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USS New Ironsides

Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

Name: USS New Ironsides Type: Ironclad Steamer Tonnage: 3,486
Length: 230’ Beam: 57’6” Draught: Loaded, Forward: 14’5”; Loaded, Aft: 15’8”
Speed: Max: 8 knots, Avg. 6 knots Complement: 449 men Class: Not Listed.
Armament: October, 1864: 2 150-pdr. Parrott rifles, 2 60-pdr. Parrott rifles, 14 11” Dahlgren Smoothbores
Namesake: Frigate Constitution, one of the first ships of the United States Navy, won the sobriquet “Old Ironsides” for her strength in withstanding enemy shot in her famous fight with British frigate Guerriere on 19 August 1812. To continue and enhance Constitution’s tradition of hardy service on behalf of freedom of the seas, the Navy bestowed the name New Ironsides on a powerful ironclad built early in the Civil War.

Images:

33816v: The iron-clad New Ironsides under sail. 3 Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/2013646155/.]

Ship Model Available:

Long Face Games Union Ironclad USS New Ironsides, 1/600 and 1/1200

Cover Image of USS New Ironsides Long Face Games 3D STL Model

Captain(s):
Commodore William Radford
Captain Image

Captain 2
Captain Image

Captain 3
Captain Image

 

First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864):

  • Not Present4

Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

  • Captain:
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament:

Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864):

  • Not Present5

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864):

  • Not Present6

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864):

  • Not Present (September 1 and 16 and October 1, 1864)7,8,9

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

  • Captain:
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament: 2 x 150-pdr. Parrott rifles, 2 x 60-pdr. Parrott rifles, 14 x 11” Dahlgren Smoothbores (October ??, 1864)10

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864):

Hampton Roads, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (November 1 and December 5, 1864)11,12

Not Present (North Carolina) (December 15, 1864)13

  • Captain: Commodore William Radford (November 1 and December 5 & 15, 1864)14,15,16
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament: 20 x “guns” (December 15, 1864)17
  • Note: On December 15, 1864, this ship is noted as a “Class 1” vessel.18

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865):

Not Present (North Carolina) (January 1 & 15, 1865)19,20

James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (February 1, 1865)21

Not Present (February 15, 1865)22

Norfolk Navy Yard, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (February 25, 1865)23

  • Captain: Commodore William Radford (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865)24,25,26
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament: 20 x “guns” (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865)27,28,29
  • Note: On January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 1” vessel.30,31,32

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865):

  • Not Present (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)33,34,35

 

Siege of Petersburg Battles:

  • TBD

 

Siege of Petersburg Involvement:36

New Ironsides was launched on 10 May 1862 by Merrick & Sons, Philadelphia, Pa.; and commissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 21 August 1862, Capt. Thomas Turner, in command.

After final fitting out at Norfolk in the fall, the large new ironclad steamer joined the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Charleston, S.C., on 17 January [1863], guarding the wooden blockaders from attack of Confederate ironclads and serving as Rear Adm. Du Pont’s flagship…

[SOPO Editor’s Note: This ship’s earlier Civil War service has been omitted.]

The fall of Fort Fisher on 15 January 1865 and the closing of Wilmington cut off the South’s last source of supplies for its armies in the field and severed Confederate communications with the outside world.

New Ironsides stood out for Hampton Roads on 17 January [1865] to join the James River division supporting Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s final operations against Richmond. As the Confederacy collapsed, New Ironsides steamed to Philadelphia and decommissioned at League Island on 6 April 1865. A fire destroyed the veteran ironclad on 16 December 1866.

 

Bibliography:

    Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

    Sources:

    1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
    2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 159 ↩
    3. The iron-clad New Ironsides under sail. [Photographed between 1861 and 1865, printed between 1880 and 1889 ↩
    4. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 157–158 ↩
    5. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 324–325 ↩
    6. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 370–371 ↩
    7. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 410–412 ↩
    8. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 462–463 ↩
    9. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 514–515 ↩
    10. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 159 ↩
    11. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
    12. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
    13. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
    14. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
    15. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
    16. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
    17. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
    18. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
    19. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
    20. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
    21. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
    22. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
    23. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 54–55 ↩
    24. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
    25. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
    26. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
    27. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
    28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
    29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
    30. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
    31. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
    32. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
    33. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
    34. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
    35. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
    36. “New Ironsides.” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/new-ironsides.html. ↩

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    USS Nansemond

    Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

    Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

    Name: USS Nansemond Type: Sidewheel Steamer Tonnage: 340
    Length: 146’ Beam: 26’ Draught: Loaded: 8’3”, Light: 7’
    Speed: Max: 15 knots, Avg.: 10 knots Complement: 63 men Class: Not Listed.
    Armament: 1 30-pdr. Parrott rifle, 2 24-pdrs.
    Namesake: A county and a river in southeastern Virginia.

    Images:

    Image Needed (Does One Exist?)

     

    Captain(s):
    Acting Master James H. Porter
    Captain Image

    Captain 2
    Captain Image

    Captain 3
    Captain Image

     

    First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864):

    • Not Present (North Carolina)3

    Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

    • Captain:
    • Crew Strength:
    • Armament:

    Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864):

    • Not Present (North Carolina)4

    Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864):

    • Not Present (North Carolina)5

    Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864):

    • Not Present (North Carolina) (September 1, 1864)6
    • Not Present (Baltimore, MD, repairing since September 1)(September 16 and October 1, 1864)7,8

    Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

    • Captain:
    • Crew Strength:
    • Armament:

    Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864):

    Not Present (North Carolina) (November 1 and December 5 & 15, 1864)9,10,11

    • Captain: Acting Ensign (Acting Master by Dec. 15) James H. Porter (November 1 and December 5 & 15, 1864)12,13,14
    • Crew Strength:
    • Armament: 3 x “guns” (December 15, 1864)15
    • Note: On December 15, 1864, this ship is noted as a “Class 4” vessel.16

    Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865):

    Not Present (North Carolina) (January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)17,18,19,20

    Hampton Roads, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (February 25, 1865)21

    • Captain: Acting Master James H. Porter (January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)22,23,24,25
    • Crew Strength:
    • Armament: 3 x “guns” (January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)26,27,28,25
    • Note: On January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 4” vessel.30,31,32,33

    Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865):

    James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (March 18, 1865)34

    Not Present (April 1 & 15, 1865)35,36

    • Captain: Acting Master James H. Porter (March 18, 1865)37
    • Crew Strength:
    • Armament: 3 x “guns” (March 18, 1865)38
    • Note: On March 18, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Paddle Class” vessel.39

     

    Siege of Petersburg Battles:

    • TBD

     

    Siege of Petersburg Involvement:40

    The first Nansemond, a side wheel steamer built at Williamsburg, N.Y. in 1862, as James F. Freeborn, was purchased by the Navy at New York City 18 August 1863 from Richard Squires; renamed Nansemond and commissioned at Baltimore 19 August, Lt. Roswell H. Lamson in command.

    After joining the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Wilmington 24 August 1863…

    [SOPO Editor’s Note: The ship’s earlier Civil War service has been omitted.]

    After supporting the Union’s final drive on Richmond, Nansemond decommissioned at Washington Navy Yard 8 August 1865. She was transferred to the Treasury Department 22 August and served the Revenue Cutter Service as W. H. Crawford, operating primarily along the Atlantic coast from Baltimore to Key West. She was sold at Baltimore to Edward D. Booz 24 April 1897.

