Hard Times on Coastal Patrol

A break from hard service was long overdue for the Saginaw, but the end of the Civil War did not alleviate the duties of the Pacific Squadron in Mexico. In fact, with the reports of thousands of ex-Confederate soldiers crossing the border and taking refuge (some joining the French Foreign Legion for three-year terms), and the increased federal support now available for Benito Juarez and his forces, the situation on the Pacific coast took on greater importance. In 1865, attitudes toward controlling the gunrunning from San Francisco were changing. In June, the American schooner William L....

A break from hard service was long overdue for the Saginaw, but the end of the Civil War did not alleviate the duties of the Pacific Squadron in Mexico. In fact, with the reports of thousands of ex-Confederate soldiers crossing the border and taking refuge (some joining the French Foreign Legion for three-year terms), and the increased federal support now available for Benito Juarez and his forces, the situation on the Pacific coast took on greater importance. In 1865, attitudes toward controlling the gunrunning from San Francisco were changing. In June, the American schooner William L. Richardson had been seized and detained at La Paz with a cargo of gunpowder.