USS General Putnam (1857) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

USS General Putnam (1857) -– also known as the USS William G. Putnam -- was acquired by 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...

during the first year 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...

and outfitted as a gunship

Gunship

The term "gunship" is used in several contexts, all sharing the general idea of a light craft armed with heavy guns.-In Navy:In the Navy, the term originally appeared in the mid-19th century as a less-common synonym for gunboat.-In military aviation:...

and assigned to the Union blockade

Union blockade

The Union Blockade, or the Blockade of the South, took place between 1861 and 1865, during the American Civil War, when the Union Navy maintained a strenuous effort on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the Confederate States of America designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms...

of the Confederate States of America

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...

. She also served as a tugboat

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

and as a ship's tender

Ship's tender

A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship used to service a ship, generally by transporting people and/or supplies to and from shore or another ship...

when so required.

A ship with two names

The Navy purchased William G. Putnam, a wooden-hulled tug built in 1857 at Brooklyn, New York, on 24 July 1861 at New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

and renamed the vessel General Putnam soon thereafter. The vessel's name later returned to William G. Putnam while in the service of the U.S. Navy.

Assigned to the Atlantic Blockading Squadron

On 13 September 1861, with Acting Master William J. Hotchkiss in command, William G. Putnam departed New York, bound for Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, and 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...

three days later. On the night of the 17th, she headed down river to join the Potomac Flotilla

Potomac Flotilla

The Potomac Flotilla, or the Potomac Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to secure Union communications in the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River and their tributaries, and to disrupt Confederate communications and shipping in the...

but the next day was ordered to join the Atlantic Blockading Squadron

Atlantic Blockading Squadron

The Atlantic Blockading Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to enforce a blockade of the ports of the Confederate States...

at Old Point Comfort

Old Point Comfort

Old Point Comfort is a point of land located in the independent city of Hampton. It lies at the extreme tip of the Virginia Peninsula at the mouth of Hampton Roads in the United States....

, 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...

, where she arrived on 23 September. Within a few days, the armed tug began operating off the 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...

coast where her initial duty was to reconnoiter Ocracoke Inlet

Ocracoke Inlet

Ocracoke Inlet is an estuary located in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, United States that separates Ocracoke Island and Portsmouth Island. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. It is the southern terminus of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It is the northern terminus of the...

.

She also patrolled off Hatteras Inlet

Hatteras Inlet

Hatteras Inlet is a estuary in North Carolina, located along the Outer Banks, separating Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. Hatteras Inlet is located entirely within Hyde County.- History :...

and assisted in the sinking of three stone-laden schooner

Schooner

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

s in an attempt to help tighten the blockade

Blockade

A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...

by impeding navigation and obstructing the inlets in the area. On 29 October 1861, the Navy Department divided the Atlantic Blockading Squadron into the North and South commands, and allocated William G. Putnam to the newly established North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. The vessel continued to operate primarily in the waters of North Carolina

North Carolina

Capture of Roanoke Island

In February 1862, the tug took part in the expedition which captured Roanoke Island

Roanoke Island

Roanoke Island is an island in Dare County near the coast of North Carolina, United States. It was named after the historical Roanoke Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English exploration....

, North Carolina

North Carolina

. On the 6th, the day before the battle began, the side-wheel gunboats and USS William G. Putnam steamed a mile or so ahead of the main force to reconnoiter and discovered fifteen steamers and ten sailing vessels close inshore between Pork Point and Weir's Point, above the marshes of Croatan Sound

Croatan Sound

Croatan Sound is an inlet in Dare County, North Carolina. It connects Pamlico Sound with Albemarle Sound, and is bordered to the east by Roanoke Island; Roanoke Sound is on the other side of the island. Its name comes from the Croatan Indians who once inhabited the area.The Croatan Sound is crossed...

.