     

    Bibliography:

      Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

      Sources:

      1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
      2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 154 ↩
      3. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 157–158 ↩
      4. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 324–325 ↩
      5. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 370–371 ↩
      6. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 410–412 ↩
      7. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 462–463 ↩
      8. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 514–515 ↩
      9. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
      10. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
      11. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
      12. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
      13. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
      14. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
      15. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
      16. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
      17. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
      18. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
      19. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
      20. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
      21. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 54–55 ↩
      22. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
      23. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
      24. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
      25. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
      26. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
      27. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
      28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
      29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
      30. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
      31. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
      32. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
      33. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
      34. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
      35. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
      36. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
      37. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
      38. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
      39. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
      40. “Nansemond I (SwStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/nansemond-i.html. ↩

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      USS Montauk

      Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

      Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

      Name: USS Montauk Type: Single-turreted Monitor Tonnage: 750
      Length: 200’ Beam: 46’ Draught: August 4, 1864: 11’8”, Light: 11’4”
      Speed: Max: 8.5 knots Complement: 75 men Class: Passaic
      Armament: February 22, 1864: 1 15″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 1 11″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 2 light 12-pdr. Smoothbores

      August, 1864: 1 15″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 1 11″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 2 light 12-pdr. Smoothbores, 1 12-pdr. rifle

      November, 1864 and March 22, 1865: 1 15″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 1 11″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 1 12-pdr. rifle
      Namesake: A village and fishing resort on Long Island, N.Y., near Montauk Point, the eastern extremity of New York.

      Images:

      “NH 101697-KN USS MONTAUK Sinking C.S. Privateer RATTLESNAKE, February 28, 1863.” 3

      Ship Model Available:

      Long Face Games Passaic Class Monitor Ship Models Designs, 1/600 and 1/1200

      Image of Passaic Class Monitors Ship Models 1/600 and 1/1200 3D STL Files Long Face Games

      Captain(s):
      Lieutenant Commander Edward E. Stone
      Captain Image

      Captain 2
      Captain Image

      Captain 3
      Captain Image

       

      First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864):

      • Not Present4

      Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

      • Captain:
      • Crew Strength:
      • Armament:

      Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864):

      • Not Present5

      Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864):

      Not Present6

      • Armament: 1 x 15″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 1 x 11″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 2 x light 12-pdr. Smoothbores, 1 x 12-pdr. rifle (August ??, 1864)7

      Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864):

      Not Present8,9,10

      • Captain:
      • Crew Strength:
      • Armament:

      Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

      • Captain:
      • Crew Strength:
      • Armament:

      Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864):

      Not Present11,12,13

      • Captain:
      • Crew Strength:
      • Armament: 1 x 15″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 1 x 11″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 1 x 12-pdr. rifle (November ??, 1864)14

      Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865):

      Not Present (January 1 & 15, 1865)15,16

      Not Present (North Carolina) (February 1 & 15, 1865)17,18

      James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (February 25, 1865)19

      • Captain: Lieutenant Commander Edward E. Stone (February 1 & 15, 1865)20,21
      • Crew Strength:
      • Armament: 2 x “guns” (February 1 & 15, 1865)22,23
      • Note: On February 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 3” vessel.24,25

      Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865):

      James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (March 18, 1865)26

      Had left for Washington, D.C. and was located there (prior to April 1, 1865)27

      • Captain: Lieutenant Commander Edward E. Stone (March 18 and April 1, 1865)28,29
      • Crew Strength:
      • Armament:
        • 2 x “guns” (March 18 and April 1, 1865)30,31
        • 1 x 15″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 1 x 11″ Dahlgren Smoothbore, 1 x 12-pdr. rifle (March 22, 1865)32
      • Note: On March 18 and April 1, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Screw Class” vessel.33,34

       

      Siege of Petersburg Battles:

      • TBD

       

      Siege of Petersburg Involvement:35

      Single‑turreted monitor Montauk was built by John Ericsson at Continental Iron Works, Greenpoint, N.Y.; launched 9 October 1862; and commissioned at New York 14 December 1862, Comdr. John L. Worden in command…

      [SOPO Editor’s Note: The ship was only in the James River apparently as the very end of the war, and that isn’t covered here.  Most of the ship’s Civil War experiences are omitted here.]

      Montauk remained off Charleston until July 1864 when she shifted operations to the Stono River. In February 1865, she transferred to the Cape Fear River. Proceeding to Washington after the end of the conflict, she served as a floating bier for assassin John Wilkes Booth 27 April [1865] and a floating prison for six accomplices.

      Decommissioning at Philadelphia in 1865, she remained there, until sold to Frank Samuel 14 April 1904.

       

      Bibliography:

        Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

        Sources:

        1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
        2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 149–150 ↩
        3. “NH 101697-KN USS MONTAUK Sinking C.S. Privateer RATTLESNAKE, February 28, 1863.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-101000/NH-101697-KN.html. Title: USS MONTAUK sinking C.S. Privateer RATTLESNAKE, February 28, 1863 Caption: USS MONTAUK sinking C.S. Privateer RATTLESNAKE, in the Ogeechee River, Georgia, February 28, 1863. Painting by Alexander C. Stuart, owned by the James W. Woodruff, Jr., Confederate Naval Museum, Columbus, Georgia. Note: RATTLESNAKE was the former CSS NASHVILLE. Description: color Catalog #: NH 101697-KN ↩
        4. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 157–158 ↩
        5. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 324–325 ↩
        6. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 370–371 ↩
        7. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 149–150 ↩
        8. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 410–412 ↩
        9. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 462–463 ↩
        10. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 514–515 ↩
        11. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
        12. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
        13. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
        14. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 149–150 ↩
        15. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
        16. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
        17. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
        18. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
        19. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 54–55 ↩
        20. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
        21. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
        22. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
        23. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
        24. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
        25. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
        26. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
        27. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
        28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
        29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
        30. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
        31. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
        32. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 149–150 ↩
        33. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
        34. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
        35. “Montauk I (Monitor).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/montauk-i.html. ↩

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        USS Monadnock

        Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

        Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

        Name: USS Monadnock Type: Double-turreted Monitor Tonnage: 1,564
        Length: 250” Beam: 55.5” Draught: Forward: 12’6”, Aft: 12’3”
        Speed: Max: 9 knots Complement: 150 men Class: Miantonomoh
        Armament: 4 15″ Dahlgren Smoothbores
        Namesake: A monadnock of more than 3,100 feet in southern New Hampshire close to the border of Massachusetts; often called Grand Monadnock to distinguish it from Little Monadnock which lies nearby to the east.

        Images:

        cwpb-02100-02181vMonadnockCLOSEUP3

        “NH 60657 USS Monadnock.”4

        Ship Model Available:

        Long Face Games Miantonomoh Class Ship Models Designs, 1/600 and 1/1200

        USS Monadnock Long Face Games Ship Model Cover

         

        Captain(s):
        Captain John M. Berrien
        Captain Image

        Commander Enoch G. Parrott
        Captain Image

        Commander William Ronckendorff
        Captain Image

        Captain 4
        Captain Image

         

        First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864):

        • Not Yet Commissioned5

        Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

        • Not Yet Commissioned6

        Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864):

        • Not Yet Commissioned7

        Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864):

        • Not Yet Commissioned8

        Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864):

        Not Yet Commissioned (September 1-October 3, 1864)9

        Commissioned at Boston Navy Yard (October 4, 1864)10

        • Captain: Captain John M. Berrien (October 4, 1864)11
        • Crew Strength:
        • Armament:
        • Note: The Monadnock was commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on October 4, 1864, Capt. John M. Berrien in command.12

        Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

        • Captain:
        • Crew Strength:
        • Armament:

        Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864):

        Hampton Roads, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (November 1, 1864)13,14

        Not Present (North Carolina) (December 15, 1864)15

        • Captain:
          • Captain John M. Berrien (November 1, 1864)16
          • Commander Enoch G. Parrott (November 20 and December 5 & 15, 1864)17,18,19
        • Crew Strength:
        • Armament: 4 x “guns” (December 15, 1864)20
        • Note: On December 15, 1864, this ship is noted as a “Class 3” vessel.21

        Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865):

        Not Present (North Carolina) (January 1 & 15, 1865)22,23

        Not Present (South Atlantic Blockading Squadron) (February 1, 1865)24

        • Captain: Commander Enoch G. Parrott (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865)25,26,27
        • Crew Strength:
        • Armament: 4 x “guns” (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865)28,29,30
        • Note: On January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 3” vessel.31,32,33

         Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865):

        James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (March 18 and April 1, 1865) (at Trent’s Reach April 1)34,35,36

        Hampton Roads, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (April 15, 1865)37

        • Captain: Commander William Ronckendorff (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)38,39,40
        • Crew Strength:
        • Armament: 4 x “guns” (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)41,42,43
        • On March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Screw Class” vessel.44,45,46

         

        Siege of Petersburg Battles:

        • TBD

         

        Siege of Petersburg Involvement:47

        The first Monadnock, a twin‑screw, wooden‑hull, double-turreted, iron‑clad monitor, was laid down at the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Mass., in 1862; launched 23 March 1863; and commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard 4 October 1864, Capt. John M. Berrien in command.

