The Potomac Flotilla, or the Potomac Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 created in the early days of the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 to secure Union communications in the Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...

, the Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

 and their tributaries, and to disrupt Confederate

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 communications and shipping in the same.

American Civil War

On April 22, 1861 Commander

Commander

Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...

 James H. Ward

James H. Ward

Commander James Harmon Ward was the first officer of the United States Navy killed during the American Civil War.-Biography:...

, who was the commander of the receiving ship USS North Carolina at the New York Navy Yard

Brooklyn Navy Yard

The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...

, wrote to Secretary of the Navy

United States Secretary of the Navy

The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...

 Gideon Wells to put forth a plan for the protection of the Chesapeake Bay area. Ward suggested a “Flying Flotilla” of light draft vessels to operate in the Chesapeake and it’s tributaries. His commander Captain Samuel L. Breese

Samuel Livingston Breese

Samuel Livingston Breese was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. His active-duty career included service in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, and the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...

, commandant of the New York Navy Yard, endorsed his plan. Wells accepted this proposal and wrote back to Wells and Breese on April 27, 1861 authorizing them to begin carrying out Ward’s plan. On May 1, 1861 the first vessels for the new flotilla were acquired. On May 16, 1861 Ward set out from the New York Navy Yard with three vessels, the Thomas Freeborn

USS Thomas Freeborn (1861)

USS Thomas Freeborn was a steam tug acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.Thomas Freeborn was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....

, Reliance

USS Reliance (1860)

USS Reliance was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy for use during the American Civil War. Her duties included river patrols and bombarding with her howitzers....

 and Resolute

USS Resolute (1860)

The first USS Resolute was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was purchased by the Union Navy to be part of the fleet of ships stationed in coastal waterways to prevent blockade runners from entering or departing ports of the Confederacy...

. He arrived at the Washington Navy Yard

Washington Navy Yard

The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...

 on May 20, 1861 onboard his flagship, the Thomas Freeborn.

On June 27, 1861 Ward’s flotilla engaged the Confederates at Mathias Point, 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...

. While he was sighting the bow gun of the Thomas Freeborn, Ward was shot through the abdomen and died within an hour due to internal hemorrhaging. He was the first United States Naval officer to be killed during the war.

After the death of Ward the flotilla was led by a succession of short-term commanders until the fall of 1862 when Commodore

Commodore (rank)

Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...

 Andrew A. Harwood

Andrew A. Harwood

Andrew Allen Harwood, was an Admiral in the United States Navy-Biography:Andrew Allen Harwood was born on 9 October 1802 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of John Edmund Harwood and Elizabeth Franklin Bache...

 took command. He was in turn succeeded by Commander

Commander

Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...

 Foxhall A. Parker

Foxhall A. Parker, Jr.

Foxhall Alexander Parker was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Biography:...

 on December 31, 1864.

On July 18, 1865 the Navy Department ordered Parker to disband the flotilla on July 31, 1865. Most of the flotilla’s remaining vessels were sent to the Washington Navy Yard to be decommissioned.

Name of the Flotilla

It wasn’t until August 1861 that the flotilla became known as the Potomac Flotilla. The designation of Flying Flotilla was dropped when Ward’s force arrived in the theatre of operations. The flotilla was then referred to by a variety of names, including: Flotilla, Potomac River; Potomac Blockade; Flotilla in the Chesapeake; etc. In early August 1861 the flotilla commander and the Navy Department began to consistently refer to the command as the Potomac Flotilla.

Operations

1861

Engagement

Battle of Aquia Creek

The Battle of Aquia Creek was an exchange of cannon fire between Union Navy gunboats and Confederate shore batteries in Stafford County, Virginia which took place from May 29, 1861 to June 1, 1861 during the early days of the American Civil War...

 with the Confederate batteries at Aquia Creek, Virginia, 29 May-1 Jun 1861

Affair at Mathias Point, Virginia, 27 Jun 1861

Engagement with the Confederate batteries at Potomac Creek

Potomac Creek

Potomac Creek is a tidal tributary of the Potomac River in King George and Stafford counties, Virginia. Potomac Creek's source lies between the communities of Glendie and Paynes Corner in Stafford County. It empties into the Potomac River at Marlboro Point...