The following day, the Union warship

Warship

A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...

s pressed their attack while the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

landed some 10,000 troops on Roanoke Island. William G. Putnam fired on a Confederate shore battery in an engagement that lasted all afternoon. The next morning, she resumed firing in company with and other Federal warships as they started to pass a cluster of vessels which had been sunk as obstructions. Although running aground at one point during the fight and suffering a hit on the hurricane deck, William G. Putnam emerged with no casualties from the heavy shelling by enemy guns.

Raising the Stars and Stripes over Cobb Point Battery

On the 10th, Ceres ran aground off Elizabeth City

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County and Camden County in the State of North Carolina. With a population of 18,683 at the 2010 census, Elizabeth City is the county seat of Pasquotank County....

, North Carolina, during the battle of Elizabeth City, and William G. Putnam pulled her free. In addition, the armed tug attempted to put out a fire that raged in the Confederate armed schooner

Schooner

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

Black Warrior nearby. The blaze proved to be beyond control, but the Union gunboat did manage to pick up a man from the water as he swam from the burning ship. In the operation, Union warships captured the CSS Ellis; obstructed the passage to the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal; and raised the stars and stripes over Cobb Point battery.

Over the ensuing days William G. Putnam conducted daily reconnaissance in Albemarle Sound

Albemarle Sound

Albemarle Sound is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan and Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks, a long barrier peninsula upon which the town of Kitty Hawk is located,...

and missions in the Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal. For the next six months, the gunboat carried detachments of Army troops and equipment on missions to search out and destroy rebel supply boats. While stationed at Plymouth

Plymouth, North Carolina

Plymouth is the largest town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,107 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...

or New Berne

New Bern, North Carolina

New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...

, the ship operated in the Pasquotank

Pasquotank River

The Pasquotank River is a coastal water-body in Northeastern North Carolina in the United States. Located between Camden and Pasquotank counties, the Pasquotank connects directly to the Albemarle Sound and is part of the Intracoastal Waterway via Elizabeth City.-History:The name "Pasquotank" is...

and Chowan

Chowan River

The Chowan River is a blackwater river formed with the merging of Virginia's Blackwater and Nottoway rivers near the stateline between Virginia and North Carolina. According to the USGS a variant name is Choan River....

rivers and the creeks of Dingaderry, Rochahock, and Seems.

Ordered to maintain a “strict and vigorous” blockade

Needing repairs, William G. Putnam, sailed for 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...

and arrived there on 22 October with intelligence data for Rear Admiral Samuel P. Lee. On 6 November, the gunboat received orders to remain in Virginia

Virginia

waters and to maintain a

"strict and vigorous" blockade of the western shore of 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...

between Fortress Monroe and the south side of the Piankatank River

Piankatank River

The Piankatank River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. Located on the Middle Peninsula, between the Rappahannock and York rivers, it was the site of numerous actions during the American Civil War....

Proceeding to Yorktown

Yorktown, Virginia

Yorktown is a census-designated place in York County, Virginia, United States. The population was 220 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1634....

, Virginia, the tug joined a small flotilla operating with the Army in an attempt to take Mathews Court House up the East River

East River (Virginia)

The East River is an , primarily tidal river located in Mathews County in the Middle Peninsula region of Virginia. It flows into Mobjack Bay, which in turn empties into the Chesapeake Bay....

. Ordered to capture or destroy all Confederate vessels that could be used to run the Union blockade, William G. Putnam carried out her assignment until the successful completion of the campaign against Mathews Court House on 23 November 1862.

Repaired at Baltimore and returned to service

Subsequently serving as guard vessel in the York River

York River (Virginia)

The York River is a navigable estuary, approximately long, in eastern Virginia in the United States. It ranges in width from at its head to near its mouth on the west side of Chesapeake Bay. Its watershed drains an area including portions of 17 counties of the coastal plain of Virginia north...

and off neighboring coasts, the tug cooperated with the Union Army in landing troops on expeditions up to West Point

West Point, Virginia

West Point is an incorporated town in King William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,867 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Point is located at...

, Virginia, and enforced the blockade by patrolling the region until 15 January 1863.