        The only monitor of the class to see action during the Civil War Monadnock steamed to Norfolk, Va., and there Comdr. Enoch G. Parrott took command 20 November 1864…

        [SOPO Editor’s Note: The ship’s earlier Civil War experiences are omitted here.]

        After a stay at Port Royal, she returned to Hampton Roads 15 March [1865]. On 2 April, she steamed up the James River to support the final assault on Richmond and then assisted in clearing the river of torpedoes to allow safe passage to the fallen Confederate capitol. Returning to Hampton Roads 7 April [1865], she sailed out into the Atlantic on the 17th, en route to Havana, where she kept watch over CSS Stonewall. Back at Norfolk by 12 June [1865], she entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard on the 20th to fit out for her cruise to the west coast.

        Monadnock departed Philadelphia 5 October [1865]; with Vanderbilt, Tuscorora, and Powatan. After stops at numerous South American ports, she transited the Straits of Magellan and continued on to San Francisco, anchoring off that city 21 June 1866. On 26 June she proceeded to Vallejo and entered the Mare Island Navy Yard where she decommissioned 30 June.

         

        Bibliography:

          Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

          Sources:

          1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
          2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 148 ↩
          3. James River, Virginia. Gunboat COMMODORE PERRY and monitor on James River. (Between 1861 and 1869) Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2018670916/>. MANY thanks to Jeff Johnston for pointing out that this image is of the Monadnock, and thanks to Taft Kiser for alerting me to the linked Facebook post!  As Jeff points out, she was one of only two double turreted monitors on the James River, the other being the Onondaga.  However, in the full version of this image, the Onondaga and Mahopac lie along the shoreline in the center distance!  So we know this must be Monadnock by process of elimination. ↩
          4. “NH 60657 USS Monadnock.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-60000/NH-60657.html. Title: USS Monadnock Description: (1864-1874) Lithograph published in 1864 by Endicott & Company, New York. Courtesy of Commander Charles Moran, 1935. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Catalog #: NH 60657 ↩
          5. “Monadnock I (ScStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/monadnock-i.html. ↩
          6. “Monadnock I (ScStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/monadnock-i.html. ↩
          7. “Monadnock I (ScStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/monadnock-i.html. ↩
          8. “Monadnock I (ScStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/monadnock-i.html. ↩
          9. “Monadnock I (ScStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/monadnock-i.html. ↩
          10. “Monadnock I (ScStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/monadnock-i.html. ↩
          11. “Monadnock I (ScStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/monadnock-i.html. ↩
          12. “Monadnock I (ScStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/monadnock-i.html. ↩
          13. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
          14. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
          15. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
          16. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
          17. “Monadnock I (ScStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/monadnock-i.html. ↩
          18. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
          19. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
          20. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
          21. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
          22. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
          23. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
          24. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
          25. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
          26. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
          27. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
          28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
          29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
          30. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
          31. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
          32. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
          33. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
          34. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
          35. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
          36. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, p. 59: Thanks to Jeff Johnston, admin of the Legacy of the USS Monitor Facebook page and USS Monitor historian for pointing out this validation that the Monadnock was indeed up the James River in March 1865. ↩
          37. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
          38. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
          39. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
          40. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
          41. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
          42. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
          43. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
          44. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
          45. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
          46. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
          47. “Monadnock I (ScStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/monadnock-i.html. ↩

          Tagged as: , , ,

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          USS Minnesota

          Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

          Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

          Name: USS Minnesota Type: Frigate Tonnage: 3,307
          Length: 264’8.5” Beam: 51’4” Draught: Loaded, forward: 22’10”, Aft: 23’10”
          Speed: Max, Steam: 5.5 knots; Max, Sail: 12.5 knots Complement: 540 men Class: Minnesota
          Armament: May 26, 1864: 1 150-pdr. Parrott rifle, 1 11” Dahlgren Smoothbore, 18 9” Dahlgren Smoothbores

          October 12, 1864 and January 3, 1865: 1 150-pdr. Parrott rifle, 1 11” Dahlgren Smoothbore, 4 100-pdr. Parrott rifles, 18 9” Dahlgren Smoothbores, 2 12-pdr. rifled howitzers, 2 12-pdr. Smoothbore howitzers
          Namesake: Minnesota, a territory named for a Lakota (Sioux) Native American word meaning “sky‑tinted water” and organized in 1849, was admitted to the Union as the 32d State on 11 May 1858.

          Images:

          ORNVol05Page617Minnesota3

           

          Captain(s):
          Commodore Joseph Lanman
          Captain Image

          Lieutenant Commander John H. Upshur
          Captain Image

          Lieutenant Moses S. Stuyvesant
          Captain Image

           

          First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864): Hampton Roads, Virginia | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (June 17, 1864)4

          • Captain:
          • Crew Strength:
          • Armament: 1 x 150-pdr. Parrott rifle, 1 x 11” Dahlgren Smoothbore, 18 x 9” Dahlgren Smoothbores (May 26, 1864)5
          • Note: On June 17, 1864 the ship was recruiting, with the crew mostly discharged.6

          Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

          • Captain: Lieutenant Commander John H. Upshur (June 23, 1864)7
          • Crew Strength:
          • Armament:

          Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864): Fourth Division (James River) | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (July 31, 1864)8

          • Captain: Lieutenant Moses S. Stuyvesant (July 18, 1864)9
          • Crew Strength:
          • Armament:

          Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864): Fourth Division (James River) | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (August 17, 1864)10

          • Captain:
          • Crew Strength:
          • Armament:
          • Note: On August 17, 1864, this ship is noted as at “Hampton Roads.”11

          Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864): Second Division (Hampton Roads and James River) | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (September 1 & 16 and October 1, 1864)12,13,14

          • Captain: Commodore Joseph Lanman (October 1, 1864)15
          • Crew Strength:
          • Armament: 1 x 150-pdr. Parrott rifle, 1 x 11” Dahlgren Smoothbore, 4 x 100-pdr. Parrott rifles, 18 x 9” Dahlgren Smoothbores, 2 x 12-pdr. rifled howitzers, 2 x 12-pdr. Smoothbore howitzers (October 12, 1864)16
          • Notes:
            • On September 1, 1864, this ship is noted as at “Hampton Roads.”17
            • On September 16, 1864, this ship is noted as “reported in bad condition and in much want of repairs.”18
            • On October 1, 1864, this ship is noted as “engines in bad condition.”

          Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

          • Captain:
          • Crew Strength:
          • Armament:

          Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864):

          Hampton Roads, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (November 1 and December 5, 1864)19,20

          Not Present (North Carolina) (December 15, 1864)21

          • Captain: Commodore Joseph Lanman (November 1 and December 5 & 15, 1864)22,23,24
          • Crew Strength:
          • Armament: 46 x “guns” (December 15, 1864)25
          • Note: On December 15, 1864, this ship is noted as a “Class 1” vessel.26

          Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865):

          Not Present (North Carolina) (January 1 & 15, 1865)27,28

          Not Present (Portsmouth, NH) (February 1, 1865)29

           

          • Captain: Commodore Joseph Lanman (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865)30,31,32
          • Crew Strength:
          • Armament:
            • 46 x “guns” (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865)33,34,35
            • 1 x 150-pdr. Parrott rifle, 1 x 11” Dahlgren Smoothbore, 4 x 100-pdr. Parrott rifles, 18 x 9” Dahlgren Smoothbores, 2 x 12-pdr. rifled howitzers, 2 x 12-pdr. Smoothbore howitzers (January 3, 1865)36
          • Note: On January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 1” vessel.37,38,39

          Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865):

          • Not Present (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)40,41,42

           

          Siege of Petersburg Battles:

          • TBD

           

          Siege of Petersburg Involvement:43

          The first Minnesota, a wooden steam frigate, was authorized by an Act of Congress on 6 April 1854 and laid down in May 1854 at the Washington [D.C.] Navy Yard; launched on 1 December 1855; and sponsored by Miss Susan L. Mann, of Washington, D.C. She had cost $691.408.14 to build. She was commissioned on 21 May 1857, Capt. Samuel F. Du Pont in command…

          Minnesota reached Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Colony (South Africa) on 20 April [1859], and returned to Boston Navy Yard on 2 June, where she decommissioned and remained in ordinary until the outbreak of the Civil War.

          Minnesota was recommissioned on 2 May 1861, Capt. Gershom J. Van Brunt in command.

          [SOPO Editor’s Note: A lengthy description of Minnesota’s service early in the Civil War is omitted.]

          For the next few years, Minnesota served as the flagship of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron (the Navy divided the Atlantic Blockading Squadron into the North and South Atlantic Blockading Squadrons on 29 October 1861), sailing frequently off Wilmington, N.C. Minnesota seized Confederate schooner Almira Ann, running the blockade with a cargo of timber, near the Chickahominy River, Va., on 17 May 1863. Lt. Joseph Fyffe relieved Cmdr. Harrison as the commanding officer on 19 November [1863]. Lt. Cmdr. John H. Upshur relieved Lt. Fyffe as the commanding officer on 9 December [1863].

          A Union army expedition attempted to seize a Confederate encampment and a store of tobacco on Pagan Creek near Smithfield, Va., on 1 February 1864. Minnesota deployed launches that embarked some of the soldiers, in company with other vessels including converted ferry boat Commodore Morris. Southern sharpshooters defeated the landing with the Union loss of army gunboat Smith Briggs.

          Acting Master James M. Williams of screw steamer Commodore Barney led a boat expedition up Chuckatuck Creek, Va., against some Confederate soldiers reported to be in the vicinity on the night of 29 and 30 March 1864. Acting Master Charles B. Wilder of Minnesota led a detachment of sailors from the ship that reinforced Williams. The men landed at Cherry Grove shortly before dawn, silently surrounded the enemy headquarters, and captured 20 prisoners. Rear Adm. Samuel P. Lee, Commander North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, reported to Secretary Welles that “…it gives me pleasure to commend the energy and zeal displayed by these officers in planning and carrying out to a successful termination an expedition of no little difficulty.”…

          Rear Adm. Lee led Union ships and soldiers in a thrust up the Nansemond River, Va., to search for Confederate troops believed to be in the area, and to capture Squib (13–14 April 1864). Acting Lt. Charles B. Wilder led two launches from Minnesota, which joined converted ferryboats Commodore Barney, Commodore Morris, Commodore Perry, Shokokon, and Stepping Stones. Confederate snipers killed Wilder near Smithfield, and Lt. Cmdr. Upshur afterward noted that “true to the reputation he had won among his shipmates for promptness and gallantry, he fell while in the act of firing a shot at the enemy.” The raiders took a handful of prisoners, but Squib again eluded capture by slipping from Smithfield toward Richmond on 10 April.

          During the spring of 1864, the Confederates considered a bold plan to divert Union forces from the fighting in Virginia that included an operation to free the estimated 15,000 Southern prisoners held at a Northern prison at Point Lookout, Md. Maj. John Tyler, CSA, wrote to Maj. Gen. Sterling Price, CSA, explaining the scheme. Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, CSA, Commander Second Corps, was to capture Baltimore, and hold the city with his infantry while his cavalry assailed Point Lookout. The naval portion comprised a voyage by Capt. John T. Wood, CSN, and five gunboats carrying 20,000 ‘stand of arms’ to rendezvous with Early at the prison. In the event of victory, the Confederates considered a further assault to seize Washington, D.C. “This I regard as decidedly the most brilliant idea of the war,” Tyler concluded.

          Lt. Moses S. Stuyvesant, who had recently assumed command of Minnesota, learned of the plan from intelligence gained in the area of the ship’s operations. Stuyvesant telegraphed Secretary Welles, who alerted the army, during the evening of 18 July 1864: “The commanding general at this point deems reliable the following information which he has just obtained from four refugees [Confederate deserters]. That 800 Sailors and Marines, under John T. Wood, left Richmond on the 7th or 8th of July, to man two armed blockade runners at Wilmington, N.C., for the purpose of attempting the release of prisoners confined here. Will telegraph to senior officer at Fortress Monroe.” Unbeknownst to Stuyvesant, however, the inadequate Southern security precautions alarmed Confederate President Jefferson F. Davis, who feared that the Northerners learned of the attack, and on 10 July he recommended its cancellation. The Confederates subsequently ended the operation.

          Commodore Joseph Lanman relieved Lt. Stuyvesant as the commanding officer of Minnesota on 1 October 1864.

          [SOPO Editor’s Note: The large portion removed here discusses the two assaults on Fort Fisher outside Wilmington, NC in December 1864 and January 1865.]

          Minnesota was decommissioned at Portsmouth, N.H., on 16 February 1865.

           

          Bibliography:

            Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

            Sources:

            1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
            2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 145 ↩
            3. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume V, p. 617 ↩
            4. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 157–158 ↩
            5. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 145 ↩
            6. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 157–158 ↩
            7. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume X, pp. 198–199 ↩
            8. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 324–325 ↩
            9. “Minnesota I (Frigate).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/minnesota-i.html. ↩
            10. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 370–371 ↩
            11. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 370–371 ↩
            12. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 410–412 ↩
            13. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 462–463 ↩
            14. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 514–515 ↩
            15. “Minnesota I (Frigate).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/minnesota-i.html. ↩
            16. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 145 ↩
            17. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 410–412 ↩
            18. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 462–463 ↩
            19. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
            20. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
            21. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
            22. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
            23. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
            24. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
            25. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
            26. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
            27. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
            28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
            29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
            30. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
            31. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
            32. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
            33. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
            34. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
            35. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
            36. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 145 ↩
            37. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
            38. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
            39. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
            40. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
            41. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
            42. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
            43. “Minnesota I (Frigate).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/minnesota-i.html. ↩

            Tagged as: , , ,

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            USS Miami

            Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

            Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

            Name: USS Miami Type: Double-Ender Sidewheel Steamer Tonnage: 730
            Length: 208’2” Beam: 33’2” Draught: October 18, 1864: 8’6”, Light: 7’
            Speed: Max: 8 knots, Avg.: 4 knots Complement: 134 men Class: Not Listed.
            Armament: December 3, 1864 and March 31, 1865: 1 100‑pdr Parrott rifle, 6 9″ Dahlgren Smoothbores, 1 24‑pdr.
            Namesake: A city and port in southeastern Florida on Biscayne Bay.

