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Capture of the "Savannah" by the "U.S.S. Perry" by Müller, Fritz

Müller, Fritz · 1861

Fritz Müller's 1861 painting, "Capture of the 'Savannah' by the 'U.S.S. Perry'", at the Museum of the Confederacy, captures a pivotal moment from the early days of the American Civil War. It depicts the Confederate privateer Savannah being pursued by the Union's USS Perry.

The painting's dramatic composition, with the Savannah in the foreground flying the Stars and Bars, sets the stage. But a closer look at the deck of the smaller vessel reveals tiny, almost invisible figures, the crew members whose capture would spark a major legal and political crisis.

Captured just weeks into the war, these men were initially charged with piracy by the Union, a crime punishable by death. The Confederacy threatened to execute Union prisoners in retaliation. This tense standoff ultimately led to the first major piracy trials of the Civil War, which profoundly impacted the treatment of prisoners on both sides.

Müller's painting thus offers a window into not just a naval engagement, but a significant legal and human drama from the conflict.

Details

It flies the Stars and Bars, the first Confederate national flag.
It flies the Stars and Bars, the first Confederate national flag.
Behind it, the Union's USS Perry closes in.
Behind it, the Union's USS Perry closes in.
But look closely at the deck of the Savannah.
But look closely at the deck of the Savannah.
Barely visible are the men whose fates were in the balance.
Barely visible are the men whose fates were in the balance.
The vertical spine of the painting; the complexity of stays and shrouds demonstrates Müller's knowledge of period schooner rigging
The vertical spine of the painting; the complexity of stays and shrouds demonstrates Müller's knowledge of period schooner rigging
Transcript

This painting shows a Confederate privateer, the Savannah, in 1861. It flies the Stars and Bars, the first Confederate national flag. Behind it, the Union's USS Perry closes in. But look closely at the deck of the Savannah. Barely visible are the men whose fates were in the balance. Their capture led to the Civil War's first piracy trials.