John Taylor Wood, son of an Army surgeon, was born in Minnesota on 13 August 1830. He became a U.S. Navy Midshipman in 1847 and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1853. He served at sea during the last part of the Mexican War, off the coast of Africa and in the Mediterranean, as well as performing shore duty as a Naval Academy officer. In April 1861, Lieutenant Wood's southern sympathies led him to resign from the Navy and take up farming near Annapolis, Maryland. Fearing arrest, he later went to Virginia and, in October 1861, received a commission as a Confederate Navy First Lieutenant.
Following service with shore batteries on the Potomac, he became an officer in the newly-converted ironclad Virginia, participating in her actions with Union forces in the Hampton Roads area. In May 1862, after Virginia was destroyed, he assisted with the defense of Drewry's Bluff, on the James River. During the next two years, Wood led several successful raids against Federal ships and also served as naval aide to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Promoted to Commander in May 1863, he simultaneously held the rank of Colonel in the cavalry. These dual ranks, with his reputation for extraordinary daring and his family connections to Confederate leaders, allowed him to play an important liasion role between the South's army, navy and civil government.
In August 1864, Wood commanded CSS Tallahassee during her very fruitful cruise against U.S. shipping off the Atlantic coast. He received the rank of Captain in February 1865. A few months later, as the Confederacy was disintegrating, he took part in President Davis' attempts to evade capture. Though briefly taken prisoner, Wood was able to make his way to Cuba. He subsequently went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he became a businessman. John Taylor Wood died there on 19 July 1904.
This page features our only pictures of Captain John Taylor Wood, CSN.
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If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 16 June 2001