            Images:

            NH 46255: USS Miami (1862-65)3

             

            Captain(s):
            Acting Volunteer Lieutenant George W. Graves
            Captain Image

            Captain 2
            Captain Image

            Captain 3
            Captain Image

             

            First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864):

            Not Present (North Carolina, and “worn out, ordered up for repairs”)4

            • Captain:
            • Crew Strength:
            • Armament:

            Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

            Away in North Carolina, not present at the Siege of Petersburg (June 21, 1864)5

            • Captain:
            • Crew Strength:
            • Armament:
            • Note: On June 21, 1864, Captain Melancton Smith was ordered to move from the North Carolina Sounds with the Miami, Sassacus, and Commodore Barney and proceed to the James River for duty there.6

            Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864): Fourth Division (James River) | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (July 31, 1864)7

            • Captain:
            • Crew Strength:
            • Armament:
            • Note: On July 31, 1864, this ship is noted as “repairing at Norfolk.”8

            Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864): Fourth Division (James River) | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (August 17, 1864)9

            • Captain:
            • Crew Strength:
            • Armament:
            • Note: On August 17, 1864, this ship is noted as “to be sent to Philadelphia for repairs when services can be spared.”10

            Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864): Second Division (Hampton Roads and James River) | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (September 1 & 16 and October 1, 1864)11,12,13

            • Captain:
            • Crew Strength:
            • Armament:
            • Notes:
              • On September 1 & 16, 1864, this ship is noted as “in very bad condition; to be sent to Philadelphia when services can be spared.”14,15
              • On October 1, 1864, this ship is noted as in “James River; in very bad condition; to be sent to Philadelphia when her services can be spared.”16

            Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

            • Captain:
            • Crew Strength:
            • Armament:

            Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864): James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (November 1 and December 5 & 15, 1864)17,18,19

            • Captain: Acting Volunteer Lieutenant George W. Graves (November 1 and December 5 & 15, 1864)20,21,22
            • Crew Strength:
            • Armament:
              • 1 x 100‑pdr Parrott rifle, 6 x 9″ Dahlgren Smoothbores, 1 x 24‑pdr. (December 3, 1864)23
              • 8 x “guns” (December 15, 1864)24
            • Notes:
              • On November 12, 1864, this ship was located in the James River at “City Point” and was classified as a “gunboat.”25
              • On December 15, 1864, this ship is noted as a “Class 3” vessel.26

            Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865): James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 15 & 25, 1865)27,28,29,30,31

            • Captain: Acting Volunteer Lieutenant George W. Graves (January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)32,33,34,35
            • Crew Strength:
            • Armament: 8 x “guns” (January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)36,37,38,39
            • Note: On January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 3” vessel.40,41,42,43

            Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865): James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)(at City Point April 1 & 15)44,45,46

            • Captain: Acting Volunteer Lieutenant George W. Graves (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)47,48,49
            • Crew Strength:
            • Armament:
              • 8 x “guns” (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)50,51,52
              • 1 x 100‑pdr Parrott rifle, 6 x 9″ Dahlgren Smoothbores, 1 x 24‑pdr. (March 31, 1865)53
            • Note: On March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Paddle Class” vessel.54,55,56

             

            Siege of Petersburg Battles:

             

            Siege of Petersburg Involvement:59

            The first Miami, a side‑wheel, double‑ender gunboat, was launched by Philadelphia Navy Yard 16 November 1861; sponsored by Miss Ann Ingersoll; and commissioned there 29 January 1862, Lt. Abram Davis Harrell in command…

            [SOPO Editor’s Note: Miami’s early war exploits were removed from this summary.]

            On 20 April [1864] Plymouth fell to the southern attack. Albemarle’s threat to Union naval supremacy in North Carolina waters was ended 27 October [1864] when Lt. William B. Cushing exploded a spar torpedo under the ironclad-s overhanging armor, tearing a hole in her wooden hull.

            Shifting to the James River to support General Grant’s drive on Richmond, Miami engaged Confederate batteries at Wilcox’s Landing, Va. [on August 3, 1864]. Proceeding toward heavy firing Miami had discovered batteries at Wilcox’s Landing firing on Union transports. He immediately open a brisk cannonade, and after an hour the Confederates withdrew. Next day [August 4, 1864], Miami, accompanied by Osceola, drove off batteries which were firing on another group of transports near Harrison’s Landing, on the James River. Throughout the embattled South, Union gunboats kept communications and supply lines open despite the dogged determination of the Confederates to sever them.

            For the remainder of the war Miami operated in the James playing an important role in the naval effort, assisting Grant’s unrelenting pressures on the Confederate capitol which finally forced the gallant Lee to surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, 9 April 1865. The double‑ender decommissioned at Philadelphia 22 May 1865 and was sold at auction in Philadelphia 10 August 1865. Documented 30 November 1865, Miami served American commerce until 1869.

             

            Bibliography:

              Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

              Sources:

              1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
              2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 143 ↩
              3. “NH 46255 USS Miami (1862-65).” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-46000/NH-46255.html. Title: USS Miami (1862-65) Description: Photographed during the Civil War. Frank W. Hackett, a former officer of the ship, wrote of this photograph in 1910: (it) represents the Miami coaling from a schooner out in the sound somewhere, near Roanoke Island. That indicates that the photograph was taken in 1862-64, while Miami was serving in the North Carolina Sounds. It may have been taken at the same time as Photo # NH 60873, a view on board the ship. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph. Catalog #: NH 46255 ↩
              4. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 157–158 ↩
              5. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume X, p. 175 ↩
              6. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume X, p. 175 ↩
              7. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 324–325 ↩
              8. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 324–325 ↩
              9. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 370–371 ↩
              10. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 370–371 ↩
              11. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 410–412 ↩
              12. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 462–463 ↩
              13. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 514–515 ↩
              14. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 410–412 ↩
              15. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 462–463 ↩
              16. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 514–515 ↩
              17. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
              18. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
              19. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
              20. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
              21. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
              22. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
              23. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 143 ↩
              24. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
              25. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, p. 61 ↩
              26. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
              27. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
              28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
              29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
              30. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
              31. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 54–55 ↩
              32. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
              33. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
              34. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
              35. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
              36. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
              37. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
              38. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
              39. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
              40. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
              41. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
              42. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
              43. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
              44. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
              45. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
              46. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
              47. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
              48. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
              49. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
              50. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
              51. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
              52. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
              53. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 143 ↩
              54. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
              55. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
              56. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
              57. “Miami I (SwStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/miami-i.html. ↩
              58. “Miami I (SwStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/miami-i.html. ↩
              59. “Miami I (SwStr).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/miami-i.html. ↩

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              USS Maumee

              Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

              Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

              Name: USS Maumee Type: Screw Gunboat Tonnage: 593
              Length: 190’ Beam: 29’ Draught: Loaded, Forwad: 8’6”; Loaded, Aft:11’3”; Light, Forward: 7’6”; Light, Aft: 10’9”
              Speed: 11.5 knots Complement: 96 men Class: Not Listed.
              Armament: October 20, 1864: 1 100‑pdr. Parrott rifle, 1 30‑pdr. Parrott rifle, 4 24‑pdrs., 1 12‑pdr. rifle

              November 17, 1864: 1 100‑pdr. Parrott rifle, 1 30‑pdr. Parrott rifle, 2 32-pdrs. 57 cst., 4 24‑pdrs., 1 12‑pdr. rifle

              January 25, 1865: 1 100‑pdr. Parrott rifle, 2 30‑pdr. Parrott rifles

              June 15, 1865: 1 11” Dahlgren Smoothbore, 2 32-pdrs. 57 cwt., 1 30-pdr. Parrott rifle, 4 24-pdrs.
              Namesake: A river flowing from Indiana through Ohio to empty into Lake Erie at Toledo.

              Images:

              Image Needed (Does a Good One Exist?)