, Virginia, 23 Aug 1861

Engagement with the Confederate battery at Freestone Point, Virginia, 25 Sep 1861

1862

Engagement at Cockpit Point, Virginia, 3 Jan 1862

Expedition up the Rappahannock River

Rappahannock River

The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...

 to Tappahannock

Tappahannock, Virginia

Tappahannock is the oldest town in Essex County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,068 at the 2000 census. Located on the Rappahannock River, Tappahannock is the county seat of Essex County...

, Virginia, 13-15 Apr 1862

Expedition up the Rappahannock River to Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...

, Virginia, 20 Apr 1862

Expeditions to Gwynn’s Island and Nomini Creek, Virginia, 3-4 Nov, 1862

Engagement at Port Royal

Port Royal, Virginia

Port Royal is an incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The population was 170 at the 2000 census.Port Royal was established in the mid-17th century in the Colony of Virginia primary as a port on a navigable portion of the Rappahannock River for export of tobacco, Virginia's...

, Virginia, 4 Dec 1862

Engagement at Brandywine Hill, Rappahannock River, Virginia, 10-11 Dec 1862

1863

Destruction of salt works on Dividing Creek, Virginia, 12 Jan 1863

Destruction of Confederate stores at Tappahannock, Virginia, 30 May 1863

Capture of U. S. steamers Satellite and Reliance, 16 Aug 1863

1864

Expedition to the Northern Neck

Northern Neck

The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This peninsula is bounded by the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River on the south. It encompasses the following Virginia counties: Lancaster,...

 of Virginia, 12 Jan 1864

Expedition up the Rappahannock River, Virginia, 18-21 Apr 1864

Expedition to Carter’s Creek, Virginia, 29 Apr 1864

Expedition to Mill Creek, Virginia, 12-13 May 1864

Expedition up the Rappahannock River, Virginia, 16-19 May 1864

Expedition to the Northern Neck of Virginia, 11-21 Jun l864

Expedition to Milford Haven and Stutt’s Creek, Virginia, 24 Sep 1864

1865

Expedition to Fredericksburg, Virginia, 6-8 Mar 1865

Expedition up the Rappahannock River, 12-14 Mar 1865

Operations in Mattox Creek, Virginia, 16-18 Mar 1865

Ships of the Squadron

When Commander

Commander

Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...

 James H. Ward

James H. Ward

Commander James Harmon Ward was the first officer of the United States Navy killed during the American Civil War.-Biography:...

 departed from New York Navy Yard on May 16, 1861 his flotilla consisted of three vessels. The strength of the flotilla would be steadily increased until it reached a strength that hovered between fifteen and twenty-five vessels.

