in more modern times.¹

This article provides the full transcription of Heber Smith's letter, preceded by a brief description of the situation facing the writer and his ship. The letter, written in multiple sittings over five days of a blockading expedition off the South Texas coast, is presented in five parts with an analysis [End Page 437] of the day's events and their relevance to the Civil War in the western Gulf of Mexico. Finally, a conclusion summarizes the colorful careers of the USS Itasca and Dr. Heber Smith.

Christina Akin Smith. Courtesy Sharyl Heber.

Heber addressed the letter to his father, the Reverend Orsamus H. Smith, mother Lucy, and sister Lucia, who all lived in his hometown of Patterson, New York. Other prominent family members mentioned in the letter include his brother and fellow military surgeon Orsamus Jr., his sister Annie, and his wife, the former Christina Akin. Although only an assistant surgeon at the time, Heber Smith became a prominent medical pioneer in his own right. It was his experience in the navy that led him to a distinguished career with the institution that gave rise to the Public Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).²

At just over five feet, six inches tall and slender, Heber Smith's appearance was unremarkable except for a slightly uneven jawline. It was a distinction he received in June 1861 as a twenty-one-year-old bachelor shortly after joining the navy and reporting to the USS Monticello. In his first month aboard ship, Acting Assistant Surgeon Smith accompanied a small landing party to an island in Virginia's Rappahannock River. After wading ashore, the sailors from the Monticello were set upon by the local Confederate militia. They all beat a hasty retreat to the safety of the boat, but not before Smith and a master's mate were seriously wounded. One of the lead musket balls entered Heber's left cheek, took out a piece of his tongue and several teeth, and exited through the right cheek.³ [End Page 438]

Unadilla-class gunboat, USS Itasca. US Naval History and Heritage Command NH 52240.

Heber was initially sent to Fort Monroe, Virginia, and then to Bellevue Hospital in New York City to recover. He fared better than the master's mate, who died from his wounds. Despite the damage to his now uneven jaw, Christina agreed to marry him. They exchanged vows in New York City on November 6, 1861. Four days later, the navy reappointed Heber as assistant surgeon, and assigned him as the only doctor among the 114 sailors onboard the USS Itasca. This newly constructed gunboat was expected to deploy to the warzone immediately, and it did. Like many military families, Heber and Christina had multiple occasions to wonder whether...

• “ Sail Ho！”：内战外科医生和德州封锁
• 沃尔特·威尔逊（Walter E.Wilson）*

助理外科医生希伯·史密斯（Heber Smith），新奥尔良，1862年。由谢里尔·希伯（Sharyl Heber）提供。

[结束页436]

Ø ñ1863年6月14日，在美国ñ阿维炮舰 我塔斯卡是在阻截任务关闭得克萨斯州海岸。那天早上，船上的医生坐下来写了一封信回家。他的名字叫希伯·史密斯（Heber Smith），现年23岁，是一名外科医生。直到得克萨斯州爱丁堡的南得克萨斯历史博物馆最近发现了希伯的来信，自写信之日起，它就一直由他本人持有。与德州封锁相关的南北战争信件是罕见而激动人心的发现，尤其是一封内容详尽，内容丰富的信件。

希伯·史密斯（Heber Smith）的来信使读者踏上了从绝望，沮丧，精疲力竭到激动和希望的战时情绪过山车。他还描述了追逐和俘获封锁赛跑者的兴奋。从美国海军军舰有时带有血腥的甲板上可以看到，这位敏锐的医生谈到了美国内战的许多更广泛的主题。希伯的来信为无效的军事战略，腐败，死亡和传染病对个人的影响提供了新的见解，这些影响在更现代的时代仍然很重要。^1个

本文全面介绍了希伯·史密斯（Heber Smith）的来信，并简要描述了作家和他的船所面临的情况。这封信是在南德克萨斯州沿海地区进行的一次封锁性探险活动历时五天的多次会议上写的，分为五个部分，对当日的事件及其与墨西哥西部海湾内战的相关性进行了分析[End Page 437]。 。最后，结论总结了伊塔斯卡号航空母舰和希伯·史密斯博士的光辉历程。

克里斯蒂娜·阿金·史密斯（Christina Akin Smith）。图片由Sharyl Heber提供。

希伯（Heber）给父亲父亲奥尔萨姆斯·史密斯牧师（Reverend Orsamus H. Smith），母亲露西（Lucy）和妹妹露西亚（Lucia）致信，他们都住在他的家乡纽约帕特森（Patterson）。信中提到的其他著名的家庭成员包括他的兄弟和军事外科医生小奥萨姆斯（Orsamus Jr.），他的妹妹安妮（Annie）和他的妻子前克里斯蒂娜·阿金（Christina Akin）。希伯·史密斯（Heber Smith）虽然当时只是一名助理外科医师，但他本身就成为一名杰出的医学先驱。正是他在海军中的经验使他在该机构中从事了杰出的职业，从而促成了公共卫生服务局和疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）的建立。^2个

希伯·史密斯（Heber Smith）身高仅5英尺（6英寸），身材苗条，身材略显苗条，除了下颚略有不均匀外，其他外观均不算什么。这是他在加入海军并向蒙蒂塞洛号航母报告后不久，于二十一岁的单身汉于1861年6月获得的殊荣。在船上的第一个月，代理助理外科医生史密斯（Smith）参加了一次小型登陆派对，来到了弗吉尼亚州拉帕汉诺克河（Rappahannock River）上的一个小岛。上岸涉水后，来自蒙蒂塞洛的水手被当地的同盟民兵袭击。他们全都匆忙撤退，以确保船的安全，但在史密斯和船长的同伴受到重伤之前，他们都没有撤退。一个铅火枪球进入希伯的左脸颊，伸出他的舌头和几颗牙齿，然后从右脸颊退出。³ [末页438]

Unadilla级炮舰，伊塔斯卡号（USS Itasca）。美国海军历史和遗产司令部NH 52240。

希伯最初被送往弗吉尼亚州的门罗堡，然后被送往纽约市的贝尔维尤医院进行康复。他的表现要比主人的同伴好，后者因伤而死。尽管下颚不平的地方受到了伤害，克里斯蒂娜还是同意嫁给他。他们于1861年11月6日在纽约市交换誓言。四天后，海军再次任命希伯（Heber）为助理外科医师，并任命他为伊塔斯卡号（ USS Itasca）上114名水手中的唯一医生。预计这艘新造的炮舰会立即部署到战区，而且确实做到了。像许多军人家庭一样，希伯（Heber）和克里斯蒂娜（Christina）多次想知道...