The last confederate ship to surrender after the end of the Civil War was the CSS Shenandoah, a cruiser commissioned in October of 1864. She was a 230-foot-long vessel with an iron frame and teak planking. She had a crew of 109 officers and men and was armed with 4 – 8-inch cannons, 2 – 12 pounders, and 2 – 32 pounders.

Under the command of Lieutenant Commander James Waddell, in just a little over a year, the Shenandoah was responsible for the capture or sinking of 38 Union merchant vessels – mostly whaling ships. The damage that she caused to Union commerce was estimated to be at 1.6 million, an amazing amount for such a short time in action.

The Shenandoah was operating in the northern Pacific when, on August 2, 1865, Waddell was informed by the captain of a British vessel that the war had ended. He then sailed the ship to Liverpool, England arriving on November 6, 1865. Waddell then surrendered the Shenandoah to British officials, three days short of seven months after Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865.

Liverpool had been the port of registry for the Shenandoah. Indeed, many Confederate vessels had been built there. There was great sympathy in Liverpool for the Confederate cause. It was even said that more Confederate flags were flying in Liverpool than in Richmond – the capital of the Confederacy.