               

              Captain(s):
              Lieutenant Commander Ralph Chandler
              Captain Image

              Lieutenant Commander James Parker, Jr.
              Captain Image

              Captain 3
              Captain Image

               

              First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864):

              • Not Present (Not Commissioned)3

              Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

              • Not Present (Not Commissioned)4

              Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864):

              • Not Present (Not Commissioned)5

              Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864):

              • Not Present (Not Commissioned)6

              Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864):

              Not Present (Not Commissioned) (September 1-29, 1864)7

              Moved from New York City(?) to Hampton Roads (October 2-8, 1864)8

              • Captain: Lieutenant Commander Ralph Chandler (September 29, 1864)9
              • Crew Strength:
              • Armament:
              • Note: The Maumee was launched by the New York Navy Yard on July 2, 1863 and commissioned September 29, 1864. The new gunboat sailed for Hampton Roads October 2, 1864 and joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron there on October 8, 1864.10

              Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

              • Captain:
              • Crew Strength:
              • Armament: 1 x 100‑pdr. Parrott rifle, 1 x 30‑pdr. Parrott rifle, 4 x 24‑pdrs., 1 x 12‑pdr. rifle (October 20, 1864)11

              Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864):

              Not Present (Cruising near Halifax, Nova Scotia) (November 1, 1864)12

              Not Present (North Carolina) (December 5 & 15, 1864)13,14

              • Captain:
                • Lieutenant Commander James Parker, Jr. (November 1 and December 5, 1864)15,16
                • Lieutenant Commander Ralph Chandler (December 15, 1864)17
              • Crew Strength:
              • Armament:
                • 1 x 100‑pdr. Parrott rifle, 1 x 30‑pdr. Parrott rifle, 2 x 32-pdrs. 57 cst., 4 x 24‑pdrs., 1 x 12‑pdr. rifle (November 17, 1864)18
                • 8 x “guns” (December 15, 1864)19
              • Note: On December 15, 1864, this ship is noted as a “Class 4” vessel.20

              Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865):

              Not Present (North Carolina) (January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)21,22,23,24

              James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (February 25, 1865)25

              • Captain: Lieutenant Commander Ralph Chandler (January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)26,27,28,29
              • Crew Strength:
              • Armament:
                • 8 x “guns” (January 1 & 15, 1865)30,31
                • 1 x 100‑pdr. Parrott rifle, 2 x 30‑pdr. Parrott rifles (January 25, 1865)32
                • 3 x “guns” (February 1 & 15, 1865)33,34
              • Note: On January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 4” vessel.35,36,37,38

              Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865): James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)39,40,41

              • Captain: Lieutenant Commander James Parker, Jr. (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)42,43,44
              • Crew Strength:
              • Armament: 8 x “guns” (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)45,46,47
              • Notes:
                • On April 1, 1865, the Maumee was serving as a tender for President Abraham Lincoln, and on April 15, 1865 she was stationed at Richmond, Virginia on the James.48,49
                • Note: On March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Screw Class” vessel.50,51,52

               

              Siege of Petersburg Battles:

              • TBD

               

              Siege of Petersburg Involvement:53

              The first Maumee was launched by the New York Navy Yard 2 July 1863; and commissioned 29 September 1864. Lt. Comdr. Ralph Chandler in command.

              The new gunboat sailed for Hampton Roads 2 October [1864] and joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron there on the 8th. She got underway on the 26th, seeking Confederate cruiser Tallahassee then preying on northern merchantmen near Boston. After steaming as far north as Halifax, Nova Scotia, she returned to New York, 8 November [1864], en route back to Hampton Roads to prepare for an attack on Fort Fisher which protected Wilmington, N.C.

              The first assault made on Christmas Eve was unsuccessful, but the Union ships returned 13 January 1865 and shelled the southern stronghold while troops were landed. They supported the Union ground forces during a 2‑day campaign which carried the Confederate works on the 15th, closing the vital southern port.

              On 15 February [1865] Maumee was ordered up Cape Fear River to support Army operations, and 10 days later she was assigned to the James River for similar action. In March [1865], when the Confederate capitol of Richmond fell, Maumee was one of the vessels assigned occupation duty along the waterfront.

              After the war, Maumee sailed to Philadelphia, where she decommissioned 17 June 1865 and was sold to a Mr. Landstein of Hong Kong 15 December 1869.

               

              Bibliography:

                Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

                Sources:

                1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
                2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 139 ↩
                3. “Maumee I (ScGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/maumee-i.html. ↩
                4. “Maumee I (ScGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/maumee-i.html. ↩
                5. “Maumee I (ScGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/maumee-i.html. ↩
                6. “Maumee I (ScGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/maumee-i.html. ↩
                7. “Maumee I (ScGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/maumee-i.html. ↩
                8. “Maumee I (ScGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/maumee-i.html. ↩
                9. “Maumee I (ScGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/maumee-i.html. ↩
                10. “Maumee I (ScGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/maumee-i.html. ↩
                11. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 139 ↩
                12. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
                13. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
                14. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                15. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
                16. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
                17. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                18. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 139 ↩
                19. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                20. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                21. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                22. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                23. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                24. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                25. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 54–55 ↩
                26. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                27. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                30. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                31. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                32. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 139 ↩
                33. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                34. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                35. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                36. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                37. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                38. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                39. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                40. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                41. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                42. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                43. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                44. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                45. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                46. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                47. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                48. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                49. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                50. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                51. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                52. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                53. “Maumee I (ScGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/maumee-i.html. ↩

                Tagged as: , ,

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                USS Massasoit

                Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

                Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

                Name: USS Massasoit Type: Double-ender Sidewheel Gunboat Tonnage: 974
                Length: 205’ Beam: 35’ Draught: Loaded: 8’6”, Light: 7’2”
                Speed: Max: 12 knots, Avg.: 6 knots, In a Seaway: 6-7 knots Complement: Not Listed. Class: Sassacus
                Armament: December 1, 1864: 2 100‑pdr. pivots, 4 9″ Dahlgren Smoothbores, 2 24‑pdrs., 2 12‑pdr. rifles

                March 25, 1864 (sic, 1865): 2 100‑pdr. Parrott rifles, 4 9″ Dahlgren Smoothbores, 1 heavy 12-pdr. Smoothbore, 2 24‑pdrs., 1 12‑pdr. rifle

                March 31, 1865: 2 100‑pdr. Parrott rifles, 3 9″ Dahlgren Smoothbores
                Namesake: Massasoit, the chief of the Wampanoag Indians of New England, born around 1580, befriended the English colonists and gave the food and assistance during the early settlement of the Plymouth Colony. His son, the chief known as King Philip, started the destructive King Philip’s War some years after Massasoit’s death in 1661.

                Images:

                01917v: James River, Virginia. U.S. gunboat MASSASOIT3

                Ship Model Available:

                Long Face Games USS Sassacus (and Sassacus Class) Ship Models Designs, 1/600 and 1/1200

                Image of USS Sassacus Long Face Games 3D Ship Model

                Captain(s):
                Commander Richard T. Renshaw
                Captain Image

                Captain 2
                Captain Image

                Captain 3
                Captain Image

                 

                First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864):

                • Not Present (not commissioned at Boston Navy Yard)4

                Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

                • Not Present (not commissioned at Boston Navy Yard)5

                Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864):

                • Not Present (not commissioned at Boston Navy Yard)6

                Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864):

                • Not Present (commissioned August 25, 1864 at Boston Navy Yard)7

                Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864):

                • Note Present8,9,10

                Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

                • Captain:
                • Crew Strength:
                • Armament:

                Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864):

                Hampton Roads, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (November 1, 1864)11

                James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (December 5 & 15, 1864)12,13

                • Captain: Commander Richard T. Renshaw (November 1 and December 5 & 15, 1864)14,15,16
                • Crew Strength:
                • Armament:
                  • 2 x 100‑pdr. pivots, 4 x 9″ Dahlgren Smoothbores, 2 x 24‑pdrs., 2 x 12‑pdr. rifles (December 1, 1864)17
                  • 10 x “guns” (December 15, 1864)18
                • Note: On December 15, 1864, this ship is noted as a “Class 3” vessel.19

                Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865): James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 15 & 25, 1865)20,21,22,23,24

                • Captain: Commander Richard T. Renshaw (January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)25,26,27,28
                • Crew Strength:
                • Armament: 10 x “guns” (January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)29,30,31,32
                • Note: On January 1 & 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 3” vessel.33,34,35,36

                Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865):

                James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (March 18 and April 1, 1865)(at Trent’s Reach April 1)37,38

                Moved to North Carolina Sounds on April 6 (stationed there April 15, 1865)39,40

                • Captain: Commander Richard T. Renshaw (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)41,42,43
                • Crew Strength:
                • Armament:
                  • 10 x “guns” (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)44,45,46
                  • 2 x 100‑pdr. Parrott rifles, 4 x 9″ Dahlgren Smoothbores, 1 x heavy 12-pdr. Smoothbore, 2 x 24‑pdrs., 1 x 12‑pdr. rifle (March 25, 1865?)47
                  • 2 x 100‑pdr. Parrott rifles, 3 x 9″ Dahlgren Smoothbores (March 31, 1865)48
                • Notes:
                  • Ordered on April 6, 1865 to carry dispatches to General Sherman in North Carolina, she remained on duty in the Sounds of North Carolina in the last days of the Civil War.49
                  • On March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Paddle Class” vessel.50,51,52

                 

                Siege of Petersburg Battles:

                 

                Siege of Petersburg Involvement:53

                The first Massasoit was launched 8 March 1863 by Curtis & Tilden, Boston, Mass.; commissioned 8 March 1864, Lt. Comdr. Edward Barrett in command; but did not leave the Navy Yard before decommissioning 31 July 1864.

                Recommissioned 25 August 1864 in the tense days before Gen. William Sherman’s “march to the sea,” she first patrolled the New England coast for Confederate raiders. In October [1864] Massasoit joined Rear Adm. David D. Porter’s North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. After several escort voyages from New York to Hampton Roads she served on picket duty on the James River, in Virginia. She took part in the 24 January 1865 duel with Confederate batteries at Howlett’s House, and the following months stood by to prevent any southern rams from reaching the coast.

                Ordered 6 April [1865]to carry dispatches to General Sherman in North Carolina, she remained on duty in the Sounds of North Carolina in the last days of the Civil War. Entering New York Harbor 18 June, Massasoit decommissioned 27 June 1865 and was sold 15 October 1867.

                 

                Bibliography:

                  Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

                  Sources:

                  1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
                  2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 138–139 ↩
                  3. James River, Virginia. U.S. gunboat MASSASOIT. (Between 1861 and 1869) Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2018670814/>. ↩
                  4. “Massasoit I (SwGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/massasoit-i.html. ↩
                  5. “Massasoit I (SwGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/massasoit-i.html. ↩
                  6. “Massasoit I (SwGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/massasoit-i.html. ↩
                  7. “Massasoit I (SwGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/massasoit-i.html. ↩
                  8. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 410–412 ↩
                  9. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 462–463 ↩
                  10. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 514–515 ↩
                  11. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
                  12. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
                  13. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                  14. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
                  15. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
                  16. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                  17. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 138–139 ↩
                  18. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                  19. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                  20. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                  21. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                  22. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                  23. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                  24. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 54–55 ↩
                  25. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                  26. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                  27. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                  28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                  29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                  30. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                  31. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                  32. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                  33. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                  34. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                  35. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                  36. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                  37. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                  38. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                  39. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                  40. “Massasoit I (SwGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/massasoit-i.html. ↩
                  41. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                  42. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                  43. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                  44. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                  45. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                  46. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                  47. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 138–139: The date is listed as March 25, 1864, but the armaments seem to be arranged in chronological order, and this listing came after the Dec. 1, 1864 listing and before the March 31, 1865 listing.  I suspect they meant March 25, 1865, but it could be some other type as well.  Treat this entry with skepticism until/unless I can find another source to prove or refute it. ↩
                  48. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 138–139 ↩
                  49. “Massasoit I (SwGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/massasoit-i.html. ↩
                  50. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                  51. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                  52. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                  53. “Massasoit I (SwGbt).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/massasoit-i.html. ↩

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                  USS Mahopac

                  Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

                  Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

                  Name: USS Mahopac Type: Single-turreted Monitor Tonnage: 1,034
                  Length: 190’ Beam: 37’8” Draught: August 20, 1864: Forward: 11’10”, Amidships: 12’3”, Aft: 13’; October 13, 1864: :Loaded: 13’9”
                  Speed: Max: 6.3 knots Complement: Not Listed. Class: Canonicus
                  Armament: January 2, 1865: 2 15″
                  Namesake: Lake in New York, 50 miles south by east of New York City.

                  Images:

                  33958v: The monitor Mahopac, James River, Va.3

                  Ship Model Available:

                  Long Face Games Canonicus Class Ship Models Designs, 1/600 and 1/1200

                  Image of Canonicus Class Monitors, 1/600 and 1/1200 Scale 3D STL Files Long Face Games

                  Captain(s):
                  Commander William A. Parker
                  WilliamAParkerUSNavyV64P31774

                  Lieutenant Commander James M. Prichett
                  Captain Image

                  Lieutenant Commander Edward E. Potter
                  Captain Image

                  Lieutenant Commander Aaron W. Weaver
                  Captain Image

                  Lieutenant Commander George E. Belknap
                  GeorgeEBelknapUSNavyV40P19755

                  Captain 6
                  Captain Image

                   

                  First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864):

                  • Not Present6

                  Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

                  • Captain:
                  • Crew Strength:
                  • Armament:

                  Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864):

                  • Not Present7

                  Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864):

                  • Not Present8

                  Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864):

                  Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

                  • Captain:
                  • Crew Strength:
                  • Armament:

                  Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864):

                  James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (November 1 and December 5, 1864)12,13

                  Not Present (North Carolina) (December 15, 1864)14

                  • Captain:
                    • Commander William A. Parker (November 1, 1864)15
                    • Lieutenant Commander James M. Prichett (December 5, 1864)16
                    • Lieutenant Commander Edward E. Potter (December 15, 1864)17
                  • Crew Strength:
                  • Armament: 2 x “guns” (December 15, 1864)18
                  • Note: On December 15, 1864, this ship is noted as a “Class 3” vessel.19

                  Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865):

                  Not Present (North Carolina) (January 1 & 15, 1865)20,21\

                  Not Present (South Atlantic Squadron) (February 1 (and 15 & 25?), 1865)22,23,24

                  • Captain: Lieutenant Commander Edward E. Potter (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865)25,26,27
                  • Crew Strength:
                  • Armament:
                    • 2 x “guns” (January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865)28,29,30
                    • 2 x 15″ guns (January 2, 1865)31
                  • Note: On January 1 & 15 and February 1, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 3” vessel.32,33,34

                  Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865):

                  Not Present (March 18, 1865)35

                  James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (April 1, 1865)(at Trent’s Reach April 1)36

                  Ordered to Washington, D. C. (on or before April 15, 1865)37

                  • Captain:
                    • Lieutenant Commander Aaron W. Weaver (April 1, 1865)38
                    • Lieutenant Commander George E. Belknap (April 15, 1865)39
                  • Crew Strength:
                  • Armament: 2 x “guns” (April 1 & 15, 1865)40,41
                  • Note: On April 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Screw Class” vessel.42,43

                   

                  Siege of Petersburg Battles:

                   

                  Siege of Petersburg Involvement:44

                  The first Mahopac, a heavily armored monitor built by Z. & F. Secor at New York, was launched 17 May 1864, and, after a trial trip 20 August [1864], commissioned at New York, Comdr. William A. Parker in command.