Ship	Rate	Type	Notes
Casco USS Casco (1864) The first USS Casco was the first of a class of twenty 1,175-ton light-draft monitors built by Atlantic Works, Boston, MA for the Union Navy during the American Civil War.-Launch and refitting:...	4th	Ironclad Monitor	Casco class
Chimo USS Chimo (1864) USS Chimo, a single-turreted, twin-screw monitor, was built by the Aquila Adams, South Boston, MA, and launched 5 May 1864, and commissioned 20 January 1865, Acting Master John C. Dutch in command....	4th	Ironclad Monitor	Casco class
Mahopac USS Mahopac (1863) - External links :***...	4th	Ironclad Monitor	Canonicus class
Saugus USS Saugus (1863) USS Saugus was a monitor constructed for the Union Navy during the third year of the American Civil War. She saw most of her military action in the rivers of Virginia, including being there for the fall of Richmond, Virginia. Post-war, she was recommissioned for further service with the U.S...	4th	Ironclad Monitor	Canonicus class
Pawnee USS Pawnee (1859) The first USS Pawnee was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for the Pawnee Indian tribe....	2nd	Screw Sloop
Seminole USS Seminole (1859) The first USS Seminole was a steam sloop in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.Seminole was launched by the Pensacola Navy Yard on 25 June 1859; sponsored by Ms. Mary Dallas; and was commissioned there on 25 April 1860, Commander Edward R...	3rd	Screw Sloop
Wachusett	3rd	Screw Sloop	Commander Wilkes' Flagship
Allegheny USS Allegheny (1847) USS Allegheny — the first United States Navy ship to be so named — was a large iron-hulled steamer that served as an American gunboat in the South Atlantic Ocean as well as in the European area...	4th	Screw Sloop	Receiving Ship at Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
Harriet Lane	3rd	Sidewheel Gunboat	from United States Revenue Cutter Service United States Revenue Cutter Service The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed maritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury...
Mahaska USS Mahaska (1861) The first USS Mahaska was a wooden, double-ender, sidewheel steamer of the third rate in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for Ioway Chief Mahaska....	3rd	Sidewheel Gunboat
Port Royal USS Port Royal (1862) USS Port Royal was a double-ended steamboat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. The steamboat was converted into an armed gunboat by the Navy, and assigned to patrol the rivers and other waterways of the Confederate States of America and to enforce the Union blockade on the...	3rd	Sidewheel Gunboat
Anacostia USS Anacostia (1856) USS Anacostia was a steamer, constructed as a tugboat, that was first chartered by the United States Navy for service during the Paraguay crisis of the 1850s and then commissioned as a U.S. Navy ship. She later served prominently in the Union Navy during the American Civil War.-Under charter to...	4th	Screw Gunboat
Aroostook USS Aroostook (1861) USS Aroostook was a built for the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Aroostook was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.-Construction and design:...	4th	Screw Gunboat
Crusader USS Crusader (1858) USS Crusader was a screw steamer of the United States Navy that served prior to, and during, the American Civil War.Crusader was heavily armed and was used in a "gunboat diplomacy" role when the United States needed to place political pressure on the South American country of Paraguay...	4th	Screw Gunboat
Currituck USS Currituck (1861) USS Currituck was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy for use during the American Civil War.Her duties as a gunboat included river patrols, guard duty, and other duties as assigned.- Purchased at New York City in 1861 :...	4th	Screw Gunboat
Dawn USS Dawn (1857) The first USS Dawn was a steam-operated vessel acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....	4th	Screw Gunboat
Don USS Don (1862) USS Don was a captured British steam-operated cargo ship acquired by the Union Navy from the prize court during the American Civil War....	4th	Screw Gunboat	Blockade runner Blockade runner A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...  captured by USS Pequot USS Pequot (1863) The first USS Pequot was a wooden screw gunboat of the Union Navy during the American Civil War. The ship was launched on 4 June 1863 by the Boston Navy Yard; and commissioned there on 15 January 1864, Lt. Comdr. Stephen P. Quackenbush in command...  4 Mar 1864 off Beaufort Beaufort, North Carolina Beaufort is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1709, it is the third-oldest town in North Carolina.The population was 4,189 at the 2008 census and it is the county seat of Carteret County... , North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte... .
Dragon USS Dragon (1861) USS Dragon was a small 118-ton steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the start of the American Civil War.Dragon's primary assignment was to participate as a gunboat in the Union blockade of the ports and waterways of the Confederate States of America.- Purchased in New York City in 1861...	4th	Screw Gunboat
E. B. Hale USS E. B. Hale (1861) The USS E. B. Hale was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used as a gunboat by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....	4th	Screw Gunboat
