# TIL about the CSS “Shenandoah”, a Confederate ship that didn't know the war was over **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 24, 2025, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058 "2025-06-24T01:32:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/1 "2025-06-24T01:32:50Z")
[They didn’t find out that Lee had surrendered until after many Northern ships were sunk. Had to be galling to be boarded and taken prisoner by people who had missed the latest Big News.](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-confederate-raider-fired-the-final-shots-of-the-civil-war-in-the-arctic-two-and-a-half-months-after-robert-e-lee-surrendered-180986847/?utm_medium=distribution&utm_source=pushly&utm_campaign=editorial) ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/2 "2025-06-24T01:43:49Z")
People will often cite to the Battle of New Orleans as a similar post-war battle, but in that case I believe they are mistaken as the Treaty of Ghent made explicit provision for the time-delayed cessation of hostilities, anticipating delays in notification. Anyway, since the Confederate “states” were never truly independent and all their forces surrendered piecemeal in the field, it’s harder to pinpoint such a precise “end” to the war. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/3 "2025-06-24T01:44:22Z")
100% they knew. After the war a lot of Confederate soldiers just became lawless wild west bandits and robbers. This is just what happens when you are a soldier, you lose, and your command breaks down. You become an outlaw without a banner (raiding merchant vessels is just what they were doing in the war too) ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2025, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/4 "2025-06-24T07:05:34Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > it’s harder to pinpoint such a precise “end” to the war. [Hiroo Onada has entered the chat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroo_Onoda) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/5 "2025-06-25T13:37:18Z")
Here’s the timeline from the Wikipedia article, which looks like they found out about part of it in late June, but weren’t sure that the war was over until sometime in August. > On June 27, 1865, Waddell learned from a prize, _Susan & Abigail_, that General [Robert E. Lee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee) had surrendered the [Army of Northern Virginia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_of_Northern_Virginia) almost three months earlier at [Appomattox Court House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Appomattox_Court_House). \*Susan & Abigail’\*s captain produced a San Francisco newspaper reporting the flight from [Richmond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_Virginia) of the Confederate government 10 weeks previously. However, the newspaper also contained President Davis’ proclamation that the “war would be carried on with renewed vigor.”[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Shenandoah#cite_note-last-8) Waddell then captured 10 more whalers in the space of seven hours just below the [Arctic Circle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Circle). > > On August 3, 1865, Waddell learned of the war’s definite end when _Shenandoah_ encountered the Liverpool [barque](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barque) _Barracouta_, which was bound for San Francisco. Waddell was heading to the city to attack it, believing it weakly defended.[[9]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Shenandoah#cite_note-whenliverpoolwasdixie.org.uk-9) He learned of the surrender of [Johnston’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_E._Johnston) army on April 26, and [Kirby Smith’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Kirby_Smith) army on May 26, and most crucially of the capture of President Davis. Captain Waddell then knew the war was over.[[8]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Shenandoah#cite_note-last-8) ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2025, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/6 "2025-06-25T14:37:50Z")
Check out **Sea of Grey** , Tom Chaffin. [Sea of Gray: The Around-the-World Odyssey of the Confederate Raider Shenandoah by Tom Chaffin | Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1104596.Sea_of_Gray) IIRC, they got reports from American ship’s they considered unreliable, in context, but when they got independent confirmation, they ceased hostilities. OTOH, the sailed from Alaska to England to avoid surrendering to a Union port out of fear of being summarily hanged as pirates, so when did they really believe it was over? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/7 "2025-06-26T00:01:41Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > Anyway, since the Confederate “states” were never truly independent and all their forces surrendered piecemeal in the field, it’s harder to pinpoint such a precise “end” to the war. They’re still fighting it, some of them. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/8 "2025-06-26T00:04:10Z")
Tell me about it. You know, as a right of passage, the southern military school I attended had us new cadets reenact the charge some (draft dodging, treason-loving) cadets made against the (righteous) Union Army? ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/9 "2025-06-26T01:31:05Z")
VMI? New Market? ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/10 "2025-06-26T02:44:14Z")
‘fraid so. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/11 "2025-06-26T13:25:36Z")
> **[South Postpones Rising Again For Yet Another Year](https://theonion.com/south-postpones-rising-again-for-yet-another-year-1819565548/)** > > HUNTSVILLE, AL–For the 135th straight year since Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, representatives for the South announced Monday that the region has postponed plans to rise again. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/til-about-the-css-shenandoah-a-confederate-ship-that-didnt-know-the-war-was-over/1020058/12 "2025-06-26T13:44:10Z")
VMI only recently stopped the practice of requiring first year students to salute a statue of Stonewall Jackson and didn’t stop until a Post article about racism on campus. The Washington Post story outlines numerous student and alumni allegations mentioned in the state leaders’ letter, as well as a 2017 incident in which White cadets dressed up in boxes, representing the southern border wall, bearing a slur against Mexicans. “I wake up every day wondering, ‘Why am I still here?’” a 20-year-old Black senior, William Bunton, told the newspaper. > **[After cadets allege racism in news reports, state orders review of Virginia...](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/20/us/virginia-military-institute-racism-letter-allegation)** > > The state’s top leaders are ordering a review of what they say is the “clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism at the Virginia Military Institute,” following news reports detailing allegations by Black students and alumni.