At that point her boilers broke down, and she was unable to move. Nevertheless William G. Putnam remained on active service in those waters, stationed so as to enfilade Gloucester Point

Gloucester Point, Virginia

Gloucester Point is a census-designated place in Gloucester County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,429 at the 2000 census. It is also home to The College of William & Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science, a graduate school for the study of oceanography.-Geography:Gloucester...

, until towed to 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...

, 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...

, to receive a new boiler

Boiler

A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...

and rifle screening. The latter included iron plates placed around the forecastle

Forecastle

Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...

, quarter deck, and wheelhouse. She returned to her station in June 1863, helping to blockade Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

The ship’s master is shot dead

While operating in the Piankatank River on blockade duties on 17 August, William G. Putnam and the ex-ferryboats and sighted a schooner

Schooner

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

, a canoe, and a launch running the blockade. Men from the steamers manned two cutters, two boats, and a gig and gave chase but soon encountered heavy sniper fire from Confederate soldiers and guerrillas in the woods. William G. Putnam's commanding officer, Acting Master Hotchkiss fell mortally wounded in the first enemy volley, and the boats withdrew while returning fire. Acting Ensign William Jennings assumed command of William G. Putnam and the ship shelled the woods for about four miles as she dropped down river.

Subsequently towed to Yorktown

Yorktown, Virginia

, Virginia, William G. Putnam was stationed at the mouth of Queen's Creek

Queen's Creek

Queen's Creek is located in York County in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia in the United States...

, where she formed an indispensable part of the defense of Yorktown while Major General Foster erected a citadel there. By that time, the gunboat, with an "overweight boiler," had become less useful for blockade duty; but she found profitable employment dragging for torpedoes (mines) near Yorktown.

Acting Master Hugh H. Savage took command of the armed tug off Newport News

Newport News, Virginia

Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...

, Virginia, on 16 November 1863 and proceeded up the Nansemond River

Nansemond River

The Nansemond River is a tributary of the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia. The Nansemond River Bridge crosses the river near its mouth. Both it and the former State Route 125 bridge, demolished in 2008, were once toll bridges. The river begins at the outlet of Lake Meade north of...

in early December, where she later captured a large boat and destroyed a canoe used by Confederate forces in the area for running mail across the river. William G. Putnam remained on picket duty off the mouth of the Nansemond River to intercept blockade runners until 15 December, when she returned to Newport News.

Covering the landing of Union Army troops

In February and March of 1864, she patrolled the Back River

Back River (Virginia)

The Back River is an estuarine inlet of the Chesapeake Bay between the independent cities of Hampton and Poquoson in the Hampton Roads area of southeastern Virginia. Formed by the confluence of the Northwest and Southwest Branches, and at just over two miles long, the Back River is a breeding...

and the Poquoson River

Poquoson River

The Poquoson River is an , mostly tidal river in the state of Virginia. The river is an arm of Chesapeake Bay, entering just south of the mouth of the York River....

and joined an expedition on 8 March to head up the Mattaponi River

Mattaponi River

The Mattaponi River is a tributary of the York River estuary in eastern Virginia in the United States.It rises as four streams in Spotsylvania County, each of which is given a shorter piece of the Mattaponi's name:...

, convoying Army transports. The armed tug covered the landing of General Kilpatrick's troops at Sheppard's Landing, two miles above West Point, before proceeding to the mouth of 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...

and ascending to a point five miles below Urbanna

Urbanna, Virginia

Urbanna is a town in Middlesex County, Virginia, United States. Urbanna means “City of Anne” and was named in honor of England’s Queen Anne. The population was 543 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Urbanna is located at ....

, Virginia. On 13 March, William G. Putnam returned to Yorktown and later resumed her patrols on the Back and Poquoson rivers.