Eureka USS Eureka (1862) USS Eureka was a steamer captured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.- Captured steamer converted to Union Navy service :...	4th	Screw Gunboat	Steamer captured by USS Anacostia USS Anacostia (1856) USS Anacostia was a steamer, constructed as a tugboat, that was first chartered by the United States Navy for service during the Paraguay crisis of the 1850s and then commissioned as a U.S. Navy ship. She later served prominently in the Union Navy during the American Civil War.-Under charter to...  20 Apr 1862 in Rappahannock River Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American... , 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... .
Fuchsia USS Fuchsia (1863) USS Fuchsia was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....	4th	Screw Gunboat
Little Ada USS Little Ada (1864) USS Little Ada was a steamer captured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....	4th	Screw Gunboat	Blockade runner Blockade runner A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...  captured by USS Gettysburg USS Gettysburg (1858) The first USS Gettysburg was a steamer in the Union Navy.The ship was built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1858, named Douglas, and operated for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company between Liverpool, United Kingdom and Douglas on the Isle of Man until November 1862...  9 Jul 1864 in South Santee River, South Carolina South Carolina South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence... .
Mystic USS Mystic (1853) USS Mystic was a steamer acquired by the U.S. Navy prior to the American Civil War when she was known as the and served in the Paraguay expedition of 1858 and 1859...	4th	Screw Gunboat
Penguin USS Penguin (1861) USS Penguin was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....	4th	Screw Gunboat
Pocahontas USS Pocahontas (1852) The first USS Pocahontas, a screw steamer built at Medford, Massachusetts in 1852 as City of Boston, and purchased by the Navy at Boston, Massachusetts on 20 March 1855, was the first United States Navy ship to be named for Pocahontas, the Algonquian wife of Virginia colonist John Rolfe. She was...	4th	Screw Gunboat
Teaser	4th	Screw Gunboat	ex-Confederate captured by USS Maratanza USS Maratanza (1861) USS Maratanza was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....  4 Jul 1862 in 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... , 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...
Tulip USS Tulip (1862) USS Tulip was a 183-ton steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.Tulip was outfitted with heavy guns and was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy in order to prevent the South from trading with other countries.- Built in New York...	4th	Screw Gunboat	Sunk by boiler explosion off Ragged Point, 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... , 11 Nov 1864
Valley City USS Valley City (1859) USS Valley City was a 190-ton steamer acquired by the Union Navy for service in the American Civil War.Valley City was outfitted as a gunship and served blockade duty as well as performing surveillance duty....	4th	Screw Gunboat
Western World USS Western World (1856) USS Western World was a ship acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....	4th	Screw Gunboat
Wyandotte USS Wyandotte (1853) USS Wyandotte was a steamer acquired by the Navy as a gunship for the Paraguay expedition in 1858. When the crisis of the American Civil War occurred, she was recommissioned for service in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways....	4th	Screw Gunboat
Adela USS Adela (1862) USS Adela was a steamer captured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.-Planning, in England, to run the Union Blockade:...	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat	Blockade runner Blockade runner A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...  captured by USS Quaker City USS Quaker City (1854) USS Quaker City was a heavy, sidewheel steamship leased by the Union Navy at the start of the American Civil War. She was subsequently purchased by the Navy, outfitted with a powerful 20-pounder long rifle, and assigned to help enforce the Union blockade of the ports of the Confederate States of...  7 Jul 1862 off New Providence New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It also houses the national capital city, Nassau.The island was originally under Spanish control following Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, but the Spanish government showed...  in the Bahamas The Bahamas The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
Banshee USS Banshee (1862) USS Banshee was a large steamship “blockade runner” that was captured by the Union Navy and converted to Navy use during the American Civil War....	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat	Blockade runner Blockade runner A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...  captured by USAT Fulton & USS Grand Gulf USS Grand Gulf (1863) USS Grand Gulf was a screw steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was effective in performing blockade duty, and captured a number of Confederate blockade runners....  21 Nov 1863 off Wilmington Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina... , North Carolina North Carolina North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
Ceres USS Ceres (1856) USS Ceres was a small steamboat acquired by the Union Navy during the beginning of the American Civil War. She was outfitted as a gunboat and used in the Union blockade of the waterways of the Confederate States of America.-Construction:...	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat
