Just when it seemed the old ship had escaped the clutches of secessionists, she suddenly encountered a trickier foe: Severn River mud, which briefly captured the ship twice. To make matters worse, a false report arrived indicating secessionists were placing obstructions in the outer channel to prevent the Constitution from passing. Rather than try to force the vessel free, Rodgers chose to pipe down the ship and wait for the tide to free her.

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The next day brought new frustration. Early in the morning the ship broke free, but a heavy squall quickly drove her back into the mud. At 4:30 p.m., a steamer finally freed the Constitution and towed her to deeper water, where she anchored for the next three days. To lighten the ship’s load for the voyage north, Rodgers sent the ship’s heavy guns aboard another vessel on the 23d.

It was around noon on the 26th when the Constitution reached open water. An uneventful three-day sail brought her to the New York Navy Yard, where she remained until May 8, when she left for her final destination, Fort Adams at Newport, Rhode Island. The rest of the school’s faculty and staff reached Newport on the 9th, and less than a week later classes resumed.

The academy remained in Newport for the rest of the war but, despite efforts by Northern politicians to obtain a permanent relocation, the school and the Constitution returned to Annapolis in 1865. The old ship would remain in service at the academy until 1871, but not so Blake. He stepped down as superintendent in September 1865, replaced by Union war hero Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter. Perhaps Blake was a hero in his own right, however. He could truthfully say he had saved the Constitution.

This article was written by Ethan S. Rafuse and originally appeared in the May 1997 issue of Civil War Times magazine.

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