Charles V. Gridley, USN-- Part 7: Back Home and Command of the USS Olympia

The year 1894 found Charles "Steve" Gridley back with his family as he served again as Inspector of the 10th Lighthouse District.  Happy times for him.  During his duties, he would have contact with the senior member of the Lighthouse Board, George Dewey, and the Board's secretary, Robley Evans.

In March  of 1897, Gridley was finally promoted to captain.  On June 10, he was ordered to take command of the USS Olympia, relieving J.J. Read in Yokohoma, Japan.  He embarked on the steamer Gaelic and arrived aboard the USS Olympia.

He didn't stay on board long, though, and returned to Yokohoma to visit friends he knew from his days on the USS Marion.  The formal transfer of command came four days later.  Captain Read's voice cracked as he read his farewell comments, and he was heartedly cheered by his men.  Gridley evidently had some "large shoes to fill."

Apparently he did well.  During his brief tenure aboard the Olympia, he appears to have been well-liked and respected by the ship's crew.  In one instance during Christmas of 1897, he raised all of the crew  one class (meaning he  reduced the length of  punishment of any man on report, and restored "liberty" privileges to many).

This had never been done on the Olympia before.  One  crewman recorded that Gridley was "one that loves his fellow men" an unusual sentiment between a crew and their captain.

--Cooter

Charles V. Gridley-- Part 2: The Battle of Mobile Bay and Afterwards

"Steve" Gridley graduated in 1864 (moved up because of the war) in the bottom half of his class.  Some of his classmates would go on to be well-known during the Spanish-American War like  Robley Evans, who commanded the USS Iowa at the Battle of Santiago, and Charles Sigsbee, who was in command of the USS Maine at the time of her loss, and commanded  the USS St. Paul during the war itself.  (Both Evans and Sigsbee were at the Battle of Fort Fisher during the Civil War).

Gridley's first assignment was to the USS Oneida, which was part of Admiral David G. Farragut's blockading squadron.  It was at the Battle of Mobile Bay where Acting Ensign Gridley got his baptism of fire.  He would not experience another large action like this for thirty-four years, at the Battle of Manila Bay.

During the Battle of Mobile Bay, Gridley was [placed all the way forward on the USS Oneida, where he would watch the  the channel for mines and give steering directions to  Commander  J.R.M.  Mullany (the ship's commander).  During the battle, the Oneida had eight men killed and thirty wounded (including Mullany).

Though a shell hit the Oneida close to where Gridley was stationed, he was unscathed.  His commanding officer had this to write about his young ensign:  "The conduct of Acting Ensign  C.V. Gridley is beyond all praise.  he had charge of the master's division and assisted in conning the ship from the topgallant  forecastle."

When the war ended,  Gridley was  detailed to transport  a group of Confederate prisoners to Texas who had accepted the option of going into exile in Mexico.  On arriving, it was found the former Confederates would have no way of continuing south, as the bridges over the Rio Grande had been destroyed.  In spite of them having been former enemies, Gridley did not abandon his passengers.  He took it upon himself to transport them across to Mexico.

--Cooter