Coeur de Lion USS Coeur de Lion (1861) USS Coeur de Lion was an armed side-wheeled steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War...	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat
Commodore Barney USS Commodore Barney (1859) USS Commodore Barney was a ferryboat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Ferryboats were of great value, since, because of their flat bottom and shallow draft, they could navigate streams and shallow waters that other ships could not.-Built in New York City in 1859:Commodore...	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat	ex-Ferryboat
Commodore Read USS Commodore Read (1857) USS Commodore Read was a former ferry acquired by the Union Navy for use during the American Civil War. Because of her shallow draft, she was useful for patrols in rivers and streams...	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat	ex-Ferryboat
Delaware USS Delaware (1861) USS Delaware was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy for use during the American Civil War. She had a very active wartime career as a gunboat, and after the war served as a revenue cutter...	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat
Jacob Bell USS Jacob Bell (1842) USS Jacob Bell was a sidewheel steamer acquired by the Union Navy for use during the American Civil War. She was one of the oldest vessels so acquired. Her duties included river patrols, guard duty, and other duties as assigned....	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat
Isaac N. Seymour USS Isaac N. Seymour (1860) USS Isaac N. Seymour was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat
John L. Lockwood USS John L. Lockwood (1854) USS John L. Lockwood was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was needed by the Navy to be part of the fleet of ships to prevent blockade runners from entering ports in the Confederacy.John L...	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat
Mercury	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat
Morse USS Morse (1861) USS Morse was a ferryboat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Ferryboats were of great value, since, because of their flat bottom and shallow draft, they could navigate streams and shallow waters that other ships could not....	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat	ex-Ferryboat
Mount Washington	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat	Known as USS Mount Vernon to 4 Nov 1861
Nansemond USS Nansemond (1862) The first USS Nansemond, a side wheel steamer built at Williamsburg, N.Y. in 1862, as James F. Freeborn, was purchased by the United States Navy at New York City on 18 August 1863 from Richard Squires; it was renamed Nansemond and commissioned at Baltimore on 19 August, with Lieutenant Roswell H...	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat
Satellite USS Satellite (1854) USS Satellite was a steam powered large tugboat, acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War and equipped with two powerful 8-inch guns...	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat	Captured by Confederate boarding party 23 Aug 1863 in Rappahannock River Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American... , sunk at Port Royal Port Royal, Virginia Port Royal is an incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The population was 170 at the 2000 census.Port Royal was established in the mid-17th century in the Colony of Virginia primary as a port on a navigable portion of the Rappahannock River for export of tobacco, Virginia's... , 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... , 28 Aug 1863
Stepping Stones USS Stepping Stones (1861) USS Stepping Stones was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the early part of the American Civil War.She was used by the Union Navy first as a dispatch boat, and also as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways....	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat	ex-Ferryboat
Thomas Freeborn USS Thomas Freeborn (1861) USS Thomas Freeborn was a steam tug acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.Thomas Freeborn was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat	Commander Ward's Flagship
Underwriter USS Underwriter (1852) USS Underwriter was a 341-ton steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.Underwriter was outfitted as a gunboat, whose primary task was to prevent ships from penetrating the Union blockade of Southern ports....	4th	Sidewheel Gunboat
Union USS Union (1861) USS Union was a heavy steamer with a powerful 12-inch rifled gun purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War....	4th	Screw Auxiliary
Baltimore USS Baltimore (1861) The third USS Baltimore was a side-wheel steamer in the United States Navy.Baltimore was built in 1848 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, captured on the Potomac River between Aquia Creek and Washington, D.C., by the Army on 21 April 1861, turned over to the Navy Department, and commissioned in April...	4th	Sidewheel Auxiliary	Ordnance Vessel, Washington Navy Yard
Cactus USS Cactus (1863) USS Cactus was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War for service with the Union blockade of the ports and waterways of the Confederate States of America....	4th	Sidewheel Auxiliary	Supply Ship
