Bahia Incident

Bahia Incident
Part of the American Civil War
Cutting out the Florida from Bahia, Brazil by USS Wachusett.
Date October 7, 1864 Location off Bahia, Brazil, Bahia Harbor, Atlantic Ocean Result Union victory
Belligerents
United States	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon Collins	Thomas T. Hunter
Strength
1 sloop-of-war	1 sloop-of-war
Casualties and losses
3 wounded 1 sloop-of-war damaged	~5 killed ~9 wounded 60 captured 1 sloop-of-war captured

The Bahia incident was a naval skirmish fought in late 1864 during the American Civil War. A Confederate States Navy warship was captured by a Union warship in Bahia Harbor, Brazil. The engagement resulted in a United States victory, but also sparked an incident with the Brazilian government, which claimed the Americans had violated Brazil's neutrality by illegally attacking a vessel in their harbor.

In late 1864, the nine gun sloop-of-war CSS Florida with 146 officers and crew headed south along the South American coast for the Pacific. She was in need of repairs and coal so her commander Lieutenant Charles Manigault Morris pulled into Bahia, Brazil at night on October 4, 1864 after a sixty-one day cruise. Unknown to the Confederates, the Union sloop-of-war USS Wachusett was nearby, under Commander Napoleon Collins. Wachusett launched a boat and sent her towards the Florida; once nearby, the Union sailors called out to the rebel crew, asking the name of their ship. Unaware who was making the inquiry, the rebels called out that the ship was the Florida and then asked what ship the sailors in the boat were from. The Union sailors responded that they were from HMS Curlew and returned to the Wachusett, then still out of sight of the Florida.

The next morning, the Confederates spotted Wachusett as she sailed into Bahia harbor and anchored at the entrance of the bay. Later that day Morris met with the Provincial President of Brazil Antônio Joaquim da Silva Gomes, who gave him two days to repair and coal his vessel but said that he felt Florida was the cause of the standoff and if a battle occurred in Bahia harbor, the Brazilian Navy would be forced to retaliate against whoever fired the first shot. An admiral at the meeting suggested that Florida move closer to his sloop so that the Union ship would have a harder time of attacking the rebel vessel. The citadels of Bahia, Fort Santa Maria and Fort Barra, were put on high alert. Morris did as the admiral suggested and moved his ship closer to shore. Another boat from the Wachusett approached and delivered a letter to the Florida addressed "Captain Morris sloop Florida". The rebels rejected the letter because, as one of the Confederates told the Union sailors, the ship was not sloop Florida but CSS Florida.

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