From mid-April 1864, William G. Putnam operated in joint Army-Navy operations in the James

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...

and Nansemond

Nansemond River

rivers, covering the landings of troops. She moved ahead of Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

transports, dragging for torpedoes (mines) from Harrison's Bar to one mile above Bermuda Hundred

Bermuda Hundred, Virginia

Bermuda Hundred was the first incorporated town in the English colony of Virginia. It was founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1613, six years after Jamestown. At the southwestern edge of the confluence of the Appomattox and James Rivers opposite City Point, annexed to Hopewell, Virginia in 1923, ...

, clearing a channel for the landing of troops at City Point

City Point, Virginia

City Point was a town in Prince George County, Virginia that was annexed by the independent city of Hopewell in 1923. It served as headquarters of the Union Army during the Siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War.- History :...

and at Bermuda Hundred. She then operated with Brigadier General Charles K. Graham's gunboats, supporting the occupation of Fort Powhatan and Wilson's Wharf. William G. Putnam accompanied Army gunboats up the Appomattox River

Appomattox River

The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long, in central and eastern Virginia in the United States, named for the Appomattocs Indian tribe who lived along its lower banks in the 17th century...

and anchored at Gilliam's Bar.

She reconnoitered the river below the bar and, by order of Brigadier General Graham, towing the U.S. Army gunboat Charles Chamberlain down the channel. Informed that Confederate pickets had advanced in force as far as Gilliam's Bar, the Union flotilla retreated on 11 May to Point of Rocks and shelled the nearby woods. During the action, William G. Putnam discovered the Confederate battery at Fort Clifton

Fort Clifton

Clifton, Kansas, was established in 1859 in northern Clay County, Kansas. The first building erected there was a one-room log hut that served the pioneers who settled there as a fort during troubled times between them and the area's Indians...

, opened fire on enemy guns and soon obtained the range. The enemy battery replied, but a shell from the gunboat's 24-pdr. howitzer exploded in the embrasure of their rifled gun, causing the Confederate gunners to break and run.

After that action, the Union steamer returned down river and engaged in further combat operations on the Appomattox River almost daily into June, remaining on guard against surprise attacks. Union forces repeated the attack upon Fort Clifton on 9 and 10 June, silencing the enemy battery.

On 28 July 1864, Rear Admiral Lee assigned William G. Putnam to a division under the command of Captain Melancton Smith operating on the James River. The gunboat also served on the Appomattox River and in Mobjack Bay

Mobjack Bay

Mobjack Bay is a bay on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia in the United States. It lies between the York River on the south and the Rappahannock River on the north....

until March 1865, when she returned to Yorktown. Detached from the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron on 18 March 1865, she patrolled the Rappahannock and St. Mary's rivers.

Post-war activity

After the collapse of the Confederacy in April, the armed tug was ordered to 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...

with twenty-three other vessels from her division. William G. Putnam arrived there on 14 May and was decommissioned on 2 June 1865. The US Treasury Department bought her at auction for use by the Lighthouse Board, and as the tender General Putnam she was assigned to the 3rd Lighthouse District. Rammed and sunk after being assigned to the 2nd Lighthouse District, she was raised and repaired at a cost of $4,738 at Wilmington

Wilmington, Delaware

Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

, Delaware.

Reassigned to the 3rd Lighthouse District, her name was shortened to simply Putnam in September of 1869. She was rebuilt and lengthened to 135 feet in 1877 prior to being transferred back to the 2nd Lighthouse District. Overhauled in New York in August 1880, Putnam rebuilt yet again in 1889 for $18,500.

The Lighthouse Board transferred her to the 7th Lighthouse District in March of 1891, based out of Key West

Key West, Florida

Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...

, Florida. She was taken out of service in 1891 and sold in 1893 for $1,825. She then entered the merchant service as the SS Putnam, operating until 1896.

A ship with two names

Assigned to the Atlantic Blockading Squadron

Capture of Roanoke Island

Raising the Stars and Stripes over Cobb Point Battery

Ordered to maintain a “strict and vigorous” blockade

Repaired at Baltimore and returned to service

The ship’s master is shot dead

Covering the landing of Union Army troops

Post-war activity

See also