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USS Eolus (1864)
Encyclopedia
The USS Eolus was a 368-ton side wheel steamship that served in the Union Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
from 1864 to 1865 before becoming a commercial steamship.
Union Navy
Eolus was built at Newburgh, New York, for civilian employment, but was purchased by the Union NavyUnion Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
upon completion. Outfitted as a 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:...
, she was commissioned in August 1864 and, following a brief search off the Atlantic Coast for the Confederate raider CSS Tallahassee
CSS Tallahassee
The CSS Tallahassee was a twin-screw steamer and cruiser in the Confederate States Navy, purchased in 1864, and used for commerce raiding off the Atlantic coast.-History:...
, joined the blockading forces off 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...
.
Eolus patrolled the coast, rivers, and sounds of North Carolina, enforcing the blockade and acting as picket. She carried men, messages, mail, supplies, orders, and ammunition to the large ships of the squadron and transferred their wounded to hospital ships. During October 1864 she captured the blockade runner Hope and assisted in the capture of the Lady Sterling
USS Hornet (1865)
The USS Hornet was the fifth United States Navy ship to bear the name Hornet. She was originally the Confederate blockade runner CSS Lady Stirling, built by James Ash at Cubitt Town, London in 1864...
. Late in the year and in mid-January 1865 Eolus took part in the attacks that captured Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865....
, thus closing the port of 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...
to blockade runners. She continued operations in North Carolina waters from then until after the Civil War's end.