Ella USS Ella (1862) The first USS Ella was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was used by the Union Navy as a picket and patrol vessel, as well as a dispatch boat, on Confederate waterways....	4th	Sidewheel Auxiliary	Picket Picket (military) In military terminology, a picket refers to soldiers or troops placed on a line forward of a position to warn against an enemy advance. It can also refer to any unit performing a similar function...  & Dispatch Vessel Dispatch boat Dispatch boats were small boats, and sometimes large ships, tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship or from ship to shore or, in some cases from shore to shore...
Ice Boat USS Ice Boat (1861) USS Ice Boat was a vessel borrowed from the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by the Union Navy when the American Civil War suddenly broke out...	4th	Sidewheel Auxiliary	Icebreaker
King Philip USS King Philip (1845) USS King Philip was a steamer acquired by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a dispatch boat, providing various services.-A commercial steamer seized by the Union Navy:...	4th	Sidewheel Auxiliary	Dispatch Vessel, known as USS Powhatan to 4 Nov 1861
Philadelphia USS Philadelphia (1861) The third USS Philadelphia was the flagship of Rear Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee when he commanded the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the American Civil War....	4th	Sidewheel Auxiliary	Transport Ferry
Wyandank USS Wyandank (1847) USS Wyandank was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a storeship and as a barracks ship in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways....	4th	Sidewheel Auxiliary	Storeship
Juniper USS Juniper (1864) USS Juniper was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a tugboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.- Juniper commissioned at the New York Navy Yard :...	4th	Screw Tug
Leslie USS Leslie (1861) USS Leslie was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy as a tugboat.Leslie was a screw tug borrowed from the Union Army by the Navy early in 1861 for duty at the Washington Navy Yard....	4th	Screw Tug
Moccasin USS Moccasin (1864) The first USS Moccasin, a wood screw tug, was built as Hero in 1864 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and purchased by the US Navy on 11 July 1864 from S. & J. M...	4th	Screw Tug
Periwinkle USS Periwinkle (1864) USS Periwinkle was a steamer procured by the Union Navy during the final months of the American Civil War. She served the Union Navy’s struggle against the Confederate States of America as a patrol gunship....	4th	Screw Tug
Primrose USS Primrose (1863) USS Primrose , a screw steamer tugboat, armed with a heavy rifled gun and a howitzer capable of dropping a 24 pound ball, was acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War....	4th	Screw Tug
Reliance USS Reliance (1860) USS Reliance was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy for use during the American Civil War. Her duties included river patrols and bombarding with her howitzers....	4th	Screw Tug	Captured by Confederate boarding party 23 Aug 1863 in Rappahannock River Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American... , sunk at Port Royal Port Royal, Virginia Port Royal is an incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The population was 170 at the 2000 census.Port Royal was established in the mid-17th century in the Colony of Virginia primary as a port on a navigable portion of the Rappahannock River for export of tobacco, Virginia's... , 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... , 28 Aug 1863
Rescue USS Rescue (1861) USS Rescue was a small steamer commissioned by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She served the navy during the blockade of ports and waterways of the Confederate States of America as an gunship and dispatch boat...	4th	Screw Tug
Resolute USS Resolute (1860) The first USS Resolute was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was purchased by the Union Navy to be part of the fleet of ships stationed in coastal waterways to prevent blockade runners from entering or departing ports of the Confederacy...	4th	Screw Tug
Tigress USS Tigress (1861) The second USS Tigress was a steamer chartered by the Union Navy at the beginning of the American Civil War.Tigress was outfitted with a howitzer and ordered to patrol the Potomac River, which separated the Union capital of Washington, D.C...	4th	Screw Tug	Sunk 10 Sep 1861 in collision with merchant ship State of Maine off Indian Head Indian Head, Maryland Indian Head is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,422 at the 2000 census. It has been the site of a naval base specializing in gun and rocket propellants since 1890. Production of nitrocellulose and smokeless powder began at the Indian Head Powder Factory in 1900... , Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
Verbena USS Verbena (1864) USS Verbena was a small 104-ton steamer purchased by the Union Navy towards the end of the American Civil War.Verbena, outfitted with a 20-pounder Parrott rifle by the Navy, was placed in service as a gunboat and assigned to the blockade of the Confederate States of America...	4th	Screw Tug
Watch USS Alert (1861) USS Alert was a steamship named A. C. Powell purchased by the Union Navy during the first year of the American Civil War.A. C...	4th	Screw Tug	Known as USS A. C. Powell until Aug 1862, known as USS Alert from Aug 1862 to 2 Feb 1865
