CSS Hampton was a wooden gunboat

Gunboat

A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...

 of the Confederate States Navy

Confederate States Navy

The Confederate States Navy was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War...

, one of the few Hampton class gunboats to be built.

Hampton was built at Norfolk Navy Yard in 1862 and based there until May 1862, when the yard was abandoned and the fleet moved up the James River

James River (Virginia)

The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...

. With Lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 John Herndon Maury, CSN, in command, Hampton participated in significant river actions including the battle at Dutch Gap

Dutch Gap

Dutch Gap is located on the James River in Chesterfield County, Virginia near the site of the lost 17th-century city of Henricus.In 1611, Sir Thomas Dale, according to a method he had learned while campaigning in Holland, cut a ditch across a portion of land behind town...

 on August 13, 1864; operations against Fort Harrison

Fort Harrison

Fort Harrison was an important component of the Confederate defenses of Richmond during the American Civil War. Named after Lieutenant William Harrison, a Confederate engineer, it was the largest in the series of fortifications that extended from New Market Road to the James River that also...

 on September 29-October 1; and the engagement at Chaffin's Bluff

Chaffin's Bluff

Chaffin's Bluff is located in Henrico County, Virginia, United States, along the James River. Chaffin's Bluff on the north side of the river opposite Drewry's Bluff, long-considered a major defense point of the river below Richmond...

 on October 22.

Hampton was burned by the Confederates as they evacuated Richmond

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 on April 3, 1865.

Commanders

The commanders of the CSS Hampton were:

• Lieutenant George W. Harrison (as of May 1862)
• Lieutenant Hunter Davidson (1862)
• Lieutenant John S. Maury (1863-July 6, 1864; October 26-29, 1864)
• Lieutenant John W. Murdaugh (July 6-October 26, 1864)
• Lieutenant Ivey Foreman (October 29-November 18, 1864)
• Lieutenant Walter Raleigh Butt (November 18, 1864-)
• Lieutenant Francis E. Shepperd (December 28, 1864-January 14, 1865; briefly in February 1865)
• Lieutenant Joseph David Wilson (January-February 1865)