                  The single‑turreted monitor participated in the joint attack on Charleston 9 September [1864]. She operated on the James River in the autumn and steamed to the Wilmington area in time to join the bombardment of Fort Fisher 24 and 25 December 1864 and 13 through 15 January 1865. In the latter attacks, which doomed Wilmington, she was hit eight times without serious damage.

                  Next steaming to Charleston, Mahopac remained there on picket duty until 8 March [1865] when she returned to Chesapeake Bay. In April [1865], she and sister Union ships helped General Grant’s force in the capture of Richmond. She decommissioned in June [1865] and laid up at the Washington Navy Yard.

                  Mahopac recommissioned 15 January 1866 and operated along the east coast. Renamed Castor 15 June 1869, she resumed the name Mahopac 10 August. Going into reserve at Hampton Roads 11 March 1872, she recommissioned 21 November 1873 and sailed to Key West for fleet drill and remained there over 2 years. In 1876 she steamed to Port Royal and moved to Norfolk in July 1877. She was stationed with several other monitors at Brandon Landing until March 1880, when she proceeded to City Point, where she was based until 1888. She was in ordinary at Richmond 1889‑95, then moved to League Island. She was struck from the Navy Register 14 January 1902 and was sold 25 March 1902.

                   

                  Bibliography:

                    Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

                    Sources:

                    1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
                    2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 132 ↩
                    3. The monitor Mahopac, i.e. Lehigh? James River, Va. (Photographed between 1861 and 1865, printed between 1880 and 1889)Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2013647376/>. ↩
                    4. William A. Parker image.  MOLLUS-Mass Civil War Photograph Collection, Vol. 64, Page 3177.  United States Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, PA. ↩
                    5. George E. Belknap image.  MOLLUS-Mass Civil War Photograph Collection, Vol. 64, Page 3177.  United States Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, PA. ↩
                    6. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 157–158 ↩
                    7. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 324–325 ↩
                    8. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 370–371 ↩
                    9. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 410–412 ↩
                    10. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 462–463 ↩
                    11. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 514–515 ↩
                    12. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
                    13. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
                    14. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                    15. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
                    16. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
                    17. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                    18. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                    19. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                    20. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                    21. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                    22. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                    23. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                    24. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 54–55 ↩
                    25. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                    26. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                    27. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                    28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                    29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                    30. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                    31. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 132 ↩
                    32. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                    33. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                    34. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                    35. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                    36. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                    37. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                    38. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                    39. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                    40. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                    41. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                    42. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                    43. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                    44. “Mahopac I (Mon).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/mahopac-i.html. ↩

                    Tagged as: , , , , , , ,

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                    USS Lilac

                    Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

                    Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

                    Name: USS Lilac Type: Steam Tug Tonnage: 129
                    Length: 92’ Beam: 19’ Draught: 8’
                    Speed: Max: 9 knots, Avg.: 4 knots Complement: 17 men Class: Not Listed.
                    Armament: May 4, 1863: 1 12-pdr. rifle, 1 heavy 12-pdr. Smoothbore

                    November 9, 1864: 1 heavy 12-pdr. Smoothbore
                    Namesake: A shrub found in Europe and North America noted for its large panicles of fragrant pink-purple flowers.

                    Images:

                    Image Needed (Does One Exist?)

                     

                    Captain(s):
                    Acting Ensign Joseph A. Chadwick
                    Captain Image

                    Acting Master’s Mate George W. Lane
                    Captain Image

                    Captain 3
                    Captain Image

                     

                    First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864):

                    • Not Present (North Carolina)3

                    Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864):

                    • Captain:
                    • Crew Strength:
                    • Armament:

                    Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864):

                    • Not Present (North Carolina)4

                    Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864):

                    • Not Present (North Carolina)5

                    Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864):

                    • Not Present (North Carolina)6,7,8

                    Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864):

                    • Captain:
                    • Crew Strength:
                    • Armament:

                    Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864):

                    Not Present (North Carolina) (November 1 and December 5, 1864)9,10

                    Norfolk, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (December 15, 1864)11

                    • Captain: Not Listed. (December 15, 1864)12
                    • Crew Strength:
                    • Armament:
                      • 1 x heavy 12-pdr. Smoothbore (November 9, 1864)13
                      • 2 x “guns” (December 15, 1864)14
                    • Note: On December 15, 1864, this ship is noted as a “Class 4” vessel.15

                    Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865):

                    Norfolk, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (January 1 and February 1 & 25, 1865)16,17,18

                    James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy19,20

                    • Captain:
                      • Not Listed. (January 1, 1865)21
                      • Acting Ensign Joseph A. Chadwick (January 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)22,23,24
                    • Crew Strength:
                    • Armament: 2 x “guns” (January 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865)25,26,27
                    • Note: On January 15 and February 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Class 4” vessel.28,29,30

                    Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865):

                    Norfolk, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (March 18, 1865)31

                    James River, Va. | North Atlantic Blockading Squadron | Union Navy (April 1 & 15, 1865)32,33

                    • Captain:
                      • Acting Ensign Joseph A. Chadwick (March 18, 1865)34
                      • Acting Master’s Mate George W. Lane (April 1 & 15, 1865)35,36
                    • Crew Strength:
                    • Armament: Armament: 2 x “guns” (March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865)37,38,39
                    • Note: On March 18 and April 1 & 15, 1865, this ship is noted as a “Screw Class” vessel.40,41,42

                     

                    Siege of Petersburg Battles:

                    • TBD

                     

                    Siege of Petersburg Involvement:43

                    The first Lilac, a steam tug built at Philadelphia early in 1863, was acquired by the Navy 15 April 1863; and commissioned at Philadelphia 28 April 1863. The new tug joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron at Hampton Roads 2 May. During the remainder of 1863, she operated in the Roads and on the lower James River performing dispatch, picket, and towing duty.

                    [SOPO Editor’s Note: This ship’s earlier Civil War service has been omitted.]

                    Early in 1864 Rear Adm. S. P. Lee ordered Lilac to Beaufort, N.C., for harbor defense and towing. Her service there continued until December [1864] and won her Admiral Lee’s praise as “very useful.”

                    As the year waned, Lilac returned to Norfolk to help tighten the noose which Grant and Porter were closing around Richmond. On 4 April [1865], as Lee’s valiant army was at last about to be driven from the South’s capitol, Lilac captured Confederate Army tug Seaboard at Tree Hill Bridge which spanned the James below Richmond. As the Confederacy crumbled, Lilac continued to operate in the James until she steamed north late in May [1865]. She decommissioned 16 June 1865 and was sold at public auction at New York to H. G. Farrington 12 July 1865. Redocumented as Eutaw 5 October 1865, the tug served commercial shipping until abandoned in 1888.

                     

                    Bibliography:

                      Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

                      Sources:

                      1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
                      2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 127 ↩
                      3. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 157–158 ↩
                      4. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 324–325 ↩
                      5. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 370–371 ↩
                      6. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 410–412 ↩
                      7. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 462–463 ↩
                      8. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume X, pp. 514–515 ↩
                      9. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 39–40 ↩
                      10. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 140–142 ↩
                      11. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                      12. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                      13. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 127 ↩
                      14. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                      15. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 192–194 ↩
                      16. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                      17. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                      18. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 54–55 ↩
                      19. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                      20. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                      21. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 398–400 ↩
                      22. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                      23. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                      24. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                      25. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                      26. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                      27. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                      28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 597–599 ↩
                      29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XI, pp. 722–724 ↩
                      30. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 20–21 ↩
                      31. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                      32. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                      33. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                      34. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                      35. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                      36. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                      37. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                      38. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                      39. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                      40. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 71–73 ↩
                      41. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 93–94 ↩
                      42. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Volume XII, pp. 116–118 ↩
                      43. “Lilac I (Steam Tug).” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/lilac-steam-tug.html. ↩

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