Young America USS Young America (1855) USS Young America was a Confederate steamer captured by the Union Navy’s blockade vessels, and subsequently placed in-service in the Union Navy during the American Civil War.- Capture and conversion :...	4th	Screw Tug	ex-Confederate, captured 24 Apr 1861 by USS Cumberland USS Cumberland (1842) The first USS Cumberland was a 50-gun sailing frigate of the United States Navy. She was the first ship sunk by the ironclad CSS Virginia....  in Hampton Roads Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
Zeta USS Zeta (1844) USS Zeta was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a torpedo boat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.-Purchased at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:J. G...	4th	Screw Tug
General Putnam USS General Putnam (1857) USS General Putnam -– also known as the USS William G. Putnam -- was acquired by the Union Navy during the first year of the American Civil War and outfitted as a gunship and assigned to the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America. She also served as a tugboat and as a ship's tender...	4th	Sidewheel Tug	Also known as USS William G. Putnam
Heliotrope USS Heliotrope (1863) USS Heliotrope was a wooden steamer acquired by the Union Navy for use during the American Civil War. In addition to patrol duty, Heliotrope performed other services, such as towing and dispatch running....	4th	Sidewheel Tug
Island Belle USS Island Belle (1861) USS Island Belle was a large tugboat acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Although carrying relatively heavy weaponry, she was used for unassuming tasks, such as carrying dispatches and providing surveillance...	4th	Sidewheel Tug	Tug & Dispatch Boat Dispatch boat Dispatch boats were small boats, and sometimes large ships, tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship or from ship to shore or, in some cases from shore to shore...
Yankee USS Yankee (1861) USS Yankee was a steam powered side-wheel tugboat acquired by the Union Navy just prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War.- Provisioning Fort Sumter, evacuating Norfolk :...	4th	Sidewheel Tug
E. H. Herbert	-	Tug	Chartered Vessel
Edwin Forrest	-	Tug	Chartered Vessel
James Murray	-	Tug	Chartered Vessel
Bibb USS Bibb (1853) USS Bibb was a Coast and Survey vessel that performed survey work during the American Civil War.In 1864, when Washington, D.C., appeared under threat when Jubal Early’s Confederate Army crossed the Potomac River, Bibb was quickly commandeered and armed by the Union Navy.-Built at the Boston Navy...	-	Sidewheel Steamer	from United States Coast Survey
Corwin USS Corwin (1849) USS Corwin was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.-U.S...	-	Sidewheel Steamer	from United States Coast Survey
Adolph Hugel USS Adolph Hugel (1860) USS Adolph Hugel was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.With her two 32-pounder guns, she was intended for use by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways...	4th	Sailing Schooner	Mortar Schooner
Arletta USS Arletta (1860) USS Arletta was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat and, at times, an ammunition ship, in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways....	4th	Sailing Schooner	Mortar Schooner
Dan Smith USS Dan Smith (1861) USS Dan Smith was a schooner used by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....	4th	Sailing Schooner	Mortar Schooner
George Mangham USS George Mangham (1854) USS George Mangham was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.- Commissioned at Philadelphia in 1862 :...	4th	Sailing Schooner	Mortar Schooner
Matthew Vassar USS Matthew Vassar (1861) USS Matthew Vassar was a schooner purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy primarily as a mortar gunboat, but also as a gunboat stationed off Confederate ports to prevent their trading with foreign countries.Matthew Vassar, a wooden, centerboard...	4th	Sailing Schooner	Mortar Schooner
Racer USS Racer (1861) USS Racer was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used for various purposes, but, especially for bombardment because of her large 13-inch mortar that could fire up and over tall riverbanks....	4th	Sailing Schooner	Mortar Schooner
Sophronia USS Sophronia (1861) USS Sophronia was a 217-ton motorized schooner purchased by the Union Navy during the first year of the American Civil War.The Navy outfitted Sophronia with a powerful 13-inch mortar, for use in bombardment, and assigned her to operations on the Mississippi River where Union Navy forces were...	4th	Sailing Schooner	Mortar Schooner
T. A. Ward USS T. A. Ward (1861) USS T. A. Ward was a 284-ton schooner was purchased by the Union Navy during the Union blockadeof the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.T. A...	4th	Sailing Schooner	Mortar Schooner
William Bacon USS William Bacon (1863) USS William Bacon was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.-Commissioned in New York City in 1862:...	4th	Sailing Schooner	Mortar Schooner
Bailey	-	Sailing Schooner	from United States Coast Survey
Chaplin	4th	Sailing Schooner
Dana	-	Sailing Schooner	from United States Coast Survey
Howell Cobb USS Howell Cobb (1861) USS Howell Cobb was a schooner acquired on an emergency temporary basis by the Union Navy from the U.S. Coast Survey during the start of the American Civil War....	-	Sailing Schooner	from United States Coast Survey
Picket Boat No. 4	-	Screw Picket Boat
Picket Boat No. 6	-	Screw Picket Boat

Commanders

Squadron Commander	From	To	Notes
Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...   James Harmon Ward James H. Ward Commander James Harmon Ward was the first officer of the United States Navy killed during the American Civil War.-Biography:...	late Apr 1861	27 Jun 1861	Killed in Action
Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...  Stephen Clegg Rowan Stephen Clegg Rowan Stephen Clegg Rowan was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy, who served during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.-Biography:...	27 Jun 1861	10 Jul 1861	Commander pro tem Pro tempore Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...  Thomas Tingey Craven	10 Jul 1861	2 Dec 1861
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...  Abram D. Harrell	2 Dec 1861	6 Dec 1861	Commander pro tem Pro tempore Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
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...  Robert Harris Wyman Robert H. Wyman Rear Admiral Robert H. Wyman was an officer in the U.S. Navy.-Early career:Wyman was born at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was appointed midshipman on 11 March 1837 and served initially in the razee Independence on the Brazil station...	6 Dec 1861	early Jul 1862
Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...  Samuel Magaw	early Jul 1862	1 Sep 1862	Commander pro tem Pro tempore Pro tempore , abbreviated pro tem or p.t., is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a locum tenens in the absence of a superior, such as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate.Legislative...
Commodore Commodore (rank) Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...  Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...	1 Sep 1862	10 Sep 1862
Commodore Commodore (rank) Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...  Andrew Allen Harwood Andrew A. Harwood Andrew Allen Harwood, was an Admiral in the United States Navy-Biography:Andrew Allen Harwood was born on 9 October 1802 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of John Edmund Harwood and Elizabeth Franklin Bache...	10 Sep 1862	31 Dec 1863
Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...  Foxhall Alexander Parker, Jr. Foxhall A. Parker, Jr. Foxhall Alexander Parker was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Biography:...	31 Dec 1863	31 Jul 1865